The wolf that I turn to see is a perfect picture of a male; a body filled with muscle, uncovered except for a faded pair of grey shorts that barely cling to his hips, and black hair that curls just slightly at the ends, letting water drip down and onto his exposed chest and shoulders.
His eyes are a living picture of a forest, the color of damp wood swirling together with darker shades of green. His eyes look very tired, however beautiful they may be. They remind me of my own.
"Yes, it is very beautiful." I'm not sure if I'm talking about the lake or him, and the bond punishes this thought right away. For an instant, the pain is just like the moment I was rejected, hot and hooked deep in my chest.. and another moment later, it is nothing but a dull pulse to accompany my heartbeat.
The point is made, and I turn away from him to face the water, but not before seeing his eyes catch my neck. I catch a glimpse of a frown and do my best to ignore it. I don't want to entice him to ask questions. This time, when the male's voice hits my ears, it's a little softer, but still just as deep and smooth as when he first spoke.
"My name is Payne." I hear him move behind me before standing a comfortable distance away on the shore. He bends down and disturbs the surface of the water with his hand, chasing the little fish back into the depths. If I wasn't the only other person here, I wouldn't be certain that he was talking to me. His voice is quiet and almost distracted sounding, as he stares off into the water.
"I'm Thea, it's nice to meet you." He stands back up as soon as I speak, and the smile that consumes his face is one I would recognize right away, even without the crooked tooth. This is the Luna's son.
One of his feet enters the water, then the next, and I have to keep reminding myself not to look too long. It's wrong to stare at something you have no rights to, even if my eyes want to slide up his legs, then over his shorts.. "I don't usually miss new wolves. How long have you been here?" I try to think of how I can prevent this line of questioning from going too far. I'm not ready to tell anyone who I am or why I'm here. Especially not the Luna's son, whom I've just met. "I just got here today, actually.. I was just exploring around. I figured I would come see the lake first."
The Luna's son takes a few more steps forward, going deeper into the lake and at this point he's reached his knees, the bottoms of his shorts beginning to get wet and turn a darker shade of grey. He runs a hand through his raven hair, and I'm jealous not of the water he's standing in, but the few stray drops that land on his toned back and slide down... I need to stop.
The pain lingers longer this time, and I take a deep breath through it. Accept the pain.. accept it's place in your body. The memory of my father speaking to me during the changing is a whisper in my mind, but it helps.
For a moment I wonder if thinking of this male this way is actually wrong, or if it's the force of the bond squeezing around me, having as much hold on me mentally as it does physically. Either way, the pain is definitely real.
I remind myself that Matias rejected me first. Matias has nothing to do with who I look at. But that's not why it's wrong. He's not yours. With my decision made, I instead gaze over the beautiful view that is this lake. I almost don't believe that's it's really in front of me, that something this beautiful simply exists.
"Are you one of the females from the mating celebration?" His voice is low and thoughtful when he asks this. My heart beats faster, and I hope that he can't hear it. I don't want to lie, but I don't want to elaborate either. "I come from Alpha Ryler's pack, yes." Maybe this will be enough of an edge to avoid the conversation altogether. It's not a total lie, but not an expansive truth either.
I would rather just avoid the conversation, I'm sure word will spread soon enough. There is no need for me to speed it up. Enough of Alpha Bellaine's pack was present. Many of them witnessed my rejection firsthand.
YOU ARE READING
Half of You
Werewolf"I fucking want you, Thea." I've waited so long to hear those words come from his mouth. A sound leaves in return from the wolf, and no words need to be said. It's obvious desire. "Slow... this time." His eyes go down to my lips. ~~~~~~~~~~~ This i...
