Chapter 2

Ashley.

I was going to regret this, I couldn't help but feel that way. As I trudged back to my car with a half-dying man resting on one of my shoulders, I let my mind run wild with as many possibilities as it wanted. Who would have thought that a simple photoshoot in the park at night would turn into something else?

A battle amongst wolves, in the middle of the night? What was this? Battle of the animals? But that didn't creep me out as much as what had happened next. I literally lost it when I watched the wolf turn into a human, the human I was currently and slowly pulling back to my car at the other end of the park.

From the corner of my eyes, I stole a glance at the man. If I could call him that, that is. Brown hair obscured a good part of his face, but it wasn't enough to cover the blood that dripped down the side of his skull, and it didn't stop there. The more I pulled him towards the direction of my car, the more tiny blood drops that seemed to splatter all over the park grounds.

Goosebumps crept over my skin at the cold breeze that blew by. It was late, way too late to be out here by myself and that was one of the main reasons I didn't want to leave this man all alone. What if that wolf came back for him? Was he also a human too? Had he gone deeper into the woods so he could morph into a human too?

I shook my head immediately, willing the thoughts to go away. This wasn't the time to think about all of this. I heaved a sigh of relief as my black sedan came into view.

I literally sprinted towards the vehicle as I ignored the searing pain in my shoulder. Getting him into the car proved to be more of a hassle than I'd thought, but after lugging the man for a good thirty minutes, he was finally comfy in the back seat. The moment I grabbed the rest of my photography supplies, I started up the car's ignition and stepped onto the road that led to my apartment.

The moment I pulled my car into the driveway, I helped the semi-conscious man out of my vehicle and into the house.

“There. There.” I cooed gently as I set him down on the sofa in the middle of my living room. A huge gash lined his forehead and it made me wonder how he hadn't passed out by now. “ Stay still while I go get some supplies.”

My fingers shook as I rummaged around my closet for the first aid kit. After minutes of turning my bathroom upside down, I finally found it.

“Hey, hey.” I tapped the man gently on his cheeks. Hooded eyes struggled to hold my gaze as he slipped in and out of unconsciousness every now and then. “ Stay with me.”

I sucked in a deep breath before getting to work. Immediately I stripped him of his shirt, and I almost gagged. A huge and bloody gash at his sides and lower torso stared back at me, the wound pulsing and letting out more blood. There were a couple of others, and it made me wonder how this man was still alive up until this moment.

Slowly, I wiped down the blood before applying some ointments. After wrapping him up in some bandages and more ointments, I headed to his face. Even with the scars and injuries that lined his face, he was still an eye candy. His deep blue eyes and pointed nose would have made for a good distraction, if he wasn't so badly injured.

“Mate.” He whimpered the moment I pressed an ointment onto his forehead. “ My mate…mate…”

An awkward silence settled between us as he mumbled consistently. Every time I reached out to dress or treat one of his wounds, he mumbled the same word over and over again. But that wasn't even the most creepy thing.

“What in the …” I mumbled incoherently as I watched one of his wounds close up. Fear snaked up my spine as another one closed up again, leaving his skin as smooth as ever.

Wasn't he just wounded right now? Then how did it disappear so quickly?

“Oh, no no no.” I muttered as I got on my feet immediately. This wasn't making any sense. How could he be injured one minute and the next he was perfectly fine? I knew I shouldn't have helped this mystery man. Was he even a man? Was he even human? Because the last time I checked, humans weren't capable of healing in seconds.

“I know what to do, just breathe.” I took in a mouthful of air before exhaling again. “ I'm probably just hallucinating because I'm tired. I'm sure once I get a good night's sleep, I'll be fine.”

****************

“What are you doing here?” I asked the moment I stepped into my living room the next morning. I had no idea what I was expecting, but I definitely wasn't expecting the man I'd saved the other night to be sitting in my living room, without a scratch on his body.

“You saved me last night, remember?” His voice was soft and calm. “ At the park.”

“ Yes, but you were injured and you still should be.” I whisper-yelled. “ You almost died last night.”

“But I'm fine now.”

“ That's impossible.” I interjected. “ You should be…”

The rest of my words died on my lips as he pulled open his shirt and true to his words, he was actually fine.

“This can't be?” I muttered as fear raked through me. It made no sense. How could someone who was on the verge of dying last night be healthy by morning? “ No, I'm just imagining things.”

“No, you're not.” He chuckled, even though I found nothing funny. “ Look, I can even stand.”

And he did. It took everything in me not to bolt out of my front door and report to the nearest police. This made no sense at all.

“ What are you?” My voice was barely a whisper. “ There's no way you're a human.”

“I'm a wolf.” He let out slowly. “A werewolf."