Chapter 4

• I could feel consciousness slipping away, the world around me becoming a blur of sounds and fading images. All I could make out was the fury of Merrick's men as they ineffectively attacked the silver-haired stranger. They completely ignored me, leaving me on the ground as they threw themselves at him. The sound of cracking bones, guttural screams, and howls of pain filled the air. Despite the chaos, I couldn't bring myself to feel sympathy for them. My fear, however, was all-consuming. I was still far from safe.
• "Who is this person?" Panic gripped me. "He's stronger than all of those wolves... Is he a shapeshifter like them? Why did he say he's dead? Is he some kind of zombie or something?! Why is he attacking them? Is he going to kill them? And... if he does, is he going to kill me too?"
• The drug coursing through my veins left me paralyzed, my senses dulling. I felt utterly helpless, my body sinking deeper into the fog of unconsciousness. I didn't want to be dragged back to Merrick and his men, but dying at the hands of a madman seemed like an even worse fate.
• Suddenly, everything went quiet. The fighting stopped. All I could hear was the soft sound of footsteps, and then... a pair of black leather shoes appeared in my line of sight. I tried to lift my head, but my strength was gone. The silver-haired man was leaning over me, his presence somehow both terrifying and comforting.
• "Please... don't... kill me," I managed to whisper, my voice barely a breath.
• His deep, mesmerizing voice responded, "Let me think... What should I do with you?"
• I closed my eyes, the drug pulling me under. When I finally opened them again, the sun was rising. I was lying on a park bench, the same spot where I had lost consciousness. No one was around, the park still empty at this early hour. A black coat was draped over me, and I could have sworn it was the same one the silver-haired man had been wearing. My purse was on the ground beside me. The strange feeling of someone caring enough to rescue me was foreign. I had always been on my own—no one had ever come to my aid. But at the same time, I wasn’t exactly in the mood to see myself as some helpless heroine.
• "Looks like my silver-haired knight saved me, but didn't care enough to take me back to his castle... At least he made sure my money and documents were safe," I murmured bitterly to myself.
• Lying on the bench, I tried to gather my strength. The events of the previous night were a blur, my mind still foggy from the drug. My head pounded from the hangover it caused, and the rising sun wasn’t doing me any favors. Right then, I would’ve sold my soul for painkillers. But there was no time for self-pity—I wasn’t safe in this town.
• I needed to check the site of the attack. Maybe there would be some clue, something that could explain what had happened. With great effort, I managed to get to my feet. The morning air was chilly, so I wrapped the silver-haired man's coat around me. It was soft, warm, and surprisingly comfortable, though the sleeves were too long and I had to roll them up. The coat reached almost to my ankles, but despite its length, it fit better than I expected.
• I made my way to the location of the fight. When I arrived, my stomach dropped. The place was completely empty. No bodies, no bloodstains, not even the faintest sign of a struggle. A wave of anxiety washed over me.
• "Who the hell was that guy?" My thoughts were racing.
• If there were any proof that the wolves had been killed, maybe I’d feel some relief. But nothing was left. If they weren’t dead, Merrick and his men would likely have sent reinforcements to search for me. And if they had already done that... my time was running out.
• I looked around once more, even kneeling to touch the dirt, sniffing my hand for traces of blood or something—anything—out of place. But there was nothing. That could only mean one thing: the wolves were still alive. Even if the silver-haired man had broken their bones, they'd heal quickly—faster than I could escape. They’d be back.
• I cursed under my breath and hurried back to my apartment, constantly checking over my shoulder. I packed my things—clothes, four sets of unused documents, my laptop—and left, leaving behind a quick note for my landlord with the rent money on the table.
• I didn’t even bother picking up my last paycheck from Frost. The train station was my next stop. I retrieved the cash from the deposit box, picked a random destination, and bought a ticket. Saying goodbye to Thornmere this way wasn’t ideal, but it was nothing new to me. Leaving everything behind had become a habit.
• The train pulled out of the station, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I could breathe. My mind finally had room to process the events. I hoped Merrick and his men wouldn’t pick up my scent, though, speaking of which, I was still wearing the silver-haired man's coat. I smirked and sniffed the collar. It had a faint, pleasant scent of male perfume.
• "Seriously?! This is not the time to be thinking like that!" I scolded myself.
• "Besides, he's dangerous..."
• Still, I couldn’t stop thinking about how he’d single-handedly taken down all the wolves. Was he some kind of supernatural creature too? A super werewolf? Or something else entirely? My mind was a whirlwind of questions.
• I was human, but I had long known about shapeshifters—beings humans called werewolves. They had senses sharper than any human, were far stronger, and could turn into wolves. Since I was five, I’d learned how to fight them, but it had never been a fair fight. I had never seen anyone take on a werewolf... until that night.
• "Who was he?" I couldn’t stop wondering. "He wasn’t just a human. What kind of strength did he have? And why did he help me?"
• It would take three years before I got any answers to those questions.