The rain was now raining hard outside as I can hear it hitting my roof and windows. I glanced out the window and saw thunder distantly rumbling in the dark grey sky. Returning my attention back to what was in front of me, I began picking up the bloody padding that I used to clean up his wound and threw it in the small trash can in my room as I finished bandaging his wound. It didn't look so bad right now. In fact, it looked like he was quickly healing.

"There." I said and propped my hands on my hips as I looked at my work and then I glanced back down at the large wolf lying on the ground.

My world shifted completely in just a matter of one hour. All my life, I have lived knowing that mythical creatures were not real and now everything changed. I was staring at a wolf that was a human and there was another one sitting on my bed. This was some crazy ass dream or I have gone delusional.

"You're starting to freak out." I heard his voice from the bed. I turned immediately to look at him. How he knows me so well, that I don't know but he was right. I was freaking out slowly as reality sets in.

"Why can't I? I just patched up a man who can change into a wolf. What I thought was not real is real." I muttered as I threw more padding into the trash can.

I was about to turn back and clean up some more when I saw how stiff he was. His eyes were looking distant and far before his head snapped towards me. He stood up immediately and in seconds he was next to me where he grabbed my shoulder.

"Listen, Deidre, we have to move. You are no longer safe here."

"What? No. This is my home. I am not going any-"I began as I pushed his hand off my shoulder. It didn't budge.

"There is no time for me to explain this!" He shouted exasperated with me. His eyes were looking at me angrily.

"There is no explaining anything. I am not going and that's final." I retorted back. Who was he to order me around? He was a stranger.

"Damn it, Deidre!" He growled out. He gripped my shoulders with both of his large hands.

"Do you want another one of that-"He pointed with his finger at the dead wolf on the floor. "To come here while you and I are here."

I glanced at the ground and then back up at him and shook my head. He nodded as he liked my answer. He moved to cup my cheeks as he looked me straight in the eyes as he spoke.

"I need you to leave with me, little moon. You can't stay here any longer. You are not safe." He said urgently but gently. "I am sorry."

"But my chickens..." I began and he rolled his eyes.

"We really don't have the time to stress about the chickens right now, Deidre." He scolded me.

"But-"

"Damn it, Deidre. I will have someone come take care of them." He snapped angrily.

Just then we heard growling and snarling coming from the front of my house and pounding of paws entering my home and quickly making its way toward the bedroom. He swore under his breath and grabbed my hand, pulling me towards my bedroom window. He grabbed a shirt that was nearby and wrapped it around his left hand and punched the glass window. He made sure to get rid of all the glasses before turning back to me.

"We have to leave now." He ordered and I nodded. I was not going to stay and it seemed the best option was to stay with him.

I made my way out the window and he followed me. In his pocket he pulled out a bottle where he sprayed me down. When he looked back up at me he spoke, "It is a masking spray. I have to mask your scent to lose them. Now get on my back. I am a lot faster than you and it will better if we had more distance between them and us."

I didn't argue with him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and his hands came under my thighs to hoist me up. I felt a jerk and I tightened my arms around him as I felt myself flying through my small yard and into the woods. He was moving at an incredibly fast speed that everything around me was almost a blur.

The heat of his body warding off the cold rain from my body as it fell hard on both of us and it didn't take long for both of us to be completely soaked. This was crazy—complete craziness. I just left with a stranger. I didn't want to distract him but at the same time I realized I didn't even know his name.

"What is your name?" I asked hesitantly.

He turned slightly, acknowledging he heard me but kept his eyes on what was ahead of him. "Invictus."

He dodged passed a huge tree that was in front of us and spoke again in a low husky voice, "Out of the night that covers me."

He jumped over a fallen log effectively. "Black as the pit from pole to pole."

He ducked us under a huge tree branch that was laying low. "I thank gods may be for my unconquerable soul."

Thunder struck close by and a tree branch fell. "In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeoning of chance my head is bloody, but unbowed."

We ran past a country road onto the other side of the woods. "Beyond this place of wrath and tears looms but the horror of the shade, and yet the menace of the years find and shall find me unafraid."

He started to slow down as we neared a small hidden cabin deep into the woods surrounded by pine trees. The rain has stopped and the moon loomed brightly above us. "It matters not how strait the gate, how charge with punishment the scroll."

