Chapter 1- Mysterious stranger

Vynessa's POV

Wading through the sea of people rushing to start their day, I hold my phone tightly to my ear as I head for the zebra crossing.

"Ma, it's seven am. You need to take you meds. I left ‘em on the kitchen counter with a bottle of water." I say, trying to sound cheerful despite the cold sweeping through the early hour of the day.

Why Mondays are always hell, I might never know, but there's no denying the fact.

"Alright baby,” My mom's voice comes through, sounding like she's still half asleep and I rub my temples, feeling immediate guilt for shortening her rest. “I’m heading to the kitchen now. Please take care of yourself out there. Did you take a coat with you?" She asks after.

I roll my eyes good-naturedly as I navigate through the crowded street, my old snickers smacking the damp floor in a short sprint past a group of druggies. They sound drunk with laughter, sitting on the sidewalk and throwing abusive words at a woman.

I don't spare them a second glance.

"First, why do you speak like I'm heading for the jungle, Ma? I'm only going to a restaurant nearby. The work isn't even tough, and the pay is good. Secondly, no, I didn't take a coat cause I didn't think it'd be this cold but hey, I did wear a sweatshirt so it's kinda the same."

“Vynessa!” Ma shouts through the line.

I pause, dodging a pedestrian who steps into my path. "I don't like the doubt in your tone. I am indeed wearing a sweatshirt. I don't even feel cold." I continue, trying to reassure her, whilst holding back a sneeze.

"Shit, sorry" I mumble bumping into someone. They send me a glare which I immediately return. The heck! Who does he think he is?

I make sure to roll my eyes at the middle-aged man before returning my attention to the call.

“There's also some spag in the pot. I'm not sure it's still hot. I made it an hour ago.”

“You didn't have to honey. I'm not that bad yet. I can still do some things for myself.” Ma coughs, sounding stressed.

“You won't ever get that bad. Please ma use your dr… Ma!” I call out but she doesn't respond as she's immediately overcome by another terrible cough.

“Ma!” I call, this time my voice is tight with trepidation. The last time she'd coughed so hard, she'd coughed up blood. My body shakes with fear. “Ma are you alright?”

There's more sounds of coughs. It's so bad that I can almost feel the pain of each cough through the phone.

"Ma, I'm coming back right now," I say, already turning around to head back home.

But then she manages to croak out a weak "No!" between coughs. Her ton is so feeble– heavily strained, and I can tell she's in a lot of distress.

I walk absentmindedly, getting more and more frantic, feeling helpless as I listen to her continuous coughing fit. My eyes fill with tears.

Leukemia– but it's getting worse. I have no funds for her. I have no way of saving the one person who means the world to me.

In a hurried and labored tone, ma speaks. "Vynessa, I'm going to put the phone down for a while... to take my drugs.”

“Okay,” I strain to listen to every little sound coming from the other end of the line. Completely absorbed in the conversation, my senses tuned in to my mom's labored breathing and coughing, I don't mentally register the truck heading for me on high speed.

"Oh honey dear, I'm..." My mom's voice trails off as she's overcome by another coughing fit. "I'll feel better in a minute."

I nod, walking into the middle of the road. "Should I come ov..." I start to ask, but my words are cut off as a heavy weight crashes into me, sending me flying across the road.

In that moment, time seems to slow down as I'm tossed in the air, my phone slipping from my grasp. Loud screams and honks of cars screeching to a halt, flood my eardrums.

My senses immediately get overwhelmed, and all I feel the next few seconds is the sensation of weightlessness, followed by a crushing impact as I'm wrapped mid-air in someone's strong, large arms.

We crash into the sidewalk together, the impact jolting through my entire body.

Disoriented– My head is spinning, b..but I'm aware of the feeling of being held tightly, protected from harm. The arms around me are like a vice, holding me in place as my world continues to spin out of control.

"Human? Breathe." A deep voice rumbles above me as I slowly open my eyes. I'm met with the concerned gaze of a large, tanned man. His right lip down to his jaw is marked with a scar and his eyes are fixed intently on me.

I try hard to process what's happening, but my head keeps spinning.

“That's it, you're alright. You're safe.” The man's soothing voice makes me feel a sense of calm wash over me. I reach out, my hand instinctively grasping his callused one.

He sighs in relief, his expression softening as I hold his hand, preferring the warmth of it to the cold earth. Skillfully, he adjusts an earbud in his ear and speaks again. His voice is a rough whisper, low and urgent. And listening carefully, I catch snippets of his conversation.

"The Alpha's human is secure. She seems fine, just a bit shocked. There's not a scratch on her... Yes, right on it, sir."

But before I can even process what he's saying, the man disappears from beside me. One second he's there, holding my hand and talking into his earbud, and the next he's gone.

Eventually I'm left sitting on the sidewalk, feeling dazed and confused. Not even a second later and I hear the sound of sirens approaching. An ambulance comes into view, its lights flashing as it pulls up beside me.

"I'm alright, I'm alright really," I assure the team as they rush towards me. Carefully I stand up and brush myself off. "I don't even have a scratch." I say, using the stranger's words.

The paramedics exchange skeptical glances, and one of them steps forward. "Ma'am, we need to check you for internal bleeding. You were just hit by a car, and we can't take any chances."

"No, no, I'm fine. I really am. I just need to get to work.” I shake my head. Then feeling a sense of panic rising up, I add, “I'm already late, and I honestly can't afford to lose my job."

They all look at me skeptically paramedics. But I start walking away. I know I'm okay and I'm not going to let them take me to the hospital and risk losing my job.

One of them catches up with me, holding my hand. “Miss, it's best you listen to us.”

"I'm telling you, I'm fine," I repeat, trying to sound calmer and more convincing. "I just need to get to work. Please, can't you just let me go?”

He nods and takes a step back. Just as I continue my walk, my phone rings in my hand. I'm shocked to see that I still have it, considering I could have sworn it flew out of my hand during the crash.

I answer the call. My mom's frantic voice greets me. "Vynessa!" She cries out in fright. I can tell she's been worried sick, and I feel a pang of guilt.

"Ma, I'm alright," I mutter, still feeling a bit dazed. "Just a little accident on the roadside. Nah, I wasn't involved." I mutter.

As I walk on, I start to feel a sense of unease.

Who was that guy who saved me?

His words were so strange, and I could have sworn I've never seen him before.

My mom's voice brings me back to reality, and I try to focus on the conversation. But my mind keeps wandering back to the mysterious stranger and the strange things he said.

Who is he, and why did he save me?