Liora Ashwin
I felt as though I was floating in the air. The wind brushed my hair softly, and the pain seemed to numb a little bit.
I had to stay awake, but I drifted in and out of consciousness. His steps were steady, his sharp jawline captivating beneath the cloak.
The pain hit me hard again, and I gritted my teeth. My body trembled, and my toes curled. He stopped. The smell of blood was thick in the air; I could bet it was already dripping off me.
"Stay awake," his low voice said. Not gentle, not cruel either, more like a command.
I tried opening my eyes. I wanted to see and remember more of the man who saved a dying nobody, a discarded soul. But my eyelids felt too heavy, my breathing slowing.
I felt his pace hasten, his eyes darkening as he stared down at me, and for a moment, I felt like I mattered.
"Liora Ashwin, if you die on me, I'll break your bones and make sure you never incarnate," he threatened. But rather than fear, a soft smile spread on my thin, dry lips.
"I'm not a child," I whispered, barely audible.
"Don't sleep," he repeated, firmer.
I could only nod as I tried my best. He rushed through the forest, and soon I felt myself lowered onto something soft.
I was tired. Aside from my wounds, which hurt, my head felt heavy, so without another thought, I let my heavy eyelids shut. Even if death was to come at this time, the moon felt my pain and my struggles… I tried.
I stirred in my sleep and woke to the sound of dripping water. I turned just a little. The pain had subsided; most importantly, the one from my stomach seemed to have vanished, but the ache from the bruises was faint. I turned to the side. I must have been out for a day or so, for it was night and the curtains were drawn, shielding the moonlight rays.
Above me was a stone-like cavern. The design appeared soft, smooth, as the edges glowed with runes. The strong smell of herbs and wild lilies hit me like a hurricane. I gagged. I tried to move, but pain shot through my spine, and I hissed loudly.
"Don't move," a voice came through.
It was female, soft yet powerful.
I didn't dare move. My legs seemed to have gone numb, and my eyes darted between areas within my view.
A woman came into sight, her tall features mesmerizing, accompanied by dark hair nicely braided tightly down her back. Her eyes were amber-gold, shimmering with knowledge and power. She wasn't an alpha… no, she was a healer.
My body relaxed as she pressed a soft cloth to my back, but soon it stung, and I trembled. My nails dug into the sheets, and my teeth trembled.
"It's good you're awake," she began, now applying medicine to my wounds.
"Where… am I? " I asked. My voice came out softer than I imagined.
"You're safe," she replied, too simple for my liking, but I did not push harder. I stayed still.
But then I remembered him.
"And the man?" I quickly asked.
"He is the reason you're still breathing," she said without blinking. "Try not to waste that."
I didn't need a reminder, but then one wouldn't kill.
I felt her hands softly press down my spine slowly and gradually at first, then firmly. Heat erupted from the joint; my teeth gasped.
"Your wounds were deep," she continued. "Another hour out there, and you would've bled out."
I felt my chest tighten.
"And now?"
She paused. Slowly, she helped me turn onto my back. Now I lie facing her.
"You will live, but if I say survival won't come at a cost, then I will be lying."
A soft scoff escaped my lips before I could hold it back. When did survival not come at a cost? I was whipped so hard and dragged to the border instead of death.
Whatever cost it would demand, I was willing to pay. As the guards said, death wouldn't be on their heads, but my misfortune, and my survival would be their greatest regret.
I closed my eyes, but then I recalled the abdominal pain.
"What about inside?" I asked quietly. "I felt pain… then blood, if I'm not mistaken. Something felt off."
Her gaze shifted, and so did the air in the room. She faced me with hesitation.
"You felt it?" she asked, her voice calmer than before.
I nodded.
"Hmmm." She nodded, then turned toward the door.
"Please… what's wrong?" I asked quickly. "Is my wolf okay… what's wrong with me?"
Panic slithered through me. I was far too used to being bullied for having a weak wolf, far too used to the name-calling and not being able to shift like others, but I couldn't bear losing my wolf. It was weak, but it was mine.
"Your body is weak… your wolf is weaker," she began, as the air held its breath alongside mine. "The lashes did more damage than they intended."
Intended, as if any of it had been mercy. I knew they would have taken my life if someone had voiced it out.
"But," she continued, and my breath hitched. Time seemed to stop, and my gaze fixed on her.
"There is life inside you."
The words dropped, and so did my breath.
"Wh… what?" I stammered. "Life… like a baby?"
She nodded, and my world tilted.
"You're with child. It's very early and in a fragile state. Its life is hanging by a thread."
I opened my mouth, but my lips went dry. A child… it was certainly not Ryan's. He had never touched me, and on my first night, it happened to be a stranger I would never know.
A tear slipped down my cheek, and my hand went to my stomach. Just beneath the skin was another person, someone holding on to me, someone I didn't know. I wasn't alone. We were three.
I didn't need to make a decision. My body had made one for me.
I turned to the healer. "Will… will it live?"
The silence that followed was louder than words could ever explain.
"That depends."
"On what?"
"On you," she said. "And on him."
My gaze snapped upward. "Him?"
Before she could reply, the air in the room shifted. Cold earth, moist and minty, filled the air. Then the door creaked open.
As he stepped in, the healer bowed.
He looked different from last night. His eyes were cold, and he wore a dark mask over them. His silver hair fell over his shoulders. His cloak swayed behind him.
As his pale eyes fixed on mine, the air stilled. My wolf whimpered for the first time since I woke up, as if pulled toward him.
He stopped at the foot of the bed.
"She's awake," he said. It wasn't a question.
"Yes," the healer replied calmly, yet submissively. "And barely holding together."
She added it like an afterthought.
His gaze dropped briefly to my stomach, and his eyes hardened.
"You told her?" he half-hissed.
"She deserved to know."
His jaw clenched, but he said nothing more.
The healer didn't linger. She left and slammed the door behind her.
Silence stretched in the air. I wanted to peel my eyes away from him, but I just couldn't.
"You saved me," I whispered.
"It wasn't by choice," he answered roughly.
"Then why?"
"You begged," he said flatly.
"Now… with what you carry, " He leaned forward, his warmth invading my space. My breath caught, and my nostrils inhaled his earth-and-mint scent… awfully familiar.
"You're on my land, under my protection. No one touches what's mine."
Mine.
The word sent shivers down my spine.
"I never agreed to belong to you… I don't even know you," I whispered.
"I collect every debt, Liora Ashwin. And this debt…" He straightened.
"You will pay on time."
I opened my mouth, but he was gone.
No name. No introduction. Just words that made me question too much.