I was about to walk toward the direction when my ears picked on something. I heard some voices and quickly hid behind the bush to avoid anyone from seeing me. While hiding, I tried to peek at where the voices were coming from and I saw men on horses.

I frowned at the sight before me. Weren't these people… ?

"Hunters?!" I screamed but it seemed more like a muffled sound.

I felt a strong hand that held my mouth from behind to stop me from letting out any more words. But it couldn't stop my heart from racing in a fearful way.

I was terrified.

Hunters mustn't see me or I would be dead and as well, I didn't know who was holding onto me but I was a little relieved.

"Be calm," the voice of the person who held my mouth whispered tiredly into my ear and I swirled my head to see an unknown handsome man with the longest hair I've ever seen, staring up at me with dazzling ocean blue eyes.

I gasped when I smelled blood all over him. He has wounds on his entire body like he had been stabbed so many times.

I turned my face back to where the hunters were still roaming about and realized they might've been the one to stab him. That meant he was the one they were looking for.

I gasped again and tried to stand up but the man held me down while a soft groan came out from him when I fell on his wounded body.

"Be calm!" He snarled, harshly this time but I wouldn't.

I began to struggle with him to let go of me. What if the hunters caught up with him? I would be dead too. What I was fleeing away from would finally come to pass? No!

"Let go of me!" I snapped but it came out as a soft murmur since his hand was clasped to my mouth.

I tried to fight again but I couldn't. His other hand was already holding tight to me. It was even difficult for me to breathe and I wondered how he could be so powerful to hold me down too tight.

I became calm just like he said. Not calm because I wanted to but because I knew there was no way I could get out of the situation. I was just a fragile Omega and he was someone who I sensed to be so powerful even when I couldn't tell who he was by his scent.

Not long after, the hunters who had roamed all around where we were began to mount away on their horses. I was glad and thankful that they were not able to see where we were hiding after going around searching for the unknown man, maybe.

As soon as we couldn't hear the sound of their horses again, the hands clasped on me released themselves gently and I turned to see them dropping weakly to the ground.

I sprang up in no time, gazing largely at the handsome man with blood plastered all over his body. I scrutinized my eyes over all his core and saw how big and deep his injury was with his blood gushing out with no mercy.

I shifted my gaze to face him and his eyes that were boring at me some minutes ago were now shut closed. He was now lying helplessly as if he was dead.

I took some steps backward.

"No!" I screamed at myself. I've got nothing to do with this. "No!"

Why do I always seem to fall into trouble?

I lowered myself to him and placed my head on his chest to see if he was still breathing. Gratefully he was. I let out a heavy sigh and dropped to the floor of the cave where I had helped him to escape after having too many thoughts on whether to save him or not, which I was excited about, it turned out positive.

I looked around the cave to see if we were truly safe. We were, at least for the meantime. Then I reached out to my bag and brought out some sets of clothes to help him treat his wounds.

I finished stopping the blood and stood up to go outside to look for some medicinal plants to treat his injuries. I carefully looked outside the cave for the leaves and when I found them, I quickly plucked them out and ran back into the cave.

Soon, I was done with everything but when I decided to also take a nap to sleep, his scent suddenly hit passed me and I felt the same electric that coursed through my body just as the first time when I found out the Alpha was my mate.

My mate?

I raised my head up to see that his wounds had dried up and his body was already bringing out some scale like that of a dragon. I tried to get up but my legs became so wobbled that I couldn't move an inch. All I did was watch blue scales pop out from his body while I felt the connection between us. It suddenly looked like I was dreaming.

The unknown man was a dragon and he happened to be my mate? How is it possible?

I shrieked in fright when his whole body began to transform, his horns cracking out from his skull, his legs changing into a long tail that couldn't contain the cave.

It was when his body finished transforming that his eyes flung open and a loud growl came out from him. I gave him one more glance and my eyes widened in an unbelievable realization.

It couldn't be! That was simply impossible. Why was the goddess punishing me all over again? Wasn't these punishments I was facing right now enough?

I held my chest tightly as my chest heaved heavily in a hyperventilating way. And before I could utter any word, I went flaunting down to the ground, my eyes embracing the cold dark abyss.

My thoughts of never seeing the light again.

