Chapter 10 Chapter 10
Chapter 10: The Girl In The Ditch
Lykon's POV
I wandered around the pack grounds, my hands shoved deep into my jacket pockets. I hung my head low and all I wanted to do was walk around to clear my heavy heart. The moon above me was bright and it was also partially full, yet all I felt was this strange emptiness. Ever since Ignas pushed me away, something inside me hadn't stopped twisting and hurting painfully. Her words kept playing in my head like a broken record.
"You're not my mate, Lykon. You're just some man who lost his memory."
I knew she was lying. I felt it in my bones. I could even feel it in my heart. The way my wolf reacted every time she stepped into a room or every time he saw her, there was no mistaking it. But today, she stood there, her face was cold and her voice sharp, dismissing me like a kid. Like I was nothing to her. It stung. Hell, it burned worse than any wound one could take in battle.
I kept walking, hoping that a walk would make me tire myself out. I hoped the cold air would clear my mind. The wind was soft but cold. It shook, and somewhere in the distance, the faint sound of some wolves howling reached my ears. I passed by the old training ground. Then I passed by an entrance covered by vines that led me to a stretch of quiet woods, and soon, I found myself near the lake.
The water in the lake shone under the moonlight. It was still, meaning nobody had entered into it for long. I was about to turn back when I heard the sound of soft grunting, like someone was struggling. I froze, turning my back, my whole rising, its senses heightening as we both listened closely to where it was coming from. It wasn’t an animal. It was human.
Curious from where the noise was coming from, I moved closer, to the sound, walking slowly toward the sound. The grunting sound grew louder until I reached the edge of a small ditch near the lake. That’s when I saw her. A girl, maybe around eighteen or nineteen, her clothes covered in dirt, her hair is already so tangled. She was stuck in the ditch, trying to climb out, but the sides of the ditch were too slippery.
When she spotted me, her eyes narrowed. "Stay back!" she barked, her voice sharp and defensive. "You—you're from the enemy pack. I recognize your face. If you hurt me, I'll—”
I lifted both hands slowly, showing I meant no harm. "I don't even remember my pack. I can't hurt you," I told her honestly. "I don’t mean any trouble. Just let me help you, you're stuck.”
I step towards her cautiously with my hands still raised up above my head.
She eyed me, clearly unsure, but her arms were trembling from the effort of holding herself up. Finally, she huffed and looked away. "Fine. Just hurry up."
I climbed down carefully, bracing myself against the slick walls, and wrapped one arm around her waist. She flinched at first but didn't fight me. Slowly, I pushed her up, giving her the boost she needed. Once she grabbed the edge and pulled herself out, I followed, wiping the dirt from my hands.
"Thanks," she mumbled, brushing her hair away from her face. "Not many would stop for someone like me."
"It’s nothing," I replied. "You shouldn’t be out here alone you know? It's already so late."
She let out a dry laugh. "Tell me about it. If Beta Roy finds out, he'll kill me."
"Beta Roy?" I asked, raising an eyebrow, staring at her.
She nodded and gave me a sideways glance. "Yeah. He's my brother. You know, the Beta. Everyone here fears him. He is intimidating when wanted to be, but I just call him Roy." She paused, then added with a smile, "I'm Lena."
"Lykon," I said, offering my hand. She hesitated for a while, staring at my hand, then back at me. Then she finally shook it.
We walked to a nearby tree and sat under the moonlight. Lena pulled her knees to her chest, staring at the stars. "So, you lost your memory, huh? I heard it from…around," she asked after a while.
"Of course you did, yeah," I answered. "I lost my memories, so they told me. I didn’t know who I was. Just bits and pieces now and then, but nothing clear."
"That sounds awful," she whispered. "But maybe it's a blessing too. Not all memories are worth keeping."
We sat there in silence, listening to the night sounds. She plucked a leaf of grass and twirled it between her fingers. "You know," she began, "Alpha Ignas... She's the strongest person I know. She doesn’t let anyone see her weak, not even her own pack sometimes. She had to fight twice as hard as any male Alpha to earn her place. She helped all of us…brought us together, you know?”
I nodded. I believed that. I had seen the strength in her eyes, even when her words cut deep.
"You seem to know her well," I said.
"Everyone here does. She saved this pack from falling apart more than once." Lena tilted her head toward me, her gaze softening. "But she hasn't been the same lately. Ever since you arrived. People say she’s... distracted."
I tensed, my chest tightening. And by people, I knew she meant every soul in this pack.
“Distracted huh? That's bad…” I say, wanting to coax more conversation with her.
"I know," Lena said. "But she’s got a lot on her shoulders. And people notice. Even Roy's been more tense than usual. He gets angry over every little thing."
We grew quiet again. The night felt heavy, like it was pressing down on both of us. I looked out over the lake, trying to make sense of the swirl of emotions inside me. All I wanted was the truth, and no one seemed willing to give it.
Then I smelled something. It was her scent. Ignas’s scent.
I turned around, and there she stood, only a few feet away. Her arms were crossed, her eyes locked onto me, sharp and unreadable. She looked between me and Lena, her face carved from stone.
"Lena," she said, her voice calm but cold. "Go home."
Lena got up fast, brushing the dirt from her pants. "Alpha, I was…he helpe—”
"Now."
Lena didn’t argue. She gave me a quick, almost guilty glance before jogging away. I stood slowly, brushing dirt off my hands. Ignas didn’t move. She just kept staring at me.
"You seem to be making new friends," she said, her voice so flat it was hard to tell if she was angry or amused.
"I was helping her," I answered. "She was stuck."
"You shouldn’t be wandering around alone," she snapped. "Not at night."
"I can take care of myself," I shot back, a little sharper than I meant.
She stepped closer, her eyes narrowing. "That girl is Beta Roy's sister. Do you know what would happen if the pack thinks you're cozying up to her? You're still an outsider, Lykon. No matter what your head tells you."
My chest tightened, the words striking deeper than I wanted to admit. "And what if I don't want to be an outsider?"
She flinched, just for a second, but caught herself. "You should go back," she said, turning on her heel. "Before you make things worse."
And just like that, she walked away, leaving me standing under the cold moonlight, more lost than I had ever felt.
But I wasn't having that.
Not tonight.
I strode towards her, a low growl erupting from my throat as I gra
bbed her arm, turning and pulling her towards me.