"She's waking up," Safira heard a voice in the distance.
The sound of the voice soothed her, washing away the fear she had just moments ago. How could anyone have such an impact on her?
"Get the healers here, now!" She heard the same voice again. This time there was more urgency in the voice.
Safira willed herself forward, trying to get closer to the voice. It served as her anchor as she reached forward. Eventually, she returned to the present.
"Hey, can you hear me? Focus on the sound of my voice," a figure loomed over her, blocking out the light in the room.
As her vision came into focus, Safira was stunned by the person who loomed over her. Her senses returned to her, causing her to fluster. She tried to speak but her throat was parched.
She barely got a word out before she ended up in a coughing fit. A cup of water was brought to her immediately and she received it with gratitude. She downed it all at one go.
"Where… where am I?" She asked as she looked all around, hoping to see something that could help ground her.
But everything was foreign. She didn't recognize a single thing. Fear gripped her as she wondered if she was in Markus' hands. If he had sent his wolves to hunt her down, he could do a lot worse.
"Hey, hey, you have nothing to worry about," the voice spoke again.
Safira looked at the man to whom the voice belonged to. She didn't know who he was but his eyes captivated her. Dark-colored pupils like pools of obsidian. She had never met anyone quite like him.
For a moment, she noticed a change in the color of his eyes. Perhaps he was speaking to his wolf. When his eye color returned to normal, he gave her a smile that made her blush.
Her cheeks were burning hot.
"Alpha Damien, the healers are here," a voice called out from behind.
Damien looked back and nodded. He straightened his back and removed his hand on Safira's arm. She didn't even realize he had his hand there until he moved away. A small part of her wanted him close again.
Three healers stepped forward to check on her, making sure she was alright. All of them were gentle as if they were afraid to bruise her. Once they were done, they took a step back and spoke to Damien.
"So?" He asked with his arms folded, the sense of authority and respect he commanded was clear.
While most other Alphas instilled fear in their pack members, Safira was quick to notice that for this Alpha it was different. The respect his pack members had for him was out of faith and belief.
"The worst is over. The fever broke and her wounds are healing well. She will make a full recovery," one of the healers explained.
"Good, you are all dismissed," Damien said to the healers before he glanced over to Safira.
She hadn't realized it at first, but she hadn't stopped looking at him since he began speaking of the healers. She wanted to bury herself in a hole from embarrassment but there was nowhere else to hide.
As the healers left, Damien asked for the other man in the room to leave too. He did so without question, closing the door behind him as he did. Now, only Damien and Safira remained.
Damien turned to her and walked over to her bedside. She didn't move from her spot, carefully studying him as he came close. Safira trusted her gut like her life depended on it. That was what her father trained her to do.
"Trust your instincts, trust your gut."
That's what he would always say.
She thought her gut would tell her to be wary of this Alpha she had never met before. But it didn't. It was telling her to trust him.
"Alpha Damien, I-"
"Just Damien is fine," he corrected her swiftly with a smile as he sat down in the chair by her bedside.
Safira looked at him in bewilderment. Did he really just tell her to only address him by name?
"Damien, where am I?"
"You're in my house. But I assume you're asking where exactly you are. You're on my packgrounds. Obsidian Howl."
Safira pondered for a moment. She felt like she had heard of the pack before but she could not quite recall.
"How did I end up here?"
Damien had been looking her in the eye the entire time, right up till the moment she asked him this question. He averted her gaze and pursed his lips. Was he thinking of lying to her?
"I found you wounded in the forest clearing." He blurted, still unable to look her in the eye.
The change in his demeanor caught her off guard. Moments ago he had a completely different aura while speaking to the healers and his subordinate. She thought he would carry the same aura when he spoke to her but he didn't.
"You're lying," she said without skipping a beat.
As soon as she said those words, Safira was beginning to regret it. She knew she shouldn't be challenging him. After all, if he disliked her he could throw her out immediately.
But instead, she was met with laughter.
"I was just testing you," he mused, brushing off the matter as a joke.
"I saw that you were being attacked, and that you leaped off the waterfall…,"
Safiya looked up at him in shock, anticipating what he would say next.
"So I jumped in after you," he said, like it was meant to be, "I caught you in my arms, we fell into the water and then, I brought you back here."
"You saved me," she said as she put the pieces of the puzzle together.
She was grateful for his rescue. Apart from her father, Greyson, hardly anyone has ever done something so selfless for her before. She wanted to get to her feet and thank him properly, but as she tried to do so, a searing pain spread through her body.
She almost collapsed out of bed, but Damien caught her in the nick of time.
"You need bed rest. If not, your wounds won't heal." He said kindly as he helped get her comfortable in bed once more.
He reached behind her to help her fluff up the pillows. He was so close to her that she could smell his scent. Her heart was pounding in her chest while her cheeks flushed red.
"Sorry, was that too close?" He whispered to her while looking down at her.
She looked up at him, eyes wide as she realized he likely heard her heartbeat. He had his wolf, his senses would be heightened further compared to her own.
"I'm… im just anxious," she mumbled while looking away, hoping he would drop the matter.
Damien chuckled as he pulled the covers higher for Safira. He seemed to be enjoying her embarrassment. How cruel!