Running headfirst into danger was not sothing she thought she would ever do. As her lungs burned and muscles ached, Lily’s resolve began to crumble. The screams that surrounded her dragged her back to reality.
She watched a guard being tackled to the ground.
He barely had ti to react before a massive, twisted beast tore into him. Blood sprayed across the field in long, ugly streaks. His screams turned into wet, choking sounds, and then... silence.
Lily’s legs faltered. Another worker, a girl maybe just a year older than her, tried to run. She didn’t make it two steps before a second beast crashed into her from the side. The girl went down hard, her limbs flailing, her body dragged across the dirt. Then ca the tearing and the crunching.
Lily’s stomach twisted. She just stood there, frozen. This wasn’t like the beatings or working in the fields till her fingers bled. This was different.
‘No... not like this...’, she mouthed. She stumbled back a step, her throat dry. She couldn’t breathe. Then her foot caught on sothing and she hit the ground hard.
She tried to get up, but her body wouldn’t obey. Her arms trembled. Her knees felt like jelly. The panic crashed over her like a wave and pulled her under.
Her heart raced. The world blurred around the edges, and her head swam. Then she heard it.
A scream. It sounded familiar. Her head jerked up. It was Bianca.
That voice that never missed a chance to cut her down. That face always had a smug grin when Lily was pushed into the mud or forced to work double hours. The girl who took extra food and left none for her and devised ways to make her life a living hell. “Get away from !!!”
The scream ca again and Lily turned, blinking fast, her head still spinning. She squinted, trying to find the source.
And there, near the edge of the field, Bianca lay on the ground, holding her leg, her dress soaked in red. Blood oozed between her fingers. A mutated beast circled her, growling low in its throat.
“Help!” Bianca scread, eyes wild, her hands clawing at the dirt as she tried to crawl. “Please...sobody! Please!”
No one stopped. The workers were all running, scattered in every direction. Guards, slaves, no one looked back.
Lily just stared. Her heart pounded harder. A mory rushed back, one she hadn’t thought of in years.
Martha, her soft hands wrapping Lily’s tiny, scraped-up fingers after Xavier had pushed her to the ground. Lily rembered sitting on the floor, legs bleeding, throat sore from silent sobs. And Martha gently tucked her hair behind her ear.
“Don’t ever let the cruelty of others turn you cold,” Martha had whispered. “Be kind. Even when it hurts.”
‘Even when it hurts.’ Lily’s throat burned. Bianca didn’t deserve her help.
She had never lifted a finger for Lily. Never offered a kind word, nothing. Just smirks, sneers, and little cruelties that stung more than anyone knew.
But as she looked at the girl now, bleeding, begging, and alone. Lily felt sothing shift inside her.
She didn’t want to die, be hated, pitied, or be ignored. She just... wanted her life to an sothing. Even if it was the last thing she ever did.
Lily’s body moved before her mind caught up. She pushed herself up, hands shaking, legs barely holding her weight. Each step felt heavy, but she didn’t stop.
Bianca’s sobs rang through the field. Lily didn’t stop to think. She just ran straight at the monster. The beast growled, its head whipping toward Bianca, ready to lunge. Lily didn’t slow down. She ran faster.
With a sharp, desperate burst of strength, she shoved Bianca out of the way and planted herself between the girl and the beast.
Her feet dug into the earth. Her chest rose and fell in fast, shallow breaths. She closed her eyes. ‘Let it end here. Let die doing sothing right.’ The beast let out a roar that rattled the ground.
Ti slowed. And Lily stood there, still and silent, waiting for the pain. But under all the fear... there was peace. No more orders. No more hunger.
This was her choice. Then—Pain. A flash of hot fire tore through her shoulder as the beast’s teeth sank into her flesh. Her body jolted. Her mouth opened in a silent scream. Blood poured down her arm, warm and fast.
Her knees gave out. Her legs folded under her. She felt herself being lifted off the ground. The monster tossed her like a rag doll.
She flew through the air and crashed into the earth. The impact stole her breath, and her vision blurred. She could feel blood soaking through her clothes, into the ground.
The sky spun above her. The clouds looked soft. The kind Martha used to point at when they lay in the grass. Back when Lily still smiled. ‘So this is how it ends,’ she thought, blinking slowly.
Her chest hurt. Not just from the bite but from everything. From being nothing. And yet, she’d done sothing.
The beast opened its jaws, ready to finish her off.
Lily didn’t move. Her chest rose in shallow gasps, and her vision flickered in and out. Then—
A blur. Black and fast, slamd into the monster with a deafening crack that shook the ground. The beast was thrown sideways, hitting the dirt with a heavy thud.
And there stood... a massive wolf. Dark as night, bigger than any wolf she’d ever seen, its fur matted with blood. Its eyes burned bright, wild, and angry, locked on the fallen creature in front of it.
The wolf stood protectively between her and the beast, growling low. Then it charged. Lily couldn’t look away.
She lay there, barely hanging on, barely breathing, her body useless. But her eyes stayed open, half-lidded, watching.
The two creatures collided like thunder, claws slashing, teeth snapping. The ground shook beneath them. The beast lunged, but the black wolf was faster.
It twisted, dodged, and then leaped high. Its jaws clamped down on the beast’s throat. There was a horrible crunch. A choking cry. Then silence. The beast dropped dead.
Lily’s heart slowed. Her vision dimd. She blinked, just once, barely registering movent.
The wolf turned. And then its body shifted. Bones cracked. Fur vanished. The air shimred around it. And just like that, he was there. Zayn.
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