Talia.

**PAST**

Everyone was born with a little monster and a little angel within them; they had to choose which to nurture or kill. You could see what he chose by the crazed look in his eyes. Now was the time for the attack.

His greasy, graying skin split like tree bark. Wiry black hairs sprouted. His once light eyes melted into a heavier, more ruddy color, it would be hard to describe it from afar. His bones moved under his skin like mechanical snakes; audible cracks sliced through the woman, and she felt her feet cement into the tree branch.

He wasn’t himself anymore; he was a monster.

Enormous canines pierced the skin, shredding flesh like machinery; there was no hope for survival to those he'd choose as the next victim.

The monsters' attack was as monster attacks were, cold and frenzied, every beast for himself.

In the clearing was a pack of werewolves; no natural wolf was so large. Teeth gnashed in a frenzy of feeding, the remnants clearly human.

Talia watched from the tree branch, focusing on keeping her breathing as quiet as possible. Wolves couldn't climb trees, but she didn't know if these creatures could.

Likely her scent would be drowned out by the odor of fresh blood on the forest floor.

She managed to get lost in the forest, wandering around until she came upon a view of something that reminded a closed community. Since she had heard about sects worldwide, she turned around and walked deeper into the unknown.

Until a moment, when a bright idea came to her mind- climbing the tree to check her surroundings.

That's how Talia ended up sitting on the tree branch, watching the glorious half-humans for the first time ever. She had heard about their existence but never took it seriously since only humans lived in her town, and she never bothered to leave it before.

"Get down," Talia didn't notice how a tall, dark, and unholy handsome man approached the tree she was sitting on.

She focused on her thoughts, as always - zoning out and forgetting about being cautious. Her eyes traveled down, a shaky breath leaving her lips.

"I might as well climb there and help you get down if you're too afraid to do that yourself, human. Or jump - I'll catch you, just try to avoid branches if you don't want to break something," the man grinned.

If Talia didn't know better, she would think that one of the werewolves wanted to help her.

"I- I will," she stuttered. "But a little later, I like it here. Yes, it's quite a nice view," as soon as the words left her parted lips, Talia started hiccuping.

Her mother used to laugh, even make fun out of her - she would never become a great liar. Perhaps it was the amount of stress Talia felt, or maybe fear of getting caught, but whenever any lie left her lips, she wouldn't stop hiccuping.

Of course, someone with heightened senses would catch on to her attempt sooner than she'd admit it to herself, but trying didn't hurt.

Talia's sister used to say that lies could save one's life in extreme situations. She didn't know if the mysterious, somewhat mythological creature would let her go, but the hope was said to die last.

"You're a liar, bad one at that. I don't mind climbing up there, enjoying the view with you - it's your call." The man yawned and lazily crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Even from such a distance, she could notice how muscular his arms were, the broad shoulders and strength the man possessed. For a weird reason, she couldn't look away - he fascinated her even though he didn't show even a glimpse of interest in her.

"Listen, I wasn't trying to eavesdrop; it wasn't my intention at least. I went for a walk, my stupid self got lost, and when I reached the place with many houses, I turned around. I have no idea what is happening here, but I wouldn't tell anyone what I saw. As a matter of fact, I didn't see anything. When I came upon those rows of houses, I didn't even try to get into whatever you guys were doing, and the only reason why I'm up on this tree is to try to notice anything familiar. I'm just trying to find my way home. Please, don't eat me." As the last words left her parted lips, the man laughed.

It felt as if his laughter filled the forest, echoed against every tree in its way, and most importantly - filled her ears like music, bringing her senses to their peak.

She nearly relaxed enough to let go of the tree branch she was sitting on. At this point, she wouldn't mind letting go - falling into the symphony of alluring sound one called his laugher.

Did he know what he was doing to her? Did the man have any idea how his words, presence, and laughter affected her?

Talia's mother was the one to believe in wolves the most from their family. While her father kept repeating that shifters were nothing but a myth - her mother kept pointing out the multiple times she had faced one.

Once, she explained to Talia why there was no escape if she met a wolf shifter, but Talia was pretty sure that there was one as long as she could convince the shifter that letting her go was his idea.

If her mother did meet a wolf and kept repeating that there was no escape - how was she still with them? Then again, even with the vivid details her mother spoke about - she never pointed out the huge physical differences, Talia had never seen a human anywhere close as massive to the stranger that studied her now.

"I'm not going to eat you; I wasn't planning that. Unlike others, as you would say - mythical creatures, we dropped hunting humans for survival centuries ago. The chase isn't worth it, and trust me - I'm the one to speak; we love the game of chase more than anyone could imagine. Get down from that tree before I lose my patience and actually climb up to get you myself. Others left, don't worry, you're relatively safe." The man groaned.

He couldn't bother to hide the annoyance he felt anymore. If she kept being so stubborn - he couldn't promise any safety, even partial.

Perhaps humans had forgotten a couple of details about shifters, yet there was one they shouldn't forget - challenging the beast would come at a cost, with unimaginable consequences.

"W-what? Relatively?" Talia gasped, rushing to look around.

