A small boy curled up on the chilly stone of the pavement, arms tightly wrapped around his knees. He was a mess, hair disheveled and streaked with blood, eyes surrounded by darkened skin and lips stained with blood. His own.

He had known before that he had been forbidden to leave at such time but he didn't care. He only wanted to scavenge some food for himself, it was simply because he was just so, so hungry. His stomach was growling loudly, the sound echoing in the empty expanse of the alley. The boy shivered as a cold rush of wind ruffled his hair and rags that couldn't even be called clothes anymore. His once fancy, expensive T-shirt that used to be a vibrant blue was a dirtied mix of brown, red, and grey while his black jeans were torn at the knees, barely providing him with the heat he so desperately needed for survival. It wasn't always like this, oh no. He used to be so rich, so happy. But time flew by, and before he knew it, the life his parents had built up by utmost care had collapsed, ruining him in the process.

At least he still had a roof above his head most of the time. He just had to go home and he would finally be able to lie down and sleep.

Oh, how inviting sleep sounded. Even the simple word seemed like a sweet lullaby, urging him to close his eyes. A few drops of water suddenly fell on his hair that was matted with blood, but still a striking shade of brown, and the boy flinched, knowing well that he had to go before the rain would start up even more. However, as he was about to push himself up, he realized that he just couldn't do it. His skinny body felt too heavy, his head spinning. He fell back, panic flashing up in his eyes as he hit the ground with a whimper. He felt the pain that had been lingering stealthily in his stomach before hit him with full force, his insides churning. Air seemed like a rare treasure as he gasped for it through the wave of agony that suddenly crashed upon his body. He could already feel blood running down his jaws once more and tensed, knowing that it was nothing good. He had to go home, yet he had no strength, and he couldn't even call for help...

A pair of dark eyes were set on the small form, thin lips curling into a smirk."Such a stupid thing," the figure muttered to himself, wondering why his other part was so silent. Humans were fascinating in a way, so frail and weak, so tiny. They were just so easy to shatter that it was somewhat amusing, albeit the joy that would bring was anyything but pure. But this one human seemed a little different from others, its state moved something in the figure's heart, something he never knew that he had.

It's him.

At first, he ignored the ridiculous sentence of his wolf. A soft chuckle, bitter but joyous in a sense, slipped past his lips as he took a step closer to the human, calculating the time it would take for him to end its sufferings.

Don't even think about it.

The dark voice in his head snarled and he growled back, rolling his eyes at the absurdity of him ever serving such a pitiful creature. Because if that thing was truly him, his mate, he would be forced to kiss each and every inch of the ground it walked upon, just to recieve the helpless mortal's gaze. He would have to do anything and everything to make it happy and safe. 

And well, he didn't want any of that. So he denied the odd buzz that filled the cold air and the undeniable fury that was building up in the depth of his soul. Slowly, he took another step closer to the form of the human, seeing that just as his wolf had predicted, the mortal was a male. A messed up one, at that. 

Its clothes and hair were dirty, skin covered by a thin layer of blood and mud. It was small, too, bones jutting out at places they shouldn't have, and before the creature knew it, his wolf was growling at the sight.

What have they done to him?

The deep, feral voice inside his mind was demanding information he didn't know. He just shrugged mentally as he took another step, smirk once again prominent on his lips when he saw the human twitch, then lift its head up slowly, a pathetic whine leaving his chapped, bloody lips.

Mismatched eyes were staring at the creature in pure horror, terrified blue and gold clashing with soul-less obsidian. For a few moments, they stayed like that, neither of them having the willpower to look away.

There was undoubtedly something in this flimsy human, the creature had to admit it to himself and his wolf as well. The mortal had striking eyes with a gaze that could hold him under its power with ease.

Told you.

The cold voice in his head was victorious as he took another step closer to the small boy, shaking his head slightly to finally get rid of its annoying voice. Sure, he did find the human somewhat pretty, but that didn't mean that they were mates. No, the boy was just something else than what he was used to, with his beauty being untamed and filthy. 

A rough cough tore him out of his thoughts, and almost immediately he was by the mortal's side, eyes widening in alarm when he saw blood trickling down the boy's chin.

Help him.

His wolf growled in impatience and panic, his voice darker and sharper. The creature just snarled, for once out-loud, and not in annoyance but in worry. Now that he was so close to the human that he could feel his heat - well, lack of it - and his nostrils were filled with its lemony scent, he had to admit that for on