*HERON'S POV*

Her skin was flawless and even when her eyes were shut closed, her beauty was overboards. Her eyelashes and pointed nose made my wolf dangle, her lips were more alluring and I almost leaned down to kiss her. I have never seen anyone as beautiful as her. Her beauty made my heart melt and it moved me in a way that was hard to explain that she was a wolf. Her beauty radiated like that of a mermaid. But then, she was a werewolf, a species different from mine and it made it difficult for me to believe I was mated to her.

I couldn't hold myself back from pulling her into a hug and I did. Her soft skin melted to my bare core and a soft groan came out of me. How could we have this huge connection? We were mated but it was as if meeting her was adding something I've long lost inside of me. She completes me.

I waited patiently for her to wake up from fainting. She was breathing but was unconscious since she fainted while I was trying to shift into my dragon form in order to heal. I never knew she could end up fainting when I shifted. Anyways, she was an Omega, I could sense it and there was one thing I still didn't want to believe was inside of her. I could sense a life living in her, she was pregnant. How could it be? Has she been having an affair with someone else since she couldn't find me, her mate? Have we found each other too late that she couldn't wait and had to wait for someone else? I was confused as well agitated.

Nevertheless, that wasn't stopping me from making her mine. I care not if she had another life in her, all I care about was to have her as mine. She had filled me up and letting her go was letting something that had made me feel fulfilled leave which was going to be difficult for me to do.

I watched her breathe steadily while wrapped under my arms, thinking of how she had ended up in the woods all alone with her bags. Was she running away from her pack? If so, why?

It was when the sun rose in the east that her hands began to move a bit. I still waited till her eyes opened up and she tried to loosen herself from my grip which I let her succeed in doing while I helped her slowly to a sitting position. As soon as her sleep was off her face, she swirled her head around to face me and moved backward, wearing a scared expression on her countenance.

I had to voice out, "Come, give me your hand," I told her and stretched mine forward to her but the look on her face described how reluctant to face and accept me as a human since she had seen me transform into my dragon. "You don't have to be afraid. I'm a dragon Lycan but I won't hurt you. Not when I know you're my mate," I assured her but she was still adamant.

We both stared deeply at each other while I was calm for her to say a word but nothing was coming from her. She just sat there looking at me. When the waiting was too much, I decided to do the talking, definitely she would let out something.

I started, "You should have known now that I am your mate and I am glad to tell you that I accept you no matter who you are. I'm never going to harm or cause you any danger because I've found you to be part of my life. I'm going to protect you and keep you, most especially your child. Yes, I know you're_"

"I can't be with you," she suddenly voiced out as expected, her voice added cheer to the most dreary part of me.

I shook my head, "You can. I'm ready to accept you anyway. You're my mate_"

"Stop the thing of me being your mate! I'm your mate doesn't mean I want to be with you! You can as well stop pretending and reject me!" She snapped and tried to raise herself from the ground but she stumbled against my leg and came crumbling on my body again.

I held her tight to myself, not wanting her to stand up again while I continued to promise her to give her a change of heart. "You need to be calm and listen to me. I'm Heron and I'm a Dragon Lycan but that doesn't change the fact that we're mates…" I paused when she choked on her tears.

Instantly, I raised her up and held her to face me only to see she was already dropping tears. "I'm not ready to be your mate," she said with so much sadness written over her face. She continued before I could even say a word. "I'm running from home and I'm pregnant with a child that's not yours, how possible is it for you to accept me?" She inquired.

I reached out for her cheeks and began to wipe the cries that had fallen on her face with the back of my palm. I hauled her back to me and gave her a warm hug I knew she must be needing at that point of time. Something told me she needed more comfort. "I don't care about you having a child or where you are coming from. Just stay with me and I will protect you. Keep you and your child that no man will be able to hurt you," I assured again and she let out a light chuckle.

"Says who I took care of last night?" she taunted between laughter.

"Oh!" I let out, remembering she really did save me. "I got caught up with the hunters while playing with them. I fell off the cliff by mistake and was unable to transform into my dragon to kill them. Trust me, they will be dead when next they come looking for my trouble," I said, giving her an excuse not to think she wasn't safe.

"Really?" She asked as she looked up at me and I nodded in affirmation.

"Really, yes."