He sat me down and I shifted unsteadily on my feet. He moved to grab my arm with one hand to steady me and the other to rest at my nape as he finally spoke, "I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul."

It was beautiful. The poem I recognized it right away. It was a poem written by William E. Henley titled Invictus. Strange how he was named after that but his name was perfect for him. He gave me a soft smile.

"I know you know this poem." He said casually. I was starting to see that he knew a lot about me.

"I do. I read it multiple times." I replied.

"Strange, isn't it?" He whispered. "Reading about it and then seeing it in real life."

It was definitely strange. Invictus in Latin means unconquerable. The way Invictus looks right now standing in front of me told me just how much he looked like his name. His body rippled with hard muscles—every part of his body was completely defined. His jaw sharp and his eyes looked like it was staring into my very soul. It was very unnerving. My heart kicked up a few notches and I took a step back from his hold. He dropped his hands to his side.

I looked around as I hugged my body that was shivering uncontrollably, "Where are we?"

"My pack soldiers are inside waiting for me." He said and glanced at the cabin. My eyes followed his action and I saw movements inside the cabin. I shivered again as a cold breeze brushed past me and when he noticed he moved to wrap his arms around me as he took us to the cabin.

The burst of warmth that welcomed me, made me sag with relief. Instantly, I moved inside the home, dripping rain from my clothes. There were four men standing around the fire place talking quietly and when they heard us they looked up. Their eyes met Invictus first before landing on me curiously. I can feel all their eyes on me and I glanced down. I noticed my white t-shirt now clung onto my skin and every part of my body could be seen. My hands immediately when to cover my breast and I moved to hide behind Invictus. He threw a few warning glances at the men.

"Invictus, where did you go and why is there a human behind you?" A strong male voice spoke.

"She's mine." He growled out at them. Everyone looked surprise as they looked around at each other before turning to look back at me, who was also looking at them from behind Invictus.

"So this is why we haven't left this area and even if we did you were adamant in coming back." Another voice came on one end. Invictus body rumbled as he growled as what seems as a warning. Everyone went quiet.

He turned back towards me and pulled me towards a room where he went to a drawer and pulled out a t-shirt and a short. He then moved to a small closet and grabbed a towel. When he walked back over to me handed the items he grabbed to me.

"Go dry yourself up and then meet me back out in the living room." He ordered and I thanked him silently as I took the items and waited for him to leave. When he left I quickly stripped out of my wet clothing and put on the oversized t-shirt and pulled on the short.

I dried my dark red hair as much as I can before setting the towel down on the bed and opening the bedroom door. I padded my way towards the living room where everyone was sitting and talking. They all looked like they were having a serious conversation. When they heard me coming, their eyes flitted up to look at me. I shuffled my feet awkwardly before quickly making my way toward Invictus who was leaning against the mantel. I stood next to him. He didn't move or say anything, only adjusted his position so that I was closer to him.

"Deidre, this is Marc, Ron, Max, and Caden." He said as he pointed from our left and went down the line. They all nodded as their name was said. "Marc is my second in command."

"So I am guessing you are all werewolves?" I asked looking at nobody in particular.

Marc scoffed, "We are not werewolves."

I frowned. "But I thought-"

"That's what you humans think. You humans and your crazy books."

My lips pursed up angrily. He was starting to piss me off. "Then you tell me. Apparently, you have the answer, so instead of talking in a condescending tone, tell me what exactly you people are. As of right now, for all I know, you could be chimera."

Ron and Caden broke into a grin and Marc's lips twitched a little as if he was fighting off a smile.

"We are lycans. We are stronger, faster, and smarter than werewolves. Werewolves only shift during a full moon. We can shift when we want." Invictus spoke from my right and I turned to look at him.

He looked back at me with those piercing golden green eyes. He pushed himself off the mantel and moved closer to me. His hand came out to run his fingers down my cheek. "We are the definition of lethal. Our rage is our beginning and our ending. Our desires are irrepressible. We have lived for thousands of years and can only have one mate in our life."

"One?" I whispered hoarsely. His nearness was muddling my mind.

He nodded his response, his eyes dropped down to my lips and my tongue darted out to lick it in response. I scrambled through my mind to think of what we were talking about before speaking again weakly. "Have you found yours?"