Chapter 2
Anna looked at the clock on the mantelpiece. It showed 11.30 pm. Her father must be out with his friends again. He never usually stayed out this late, unless he felt like having a drink with his colleagues. Anna was not worried that he would become an alcoholic though, he had strict enough self-control. With that, she put her phone to charge before heading to bed, soon slipping into a dreamless sleep.
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Unknown P.O.V.
She paced her room with worry. Where was he? It was unlike him to stay out for days at a time without informing anyone. Being next in line for the Luna position, she was placed under high protection day and night, so she could not go out personally to look for her mate however much she wanted to.
She was sick of pacing. Dashing into her father's office in the pack house, she realized she had just walked in on a meeting with some of the higher-ranked officials of the pack. Glancing around, she recognized the Beta, the Third-in-Command, and two of the pack Warriors, all with grim looks on their faces.
"Please, let me help! He's my mate, I deserve to help look for him!" she cried, almost in despair.
The older members in the room were hesitant as they turned towards their Alpha.
Looking at his daughter's desperate expression, the Alpha finally relented and waved her forward, inviting her to join in the discussion...
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A faint groaning sound woke Anna. She was usually a light sleeper anyway. It sounded like it came from outside her window-from the woods. An animal, perhaps? Yet, it sounded strangely human... Slipping on a furry robe and warm slippers, Anna decided to play detective. She grabbed a flashlight, headed down the stairs and out the back door.
"Hello? Anyone there?" She called, cringing as her voice echoed off the dense trees surrounding her house.
Anna was met with another groan, this time a lot louder. Shining her flashlight in the direction of the sound, she made out a figure lying on the ground, the snow around him dyed red. Throwing all caution to the wind, Anna instantly threw herself forwards, only thinking of helping the injured person.
"Oh my gosh. What happened to you?" She cried, trying to find a wound. There was just so much blood. Almost everywhere was covered in the sticky red liquid. Anna couldn't even tell if it was a man or woman.
The stranger just groaned again. With a particularly loud moan, the person's head lolled to the side as the person passed out.
-
Anna awoke with a start. It was the crack of dawn and a warm hand was nudging her head as she sat uncomfortably on a chair at the side of the bed. I must have fallen asleep, Anna mused, momentarily forgetting her surroundings. Her arm was covered in marks and felt slightly numb from lying on it all night.
"Where... Where am I?" A deep, husky voice spoke up.
This startled Anna enough that she let out a small scream and her head shot up off the bed. As she stared into the deep brown eyes of the man lying on the bed, the events that had happened last night came back to her.
"Ah, yes. I can explain," A flustered Anna hastily flattened the bird's nest on top of her head while trying to look more decent. After all, a girl should never look so un-ladylike in front of a guy stranger-and a hot one at that.
Evidently, Anna realized that not much more could be done to help her terrible bed head without a comb or a brush, so she gave up trying. All this while, the man who was now sitting up on the bed was watching her intently with an amused, or rather, intrigued expression. Anna blushed and looked down when she realized that the stranger had been staring at her. She immediately put her hands on her lap and sat up staighter.
"Well, I found you lying in my backyard, you were bleeding so much. I was honestly terrified to see so much blood coming from one person. I thought you were dying! It was so dark, I couldn't find the wound. But then I thought, I wasn't going to let someone die on my watch if I could help it! So then-forgive me-I had to strip off your shirt. At this time you were already unconscious, of course, so I bloody well couldn't ask you to remove your clothes yourself-" Anna paused to take a deep breath. Her hands were shaking as she relived the horrific incident where she was that close to being in contact with a dead body. "Sorry, let me continue. I don't quite remember what happened myself, it was all a blur. All I know is that I used your shirt as a temporary bandage for the more major wounds-there was a gaping slash on your chest, and another on your calf-and I somehow dragged you up here and tended to your wounds, so well...here you are!"
Anna ended her monologue with a long exhale. Raising her eyes to meet his, Anna could tell that the man was immensely grateful for her help. Giving the room a once-over, she saw the mess that she had made whilst treating him and inwardly groaned. The sheets were caked with dried blood and so were her fingernails. Medical supplied from the first-aid box were scattered on the bed as well as the floor. There was even a bloody trail on the ground from where she had dragged him into a guest room on the ground floor, which most certainly also led outside. She'd have to clean that up later and hopefully avoid explaining things to her father if she could get rid of the blood before he returned home.
Her attention was drawn back to the injured man on the bed when he spoke again, "Thank you so much for caring for me, miss. My name is Luke, Luke Maxwell."
"I'm Anna Flint," Anna reached out, accepting the hand that was outstretched and shook it. "Are you feeling better? Does it hurt?" she asked in concern, mentally face-palming herself when she asked the second question. Of course it hurt you idiot, she thought, that gash certainly didn't look like a surface wound!
Much to her surprise though, Luke swung his legs off the bed (the opposite side of where she was sitting) and stood with most of his weight on his uninjured leg, announcing, "I feel as good as new!"
It was only then that Anna noticed Luke's lack of decent clothing-his trousers were ripped and his shirt was obviously unwearable as it lay in bloody strips on the floor where Anna had discarded the makeshift bandage while cleaning his wounds.
"Oh, how inhospitable of me, I didn't even give you new clothes!" Anna gasped suddenly, aghast that a guest in her home was dressed in tatters. "Your bandages must also be changed!"
At this, Luke seemed positively alarmed. "That's fine, Miss Flint, I can do that myself."
"Just Anna will do. And are you sure? It wouldn't be a bother to me-"
"I insist, I really don't want to trouble you, after all you have already taken care of me once!" Luke cut in before Anna could finish speaking.
Still looking uncertain, Anna reluctantly went to wash her hands before fetching some of her father's old clothes, as well as clean bandages and ointment, and directed Luke to a spare bathroom. Then, she went upstairs to her personal bathroom to take a quick shower and rinse off whatever blood and grime on her.
When Anna went back downstairs, she found Luke admiring the framed paintings on the wall along the corridor where she had left him. He had already cleaned up and was dressed in fresh clothes. Anna took this time to look him over while she walked towards him. He had ginger colored hair which was cropped short and he stood at about 6'2", which was quite a bit taller than her 5'6" frame. She decided that she liked his hair color, which was undoubtedly more unique than her own dark brown hair.
Luke turned around, noticing her even from a few feet away. Huh. Anna didn't think her footsteps were that loud. Before she could think into this though, Luke demanded that she let him help to clean up, not even leaving her any chance to protest.
Hence, despite her skepticism about his well-being, Anna and Luke got to work clearing all traces of blood. After telling him where the cleaning supplies were, Anna began to strip the linen off the bed (thankfully, the mattress protector prevented blood from getting onto the mattress as well) and put them in the wash. Luke, on the other hand, got a mop and some rags to start mopping up the blood.
The duo were finished with their jobs, which included getting rid of the blood-stained snow outside, in less than three hours. Anna was just going to the kitchen to get them both a refreshing drink when they heard the sound of the door unlocking...
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A/N: Soooo... Here's the next chapter! :) Vote and/or comment! :D
