Chapter 1 INTO THE WOODS.

TALIA'S POV

I had always loved the forest at night,the way the leaves danced in the breeze, the way the air smelled of earth and rain. Tonight, I was here to collect herbs for my potions. This was my life, and I found great joy doing it. My satchel was heavy with bottles and parchment, my hands stained with soil. The forest was peaceful... until I saw him.

At first, I thought he was just a man asleep against a tree, maybe resting. But who would be resting in the forest at this ungodly hour?

Then I noticed the blood. Fresh, dark, glistening across his shoulder and arm. My stomach clenched. I couldn't just leave him.

Fuck, I should have turned back. I should have just ignored him and gone home, but something in me couldn't resist seeing him so helpless.

I stepped closer, cautiously, whispering, "Hello... Are you... are you hurt badly?"

He lifted his head, and my breath caught. Tall, broad, with dark hair falling into stormy eyes, he radiated power even in pain. His gaze fell on me, sharp and commanding.

"Go," he said, voice low, almost a growl. "Get the hell out of here. Now."

I hesitated. "I... I can help you."

He shook his head. "No. It's not safe. You shouldn't be here. Leave me the fuck alone. Get the hell out of here, now."

Damn my stubbornness and my need to control everything.

But I couldn't leave him. I couldn't just leave a wounded man to bleed alone. I knelt beside him, brushing my hands over his torn clothing, inspecting the gash. As I worked, I whispered soothing words, trying to ignore the tension that coiled in the air around us.

Then came the sound of growls. Low, menacing, circling us in the shadows. My blood ran cold.

"Wh... what the hell? What's that?" I asked, my voice trembling.

He didn't reply immediately. "Stay behind me. And whatever happens... just shut the fuck up. Do not say anything," he muttered, his eyes narrowing.

Before I could protest, he sprang forward like a predator, moving with impossible speed and strength. Two more shapes emerged from the darkness. I watched, frozen, as he fought them, his movements precise, brutal, lethal. One fell with a final, wet growl. The others vanished into the forest, leaving only the scent of blood and fear behind.

I stumbled back, heart hammering, voice shaking. "Who... who are you?What was that"?.

He was covered in more blood than before, but somehow I wasn't afraid of him.

"Come, lay down. Let me take a look at the wound, and you can tell me what's going on," I said, trying to sound helpful and not freak out.

He looked at me as if I'd gone mad. His voice cut harshly through the night air.

"Lady, are you serious right now? Do you realize the amount of trouble you're in?"

"The... the fuck is wrong with you?!" he continued. "You should have left when I told you to. How the hell do you want me taking care of you and myself at the same time?"

"Hey, wait a minute! What do you mean, 'take care of you'?" I asked, confusion and adrenaline mixing in my veins.

He turned to me, his chest heaving, his dark eyes fixed on mine. "This," he said, voice sharp and dangerous, "is why you should have left me the hell alone."

He paused, and the weight of his words pressed down on me. "Those... those people who came after me," he continued, "they will stop at nothing to erase my memory from this earth. And since you witnessed what happened tonight, they've sensed your blood. They'll come for you to cover their tracks."

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came. My hands were trembling, and my mind raced. Danger had suddenly become more than a vague idea. It was real. And I was caught in it.

He studied me for a long moment, the tension between us thick enough to taste. Then, almost reluctantly, he said, "Come. I'll take you somewhere safe."

"Somewhere safe..." My heart skipped a beat. My mind raced. Safe? In a forest filled with strange creatures, evil, and danger? Could anyone truly be safe here?

I took a hesitant step backward. "Okay," I whispered. "I'm not going anywhere, and especially not with you. I can protect myself."

"If you could protect yourself, you wouldn't be here having this conversation with me right now," he said sneeringly.

"Now, let's move, lady. I haven't got all the time for your whining."

He gestured sharply for me to follow, and I obeyed without thinking. Every instinct in me screamed caution, but my curiosity, my stubbornness, and something unnameable drew me closer to him.

As we moved through the underbrush, I couldn't help noticing how the moonlight caught the edges of his hair, the strong lines of his jaw, and the tension in his body. Even wounded, he radiated control, danger, and something else, something that made my chest tighten and my thoughts scatter.

"You need to understand," he said quietly, without looking at me. "You're not safe out here. Not anymore. And nowhere in this forest will be safe until you're away from the scent they've picked up."

I swallowed hard, trying to focus. "Then... tell me who you are and what those things are? And why can't I just go back to my home?"

He finally glanced at me, and his eyes were sharp, calculating, and entirely unreadable. "Because if I leave you out here... you'll die. And I can't allow that."

I blinked. "You... you're serious?"

"I've never been more serious in my life," he said, voice low and unwavering. "So stay close. And don't say a word unless I tell you to."

I nodded, my mouth dry, my heart pounding in my chest. My hands were shaking-not just from the adrenaline, but from the strange, magnetic pull that I couldn't ignore.

The forest stretched around us, dark and alive. Every shadow seemed to move, every rustle of leaves hinted at unseen danger. And yet, with him leading the way, I felt... a flicker of safety, strange as it was.

For the first time in my life, I realized that helping someone wasn't just about healing their wounds. Sometimes, it was about stepping into the unknown, and facing dangers that could change everything.

And somehow, in that moment, I knew this night would change me forever.