As Monte pushed aside a curtain of tangled vines and stepped through the underbrush with his axe in hand, the sight before him caught him off guard. Lying amidst broken ferns and fallen leaves, beside his trail, was a female human. Her fair skin was marred by cuts and bruises, with one leg twisted weirdly under her body.
Golden hair fanned out around her head like a halo. Crimson blood seeped from gashes on her pale arms and legs, staining the mossy ground. Her breathing was ragged, punctuated by soft whimpers of agony. She needed help, immediately, or she would surely die here in this unforgiving wilderness.
Monte’s muscles tightened, his large frame becoming still and tense. His grip on his axe squeezed, his jaw clenched as a low growl rumbled in his throat.
What was a human doing here? This was no place for their kind.
Grumbling under his breath, Monte placed his axe down, knowing he would be able to return later for it, and approachedslowly, hooves crunching on the carpet of leaves and twigs. “Foolish human.”
She glanced at him and tried to move but winced and cried out, fingers clenched into fists around handfuls of the forest floor.
Her hazel eyes began to flood as she clamped them shut and jerked her head from his direction, as if to protect herself.
Grunting, perplexed by her antics, he crouched next to her, his enormous frame dwarfing her small body. Gingerly, he reached out a thick, callused hand to brush a few strands of blonde hair away from her face.
“Easy now,” Monte said as he tried to make his deep voice sound as reassuring as possible. “I won’t hurt you.”
The woman’s hazel eyes flickered open, and she recoiled, fear etched in their depths. She tried to scramble away, gasping as a wave of pain hit her, but Monte placed a firm hand on her shoulder to keep her still.
His eyes scanned her being, noting the blood seeping through her muddy clothes from a wound on her side and her swollen ankle. Scratches marred her delicate skin, and leaves and twigs were stuck in her hair.
“Human,” Monte rumbled. “What happened?”
“D-don’t hurt me,” she rasped desperately as she shrank back weakly. “Please...”
“Hold still.” His gruff voice carried an undertone of gentleness as his heart twisted at the sight. “I will not harm you, human.”
She blinked up at him, her golden speckled eyes were wide and glassy with tears. They darted back and forth, tense with panic. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, causing her blood-soaked shirt to cling to her form. Her brows were furrowed as every inch of her body trembled with fear.
“I am going to help you.” He let out a large huff and frowned. “There’s a storm a brewin’, and the night is still young. You cannot stay here in the forest while darkness falls upon us. I will take you somewhere safe.”
Monte paused, unsure of what to do next. He had never encountered a human before and was not familiar with them. But he could not simply leave her here to suffer alone, especially on his land.
The human female stared at him, distrust and desperation warring on her battered face. She watched with wary eyes as he scooped her into his burly arms as if she weighed nothing.
“Don’t…” She gasped out, trying weakly to push him away. “I can…walk.”
He ignored her weak protests because he knew she couldn’t.
“Don’t be foolish. Be still, human,” he murmured, cradling her securely against his broad chest. “I have you now.”
With great care, he adjusted his grip, making sure she was comfortable against his chest before continuing through the dense foliage.
She tensed, clutching at his fur with weak fingers as he carried her down his trail toward his lakeside cabin.
“Thank you,” she whispered weakly, her eyes flickering closed as she rested her head against his chest. “I cannot repay your kindness. Just… please don’t eat me.”
Monte grunted in response, shaking his head at her weird comment, focusing on navigating through the thorny bushes and uneven ground of his makeshift trail. The storm was getting closer, the sky growing dark and rumbling with thunder.
Foolish human.
Why would she think he would want to eat her? Was that what humans thought monsters did?
He huffed, unable to believe it. How was there a human in his land?
Humans were just recently allowed onto Monster Island, and he had thought it would’ve taken a few months, perhaps even years, before any were advantageous enough to come this deep into the mainland.
Regardless of the reason, there was something about holding the female in his arms that unlocked a protective instinct within him that he didn’t know had existed—until now. He didn’t know if it was because he’d never touched a female before, especially never having the opportunity to hold one in his arms.
