I sat shaking uncontrollably in the lobby of Aura's infirmary staring at my stained red hands. A chill had set in my bones, my clothes were completely drenched in both snow and blood. A puddle was beginning to form beneath me where I sat.

That thing that attacked me. It was like no beast I had ever seen before. It was malicious and otherworldly. I knew wolves were big but it looked to be the size of a bear. I should be dead.

My gaze drifted to the door of the concealed surgery room. That poor creature risked its life to save mine. It was going to die now because of me. I never should have tried to escape from here. I had been heedless. Selfish. My conscience was eating me alive. 

"Here." Sophia offered handing me a towel. "You must be freezing."

"Thank you." I breathed out as she wrapped the plush fabric around my torso. I clutched it close to me and released a shallow breath.

"He's gonna be ok. Wolves are sturdy creatures." Sophia mumbled taking the seat next to me. Her voice was cracked with worry. Who was she trying to convince more, me or herself?

"This is my fault." I choked out. "I shouldn't have tried to escape again."

"Eliza ...Anyone would have done the same. An opportunity arose." Sophia comforted me rubbing my arm gently. At least she understood. But it didn't justify what had happened. 

The front door to the building flung open and a girl came rushing in, her face blotchy and stained from crying. 

"Where is he?" She cried out. The girl was young, as young as Sophia and I. She had a blond pixie hair cut framing her petite round face. 

"Mia." Sophia stood up immediately before rushing over to the girl. 

The girl grabbed a hold of Sophia instantly and sobbed into her shoulder. She was covered in scrapes and bruises all over. "Alpha told me what happened. He's gonna be okay right?" 

Sophia didn't reply. None of us knew exactly how the wolf was doing. Aura and some men had taken the wolf into the surgery room and they had yet to come out since. Sophia looked over at me and the girls eyes followed. The girl sniffed and looked at me with uncertainty. "Is that her?"

Sophia hesitated before nodding her head in confirmation. She gently released Mia from her arms. The girl approached me giving me a once over as if assessing me. I felt unsettled.

"It- It was you?" She stuttered out, her bright green eyes begging me for an answer. Tears continued to stream down her face and my heart clenched for her. 

"Yes... It's my fault." I struggled to say the words out loud again. This wolf obviously meant a lot to her I could see that. I owed her an explanation. 

I waited for her to scream. I waited for her to hit me. But instead the girl jumped on me and hugged me close crying into me as she had done with Sophia. "Thank you."

Thank you? Wait no. I pushed the girl away confused. "Didn't you hear me. That wolf is in there because of me. It saved me from another wolf and now it's going to die!"

"You could have left him there to die." A voice spoke from behind me. Eleo entered the room catching everyone off guard. Both Sophia and Mia bared their jugular towards the man. Although he passed no remarks on their greeting. His gaze was firmly fixated on me. "Why didn't you?"

I couldn't speak. I was entranced. Aura came out from the surgery room and Eleo finally broke eye contact with me. I gasped slightly and my shoulders shrunk down in relief. 

"How is he?" Eleo asked. Mia ran towards Aura grabbing her hands in desperation of an answer. 

"He's lost a lot of blood. He needs to rest up and take things easy but the herbs have already started to work." She explained pulling Mia's forehead to her own to nuzzle it. As she pulled away she turned to face me. 

"Quick thinking applying pressure. You did the right thing. That silly mutt may be quite a pain but he means a lot to us. He's gonna be okay thanks to you." 

Mia ran for me once again throwing her arms around me. He was ok. The wolf was going to be ok. Mia squeezed my shoulder and a pain shot down my arm from my previous wound that had not fully healed. 

"Ow." I shrank back. 

"Are you ok?" She exclaimed wiping away her tears in shock. 

"Yea just my shoulder is still dodge." I grimaced looking over to the Alpha who was staring at Aura. Neither were saying a word but it looked as though they were having a conversation with one another with their eyes. 

"Let us go back and eat. Everyone is hungry after the attack." Eleo announced moving towards the door out of the infirmary. Sophia and Mia made to follow him and I shook my head in frustration. How was he so calm over all of this?

"Stop!" I demanded. Everyone froze in place. They all turned to face me and even Aura looked at me in surprise at my outburst. 

"That scarred wolf. I'm taking it wasn't one of yours." I probed my eyes scanning those standing before me. Everyone remained silent. No one moved. Eleo and Aura shared a look with one another yet again. 

"It was a rogue." Aura began earning her a hard glare from Eleo. He seemed furious at her reply. 

"A rogue?" I repeated aloud testing the word on my tongue.