Her eyes darted to the man and their surroundings, silently planning an escape route. No one had ever told her how big of a possibility it was to escape a shifter, nor explained how to take one grown from a younger one apart.

Perhaps older shifters lost a part of their strength, same as humans did, but then again, that could be the complete opposite. *"Damn it, it's about time they teach us stuff about wolves and other mystical things in school. I'm not the only idiot who could meet someone and try to escape without any knowledge. Where are the Gods when you need them?"*

"Exactly that - you're safe for as long as you cooperate and get down from that tree. If I need to get up there and bring you down myself, be sure I'll use force without a hint of regret. It's on you, silly human."

If Talia didn't know better, she would think that the man intentionally wanted to scare her into resistance just to deal with her using violence. She wasn't tall, flexible, nor strong - she was the usual, small-town girl, hiding behind her dad whenever someone called her names.

How was she supposed to face a man that size? To hell, even her father wouldn't stand a chance against the mysterious man.

"How can I know? You know - the risks? How can I be sure that you won't hurt me as soon as I get down from the tree? I'm safe here for now, well, as safe as it gets in this situation. If I agree to climb down - who can assure that you won't eat me there? I mean, I wouldn't know if you dropped the whole hunting humans thing centuries ago, or was it a lie to talk me into getting down. Can't I please stay here? I'll climb down as soon as everyone's gone and head home, okay? I promise to cause no problem to you or anyone from whatever you guys really are." She knew that calling a living being 'whatever' wasn't the best choice she had made, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

Besides the strange situation, she had to deal with the wind - not only did it make her goal of staying on the tree branch a bit difficult, but it was cold enough to make her feel as if she was freezing.

Perhaps wearing a dress, going out to wander around the woods wasn't the best idea - she could, at least, wear something warmer. Talia mentally took a note, reminding herself to avoid the dangerous, unknown lands and wear something warmer whenever she left for a walk next time.

That was if she would ever survive for long enough to see her family and home again.

"Fuck this shit. I wasn't going to take death as another of my responsibilities, but fine by you, human. I tried to help here, not my problem anymore." The man growled, nearly shaking the tree she was sitting on.

Only now she understood who she was dealing with. Perhaps her mother had great tales to tell, but her own experience came nowhere close to romanticized shit her mother spoke about.

How could she swoon over those beasts while they were nothing but savages? How could a man ignore the fear she felt just because she was a little complicated? That wasn't Talia's intention, and was it really her fault to have a basic instinct to survive and fear the unknown?

Besides being unholy handsome, that man also screamed danger louder than any other man she had met before. "Oh, just a reminder - stay alert on your way home; there are more dangerous creatures roaming around these woods. If you die - don't cry wolf because it won't be a wolf that hurts you. See you later, alligator."

His words brought Talia out of the bubble of her thoughts. How was he so careless all of a sudden? Wasn't he the one to keep attempting to force her down? Would he leave her alone, unattended, scared, and perhaps heading straight to death?

"Wait, wait, wait! What do you mean by more dangerous? Am I in danger? Am I going to die?" Her words didn't make sense anymore; fear overtook her, freezing her on the spot.

If the wind blew just a little stronger, Talia would fall, unable to move a muscle. Was this is? Was this the real feeling of adrenaline that people used to speak of whenever they stared right into the danger?

"How would I know? If death is the scenario you meet - that's the one you went for willingly, didn't you? Whatever will happen to you is something you go for based on your life choices, decisions, and situations, especially when you refuse one's offer of help when you're obviously outside that imaginary dome you'll call a safe place." The man huffed, ignoring the panic in her voice.

She wasn't his problem in the first place anyway, and she did nothing but proved why humans were to be avoided rather than kept safe. Why would a wolf get down from his throne to ensure that she was safe if she didn't try to meet him in the middle?

"Wait, please, wait!" Talia yelled at the top of her lungs, tears streaming down her cheeks.

She was desperate, way too scared to face the monsters he mentioned. She would rather spend the rest of her life next to a wolf than someone she couldn't see, hear or notice watching her.

She took a deep breath and questioned him again: "If I get down from this tree, can you promise that you won't eat me?"

"Goddess almighty, help me to deal with this shit," the man hissed under his breath, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

Talia watched him like a hawk, somehow finding herself getting excited as he licked his lips before he spoke up again. "I told you before that we don't do human hunting anymore, and I doubt that anyone would be stupid enough to get back to that stupid ritual. Whatever you saw happening back there wasn't something you should see anyway - our ways are nothing like yours, so don't think that anything like that would ever happen to you, okay? Anyway, if it'll make you feel safer, I can introduce myself before you get down here." Now, he sounded more friendly; perhaps the look of fear finally caught him off guard.

"I-I'm Talia. What's your name?" She hoped that he wouldn't give her a fake name.

If he was there to help her, Talia would like to know the name of her savior. Besides, he was rather good looking, who knows - if he really wasn't the bad guy, perhaps he would want to take her out one day?

She was said to be the most gorgeous woman in their town; her mother sure would be proud if she decided to date a real wolf shifter.

"My name is Luciano."