King Novel novel Chapter 2

apter 2

Chapter 2

Who… Who are you?” I whispered, my voice barely audible as my hand hesitated in midair, trembling

The wolf–no, this thing was bigger than any wolf I’d ever seen–stared back at me. Its red eyes glowed like embers, cutting through the shadows of the forest. But there wasn’t any fury in them. No bloodlust. Instead, it felt like… recognition. Like it

knew me

My fingers brushed against its fur before I could stop myself. Soft. That’s what threw me off the most. For a beast this size, its fur felt like velvet beneath my touch.

It leaned into my hand. Just a little. Enough to make my heart stutter,

“What the hell…I muttered under my breath. This was insane. It could rip my arm off in a second, but it didn’t.

Instead, it let me touch it.

My hand slid along its neck, and for a moment, I forgot about the blood staining its muzzle. But when my eyes trailed lower. the sight hit me like a slap.

Blood. Crimson streaks glistening under the moonlight. Its teeth, its fur–hell, even the ground around it–were splattered with the evidence of its kill.

My hand jerked back like I’d touched fire.

The wolf’s ears flattened against its massive skull, and its eyes dimmed. It took a step back, slumping slightly as if the rejection physically hurt.

Was it

sad?

No. Absolutely not. I wasn’t going to pity a blood–soaked beast that just murdered my only source of comfort in this godforsaken pack–a damn deer. My deer.

“Great,” 1 hissed, throwing my hands up. “As if getting rejected by Kallias in front of everyone wasn’t enough, now I’m playing therapist to a homicidal wolf. Fantastic.”

The wolf’s ears twitched.

And then it stumbled.

I froze, watching as its legs buckled beneath it. It caught itself before it hit the ground, but the effort was written all over its trembling frame.

That’s when I saw it.

The gash.

The fur near its side was slick with blood, hiding the wound until now. But as the beast shifted, the ugly, raw edges of torn. flesh became impossible to miss. Blood dripped from it, pooling onto the dirt below.

“Shit,” I muttered, the word slipping out before I could stop it.

The wolf’s gaze locked onto mine again, its red eyes still burning but softer now. Pleading.

And just like that, my panic took a backseat to something else.

“Why me?” I groaned, crouching down slowly. My knees scraped against the rough forest floor as I inched closer. “Of all the Omegas in the pack, you pick the one who just got Jumiliated in public to deal with your furry–ass problems.”

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Chapter 2

The woll di

move, it just s

watched me

“This is so stupid,” I muttered. My hands hovered over its side, trembling again. “Don’t bite me, okay? I swear, if you so much as twitch wrong. I’ll… –

וויו

The wolf huffed.

Huffed. Like I was the one being ridiculous.

“Oh, you’ve got jokes now?” I glared at it, but my hands kept moving. The fur around the wound was sticky with blood, and the gash was worse than 1 thought. Deep. Too deep for something this big to still be standing.

I tore at the hem of my dress, the fabric ripping easily. The wolf’s ears twitched at the sound, but it stayed still.

“This doesn’t mean we’re friends, I warned, pressing the makeshift bandage against its side.

It flinched, a low growl rumbling in its throat.

“Hey, stay still!” My voice wavered, but I didn’t back off. “Do you want me to help or not?”

The growl stopped.

“Thought so.” I tied the bandage as tightly as I could, ignoring the stickiness of its blood on my fingers. My stomach churned, but I kept going.

When I finished, I sat back on my heels and stared at it. The wolf stared back, its tail giving the faintest wag.

“You’re welcome,” I said flatly.

It tilted its head, watching me with an intensity that made my skin crawl.

“You’re not just a wolf, are you?” The words slipped out before I could stop them.

The wolf blinked slowly, its red eyes gleaming like it understood.

And for a moment, just a moment, I swore it smirked.

The wolf stared at me, its crimson eyes softening in a way that didn’t match its massive, bloodied frame. Its tail wagged faintly, a silent request for something I couldn’t bring myself to give. My hand hovered midair, trembling.

Touching it felt wrong after what it had done, but its gaze burned into me, waiting.

“Go,” I whispered, barely audible.

Its ears flicked, the light in its red eyes dimming. A low whine escaped its throat before it finally closed its eyes, curling up into the grass like it was giving up.

1 didn’t dare linger.

My heart hammered in my chest as I skirted around it, every instinct screaming at me to keep my distance. My hands found the lifeless body of my deer, its warm blood staining my fingers. My throat tightened, but I forced down the wave of nausea.

