The young, blood-covered face before me overlapped perfectly with the decisive, commanding man now standing atop the food chain.
The boy lay under the bridge, soaked in blood, his beautiful, defiant eyes darting around like an abandoned wolf pup searching for a sliver of hope.
I blinked away the stinging in my eyes and crouched down in front of him. “Want to come with me?”
The boy looked at me quietly. Despite his tattered clothes, there was no hiding his innate grace and nobility.
He turned his head away proudly. “Who are you?”
I hesitated for a moment. “Anni.” I kept my real name hiding.
He stared at me, a shadow flickering in his gaze. “How do you spell that?”
“A-N-N-I, Anni.” I drew the letters on the ground with my finger.
Suddenly, he clutched my wrist, his voice steady and c
