Milana

TREMORS ran through my body as I backed away from the man who was standing in front of me. His right shoulder was bleeding and blood was dripping on the ground. I could see his toned upper body as he was not wearing any shirt.

My eyes zeroed on the source of the blood and noticed that the wound was healing itself already. I watched as the long rip from his elbow up to his shoulder stitched together slowly. I could feel his pain, making me hesitate if I should continue running away from him.

I know he was my mate, but I’m not sure if I wanted to stay with him. Just a few minutes ago, I saw him tear away a man’s arm from its socket. My eyes almost bulged out when that happened. The fear was so strong earlier. I closed my eyes briefly and when I opened them, I saw that the man had moved closer to me. I backed away and he lightly inclined his head to the left as if annoyed. My wolf whined at that as I was the cause of his irritation.

The bond between our wolves was already growing and it was not working in my favor. I could sense he is a higher-ranked wolf as I was finding it difficult to feel his emotions, but I know he could easily read mine.

A loud crash sound from somewhere and my eyes darted behind the man. Running steps were approaching us so I turned away to escape, but was held in place by a strong hand. I gasped when I felt the warmth from his touch. It was the first time I have ever felt something like that. It was like being touched by the soft rays of the sun and at the same time, being lulled to sleep by an embrace of a mother. I immediately pulled away. Regret filled me as I instantly felt the gaping hole in my heart at the loss of contact. Every part of me wanted to be with him except for my mind, that is. I tried to control my emotions and took a step backward.

I looked behind him and saw another man without a shirt running towards us. I turned away again but the man latched his hand on my wrist. The blood from his hand transferred to me and I felt like I was about to throw up. Liquid trickled from my wrist to my fingers, so I tried to pull away.

"We should go," the new man told the man who was holding my wrist.

I looked at the newly-arrived guy and saw that his torso was inked with an intricate tattoo of dancing flames. A growl emanated from near me and I saw the other guy glaring at me with menace clear on his face.

"Where's my sister?" he asked.

The sound of his voice was very low and it caressed me softly. I bit my lower lip and controlled my wolf's purr at how my mate sounded. It was so attractive and it was difficult to turn away from him.

"I'm here, Ryan."

I quickly turned around and saw a woman with blonde hair looking at me. Her eyes moved downward and into my wrist. I looked at the one she called Ryan. So that was my mate's name. At least now, I know what to call him.

My mate's grip on me tightened and I wondered if my hand still had blood flowing there. I pursed my lips as the pain was increasing. As if sensing my distress, his eyes darted to me. I looked down at his hold and he immediately loosened his hand around my wrist.

“Let’s go,” Ryan ordered and pulled me to the hallway.

I could only follow him as he carted me out of the house. The smell of blood was strong as we passed by the living room. I turned to look to my right and saw the man Ryan fought with earlier. The amount of blood in the room was disgusting as the sickening stench of it clouded my senses. The bile I tried to stop earlier now rose in my throat and it was getting more difficult to control it.

When we got out, the other guy immediately got inside the black car parked in front of the house. The woman also stepped into the passenger’s seat and Ryan pushed me inside. He followed suit but this time, he didn't hold my wrist anymore. I cradled my hand and rubbed the sore spot where he was gripping rather too harshly earlier.

I looked in front and saw the girl eyeing me curiously. I quickly looked away, mindful of her blatant staring. I felt a slight pain, making me frown and look at my mate. His arm was still bleeding and I wondered why his healing wasn't working that quick.

He must have noticed my stare as he looked in my direction as well. He looked down at his arm and frowned. He took something from below the seat and I saw that it was a towel. He tried to stop the blood but the blue color of the towel just turned dark as blood seeped into the cloth.

It was already healing before but seemed to stop for some reason. Silver must have been used to inflict that wound. Wolves find it hard to heal when it comes to silver. That was the only reason I could think of.

Because of our mate bond, I could feel his pain from the wound. It was just a slash but the pain caused by the silver must be taking a toll on him and eating away at his strength.

Taking in a deep breath, I looked at my hands and willed myself to feel more of what my mate was feeling at that moment. Even though I still have doubts about our relationship, he was still my mate therefore my wolf would do anything just to keep him safe. My top priority would always be his safety and protection.

The rush of something cold washed through me as I try to tap into my mate's feelings. It was harder to do compared to all that I've done before. It was because he was a higher-ranked wolf and judging on the barrier between the two of use- even though we are mates- I'm guessing he is an Alpha or Beta. My mind got distracted by the thought that I was mated to such a high-ranked wolf. I have never thought I would be, but here I am now, sitting beside him.

I gasped when a huge wave of pain rolled into me. I looked at him, knowing that the slash on his arm was not the only injury he had. He frowned at me, confused at the noise I just made. I could feel him drilling holes to the side of my head. I didn't bother to look in his direction.

The pain was so strong and because I was now sharing it with me, I was feeling more of it. I know he doesn’t know what I was doing. The other person I was working with could never feel what was happening even though I could feel every single thing.

“Your nose is bleeding,” Ryan said and I thought I almost heard worry in his voice.

I lifted my hand that didn’t have any blood on it and touched it above my lips. I looked at my finger and there was indeed blood there. I gulped the nausea that was growing as I didn't want to vomit inside the car and most especially in front of my mate who I just met a couple of minutes ago.

This was not the first time this happened. I always get nosebleeds whenever I try to take too much of someone else's pain. It would only happen if the other person was feeling too much of it, which only proves my theory right. He has another injury: one that I can’t see.