“I’m sorry, Silas” I murmured, scooping him up. Silas‘ weight sagged against me, but I couldn’t just leave it there. Not for scavengers, not for that wolf to finish.

Each step away from the wolf felt heavy. It hadn’t attacked me. It could’ve ripped me apart like it had my deer, but it hadn’t. I didn’t understand it, and that pissed me off more than anything. Wolves didn’t just… let things slide. Not like that.

I reached the clearing near my brother’s grave, my knees buckling as I placed the deer gently on the ground. The shovel I

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Chapter 2

kept nearby leaned against a tree, rusted but sturdy. I grab it, digging into the dirt with stiff, jerking motions.

Don’t think. Just dig

The shovel hit the ground with each stab, faster, harder. Sweat stung my eyes, but I refused to stop. My chest felt tight–full of something too big, too ugly to name. I pushed it down, down, as the dirt piled higher. The hole was deep enough. Just deep enough.

I lowered the deer into the grave, my hands shaking as I rested its head in the dirt like it could somehow wake up.

“I shouldn’t have brought you here,” I said, my voice cracking. “I thought you’d be safe.”

My fingers lingered on its fur before I forced myself to cover it with dirt. Each shovelful made it harder to breathe, like I was burying a piece of myself.

When it was done, I knelt by the grave, my hands caked with blood and soil. “Goodbye, Silas” I whispered.

But I couldn’t ignore the nagging thought creeping into my head. That wolf–why had it stopped? Why didn’t it kill me when it had the chance?

I stood, brushing dirt from my hands. My legs moved before I could stop them, carrying me back toward the spot where I’d left it. The clearing came into view, and my breath caught.

It wasn’t there.

But there was a man lying in the spot where the wolf had been. A man. His body was crumpled in the dirt, and blood pooled around him like he was trying to drown in it. His dark hair was matted, his shirt torn open, revealing deep, jagged gashes along his torso.

I felt my heart skip a beat.

That was the wolf.

He’s a rogue.

I crouched beside him, my hand trembling as I brushed his hair back from his face. He’s gorgeous, and I’m afraid to say this, perhaps even more gorgeous than Kallias–sharp jawline, high cheekbones, and lips that could’ve been sculpted by a god. If he wasn’t bleeding out, I might’ve stared longer.

“Who the hell are you?” I muttered, my fingers trailing down to the wound on his side. It was deep, the kind of injury that could’ve killed him twice over.

His eyelids fluttered, a low groan escaping his lips. The sound was low, rough, like it came from the depths of hell itself.

“Shit,” I hissed, glancing over my shoulder. If anyone found him here, they’d assume the worst. Rogues didn’t get mercy the Riverstone Pack. And if they interrogated him, Goddess only knows if he’s going to survive with these injuries already.

1 should call Gamma. That was the responsible thing to do. That’s what a pack member should do.

But looking at him–his chest rising and falling shallowly, blood still dripping from his wounds–I couldn’t.

in

“Goddammit,” I cursed, hands hovering over the gash on his side. If I didn’t do something, he wasn’t going to make it until

sunrise.

as no time for doubt. I had to act.

“I’m going to regret this, I muttered under my breath. But there was

He wasn’t dying on my watch.

Not today.

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138 Sat, 15 Mar Fi

Chapter 2

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The weight of him on my shoulder made every step feel like dragging a full sack of wet cement uphill. His body was solid. heavier than I expected, and reeked of blood and forest. By the time I reached the pack infirmary, my arms felt like they were on fire.

1 didn’t wait for an invitation before pushing the door open. The sharp scent of antiseptic hit me, stinging my nose as 1 stumbled inside.

“Gamma’s favorite,” the pack doctor muttered, not even looking up from the clipboard in her hand. Her wiry hair was pulled into a bun that looked like it had been fighting her all morning

I shoved the man into a chair, doing my best to position him without dropping him on the floor. “He’s hurt,” I said, ignoring herjab “He needs help.”

The doctor–Dr. Lisa’s gaze flicked up, her dark eyes narrowing as they landed on him. “And who exactly is “he“?” she asked, her voice sharp with suspicion.

1 hesitated, forcing a calm expression onto my face even though my heart was thundering in my chest. “He’s… uh,” Fuck, think Taryn. Think.

A rogue? No, of course I can’t say that.

A relative? They know I have no family left!

Uh…

“My boyfriend. He’s my boyfriend.” Oh fuck it.

That got her attention. The clipboard snapped shut, and she raised an eyebrow. Okay, that’s just disrespectful, it’s not like I can’t snag someone after being rejected. “Your boyfriend?”