Chapter 5
1114 Words
Roderick's POV
The sun beats down relentlessly, its rays scorching our skins, but at the same time, a cool breeze blows steadily, offering some relief as Felixtowe, my beta, a brawny-looking man with toned muscular arms effortlessly rows the boat gently downstream.
"Stop here," I murmur, my hand instinctively reaching for the pre-baited fishing rod.
Without a word, Felixtowe ceased rowing, the boat gliding to a halt on the calm water. Beneath the surface, I strain to listen, my lycan senses alert to the subtlest movements. The faint disturbances and faint splashes of fish below guide my choice of fishing spot.
With a flick of my wrist, the baited hook lands softly on the water's surface. Almost instantly, it catches a fish, which tugs on the line, trying to escape.
“Gotcha,” I say excitedly, reeling in my prize. “Felix, it's a really big one!”
“Huh, nice one,” Felix says, not particularly paying me attention. He can be so moody at times for no reason.
“What’s wrong Felix? Don't you enjoy our fishing expeditions? Should I take Donald with me next time?” I turn to him.
“I do,” Felix replies to one of the questions. “Look, what's that close to the waterfall?”
My gaze travels to the waterfall, it appears to be a lifeless body caught between two rocks. “My goodness. Row the boat! Row faster, Felixtowe.”
“I can't go any faster,” he says with a strained voice.
Felix rows as best as he could, each movement taking us a little closer towards the still body. Upon reaching the rocks where the body lay trapped, we discover a woman lying unconscious and my beast immediately starts to trouble me to save her.
On shore, I begin CPR on her, pressing her chest and administering rescue breaths. The woman remains unresponsive. I start to panic as I continue the CPR, desperately trying to revive her. Felix hovered nearby, his face filled with concern.
"Come on, breathe," I mutter between compressions, refusing to give up. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she coughs weakly, water spilling from her lips.
"She's breathing!" I exclaim with relief.
I cradle her gently, checking for injuries as she slowly comes to life. Her eyes flutter open, revealing a stunning shade of violet that seems to pierce through me. She looks so beautiful and with such captivating cat-like eyes. She gasps, startled by our presence.
"You're safe now," I reassure her. "Can you tell us what happened?"
She turns to check out her environment, still looking slightly disoriented. “I slipped and fell."
“You’re lucky you're a werewolf,” I reply. “Your body was able to survive due to its rapid healing.”
“Thanks for saving me…” she drifts, not knowing what to call me.
“Oh, I'm Alpha Roderick. And this is my beta, Felixtowe.” I gesture to Felix with a smile. “He spotted you while I was busy fishing.”
“Oh, wow. Alpha and beta. Thank you, Felixtowe.”
Felix nods and chuckles. “Hehe.”
I rise, dusting sand my clothes. “So, what's your name?”
“I'm Bianca,” she replies, suddenly averting her gaze.
I clear my throat. “Alright Bianca, I'm glad we were where we were during your accidental fall. Felix and I need to go back to the Isle now. Do you think you can make it back to your pack alone? I'm sure they'll be worried sick about you.”
Bianca eyes well up. “I don't want to go back to my pack. Can I come with you to the Isle?”
Her request surprises me and her teary eyes confuse me. Why is she crying? Why doesn't she want to go back to her pack?
I want to tell her that I don't know if my pack will accept a stray muck but I remember I'm the god-damned Alpha and I don't take orders from anyone. Besides, my beast is still telling me to help her. So, I have no choice but to accept.
With a sharp nod, I answer, “Alright, you can come.”
“Hmm, sure.”
As we make our way back to the boat, I can't help but think of the way Bianca keeps staring at me and acting strange. She is behaving like I'm supposed to recognize her or something.
I secretly have a conversation with my beast as Felix rows us back to the Isle.
“Nazaki, is she our mate?”
“I can't tell. But there's something about her. Just help her and keep her safe.”
“It's such a strange request… since when did you care about people?”
“I never said I cared.”
“Then what do you call this?”
Nazaki doesn't reply to me again. Sometimes, I wish I could give him a hot slap when he snobs me.
Nazaki is a really cool beast, but due to a curse placed on me several years ago, he tends to go berserk on full moons and we can't control the bloodlust, which results in a lot of killing and injuries if I'm not properly chained up. The only way to lift the curse is to find my mate, which I've been trying to do for an eternity.
I quietly observe Bianca as Felix rows us back. The gentle splash of the oars against the water offers a soothing ambiance to my racing thoughts. Who is this girl, and why does she invoke such a strong protective instinct in me? My beast, Nazaki, has never shown this level of concern for anyone before.
"Do you have any family in your pack?" I ask Bianca, trying to understand more about her situation.
She hesitates, her eyes avoiding mine. "No, they all died before I was born. I'm a bastard."
My heart softens at her admission. The loneliness in her voice stirs something deep within me. "I'm sorry to hear that. You're welcome to stay with us as long as you wish.”
"Thank you," she replies softly, a small smile forming on her lips.
I am about to shut my eyes and just relax for the remainder of the journey to the Isle when an arrow whizzes past my ear, embedding itself in the side of the boat.
"Ambush!" Felix shouts.
“Get down!” I yell, catching an arrow making its way to Bianca.
Scanning the riverbanks, I catch sight of several figures moving swiftly towards us. They must have been hiding along the shoreline, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
- Writer
