My name is Anabelle, or just Belle, and my life has never been a good one. My parents were murdered when I was only two years old and a family friend took me in. But I never fit in, and it showed. It wasn't hidden. I was told I was nothing but a pity service. I was a burden, a wretch that didn't deserve to live. That I should have died with my parents. The lead male and lead female beat me, abused me, tried to kill me, but I never died. I survived, out of sheer will, or something greater, I didn't know. But I wasn't grateful. I wanted to die. I wanted to join my family. I had nothing left here, and I never would. Or so I thought.

My caretakers had dragged me out on a camping trip with them, knocking me around like usual, but at least they let me wander. They didn't care if I got lost, or if I slipped and broke my neck. I doubted they'd even miss me. I was currently trailing them on a hike, hands in my pockets and eyes focused on the path in front of my feet. The lead male of the family had beaten me again, breaking a few of my ribs and leaving a dark bruise on my left cheek bone from where he punched me. Thankfully he was drunk this time so his aim was a bit off. I kicked a stone ahead of me and suddenly noticed how quiet it was. I looked up and frowned when I saw what greeted me. The lead male and female had ushered their kids onward, further up the path, and now the adults were standing in my way. I shifted on my feet, not out of nervousness, but of annoyance.

"You've burdened us long enough. Either you jump yourself, or I push you," the male growled, his hands fisting at his sides.

I glanced over at the steep slope with a minefield of trees and boulders and growled low in my throat. He must have taken that as a no since he kicked me in my left hip and sent me tumbling down the mountain side. I didn't fight the trip down since it would hurt less if I went slack, and I waited for the sweet release of death. But it never came. I ended up at the bottom with large bruises, a twisted ankle, and even more broken ribs. I came to my feet and just kept walking in the direction I had been heading in originally. Day became night and I found a fallen log to collapse underneath and when sleep took me, I prayed it was the sleep of death.

I felt something nudging my feet, not roughly, just enough to shake me from my slumber and I cracked my eyes open. Standing just beyond the edge of the fallen log was a massive male. He had long blonde hair that reached his shoulders, some wicked sideburns, and beard. His shoulders were broad enough to be claimed as a grizzly's. He had to stand close to seven feet tall, with enough muscle to back up an entire football team. I closed my eyes, thinking I was dreaming. Men like that didn't exist.

"Get up, female," a deep baritone growled from the direction of where I had seen the man standing.

"I can't," I replied, my voice hoarse to even my ears.

"You're a bit beat up, but you can get up," he growled, kicking my foot again.

I hissed in pain and cracked my eyes open at him.

"Just go away. Let me die in peace would you?" I snapped, too tired to care anymore.

"Why in the fuck would you want to die out here?" he asked, coming to a crouch by my feet.

"I've been waiting to die for a long time. I just can't seem to kick the bucket no matter what happens to me," I grumbled, closing my eyes again.

"Darlin', why would a beautiful woman such as yourself want to die? Surely you've got quite a life ahead of you," he said, his voice softening a few tones.

"If you mean a life of beatings, attempted rape, and suffering, then you'd be right. I'm not wanted where I come from. It is better this way," I said, my voice cracking with emotion.

I was just so tired of it all. I just wanted peace and quiet. I wanted to sleep for eternity.

"You're human. Why would other humans want to kill you?" he asked, his phrasing of his words telling me that he was a mutant.

"Because my parents were mutants. They thought I was one too. But I'm not, I'm just a girl," I mumbled, trying to hide the tears that filled my eyes.

"They killed your family?" the deep growl reverberating through the ground and into my body.

"Yeah. Then I got passed off to another family and they hate me. I was pushed off the side of a mountain. Now if you don't mind, I'm just going to lie here and starve to death if a grizzly doesn't get me first," I mumbled, keeping my eyes closed.

Everything went quiet and I let out a sigh of relief. I was alone at last and now I could die. Suddenly a bear paw of a hand latched onto my ankle and pulled me out from under the log, making me scream in pain as my broken ribs were banged into.

"Sorry, Darlin', but I ain't going to let you get eaten by a grizzly, or starve, or die for that matter," the man growled, hoisting me into his arms, making me cry out in pain again.

