Chapter 8

• Fifteen minutes later, A. grumbled, “Change of plan. You're coming with me.”
• “What?” Monica whispered, still in shock. Her eyes couldn't move away from the road ahead of them. She'd seen them fight, stab, bite at each other, and d-die. She'd seen more than one werewolf. Her world was flipping around.
• “I'm not leaving you here,” he said, and she noticed he was clutching his stomach. Crimson blood was gushing between his fingers.
• “You're hurt!” she exclaimed and reached out to touch him.
• “Don't. Leave it. It'll heal.” He kept staring at the road with tense eyes.
• She pulled her hand back and parted her lips. If he said so... She couldn't get a hold of herself after all that happened. She didn't want him to hurt, especially when he was driving and their lives depended on him, but she'd also seen him heal.
• She let herself immerse in the memories of what happened and the last few weeks living with him. What would her parents think if something happened to her?
• After an hour of silence, Monica finally got the bravery to open her mouth, but her voice raised in horror, “Where are we going? This is not the direction to my villa or the city. Where are you taking me?!”
• “They saw you. They smelled your scent. They know you're with me, and now, I can't leave you with them. Not unless you want to die,” A. tightly returned. His jaw was set and hard, and his gaze was darker than usual.
• “What? Why?” She frowned, dread falling upon her. Black spots swam in her vision and tightened her throat.
• “They'll kill you, Monica. They won't leave you alone until they get rid of you. We are not from their pack, and my scent is too overpowering,” he explained through clenched teeth.
• “Why?!” she screamed with tears in her eyes. He was kidnapping her. He was totally kidnapping her!
• Monica desperately shuffled through her bag and took her phone out. It was time to call Connor. Her hopes burst into flames when A. grabbed the device from her hand and threw it through the window.
• She screeched, aghast.
• This made him push the brakes and pull over. He glared at her, his eyes beyond pissed. They were frightening, and just glancing at them, made her skin prickle. She felt like needles were piercing her flesh in a threat of what was about to come. She was sure it would be daunting.
• “If you want to leave, go ahead! I don't know why I'm even bothering to protect one of your disgusting species!” he spat, and his lips twisted into a snarl.
• Monica remained frozen in shock, and A. leaned over her and opened the door.
• “Get out! We just passed through a town, you can get a bus from there!” Seeing she was not budging, he bellowed, his voice rumbling through the car, “Out! Get the fuck out, you damn human!”
• Monica had never seen him so mad and out of control. It made her heart beat with agonizing dread, and her whole body started quaking. She felt like she was about to pass out, and her limbs refused to move. She knew they were there, she could still feel them, but they were not under her control. They had their own opinion and right now, it was not to move.
• A. turned the engine off and took the keys out. He got out of the car and slammed its door. Monica followed his actions, her eyes wide like saucers. When he opened her door and pulled her out, he started going around to return to the driver's seat. Her mouth opened as he tripped and leaned on the car, staring with empty eyes.
• “A.!” She jumped next to him.
• “Don't touch me,” A. hissed and blinked a few times. He looked at his shirt and scowled when he saw his wound was still bleeding.
• “Those fucking medicines!” He grunted and touched his wound.
• “What medicine?” Monica asked and removed her jacket, trying to tie it around his stomach, but it turned out to be impossible doing it with only one hand.
• A. chuckled and leaned on the car. “You sure want to know everything.”
• “Yes, I do,” she confirmed and realized it was true. Especially if it concerned him. Her curiosity had always been big but this big? This was something new.
• A.'s eyes flashed to the side, and he grabbed her hand and made her look at him. “Are you coming or not? I'm giving you a choice. Think wisely.”
• Think wisely she did. Monica didn't want to leave her life, but if she was in danger because of his appearance, what was she supposed to do? Let him go and remain alone in her villa? In a city full of werewolves that would try to kill her? No. These were supernatural creatures. She couldn't just face them with a pan in hand. Or call the police to handle them. The werewolf in front of her was proof enough. They were much more dangerous than ordinary people. They were going to get to her, either because of her scent or because she made some mistake. But what if she moved? She could ask Connor or her parents for help. Then... did this mean they would also be dragged into danger? She couldn't allow that.
• Monica swallowed and glanced at the place their skin was touching. That weird tingle of sparks was again there. What was this all about? She was getting more and more confused by every passing second.
• A. exhaled through his nose and slowly shook his head. “I'll drive you back to this town, but after that—”
• “I'm coming with you,” she interrupted him confidently, pulling her hand away. “I trust you, A., even if I don't know your name,” she said and pouted. How crazy was she to entrust her life to a person whose name she didn't even know?
• It seemed that she was on the edge of sanity. A ludicrous part of her trusted the man in front of her. And now that she was pulled into this, she was going to get to the end of it. It somehow satiated her desire for knowledge. It satiated her curiosity, and if she wanted to remain alive, she had to toughen up and swallow her fear. She was going to follow him.
• He stared at her for a second and silently headed to the driver's side.
• ...
• “I wish I could drive now,” Monica broke the silence half an hour later. “You need some rest. You're pale, and you're sweating. You might have an inflammation.”
• “I'll heal, I'm an Alpha,” A. said, his eyes a bit hazy.
• An Alpha?
• Monica raised her brows. She had started researching more about the werewolves since she had met him. And what he told her... this meant he was a leader and had a pack. But then, why was he alone?
• “Where is your pack, A.?” she pushed, hoping his dazed condition would give her more information and it wouldn't make them crash.
• “They are... dead,” he finished, and he, together with the car, swirled to the right.
• Everything happened so quickly. At one moment, Monica was happy to get some information out of him, the next, she was reaching for the steering wheel in shock, and now, she could see the smoke from her precious Kia. She was still paying the lease!
• She turned her head to the side, still spinning with confusion, and her eyes found the man next to her. He was leaning back on his seat, his eyes closed, and for once, a calm expression was written on his face. A. was never calm!
• “A.!” She pushed his shoulder and yelled, “A.! Wake up!”
• Monica took her seatbelt off and jumped out of the car, opening A.'s door. Fortunately, they had just partly fallen in a small drainage ditch, so she didn't feel any urgent pain. Her chest was burning because of the seat belt, but it wasn't anything she couldn't deal with. She pushed him again and pulled his shirt up. The teeth marks were really half-closed, but they were really deep, thus making him lose consciousness.
• She tapped his face, but he didn't move.
• Monica looked around. It was an empty road, leading to god knew where. She had to take care of this on her own. Opening the trunk, she took the emergency medical kit. She had filled it with additional medicine and gauze. Her heart had always hoped she wouldn't have to put it into use, but now, it was going to save a life. A werewolf life! She put it on A.'s lap and bent over him, making the backrest pull back. First, she had to clean his wound.