Looking upwards, I was met with the fiery gaze of glowing red eyes. Time actually did stop in that moment as the tall, obsidian-skinned man stood over me, wearing white clothes, red combat boots, and a long red trench coat. He was even taller than Johnny's wolf form, standing at 6'10". He had a slender frame, but you could see the clearly defined muscles ripple through his shirt. His silver hair was combed forward in a fringe style haircut, with the sides faded into an undercut. A breeze kicked up, causing his long bangs to dance in the wind. That's when I noticed a scar on his right eye, as if he'd been clawed by another wolf. His slanted, mono-lid eyes were beautifully hypnotizing, a sign he had some lineage from the eastern Luna wolves.

My attention was drawn away when Johnny groaned and began moving in the snow, still in his wolf form. There were at least five or six broken pine trees in the distance, but no other wolves around—just this strange man of the Luna. There was no way he could've done it, right? No one had that much power, not in their human form at least. Other than a member of the Sol wolves, and even then, that required magic. I looked back at the man I assumed was the one who saved me, for now anyway, but he was now leaned down so close I could see his hot breath in the cold winter air. It made me panic, but I also felt a sense of calm wash over me. I don't know how to explain what I was feeling because I'd never in my life felt anything like it before.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a deep, velvet-like voice, staring into my eyes.

I was captivated—no, enthralled—by how handsome he really was now that I could see him up close, and the thought made me feel odd. His face was very defined, with sharp, chiseled features; a slim nose with broad nostrils; and a strong jawline framed his handsome face. He had a silver anchor-styled goatee and mustache that encompassed his full lips, and I found my eyes lingering far longer than I'd ever admit in that area. His skin was smooth like marble, but he seemed sick, with a slightly lighter complexion compared to the normal rich obsidian color other Luna wolves had—almost like a faded black. If I had to guess, I'd say he was about thirty years old. When he repeated his question, it snapped me out of my trance, and I realized I hadn't answered him. "Um, ...yes. I'm fine," I said, obviously lying as I struggled to stand up. Somehow, I felt slightly renewed, but I was still wounded and in extreme pain with torn clothes and bleeding wounds. 

I lost my balance as I attempted to stand from the pain of the puncture wounds in my thigh, and he caught me with one arm, pulling me into him with no regard for my grimy condition. 

It happened in one smooth motion, entirely too fast for me to react. My face hit his firm chest as he held me close—too close. He felt strong—no, he was strong. I could sense it, and he was warm. I looked up at him, feeling the blush of embarrassment flutter on my cheeks, and he was surprisingly already staring down at me. His expression was apathetic; he seemed unfazed, but his gaze was so concentrated it almost seemed cold, like he wasn't sure if I was real. 

He finally broke eye contact with me after a long while, looking at the blood running down my leg. Suddenly, he lifted me with one hand on my back and slotted his other arm under my legs. He made me feel as light as a feather, picking me up as if I were a bride being carried over the threshold of a new home. I didn't know if I wanted to be scared, impressed, embarrassed, or most of all angry.

"What are you doing?!" I asked frantically, remembering I was still basically naked under this random jacket he'd given me. Slightly pushing against his chest, I wriggled around in his arms. "Put. Me. Down!" I demanded after my futile attempts to free myself. He made me feel odd—maybe "protected" is the right way to describe it—but that couldn't be right, could it? 

He was clearly a member of the Luna, but something about him felt different. I also noticed that being touched by him didn't hurt, not even with the gashes in my thighs, and that was just another oddity to go along with all the others.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he said, starting to walk with me in his arms slowly.

"HE'S MINE!!!!!" Johnny roared, rushing toward us in a rut-induced frenzy, making me tense and instinctively cling to the man holding me.

I closed my eyes, bracing for some type of impact, but it never came. When I opened them, I saw claws covered in white fur entangled with Johnny's black claws. His fangs were still showing as he buckled down in pain, like he was being overpowered. Looking back up at the mysterious man, my eyes went wide with shock. He was now an almost all-white werewolf, with red tips on and around his ears and a small red circular dot of fur like a full moon on his forehead. 

He looked at Johnny with the same apathetic expression, as if Johnny were an insect under his boot, clearly unimpressed by his attempts to fight back. With one swift motion, he flung Johnny effortlessly, yet so hard he didn't stop until he smashed into the side of a rocky cliff. An avalanche of snow and debris followed the large impact. I was in complete and utter awe—and fear. If this man could do that to Johnny, an Alpha in his wolf form, he'd snap me like a twig. The thought made my throat go dry, and when I looked back at him slowly, again, he was already staring at me. 

"He's amazing, and also terrifying," I thought to myself. 

Once the snow and debris settled, Johnny managed to climb from underneath the pile of rubble, groaning in agony, as five other werewolves arrived on the scene, immediately surrounding him.

"Restrain him," the white wolf said in an even deeper tone, somewhat like Johnny's, but his didn't sound as awful. In fact, I'd say it even sounded quite pleasant.

"Yes, Alpha," the all-black wolf with purple eyes from the bridge responded.

As the black wolf walked by, we made eye contact, and he glared at me intensely for a few seconds. Then I realized the wolf holding me was their leader, and the danger I was in became suffocating. The fear dripped down my spine, like a broken faucet, before spreading throughout my entire body, turning into pure panic. 

"Put me down!!" I demanded, trying yet again to shove the wolf, but it was like a toddler fighting a giant.

I clasped my hands into fists and bashed the side of the white wolf's muzzle with all my night. He dropped me at last, and I hit the ground with a painful thud as his head twitched to the side. I think it was more from the shock of being hit than from my own strength. 

Before he could react, I crawled backward in a frenzy toward the large roots of an old tree. Seeing the full figure of the white wolf, he was massive—more than half the size of Johnny's wolf form. He wiped his muzzle, and I saw blood smear against the white fur on his forearm. With an amused chuckle, he started walking toward me, and I began to have another silent panic attack.

I wasn't even able to fight Johnny off. There was no way in hell I could get away from this monstrous Alpha and his five Betas. I looked around for something—anything—to defend myself with when I noticed my gun in the snow. Once I grabbed it, I aimed at the giant white Alpha, pulling the trigger repeatedly without hesitation. The loud clicks of an empty chamber made my heart sink into my stomach. I held the gun sideways, staring at it in disgust as if it had betrayed me. The large Alpha had crouched down in front of me, and I backed up against the tree even more, hardly able to control my labored breathing by this point. 

"St-stay away!!" I stuttered, throwing the empty gun at him, which he swatted away with ease. 

Feeling my instincts drown me in overwhelming fear, I started to hyperventilate.

"Himawari, calm down," he said, shifting back into his human form, holding his hand out to me.

Caught off guard, I looked at him, confused, wondering why what he called me sounded familiar. ".......What?" I said, as the sharp pain of the migraine from earlier came back suddenly in full force, and once again, I felt like I was suffocating. "Argh!" I groaned, clasping my head tightly as if it would explode from the ringing in my ears. Darkness consumed my vision, and I fell over, losing consciousness as the endless void seemed to swallow me whole.