“We’re almost there,” the man driving said.

Looking outside I saw blurs of houses. I had no idea where we were at that moment. The smell of blood was still thick in the air. Especially now that the four of us were in a closed space and the three of them were almost covered in blood. The nauseating feeling was back again.

The car finally halted and I saw that we were in front of a building. I inclined my head closer to the window to look outside but was pulled to my right. Ryan has again gripped my wrist and is now carting me to the entrance of the building. I looked behind us and saw that the neighboring buildings were far from this one. It seemed like it was made that way as if privacy was strictly implanted.

Judging by the houses we passed earlier, it looked like we were in a rural area- a town maybe. But this part was farther from those houses and was closer to taller buildings. They were probably all apartment complexes.

Since the three of them didn't seem to mind that they had blood all over them, I'm sure the people who lived here were wolves. They wouldn't question anything like this as most of our kind like to hunt other wild animals.

As we made our way to the entrance, I looked up and tried to estimate how many floors there were. Probably twelve or more. It was really huge and had a modern style.

There was no one in the lobby, making me worried. It doesn't look abandoned but shouldn't there be a receptionist or something?

I was pulled to an elevator and I could only watch as the doors slid closed, leaving the other guy and girl outside. I looked at my hand, wondering why it was just the two of us who boarded the elevator. I debated against myself if I should ask him.

Sighing, I looked down at his hand that was clutching me. Blood was not dripping anymore which means that his wound has fully healed. My mind went back to the pain I experienced earlier in the car. I’ve had worse before but this feels different. It must be because he is my mate and everything between us is more heightened than usual.

I followed the number on the elevator. It was indeed more than twelve floors. A sound pinged when we reached the fifteenth floor. An elegant interior welcomed me. I was almost afraid to step there as I might track dirt on my way.

Ryan released my hand and got out of the elevator, so I followed after him. My eyes bulged at how expansive the room was. The first thing that caught my eyes was the floor-to-ceiling windows on the left. I could see the view of mountains not far from here. The window spanned a great part of the wall and the rest was painted in a cream color.

Posh furniture was also there. A long couch faced the huge windows and there were paintings of scenery on the other wall facing the entrance of the elevator.

Ryan walked to the right, to the hallway, and I was assuming that led to the rooms and other parts of the house. I followed him and was greeted by an open floor of a dining area and kitchen. The windows were smaller here compared to what I just saw earlier.

He walked in the direction of the kitchen then turned to the left and there was another hallway there, one leading back to the living room. I followed him as he took the other way and there was another living room- maybe a nook as it was smaller- that had numerous books littered on the floor. For some reason, it looked better that way. It was as if every angle of the books were carefully placed that way to match the aesthetic of the house.

I stopped there as Ryan entered a room at the far end which I was guessing was his bedroom. I didn't want to follow him, but he turned to me and lifted a brow. I sighed and moved closer to him.

The room was dark as the curtains were drawn close. Ryan entered a door and I looked around. There was nothing exceptional about it. There was a bed and two bedside tables. Just the normal furniture for a bedroom. I turned when Ryan got out, holding some clothes. He gave it to me and gestured at the other door besides the one he just entered.

I quickly went there and turned the lights on. It was a bathroom that had the same window design as the living room. I grimaced as I felt like a fish in an aquarium. I know we were on the fifteenth floor and nobody could see me here as the nearest building was actually very far, but it still felt weird.

Noticing the drawn curtains, I pulled them shut but they only stopped midway. Groaning, I gave up and placed the clothes Ryan gave me on the sink.

I looked up and saw that there was still blood under my nose. I swiped it away and focused on my tired face. I sighed when I took in my messy hair. I wonder what Ryan must have thought when he saw me like this.

Looking down at the clothes, I lifted the gray shirt and saw that it was too huge for my frame. Must be my mate's. There was also a pair of boxers, but that was it. No underwear or anything else. Well, at least, I know he's not living with someone.

I quickly took off my clothes and walked under the shower. After adjusting the water temperature, I looked down and saw that the water was a bit pink with the blood from my mate's hold earlier. Some have also transferred to my arm and crusted there, so I scrubbed it away from my skin.

The quick shower has refreshed me and as I took a towel from the rack, my mind wandered to my mate who was just outside.

He never introduced himself and didn't even bother to ask my name. If it wasn't for the girl, I wouldn't know him at all. It was like he didn't want me as his mate, which is unheard of in the wolf community.

Having a mate is a blessing from the moon goddess. Our species treasure it the most. That's why I don't understand why he didn't seem to be thrilled to see me. Although I know I didn't exactly act the usual way as well. I even tried to run away from him. But that was because I wanted to escape at that moment. My wolf was sensing danger everywhere and I was fighting for my survival. I didn't even know where I was. Everything that happened was just a whirlwind of events in my mind.

Drying myself off with the thick towel, I wore Ryan's clothes and was immediately enveloped in his scent. I took a big whiff of it as the smell was calming both me and my wolf. It was like the smell of trees and chocolate: mouthwatering. I know I would never be able to do that in front of him, so I was just going to do it in the privacy of the comfort room where he won't see me go crazy over the mere smell of his shirt. I looked at my reflection and bit down on my lower lip as it looked like nothing improved. Only the dirt was removed from my skin, but the look of fear and exhaustion was still there. I was a reflection of pure and unwanted despair.

I looked at the door leading out to my mate and wondered how I was going to explain why I was in a house full of rogues.