We waited in silence, staring at each other. His eyes are so beautiful I could spend all day admiring him without getting tired. His blue eyes are a shade of blue, like the color of the ocean, and just like the ocean, his eyes look so deep and enigmatic.

It felt like we were staring at each other for hours, so I decided to break the silence.

“Hi,” I finally said, relieved that he was awake. He stared at me for a moment before answering.

“Hi,” he said, his voice a little hoarse. The sound of his voice gave me goosebumps.

“Hi,” I repeated, smiling. Why did I say ‘Hi’ again, for Goddess’ sake? Ugh.

“Hi,” he repeated, this time with a curious look.

We were silent once more, staring at each other. I can’t take my eyes off his eyes. Not knowing what to say, I broke the silence again.

“Hi,” I parrot.

What do I have on my mind? I look like an idiot who only knows how to say hi. This time, I was even more embarrassed.

“Hi,” he replied. Okay, Mr. Stranger, you don’t have another word in your vocabulary, either.

I blushed immediately when I realized I still had my hand on his face. I took my hand away from his face, finally managing to look away.

“Okay, man of many words, how are you feeling? Can you get up?” I asked him, and he rose from the ground, his tall and commanding presence emphasized by the way he leaned against a weathered tree.

The first thing that struck me was his sheer size — he practically radiated strength and power, his broad shoulders and commanding stature creating an undeniable presence, every muscle defined under his skin, each movement exuding a controlled strength that seemed ready to be unleashed.

The way his dark hair fell across his forehead only added to his mystique.

My eyes couldn’t help but be drawn to the scar on his face, a rugged detail that only added to his aura of mystery. Though his appearance held a hint of danger, there was an underlying appeal that I couldn’t ignore.

And then there were his beautiful blue eyes — intense and piercing. I can’t understand why it seemed to call to me… why it seemed to lure me closer.

“What’s your name? Do you need help?” I asked, and it looked like he hated the question because he gave me a stern look as if I’d stabbed him.

“I’ll take that as a ‘No’,” I said as I stared at my hands, I closed my hand, remembering the feeling of touching his face. I opened my bag and grabbed a bottle of water.

“Drink some water… you need to hydrate,” I held out the bottle of water to him, I leaned forward, waiting for him to take it. As I offered the bottle of water, our proximity allowed me to fully take in his features. His chiseled jawline framed a stern expression.

He took a while to accept it, but then he grabbed it. I think he was suspicious.

He uncapped the bottle and drained its contents in one continuous gulp, his eyes locked onto me the entire time.

I think he was very thirsty…

As he tilted the bottle, his adamantine gaze remained fixed on me, creating a tension that was both thrilling and intimidating; it felt like he could kill me at any moment. He looked so sexy and powerful, so self-assured and confident, and exuded an aura of strength.

The intensity of his focus was almost overwhelming. The power he projected was undeniable; it felt as though his gaze could pierce through me.

As he finally lowered the empty bottle, the lingering weight of his gaze, leaving an indelible mark that resonated long after the water’s last drop had been consumed.

He handed me back the empty bottle, and I put it in the bag.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have any snacks here with me,” I told him. I didn’t know what else to say. He didn’t answer anything I was asking, but at the same time, I couldn’t just walk away from him.

He was sitting with his back against the tree, and I was in front of him, still kneeling.

“What’s your name?” He finally asked. This time, his voice was less hoarse, but it looked like he was upset about something. By the state I found him in, all bloodied and with cuts on his arms and legs, I think I would be upset, too.

I took a while to answer and when I went to answer someone shouted my name, approaching where we were. I lifted my face, looking for where the person was coming from.

“Katie!” Chad called me again, this time closer to me. “I was scared when I saw you from a distance close to blood. Are you okay? What happened? Your hands are covered in blood,” he said, holding my hands.

Before I could answer, he turned to the man of “many words” next to me, and Chad was startled.

“Alpha, what are you doing here?” he asked, but then he stayed quiet. I think he knew why this man was there, but he decided to let it go.

Alpha? Wait, what? What do you mean by Alpha? Is this Diamond Claw’s Alpha? I widened my eyes when I realized who he was.

“Do you need something, Kaiden?” he asked again, looking at the Alpha. Kaiden. So that’s his name. Kaiden. I repeated, savoring his name in my mind.

It seemed that Alpha and Chad were talking via mindlink because they were staring at each other for a while. I was silent, waiting for them to finish, as I’m human, I can’t do that. It’s boring to wait for them, and I feel uncomfortable knowing that they are talking and I can’t hear, but I’m used to waiting, even though I’m dying of curiosity. Chad then turned to me.

“Katie, shall we start our run?” He held out his hand for me to get up. I looked at Alpha and then at Chad’s hand waiting for me. Then, I leaned on his hand and got up.

“Let’s go,” was all I said, and Chad started leading the way we were going to run. We started walking, and Chad put his arm over my shoulder.

After a few steps, I looked back because I wanted to see Kaiden one more time, and then I saw that he was staring at me. Caught in the act by his intense gaze, I quickly looked away and continued walking with Chad.