I Saved A Dying Wolf In The Snow, But He Turned Out To Be The Alpha King
Part 1
I found the Alpha King bleeding to death in a frozen ditch.
At the time, I assumed he was just a wild wolf injured by hunters.
Blood stained the snow black beneath his body.
A poisoned wound festered on his right shoulder.
I dropped the supplies my headmaid had sent me to fetch.
Kneeling in the dirt, I pressed my hand against his nose to check for breath.
He was barely alive.
Pain glazed his expression when he shifted his weight.
He did not try to bite me or bare his teeth.
I could not leave him there to die alone in the cold.
Six years of scrubbing castle floors had made my arms much stronger than they looked.
I wedged my hands under his torso and hoisted him up.
His dead weight nearly buckled my knees.
The storm battered us from all sides as I trudged back up the hill.
Blood soaked completely through my servant dress and chilled my skin.
My vision blurred by the time we reached the kitchen entrance.
I kicked the doors open and collapsed onto the marble floor.
The kitchen staff stopped working and stared at us.
My headmaid marched out of the pantry with her arms crossed.
She ignored the dying animal entirely.
Instead, she focused on my muddy boots tracking snow across her clean floor.
Because I was late, she fired me on the spot.
She ordered me to drag the creature out before she called the guards.
Frustration burned in my throat like bile.
I hauled him back out into the blizzard without a word.
We made it another mile to the old healer’s cottage at the edge of the woods.
The healer let us inside but refused to touch the poisoned wound.
His hands shook too much for the delicate work.
I grabbed a basin of water and a cloth from the shelf.
Kneeling beside the table, I washed the black wound carefully.
I promised him he was safe.
Suddenly, a silver light erupted from beneath his fur.
I stumbled backward until my hip hit a chair.
The wolf’s form blurred like water in a river.
The transformation happened in complete silence.
The light faded and left the room in deep shadows.
The wolf was gone.
A powerfully built man lay unconscious in his place.
Battle scars mapped his chest and arms like a geography of violence.
A white scar cut straight through his left eyebrow.
I stood frozen in the middle of the room.
I realized I had just carried a shifter through the snow.
Shifters were legendary warriors who fought exclusively for the king.
I had never seen one up close before today.
His breathing deepened as the poison lost its grip on his system.
I noticed the intricate tattoos inked across his collarbone.
They marked him as someone of high rank in the royal army.
I had risked my job and my life to save a commander.
My hands trembled as I draped a blanket over his body.
He looked peaceful in sleep, completely different from the dying beast I had found.
I pulled up a stool and sat beside him to keep watch.
The storm raged outside the cottage walls for hours.
I changed out the water in the basin and washed my bloody hands.
My stomach growled, reminding me that I had not eaten since dawn.
The healer brought me a piece of bread and a cup of tea.
We sat in silence while the stranger slept.
I wondered what battle he had fled and who had poisoned him.
The enemy used dark magic to coat their weapons.
Only the strongest soldiers survived that kind of venom.
He shifted on the table and let out a low groan.
I set my cup down and leaned closer to check his fever.
His skin felt burning hot against my palm.
I dipped a fresh cloth in the water and pressed it to his forehead.
He leaned into the touch instinctively.
For a moment, he seemed entirely vulnerable.
I held my breath and waited for his reaction.
The silence in the small room stretched tight enough to snap.
I did not know if he would attack me or thank me.
Then, his striking gray eyes suddenly snapped open and pinned me instantly to the floor.
