MIA’S POV
I watched as Mia’s chest rose and fell, her breathing shallow as she lay on the damp grass. My heart pounded, knowing that if I hadn’t pulled her into the river, she might not be breathing at all.
She suddenly stirred, her lashes fluttering open. Before I could say a word, her palm cracked across my face.
I barely flinched, though the sting lingered. I deserved that.
“You-” Her voice trembled as she pushed herself up. “You tried to drown me!”
I exhaled slowly, keeping my voice calm. “I didn’t-”
“You threw me into the damn river, Nathan!” she snapped, her eyes burning with fury. “You held me under! What was I supposed to think?”
I swallowed hard, guilt clawing at my chest. “I had to, Mia. A rogue was looking for you. A deadly one.”
Her breath hitched, but she quickly masked her fear with more anger. “You should have told me!”
“If I told you, you would have panicked,” I admitted, running a hand through my wet hair. “You would have tried to run, and they would have caught you. Hiding was the only way.”
Mia scoffed, crossing her arms tightly. “So instead of explaining, you thought dragging me underwater was the best solution?”
I sighed, wiping water from my face. “I was trying to protect you.”
“Protect me?” she echoed, her voice rising. “Nathan, I thought I was dying!”
I reached out to touch her arm, but she jerked away as if my touch burned her.
Her lips trembled, her eyes glossy as she took a shaky breath. “Do you even realize how much I’ve been through because of you?”
Guilt twisted like a knife in my gut.
I knew.
I knew exactly what I had done to her.
Mia turned her back to me, wrapping her arms around herself. For the first time, I saw it-not just anger, but deep, unshakable pain.
It crushed me.
“You cry every time I’m around, Mia,” I muttered, my voice thick. “And I hate myself for it.”
She stilled.
I took a hesitant step closer. “I wish I could take it all back. Every moment. Every cruel word. Every time I hurt you.”
Her shoulders tensed, but she didn’t speak.
“I was blinded by my own pain, my own selfishness,” I admitted, my throat tightening. “And you paid the price for it.”
Mia slowly turned to face me, her eyes filled with unshed tears. “And now you think an apology fixes everything?”
I shook my head, swallowing the lump in my throat. “No. But it’s all I have to offer.”
She stared at me, her chest rising and falling rapidly, before she scoffed, wiping a tear from her cheek. “It’s too late, Nathan.”
Her words sliced through me, deeper than any wound ever could.
She started walking away, her wet clothes clinging to her like a second skin.
I clenched my fists, forcing myself not to stop her, even though every instinct screamed at me to.
I had already taken too much from her.
Maybe now… I had to learn to let her go.
The next day, I tried again.
I had barely slept, Mia’s broken expression haunting me. The weight of my mistakes pressed heavily on my chest, suffocating me.
I found her outside, her arms crossed as she stared at the horizon.
“Mia,” I called softly, but she didn’t turn.
She sighed, her voice colder than the wind. “What do you want now?”
I hesitated, trying to find the right words. “I just… I wanted to-”
“I don’t care,” she cut me off, finally facing me. Her expression was blank, but her eyes… they held so much fury. “Just leave me alone, Nathan.”
I clenched my jaw. “I can’t do that.”
Her lips curled into a bitter smirk. “Of course, you can’t.” She took a step closer, her voice dropping lower, more venomous. “You know what, Nathan? I wish you died that night.”
Mia’s words cut deeper than any blade ever could.
I wish you died that night.
I barely had time to register the ache in my chest before something even sharper-more real-pierced through me.
A sudden, searing pain exploded in my abdomen. My breath hitched, and my legs gave out beneath me.
I gasped, stumbling back as warm liquid soaked through my shirt, spreading too fast.
Mia’s fury turned to horror in an instant. “Nathan?”
Her voice trembled, but I barely heard it. The world around me was slipping, fading into a blur of colors and muffled sounds. My fingers instinctively reached for the wound, but my limbs were sluggish, heavy.
I knew this pain.
Poison.
The blade had been laced with something deadly. My body was shutting down.
But then-Mia.
She was suddenly beside me, her hands gripping my shoulders, shaking me hard. “No! No, you don’t get to die! Nathan, look at me!”
I tried.
I really did.
But my vision was tunneling, and my head felt like it was underwater. My breath came out ragged and shallow.
I should let go.
Maybe this was my punishment. Maybe this was fate’s way of balancing the scales.
I had hurt her. Humiliated her. Driven her to the edge, only to watch her break.
Maybe I deserved this.
But then I heard her sob.
Felt her trembling hands pressing against my chest, trying to keep me awake.
“Somebody help!” she screamed, her voice cracking.
The sound of her crying shattered something inside me.
She still cared.
Even if she hated me-even if she wanted nothing more than to erase me from her life-she still didn’t want me to die.
I lifted my bloodied hand, struggling against the weight of my own body, and wiped a tear from her cheek.
“Mia…” My voice was weak, barely more than a whisper.
Her head snapped down to me, her eyes wide and desperate.
“I-I won’t let anything happen to you,” I murmured.
She blinked at me, her lips trembling. “You’re the one dying, you idiot!”
I almost smiled. Still feisty, even now.
Even with darkness creeping in, with my own body betraying me, my only thought was her.
I forced my body to move, just a little. I didn’t care about the agony ripping through me-I only cared that she was safe. I weakly gripped her wrist.
“Run,” I rasped. “Get away… they’ll come back.”
Her brows furrowed. “What are you talking about?”
I winced as pain shot through me again, but I forced the words out. “The rogues… they weren’t here for me. They were here for you.”
Mia stilled.
Her expression flickered-confusion, fear, realization.
But she didn’t leave.
I tried again, gripping her tighter, despite the way my body screamed in protest. “Mia, please… you have to-”
She cut me off by suddenly tilting my head back, her lips parting as she bit down on her wrist.
I barely had time to process what was happening before warm, thick liquid hit my tongue.
Her blood.
She was feeding me her blood.
And then it hit me.
A sudden surge of strength, like fire igniting every nerve in my body.
The pain dulled. My muscles twitched, my body reacting.
I gasped sharply as my wounds healed.
No… this wasn’t normal. This wasn’t just any wolf’s blood.
My mind spun, trying to grasp the impossible truth.
Mia…
She was the White Wolf.