The wolf halted in its tracks and peered at me, slightly cocking its head to the side, as if assessing me carefully.

I cleared my throat nervously as my pulse quickened. Revealing that Alba was my grandmother had seemed to cease the giant wolf from attacking, so perhaps more reasoning would send it away for good. Hopefully. "She...she was my grandmother," I proceeded with caution. "She died centuries ago, along with my grandfather."

I waited for a reaction, something that would send me a positive signal, but then the wolf just glared until the morphing process began again.

Forcing down the bile that surfaced in my throat after witnessing the outward changes the creature underwent to get to its human form, I remained down on my knees in the dirt, waiting for the now human to do or say something that would raise or tramp on my hopes.

Before I could even blink, the stranger had his large hand fisted on my shirt and lifted me up as if I didn't even weigh a single kilogram, bringing me to face him eye to eye.

"Do not play games with me," he growled through clenched teeth. His eyes blazing to the extent that they made me shiver, but I held his gaze.

"Never played...a single game before," I struggled to say, feeling extremely uncomfortable with the way my weight was suspending in the air. "Or anything of the...sort."

His fist, bunching up the front of my shirt, pushed my chin up higher as he pulled me closer. "I do not believe you." I had no idea if he was referring to the fact that I'd never played a game before, or the fact that Alba was my grandmother.

"I'm not asking you to," I said through clenched teeth. His frown deepened, as if not comprehending what I was saying. "I'm begging you to."

Snarling, his grip on my shirt loosened before he tossed me on the forest floor like a ragged doll. Then, after a minute of silence, he said in a blunt tone, "Alba never begs."

Though confused at that statement, I chose not to reply. I had no idea how he knew my grandmother never begged nor how he even knew her that close at all. Perhaps he'd been with her for a while when she'd been alive, which would mean that this guy was very old. But if so, why the hell would he think I was her? Wouldn't he be able to tell the difference?

You look just like her.

Grimacing at the amount of pain that coursed through me at the abrupt fall, I wearily straightened up from the ground and leaned against any solid object within reach. Which was a thick tree trunk.

I closed my eyes and breathed hard as I tried to regain some energy. My lungs and stomach hurt, and so did the rest of my body, but there was nothing I could do to curb the pain but rest.

Trying and failing to find comfort in my actions, I caught the stranger still staring at me when I opened my eyes. I couldn't define his features well in the dark, but at least, his eyes had changed into their natural colour, which was a bright and strangely beautiful shade of grey.

Despite his entrancing eye colour, involuntarily, I gulped. I had thought he wasn't going to kill me due to his reluctance, but the intensity of his gaze had me having second thoughts about that.

Also, before I could help it, I asked. Though I was pretty sure I already knew the answer to what I was about to inquire, "Do you...believe me now?"

His gaze didn't waver. "No."

Closing my eyes again, I sucked in another deep breath and let it out before breathlessly inquiring once more, "Then why aren't you killing me?"

Without warning, a firm grip seized my arm and I visibly winced at the contact. This seemed to annoy him for some reason because he suddenly growled and snatched my body against his. Leaning down, he positioned his lips at my ear and my heart stopped beating for a nanosecond as his lips grazed the tip.

"Because I need answers."

He needed answers? I almost laughed humorlessly at the irony of it. Funny. Very funny. I would've opened my mouth and informed him just how ironic he had sounded just then if he hadn't taken that opportunity to lift me up in his arms and carelessly throw my body over his shoulder.

I gasped at the sudden act and also due to my belly impacting on his rigid shoulder bone. He had just thrown me over his shoulder in the most painful way and had a death grip on my waist in order to glue me to his body.

"Wh-What...?" I wanted to ask what the heck he thought he was doing. The words, however, were whooshed from my mouth the second the stranger started gaining speed, and soon after, the whole forest became a blur.

My stomach convulsed at each turn he took as I mentally went through the list of deaths I might face when we got to our destination.

I knew I should've been at least trying to get myself off him, but I saw no use in that. For one thing, he was undeniably strong and big, plus he was running incredibly fast. I didn't even have a wink of energy compared to his so I saw no reason in trying to get myself killed in a suicide attempt. Maybe I would find a way to escape once we got where we were going - if he didn't kill me immediately - and from then on I could go and find my mother, because there was no way in hell I was going to leave her with that mad man, even though I knew for certain that that was where her wolf would kill to be.

By her mate's side.

I knew, from the way Mum had deserted me for Dad, that she would never leave him. But be it by force or willingness, I was going to get her far away from him as soon as possible. Even if I somehow killed him in the process.

Mum would never forgive me, but I had no choice. I wouldn't risk her safety and happiness for a life of misery with someone who had never even loved or cherished her in all the years they were together. I could die if Dad overpowered me, but it would be worth it.

One could call me a martyr, but I'd do anything for the people I held close to my heart.

So with that newfound determination, I closed my eyes and forced myself to relax and stay calm against the stranger's huge frame, praying that I'd get a chance to see my mother again. Even if only temporary.

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A/N: Hey guys! I hope you're enjoying this book so far! Feel free to tell me what you think in the comments and vote if you liked it ^_^

Thanks for reading!

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