Chapter 2 Unexpected encounter

Nivilia Carson

Two hours later, the cab Nivilia hailed with the cash she stole from her father halted.

Without hesitation, she alighted.

With a glance at the dim crescent moon that trailed her, she prayed to the great moon goddess, Akylla, that this escape would lead to a successful freedom.

Honestly, all she needed was one day.

Going one day without feeling her father’s rough hands dragging her out of hiding would give her a chance to relax and properly plan her next move. 

“I need this to end Akylla,” she pleaded to the moon goddess despite her strong disdain for her. “I'm tired.”

A distant howl from the forests responded to her prayer.

With something bitter in the back of her throat, Niv pressed her lips together and narrowed her eyes. 

She could barely make out anything in the dark, but she moved anyway, hoping to find an entrance soon. 

After a few steps forward, her little prayer was answered. One of the floodlights mounted around the stadium came on.

Thanks to it, she noticed a grand gate at the far left end.

Ignoring the aching limp in her left leg, she adjusted the wool scarf around her neck and approached the entrance, which she was happy to find unlocked. 

She walked past and noted that the space was very quiet. Though her heart pounded in fear of the unknown and of the thought that her family had most likely noticed her absence, she didn’t question her legs. She kept moving. 

Then a purplish, double door with square peepholes on both sides stopped her.

This one was also unlocked. She pushed them open and headed left since the right turn led to a dead end. 

She walked into the first room she found.

Clearly, it was a locker room. A very exquisite one with lounge chairs at one far corner and comfortable-looking benches placed close to the black-door lockers. 

Opposite was a TV playing a movie on mute. 

Ahead was a huge notice board with numbers and lines haphazardly drawn on it. And at the top of all four walls were three-by-six banners displaying smug smiles, crossed burly arms, fine hairstyles, and padded shoulders belonging to the largely celebrated Moon Rock Hockey Team.

Nivilia blinked. Then she gave in to the urge to sit on one of the benches. 

Looking around again as the tension in her nerves slowly eased, she wondered if this place would really be the best place to hide.

‘Will it be enough?’ she pondered within herself. 

To block the spell from easily exposing her new location, just staying in this locker room wasn’t enough. She definitely needed a bigger shield.

Nibbling on her thumb before she could succumb to the fear of being forced back to that house, her shrill voice reasoned aloud as she said, “Maybe I should lock the door.”

Immediately, her sunken eyes flickered to the entrance.

And her lips parted with a loud gasp. 

That gasp wasn’t because she had left the door open, but because a tall he-wolf with an angry expression in his light-green eyes was at the entrance with his arms folded.

“Uhm…” Slowly, Niv got up. Then she gulped. Unable to look at him, she stuttered, “I… uh…”

“You had better have a very convincing reason for sneaking into my shrine.” 

There was so much hatred in his quite rhythmic baritone.

Because of that hatred, she looked up from her dirty shoes. 

“I am-” She couldn’t complete that response because something occurred to her when their eyes locked. 

Then, she began an in-depth observation of this he-wolf.

His handsome features were very familiar. His aura and his sculpted physique were something she had witnessed many times on TV. 

His forehead deepened into a scowl. “Are you not aware that keeping mute makes you more suspicious?” 

He took two steps closer.

And Niv became very certain about his identity. 

As her throat bobbed with slight nervousness, this he-wolf scoffed. 

“Explaining what you’ve done wrong is a waste of my precious breath.” He dragged out the latest Moonsung phone from his back pocket. “I'll make an example of you.” He pressed the phone to his ear after a few clicks. “Once you spend two weeks locked up and-”

“A-A-Alpha Zay,” Niv shakily cut him short, gripping the sides of her scratchy gown very hard. 

Alpha Zay, the most-loved Captain of the Moon Rock team and the only male heir of the Great Lycan King, narrowed his eyes, his lips flattened in disbelief.

“Beggar Wolf…” His voice deepened. “Are you daft, or are you just too daring for your own good?”

Nivilia took that insult with a pinch. 

She didn’t even back down from the intensity of their locked gaze. Not even when he closed the gap between them or when he dragged back the roughened top of his man-bun and briefly tilted his head towards the ceiling.

“Beggar Wolf.” With a snap, he looked down at her. “One more word.” An unseen pressure suddenly descended, and she started feeling an uncomfortable rush of intense heat all over her. “I dare you.”

Since she was powerless, this was her cue to walk away and never look back. 

However, the moment she recognised this he-wolf, Niv had already decided that this unexpected encounter wasn’t an opportunity she was willing to waste. 

So, she pulled her scarf away from her neck, wiped off the building sweat on her forehead and refused to hearken to his warning.

“I-” She held back when she noticed his eyes flicker to her neck, where some evidence of what she had been enduring was boldly stamped. 

Nivilia dragged a long breath and ignored the awful churn in her chest. 

“Alpha Zay.” Her voice was almost a whisper.

But he heard her.

The unyielding fury in his eyes met her gaze.

And she stuttered, “I… I need to ask you… you for a favour.”

“Beggar Wolf…” He searched her eyes as though searching for signs of insanity. “You want to ask a favour?”

As she nodded, something devious flashed in his eyes. 

“You must think I have time for jokes.”

“No, I really-”

“If this favour has to do with killing you, I can grant it.” With a smirk, his anger turned into quiet satisfaction. “You look like you’ve lived a miserable life, wouldn’t it be a privilege if I sent you off to the afterlife? You can brag about dying by my hands when you get there.”

Nivilia let go of her scarf, curled her fingers into a tight fist, released a shaky breath and snapped her eyes shut.

“A-Alpha Zay.” She ignored the sharp pain she felt in her leg when she took a step closer. “M-m-mark… m-m-me.”

“Mark…? You want me to mark you?” 

Unsure if the surprise in his voice was a good sign, Nivilia opened her eyes.

“Y-yes. You…” She tightened her hands to stop herself from looking away. “You’re the only one who can save me. Please.” The tears that had risen in her heart rose and stayed lodged in her throat, choking her. 

“P-Please… mark me,” she pleaded, the crack in her voice evidence of the emotions she was struggling to keep in.