A simple question completely disarmed me. No, it wasn't about the question but about his deep voice and the way he pronounced the words.

He spoke to me as if I were his long-time lover, with a tenderness that I had not experienced since my parents died.

He looked at me expectantly, yet he didn't rush me to respond.

"I'm fine," I said. "I just hit my ankle a little when I fell."

"Can I see it? Just to make sure it's nothing serious."

I nodded, unable to say the answer out loud.

"I'm going to need you to sit down."

He held my hand and guided me to a rock a few steps away. I bit my lips to keep my pain inside, for some reason I couldn't understand I didn't want to look weak in front of him.

Slowly he helped me sit on the rock and then knelt in front of me.

Fantastic, my first encounter with the alpha and I was already forcing him to his knees because of my clumsiness. I just hoped that wouldn't bring me bad consequences later.

"May I?" he asked me, holding the bottom of my pant leg.

"Go ahead." I try to sound determined.

"By the way, you didn't tell me your name," he said as he pulled up the fabric. "I am Almec, no need to use any title."

"It's rude to call an alpha by his name," I answered, focusing on the conversation to distract myself from his large hands that held my ankle. "I'm Valentina."

"That's a beautiful name. Usually I'd expect them to refer to me as alpha, but you're special." Almec raised his head and smiled at me, a few strands of his shoulder-length, brown hair falling across his face.

That had to be the most wonderful smile in the world. The second one, actually, Faustina's smile was undoubtedly the winner.

"Me? Why would I be special?" I asked.

A chill ran down my spine. He couldn't know, right? There was no way for him to discover my true origin. The little secret that could send me straight to the Hunter's Order lair.

"I imagine you've already sensed it by now," he sounded unsure as if he was testing the waters.

I let the air escape from my lungs. I was safe.

"Feel what? I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about."

Almec lowered his head immediately, yet I could see that his smile had disappeared. He remained silent, focusing on checking my ankle.

"It's a little swollen but I'd say it's just from the fall, I don't think it's sprained," he said, standing up.

The warmth of his voice faded, the caring lover transformed into a cold man. Almec took a few steps away and turned around. I stayed in the same place, looking at his back as I tried to understand what had just happened. A part of me felt guilty for something I couldn't explain, the other part told me it wasn't my fault.

He paced back and forth a few times before returning to my side. "It's better if you don't walk. I'll carry you."

"Where to?"

"To get you some help." Almec put his arm around my waist and helped me up.

"Wait! I have to go somewhere else first. My little sister is hiding in the forest, I need to go look for her."

"Okay. I'll take you to her. Can you grab my neck?"

"Why?"

"You have a lot of questions." Almec put his other arm behind my legs and picked me up bridal style. "Where is your sister?"

The muscles of his torso were pressed against the side of my body. The heat took over my face, I prayed to the moon goddess that my cheeks were not flushed, that would have been even more embarrassing.

"Can you remember where she is?" Almec asked once more.

"Sorry, I was trying to recall the dirección I came from. Give me a second." I remembered perfectly where the path was but I pretended to think for a few moments. "We have to go that way. She's under a weeping willow with long branches."

"That's more than enough, I know the tree."

Think about the trees, think about the trees. Over and over I repeated the phrase like a mantra while my eyes focused on the nature in front of us. At least his long legs made the walk faster.

Unlike me, Almec didn't seem affected by our proximity. He kept a serious expression the entire time, or at least until the sound of footsteps reached us. Then, he tightened his grip on it and directed his gaze toward the noise.

"It's just me." A woman appeared between the trees.

She was quite tall, almost as tall as Almec, which combined with her muscular body made her look intimidating. However, what caught my attention the most was the scar that ran from the right side of her mouth to the end of her cheek.

"Anything suspicious today?" Almec asked.

"Nothing. I can see you found someone."

"She's hurt, it was the hunters."

"I'm Geldra," the woman said, approaching us. "The Wild Fangs beta."

"Valentina," I answered.

"I can help you carry her, I know you don't like being so close to other wolves," Geldra offered, extending her hand in my direction.

Almec let out a growl. "No, I'll take her."

Geldra raised her hands in defense. "There's no need to get violent, she's all yours."

Instead of responding, the alpha continued on his way, quickening his pace.

While he kept up his serious act, I felt my heart act as if I was running a race. Why didn't he deny Geldra's words? It's nothing important, I tried to convince myself, he probably doesn't feel like arguing, it's just that.

The weeping willow became my savior. As soon as I saw it I forgot about the questions that were stirring in my mind.

"Princesa, soy yo," I said after Almec put me down.

Faustina ran out of her hiding place and squeezed me into a hug.

