Chapter 3 2

Chapter 2

Laviñia's P.O.V.

"Hi, good morning."

I lifted my gaze toward the woman who greeted me. She looked lovely in a simple floral dress that almost reached her ankles. She was also the same woman who had delivered my dinner last night.

She was holding a tray with freshly brewed coffee and croissants.

I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Let me guess. Greyson ordered those for me again?"

The woman smiled at my question.

"Nope. This is a complimentary breakfast from the inn. You should try our croissants. I baked them myself."

I smiled at her and allowed her to place the tray in front of me.

I was sitting in their backyard, admiring the vast vineyards stretching before my eyes. I hadn't been able to appreciate how enormous and beautiful the place was last night because it had already been dark.

But now, with the beautiful morning sunlight blanketing the entire area, I couldn't help but marvel at the breathtaking scenery.

I wondered if Greyson's family owned the entire vineyard. If they did, then that guy was seriously wealthy.

"This is a lovely sight to wake up to," I remarked before taking a sip of the coffee she had brought.

"Yeah, and I'm truly grateful that I get to start every day of my life with this view."

She took the seat across from me.

"I forgot to introduce myself last night, but you can call me Annette."

I shifted my gaze from the vineyard to her.

She had a very friendly aura, and I could tell she was genuinely kind. But for some reason, a part of me was reluctant to trust her.

I didn't mean to be rude, but when it came to people, I always trusted my instincts.

I could sense that she was being cautious around me, as though she-or perhaps everyone here-was hiding something.

"My name is Laviñia," I introduced myself.

"Yeah, I saw that when you filled out the registration form yesterday. That's a very rare name nowadays," she commented. "By the way, I'm curious. What exactly happened to your stomach?"

I slowly placed my coffee cup back on the tray.

This woman really was something.

"I got shot," I answered simply.

I didn't see any reason to lie. It was pretty obvious that my injury was caused by a bullet.

Her eyes immediately sparkled with curiosity at my answer.

"I won't ask why or how it happened because I'm pretty sure you don't want to tell anyone about it."

She stood up from her chair.

"But if you ever feel like opening up, you know where to find me."

I simply nodded and smiled in response.

It wasn't that I wasn't ready to tell her about what had happened. I just genuinely believed she shouldn't get involved in whatever mess I was dealing with right now.

I watched her as she made her way back inside the inn. She was almost at the entrance when she suddenly stopped.

She turned around sharply.

My eyebrows furrowed.

Her eyes weren't fixed on me but on something behind me.

To say she looked shocked would be an understatement. She appeared completely terrified.

I was about to stand up and approach her when I heard a warning growl from behind me.

My eyes widened.

That explained her reaction.

Slowly, I turned around to see what was waiting behind me.

I instinctively took a small step backward when I came face-to-face with a massive white wolf.

The white wolf growled at my movement, as if warning me not to move another inch.

It was absolutely gorgeous, with its pristine white fur looking incredibly soft. However, I couldn't bring myself to admire its beauty when it was staring at me as though I were its next meal.

My heart nearly leaped out of my chest as the wolf began advancing toward me.

I took another cautious step backward, but it released another warning growl, forcing me to freeze.

I stood completely still as the white wolf slowly closed the distance between us.

It was barely a meter away when another wolf suddenly tackled it to the ground.

I screamed at the sight of the two wolves fighting.

The newcomer was considerably smaller than the white wolf. A part of me wanted to run away, but I couldn't bring myself to leave when I saw the gray wolf struggling beneath the larger one.

"Laviñia, let's go!"

I heard Annette shouting from the inn's entrance.

Her voice finally snapped me out of my trance.

I turned toward her as she quickly crossed the distance between us and grabbed my arm.

"Let's go!" she urged, attempting to pull me toward the open door.

Her eyebrows furrowed when I didn't move.

"Laviñia?"

My eyes remained fixed on the two wolves as the white one sank its canines into the gray wolf's neck.

I must have been losing my mind because instead of running away with Annette, I pulled my arm free from her grasp and walked toward the fighting wolves.

"Stop it!" I hissed.

My voice immediately caught the attention of the white wolf.

It lifted its head from the poor creature beneath it and turned its gaze toward me.

Its jaws released the gray wolf, who immediately cowered and collapsed onto the ground, struggling to stand.

Blood was oozing from its neck.

Without thinking twice, I rushed toward the injured wolf and gently cradled its head on my lap.

I heard the white wolf growling behind me.

I turned around and shot it an angry glare.

"You are a bad dog!" I scolded.

The wolf stared at me as though I had deeply offended it.

It took a step toward me, but I immediately raised my hand, motioning for it to stop.

"You're not taking another step toward us!"

I had no idea where I got the courage to do that.

I was more concerned about the gray wolf dying if we couldn't get it to the nearest veterinarian in time.

