My Cursed Love

Chapter 2: It's time to go home

-Revenge-

I felt as if my heart had dropped into my stomach and my blood had turned to ice as fear took hold of me. I had never felt this way before. Usually numb to everything, I was now acutely aware as I watched the fragile body of a young woman tumble off the cliff. I felt… everything.

Without a second thought, I leaped headfirst after her. It had become a routine for me, jumping—something I did since I was a young boy whenever I needed to escape pack life or just to feel something, anything. At first, it was the rush of adrenaline, but over the years, even that sensation had dulled. Nothing really scared me anymore—until I saw her. Why had she let herself fall? Who were those men pushing her to the edge?

Lost in thought, I barely noticed when I hit the water. The coldness jolted me back to reality. At first, it was difficult to discern what was happening underwater, but it was as if my body instinctively knew the way. With powerful strokes, I swam swiftly toward the sinking body. Her form twisted slightly, her instincts resisting even as she gave in. It was clear she had stopped fighting. The fear of losing her propelled me forward with even greater urgency. I couldn’t explain why, but I knew I couldn’t let her die.

When I reached her, I grabbed her bridal-style. I paused for a moment, feeling her small body pressed against mine. Her hair swirled in the dark water, faintly illuminated by the moon. Her face was obscured by her hair, and I knew there was no time to examine her. I had to get her out of there. She was so light in my arms that I had no trouble bringing us both to the surface. As I broke through, I took a deep, grateful breath of air. She, however, remained completely still.

I quickly carried her to shore, my exhaustion evident from the swim. As I set her down gently, she still wasn’t breathing. I was out of breath, but I brushed her brown hair away from her face. God, her face was so small and looked so thin. What had happened to her?

She was too pale, her lips tinged blue. I placed my ear close to her chest, straining to hear a heartbeat or any sign of breathing. Nothing. Her chest remained still, and her heart was silent. A new, overpowering fear surged within me, almost paralyzing me. I was so terrified of losing her that I could only kneel there, staring at her.

Save her! A voice echoed in my head, breaking through the paralysis and driving me into action. I quickly placed one hand on top of the other and began compressing her chest. I had to save her! I continued, pausing only briefly to give her breaths and listen for a heartbeat.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes. Still nothing. The lack of response was terrifying, and as time passed, my hope that she would start breathing again dwindled. Desperation welled up within me, making my eyes sting with tears.

Yet, I pressed on, barely aware of the world around me. I only looked up when my beta, Rafe, and the third in command, Cole, came crashing through the woods, finding me on the small beach, desperately trying to revive a stranger.

“What are you doing?” Rafe asked in a low voice, barely able to comprehend the scene before him.

Cole looked at me the same way, his mouth agape and his eyes wide with surprise. I didn’t answer them. I had no time for questions. All I cared about was bringing her back to life.

“Come on!” I said through gritted teeth, growing more desperate.

I gave her two more breaths, then pressed my ear to her chest again. Nothing. Still nothing! I couldn’t believe it.

“Revenge… stop,” Cole insisted.

I didn’t even acknowledge them. All I saw was her, and all I felt was my heart pounding in my chest. I knew they thought I should give up. In their eyes, there was no hope for her, but I couldn’t. I just couldn’t.

“Revenge!” This time, Rafe raised his voice, trying harder to get my attention.

I didn’t listen. He attempted to step closer, but I growled at him, using my alpha power to warn him off. I didn’t want him anywhere near me right now, especially not her.

Mine.

The thought flashed through my mind so briefly that it barely registered. My sole focus was on her.

“Breathe, goddammit!” I heard myself yell.

Finally, water began to spurt out of her as she expelled the liquid from her lungs, followed by the most beautiful sound: her first breath after coming back to life. Yes! She was breathing again, though she remained barely conscious. I gently brushed my thumb over her cheek, feeling how cold her skin was. It filled me with fear once more. Her lips were still a bit blue but had warmed slightly from the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

In the distance, I could hear yelling and growling. I glanced at my beta, whose eyes were fixed on something behind me. Despite my reluctance to look away from her, I had to see what caught his attention.

Turning around, I saw the same men who had cornered her at the edge of the cliff. They were clearly enraged. One of them was pushing the others and shouting so loudly that I could almost make out his words. I could adjust my hearing to discern the specifics, but my focus remained on the girl. Who was she? Why were those men after her?

Suddenly, she started moving, gaining consciousness. Soft whimpers escaped her lips, and her eyes flashed open for a moment.

“Human!” Rafe said in disbelief.

I jumped back slightly, no longer leaning over her. s**t! Had I really just saved a human girl? I wasn’t exactly the caring type. In fact, this was the first time I had ever saved someone, and it was a human! If there was one thing I didn’t care about, it was humans.

“What have you done?” Rafe inquired, disbelief evident in his voice.

I looked at him, unsure of how to respond. Why had I jumped off that cliff? Why had I let my impulses control me without a second thought? This wasn’t like me. I didn’t usually act like this, especially not for a human.

More growling and yelling snapped me back to reality, and I turned to see the men from the cliff heading back into the forest, visibly upset and angry. Why was this human girl so important to them? I couldn’t understand. I glanced back at her. She had gone still but was still breathing. I checked… more than once.

“Come on!” Rafe urged desperately. “We need to get out of here.”

I didn’t move. All I could do was watch her, constantly ensuring she was breathing—inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale.

“Revenge!” I heard Rafe yell.

I gave him my iciest glare, and I saw him take a step back, his gaze dropping in submission. He didn’t dare challenge me. Cole suddenly stepped into my line of sight, positioning himself between me and Rafe. He raised his hands in a gesture of peace, signaling he didn’t want to start a fight.

“Let’s just cool down, okay?” Cole said, trying to diffuse the situation, but inside, I was seething.

The mere thought of leaving her broke my heart. If I abandoned her now, she might die alone on this desolate beach, and I hadn’t brought her back to life just to leave her to die.

“Revenge, come on. You can’t do anything for her. Let’s just go, okay?” Cole insisted, trying to persuade me to leave the girl.

Why couldn’t I listen to him? What was keeping me by her side? I must have suffered a concussion when I jumped into the water because this was the most absurd situation that I’d ever been in. A smile began to form on my lips but faded quickly as I saw my warriors looking at me with a mix of fear and confusion. Maybe I was crazy for smiling. I rarely ever smiled.

“We need to go!”

Rafe pushed past Cole and stood a bit too close for my comfort, but I didn’t say anything. He was right. I couldn’t stay. I had to leave. I commanded my body to move, feeling an internal struggle to remain by her side.

I pushed the feeling aside and finally got to my feet. I met my men’s eyes and gave a short nod, signaling my agreement to leave with them. They quickly retreated into the woods, but as I stood at the forest’s edge, I couldn’t help but glance back at her. She was still, but her shallow breathing told me she was still alive.

For Goddess’s sake!

Why did I even care? She was a human! As I thought that, I turned my back on her and walked away. Yet, something inside me felt like it was breaking as I ran through the forest. The farther I got from her, the worse the feeling became. What was wrong with me?

-Elena-

Woof. Woof. Woof.

“Father, over here! There’s a girl!”

I must be dead, right? I had to be. Yet why did I still feel pain? And what was this wet sensation I suddenly felt? Was someone licking me? No, that couldn’t be true. I had to be dead. I just had to be…