"You're okay," she started to cry. "I was so scared."

"They're gone, the alpha helped me. See? I'm perfect."

Almec crossed his arms. "You are hu—

"I'm perfect," I interrupted, sending him the most menacing look I could muster.

"If the alpha helped you does that mean we can join the pack?" Faustina asked, her hazel eyes shining with joy.

I was about to say no when Almec answered.

"That's where we're headed now."

Were they going to accept us into the pack? Tears threatened to escape my eyes. We made it, Faustina was going to be safe.

***

The Wild Fang town was different from what I imagined. The best way to describe it would be a village from a fantasy movie mixed with a bit of technology.

The stone streets were too narrow for a car to pass through, which must be the reason why some inhabitants moved around on bicycles. People lived in brick huts with large windows and a wooden roof. And if I paid attention I could hear the sound of the television coming from inside the homes.

We walked towards the center of the town, there was a round square that had a huge oak tree in the middle.

"Adira," Almec called to the woman who was playing with her grandchildren.

She dropped the toy car she had in her hands and looked at the Almec as if she had seen a ghost.

"Alpha," she whispered.

"They are part of the pack now, take care of the rest," he ordered and then he spoke to me. "Follow her."

Without saying goodbye, Almec disappeared between the cabins. I followed him with my eyes as long as I could, suppressing the desire to follow him.

"Jena," Adira shouted to a young woman who was just steps away. "You heard the alpha. Give them a place to stay and some food. It's going to be dark soon, I have to take my grandchildren back to their house."

Faustina squeezed my hand, I looked down and smiled at her.

"Shall we go to our new house?"

She shook her head, nodding, and pressed her body against my good leg as Jena walked past us.

"I know of a place you can stay in," the young redhead said, her voice carrying a hint of contempt. And her grimace confirmed it. "Don't stay behind, I have other things to do, I can't wait for you all day."

We follow in her footsteps. The pain in my ankle got worse as we crossed most of the town, I still continued walking as if nothing was happening to not worry Faustina.

The journey seemed endless, Jena guided us to the edge of the pack. I thought we had already reached our destination when I saw that the rows of cabins had ended, but she made us pass through the trees that surrounded the town.

"There it is, your new home," Jena said, holding back her laughter. She pointed to a small wooden cabin with a single broken window and surrounded by vines. "Enjoy. I see you have food in your bag so you won't need anything else."

"Come on," I said to Faustina, ignoring Jena's words. "You can rest once we get settled."

"Thank you, lady," Faustina shouted to the young woman who had already started on her way back.

The door creaked when we opened it, we didn't even finish covering our ears to protect ourselves from the noise when a cloud of dust flew from inside the cabin towards us.

Without stopping coughing, I entered our new home and opened the window.

"I like it!" exclaimed Faustina, giving little jumps.

She settled for so little. The cabin had a single room with an old bed, a fireplace, and a bathroom. That was all, not a table, not a kitchen and much less appliances. Actually, it didn't even have electricity.

"You know what? I think today is a nice night to see the stars," I said. "Why don't you prepare something to eat outside while I take care of the rest?"

"Yes! I love to eat under the stars."

I wished she would retain her innocence a little longer. The members of the pack gave us the cabin in the worst condition of the town and Faustina still saw the positive side. I would have to work hard to protect her from others.

Through the window I made sure she didn't need help while I swept the dirt with a broom that was in the bathroom. The sound of my sister humming lit up the room, I smiled and pulled the mattress out to shake it a little.

"What's today's menu, chef Faustina?" I asked, leaving the mattress on a stone.

"We have peanut sandwiches and red apples."

"Delicious." I sat next to her. "Pass me some water to wash my hands."

Faustina performed her task with fairness, she separated the same amount of food for both of us, although when she turned her gaze towards the sky I sneaked half of my sandwich into her portion.

"I'm sleepy." She yawned after she finished eating.

"It's time to sleep, then."

Despite all the little faults of the cabin, the positive aspect was that it had running water. So Faustina went to clean herself while I prepared the bed.

Suddenly, the need to go outside took over me. My instinct was screaming at me to look out the window. It didn't make sense, but werewolves learn to follow their hunches from a young age.

At first, I didn't see anything out of place, only the trees that moved with the wind.

Then I found them, a pair of red eyes shining in the darkness. The wolf did nothing, yet I felt that he was calling me.

Without thinking about it I ran to the door and yanked it open.

Almec had disappeared. What was he doing here?

I looked down, on the ground in front of me was a large basket. Inside it had some sheets and blankets, logs, a matchbox, food and a first aid kit. I picked up the basket with a smile.

That alpha was certainly full of surprises.