I couldn't speak since my breath was too shallow and I just looked up at the man with bleary vision from my tears.

"The name is Victor by the way. Now get some rest. You're safe with me," he said, his deep voice oddly soothing as it rumbled in his chest and made my whole body vibrate.

I blacked out from the pain, but I finally felt safe and warm, an odd feeling for me, but one that I could get used to.

I was woken when I was placed on a soft pallet of fern leaves before a roaring fire. I half whimpered and half whined as my aching body settled. Victor pulled away and grabbed a dead animal that he must have caught and started to skin it by firelight.

"How long was I out?" I asked, barely able to breathe.

"Two days," he said, grabbing a stick and shoving it through the raccoon and then holding it out in front of the fire.

"I never asked to be saved, you know," I said, my eyes locking with his as he turned to look at me, "But I never got to say thank you either."

"You're welcome. Now rest. I'll wake you when the food is ready," Victor said, clearing his throat in a sign of embarrassment.

I fell asleep for the first time in my life unafraid of what my life had to offer, and I was glad that it was Victor with me. Victor woke me an hour later and I didn't eat very much, which displeased Victor, but he seemed to understand that I couldn't eat much without it hurting everywhere. When the fire began to die down he laid out in front of the little alcove he had made, acting as a shield, with his back to me. I reached out and placed my hand in the middle of his broad back, his muscles tensing beneath my fingertips, and I instantly fell asleep.

I woke with a jolt as I was hoisted into Victor's arms, making me whine in pain and then quickly settle. I let my head hang over his bicep and he pulled me a bit closer to his wide chest. I could taste something coppery in my mouth, something like blood. I could feel something in me that wasn't right. It was either bruised or punctured, and it hurt like a bitch.

"Hang on, Darlin'. We are almost there," he said, his voice sounding strained and he started to run through the forest.

I couldn't answer him, I was just so tired. I felt my consciousness slip away and the last thing I heard was an animalistic roar as my world went black.

VICTOR'S POV
I rushed to get the female in my arms to the base. She was dying, and I couldn't do anything to save her. If I didn't get there fast enough she would be lost. I felt a kindred spirit in her, I felt my inner animal stirring at her scent and the feel of her body against mine. When I had checked on her when I woke she had blood leaking from her lips. Something had been damaged internally and she would die without medical aid. I didn't know the extent of her injuries on the inside, only the medical machines at my place of work would know. However, my employers were not going to be happy that I brought her with me, but I couldn't help it. I had to save her. I was fine with killing, did it on a daily basis even, but the thought of her dying nearly tore me apart. I couldn't understand it. I never felt this way about anyone, let alone a human, but the thought of her passing clawed at my chest and made it ache. Within minutes I reached the base and was greeted with all kinds of medical staff and I handed the female off to them but followed closely behind them. They quickly stripped her of her dirty and ruined clothes and washed her. Seeing the bootprint bruise on her left hip was enough to get me beyond raging. She had spoken truthfully when she said she had been pushed off the side of a mountain. The bruises on her rib cage and arms were consistent with falling and hitting things on the way down. The scratches and scrapes also consistent with her story. She hadn't lied to me. She also didn't show fear of me. And perhaps that was due to her rough life, but no female had ever shown me no fear. I knew I was intimidating and overbearing, but she acted as if I was just another human. Not a mutant out for blood. She was different and it made me more and more interested in her. I watched them run tests, hook up various machines, and give her many different kinds of liquids and I growled low in my throat. She was taken to an X-Ray machine and what they found made me even angrier. She had eight broken ribs, one that bruised her lungs and was causing the bleeding from her mouth. Her ankle was fractured in two places, and the bruises on her body would take at least three weeks to heal. They had to save her. After three hours of waiting, they got her stabilized enough to allow me into the room and I sank into a chair beside her bed. She was breathing shallowly, due to her broken ribs, but she was going to live. She just needed rest, and lots of it. I knew the others would ride me hard about this, but I didn't care. She was all I could think about. And before I realized it I had fallen asleep beside her in a chair that was way too uncomfortable, but I didn't care.