"Yes. A wild wolf without a pack. Viscous creatures with no compassion for anything but themselves." Eleo continued to elucidate. He made to leave again which fueled my anger more. 

"Right that's it stop!" I shouted towards him and he turned around slowly, his glare now aimed towards me. Sophia and Mia moved backwards away from Eleo, both looking absolutely frantic and terrified at his expression.

"Excuse me." He spat out taking a threatening step in my direction. 

"You're not excused." I provoked back. He was beyond rude. Who did he think he was?

"Eliza.." Aura warned and I shook my head not caring. My patience was worn thin. 

"No! No one is going anywhere until someone explains what the hell is going on here to me. The reserve rangers claim there are no wolves on this continent. So tell me why is that in this reserve, in this messed up little village of yours, there's a bunch of wild wolves running around freely?"

It was a stare down. His face contorted in anger. His breathing was rapid, his chest heaving up and down. Power radiated from him, it felt as though the air around us was slowly becoming thin. 

"Leave us!" Eleo bellowed and Mia and Sophia scampered out the door faster than I could blink. Aura retreated slowly back into the surgery room from which she came closing the door behind her. My breathing came out in heavy heaves now too, but my reaction was not from anger like his, no mine was from fear.

His stare was foreboding, it unsettled me right to my very core. My body began to tremble and I was the first to look away my eyes falling to the floor in defeat. He was beyond intimidating. What on earth was that?

A sigh escaped his lips. He was trying hard to compose himself. "Why must you make this so difficult." 

He moved across the room to take a seat and placed his head into the palms of his hands. He seemed frustrated. A big difference from the calm collected emotionless man I had encountered previously. So he did feel things like a normal human?

"Eleo." I whispered softly still trembling in apprehension. His body stiffened at the mention of his name and he looked up at me, his eyes wide with an emotion I couldn't quite make out. 

"Let me go. I know all I am to you here is a nuisance." I whispered, my voice cracking. "My father, he doesn't have anyone else. You love your family. I can see you would do anything for them. If you let me go, I'll lie to him, I'll tell him I ran away. I can convince him to go and we'll never come back. I promise." 

He shook his head looking at me pained. "You don't get it, I can't."

"Please -" 

He threw his head back looking up to the ceiling. He was having an inward battle with himself. "I can't Eliza."

I stayed there silently watching him as tears streamed down my face in desperation. I was never going to get through to him. I was never going to get away from here. "I don't belong here."

"...I know that." He mumbled sighing once again. "You and your father never should have came here."

"He was just trying to do his job. People had gone missing, people had been murdered, your wolves had mutilated them."

"Our wolves would not kill innocent people!" He argued his eyebrows furrowing. He was trying to justify the blood on his hands. But it was still murder nonetheless.

"Just - Just tell me one thing then." I pleaded not being able to shake the thought. "Those people that you claim that weren't innocent, those mutilated bodies my father was investigating, were they murderers coming to kill you all?"

Eleo looked at me in disbelief as the words left my mouth. "Who.. told you that?"

"Were they?" I pushed ignoring his inquisitive response. He rubbed a hand over his face, he was unsettled by the question. 

"Yes." He stated staring at me straight in the eye never blinking. He wasn't lying. I could tell. So it was true. What Sophia had told me was true. 

"Why would they come to hurt you? Who are they? Are they the ones who attacked earlier? Why do you have wolves here? Why are there 'rogue' wolves here in the reserve? How does no one know about all this?" I burst out rallying for answers and he stood to his feet silencing me. 

"Enough." He shouted holding up his hand in exasperation. "You know too much as is."

"Why does everything have to be so confidential? Why are people trying to kill you all? What is going on here that is so secretive that you kidnapped me for seeing some stupid wolves?"

"You weren't just taken for that reason." He exclaimed moving towards me. He was inches away from my face as he stared down at me. 

"Then why?" I breathed out. He was so close. My heart was racing in my chest. I'm sure that he could hear it, anyone could have. I was scared. He was so close and I was too petrified to move. I could feel the heat radiating from his skin, his smell was intoxicating me, every part of my body felt as though it was being drawn to him. 

"Pup" Aura called out startling us both. Eleo looked to her and she shook her head looking pained. It was like they were talking again without using words again. His countenance returned to its normal state as he took a step away from me. He became completely nonchalant and unreadable once more. He turned on his heel and made for the front door to the infirmary without saying another word. 

No. I needed answers. I moved to reach out to him, to say something but Aura pulled me back. Why? Why was I taken?

"No child. Leave him." She sighed shaking her head as she stared after him. "Come. Let us see to that shoulder of yours again."