Protect Her
882 Words
CHAPTER THREE
Xavier’s POV
The final whistle echoed through the arena, announcing another victory for the Blackhawks.
The locker room exploded with cheers as my teammates celebrated another win. Some were replaying the last goal while others were already arguing over which restaurant to visit before the night was over.
Usually, I would have stayed.
Tonight, I couldn’t.
No matter how hard I tried to focus on the match we had just won, all I could see was the image of a young woman sitting helplessly on the cold concrete floor while thousands of people laughed at her.
Harper.
I grabbed my jacket from my locker and headed for the exit.
Find her.
My steps slowed.
I frowned. “I already helped her.”
Find her.
“I don’t even know her.”
My wolf ignored me. Find her.
I let out a quiet sigh and changed direction without arguing any further.
The arena had become much quieter now that the match was over. Most of the fans had already gone home, leaving only a few cleaners and security guards walking through the long hallways.
As I turned the corner leading toward the side exit, I spotted her almost immediately.
Harper was slowly making her way down the hallway with the blanket still wrapped tightly around her shoulders.
Her head was lowered, and every step looked more painful than the last.
She took another step.
Then another. Suddenly, her injured leg gave out beneath her.
Her body swayed dangerously before she could hit the floor, I crossed the distance between us and caught her by the waist.
She gasped as her hands instinctively grabbed the front of my jacket.
For a brief second, her entire weight rested against me.
She quickly tried to pull away. “I’m… I’m sorry,” she whispered, refusing to meet my eyes. “I lost my balance.”
I didn’t answer. Instead, I looked down.
Blood had soaked through the torn fabric around her knee.
The scrape was much worse than I had thought.
Her face was unusually pale, and tiny beads of sweat covered her forehead.
Without thinking, I placed the back of my hand against her forehead.
Heat. She was burning.
“You have a fever.”
She immediately shook her head. “I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not.”
“It’s only a small injury.”
“It stopped being a small injury the moment it became infected.”
She forced a smile that failed to hide the exhaustion in her eyes. “I’ll clean it when I get back.”
“You need a doctor.”
The smile disappeared. “I can’t.”
“Why not?”
She looked away before answering in a voice so quiet I almost didn’t hear it. “…I don’t have where to… I don’t want them to make jest .”
She blinked.
“I…”
“I said you need treatment.”
Her lips parted, but no words came out.
My wolf became strangely calm. Take her with you.
“I have a guest house nearby,” I said. “You can stay there tonight until you’re feeling better.”
Her eyes widened. “I can’t do that.”
“Why?”
“I don’t even know you.”
“That’s true.”
“And I don’t want to become your responsibility.”
“You won’t.”
She stared at me for several long seconds, as though searching my face for some hidden reason behind my offer.
Whatever she was looking for, she didn’t find it.
Her shoulders slowly relaxed. “…Thank you.”
Before she could take another step, her body suddenly became unsteady again.
I reached out to steady her, but this time she didn’t even try to stand.
Her eyes fluttered, the color drained completely from her face.Then her entire body went limp.
“Harper.”
She collapsed straight into my arms.
I caught her before she could hit the ground.
She wasn’t responding. Her breathing was shallow, and her body felt frighteningly warm against mine.
Without wasting another second, I bent down, lifted her carefully into my arms, and started toward the exit.
I slipped one arm beneath her knees and another around her back.
Just as I lifted her into my arms…
“Put her down.”
“Where do you think you’re taking her?”
I looked up. Tyler stood several feet away, still wearing part of his hockey uniform.
His eyes weren’t on Harper, they were fixed on me.
I remained silent and continued walking.
Tyler stepped directly into my path, blocking the hallway. “I asked you a question.”
I looked at him calmly. “Move.”
A humorless smile appeared on his face. “She’s my girlfriend.”
My expression didn’t change. “Then you should have acted like it.”
His smile disappeared instantly.
The air between us became heavy.
His jaw tightened as his eyes dropped to Harper lying unconscious in my arms.
“I said…” His voice became colder with every word. “Leave her here.”
My grip around Harper tightened.
My wolf let out a low growl inside my head.Mine.
I stared at Tyler without looking away. “Move.”
Tyler took one step toward us.
My wolf growled.Mine.
- Writer