Thankfully, the white wolf stopped moving and simply sat in front of us.

It seemed content to remain there, glaring hatefully at the injured creature.

"Annette, you need to call a vet!"

I turned toward Annette, who was still standing frozen in place, staring at me.

"B-but..."

"Now!"

My voice came out much more commanding than I had expected.

Annette immediately rushed toward the open door, probably to call the veterinarian.

I heard the white wolf huff behind me.

I raised an eyebrow at it.

It was looking at me with an irritated expression, as though it was the one being inconvenienced here.

We remained in that position for almost five minutes until the white wolf suddenly became tense.

It stood up and turned its attention toward the open doorway.

I finally breathed a sigh of relief when Greyson emerged from the entrance, followed by two men. One of them, I assumed, was the veterinarian.

"Greyson!"

I could clearly see the relief in his eyes when he spotted me.

He was about to take a step toward me when the white wolf suddenly stood in front of me, seemingly shielding me from Greyson.

Greyson's gaze immediately sharpened at its actions.

I allowed the two men to approach and carefully carry the injured gray wolf onto the waiting stretcher.

The poor creature whimpered in pain as they lifted it.

I turned my attention back to Greyson.

"I'm glad you arrived in time. I was afraid the wolf would die before the doctor got here."

I stood up from the dirty ground.

A grimace crossed my face when I noticed the bloodstains on my clothes.

This was going to be a nightmare to wash.

I was about to approach Greyson when the white wolf suddenly blocked my way.

Greyson's expression darkened even further.

I couldn't help but reach out and caress the wolf's soft fur.

To my surprise, it purred in response.

"So cute!" I exclaimed while running my fingers through its beautiful white coat.

"Vinnie, stop it!"

I lifted my gaze toward Greyson.

"He looks harmless," I argued.

The wolf tilted its head toward me. Blood covered the fur around its mouth and snout.

"Errgh... probably not that harmless," I added.

Greyson's eyes suddenly turned murderous as he glared at the white wolf.

"Leave now, Pyro! You've trespassed into my territory, nearly killed one of my warriors, and threatened the life of my mate!"

I instinctively placed a hand over my chest at the intensity of Greyson's voice.

Even the white wolf turned its attention toward him.

The wolf growled at Greyson, and suddenly, the atmosphere around us became threatening.

We were standing in an open area, yet for some reason, I was beginning to feel suffocated.

It was as though the very air around us had turned poisonous.

What confused me the most was how Greyson was talking to the wolf as if it could understand every word he said.

Mate? Warrior? Territory?

Was I missing something here?

The wolf slowly advanced toward Greyson, seemingly challenging him.

Meanwhile, Greyson looked absolutely furious.

I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do, but I was certain I didn't want to witness a man and a wolf fighting each other right in front of me.

I slowly bent down until I was at eye level with the white wolf.

"You little wolfie, let's go ahead and clean your fur."

The wolf's eyes shifted toward me.

In a matter of seconds, its murderous aura completely disappeared, replaced by a calm and almost serene demeanor.

I lifted my gaze toward Greyson, but before I could say anything, he suddenly grabbed my arm.

He roughly pulled me to my feet.

"Get the hell away from that mutt!" he snapped, his voice laced with irritation.

My eyebrows furrowed while the white wolf snarled at him.

"What the hell is your problem, Greyson?" I asked in confusion.

Instead of answering, he pulled my hand away from the wolf's reach and dragged me toward the inn.

Although I was surprised by his behavior, I didn't resist.

My gaze briefly dropped to our joined hands.

A strange tingling sensation spread across my skin wherever his palm touched mine.

I glanced over my shoulder at the white wolf, who was staring intently at us.

Its eyes were burning with anger, but it made no attempt to attack.

It remained seated in its spot until Greyson and I disappeared inside the inn.

Greyson's expression remained dark as we walked down the hallway leading to my room.

My eyebrows furrowed.

Did he actually know where my room was?

As if answering my unspoken question, he stopped directly in front of my door.

He opened it and pulled me inside.

"How did you know this was my room?" I asked quietly.

That seemed to stop him from dragging me any farther.

He released my hand and fixed his intense gaze on me.

"I just know," he answered, as though that was a perfectly reasonable explanation for his strange behavior.

"Stay here."

He was about to leave when I reached out and grabbed his hand.

He stopped and looked at me, the frown never leaving his face.

"You can't hurt that wolf!" I said firmly.

"You have no idea."

He gave me a stern look that, under different circumstances, I would have found incredibly hot.

"Then give me an idea. You're scaring me!" I insisted.

To my disappointment, instead of explaining what was happening, he simply pulled his hand away from mine.

"I'll deal with that mutt first. Then we'll talk."

His tone left no room for argument before he finally walked out of the room.

I was left staring blankly at the closed door.

All I could do was release a deep sigh before walking toward my bed.

What a wonderful way to start my morning.