The Queen Of Darkness

24. Fate

"So, tell me about yourself." I stared at Finian as he sat back in his chair, smiling lightly. We were waiting for the 2nd course of our meal, the first being risotto balls with a red sauce.

"What do you wanna know?" I asked, sipping the blood infused wine.

"Anything and everything. What was your childhood like? What's your favorite color? Do you have any hobbies?" I grinned at the Alpha, lightly shaking my head. My stomach was yet to settle, a ball of nerves contracting, making it hard to breathe. My skin was flushed under his gaze, goosebumps covering the flesh. I wondered if he could hear my erratic heart beat?

"Okay, well I was born on the thirteenth of November, so my star sign is Scorpio." I announced, almost teasingly. Finian chuckled, the little scar on his chin pulling. I shivered at the sound.

"My favorite color is green, I love reading and sometimes even drawing. And I had a great childhood. My family and I lived in a small town called Ashgrove, in Michigan. My mom's a phlebotomist, so she takes people's blood. My dad was a dance teacher at a little studio before he left. Ester's four years older than me, she was seventeen when she ran away. She was in her senior year, was quite popular too. She'd been best friends with Imogen for almost nine years. Ester found her in her bedroom, she'd overdosed on pain killers. Two days later Ester disappeared." I sighed quietly, my gaze on the table. Finian watched me curiously, his head tilted to the side.

"I was thirteen at the time, my family thought she was dead, hell so did I. Her leaving took it's toll on my dad, who was closest to Ester. He left when I was fifteen, a few months before I was attacked." I took a gulp of my drink, my mouth drying as I remembered the events leading up to my change. Finian shifted, leaning forward onto his hands.

"Tell me about that night?." He spoke softly, almost hesitant to ask. I smiled weakly at him and sighed, preparing myself.

"I had stayed back at the library to study for a test, but I'd missed the last bus so I had to walk home. When my dad left he took the car, so my mom couldn't come get me. I remember it was a cold night, at the end of winter. There was no one around, so I was walking in the middle of the road. I had my earphones in, just casually dancing to my music. I'd seen something in the corner of my eye and had stopped. There was this loud growl, and I was so terrified." Tears welled in my eyes and my voice wobbled. Finian reached across the table and placed his hand over mine, the gesture comforting. I smiled and coughed, clearing my throat.

"Um, so there I was, frozen in front of this huge dog, which I now know was a wolf. Then some guy stepped out of the shadows, with gross red eyes and fangs, and proclaimed that I was his. So the guy and the dog are just weirdly hissing at each other, then they both just set on me. The pain, hmph, well it was excruciating. The wolf had bitten my hip, the vampire, my neck. I passed out at some point, and when I came to they were both dead, the wolf had somehow turned into a man. I thought I was going crazy. And so did the doctor at the hospital, who surprisingly was also a vampire. So after that the people from my town labeled me a murderer and my mom and I moved houses up into the mountain that bordered Ashgrove. I found out what I was shortly after that, when I nearly killed my mom for blood." I chuckled as I finished retelling him, watching as his eyebrows raised. I stared down at our entwined hands, the contact causing my skin to tingle. I pulled away, watching as his face fell lightly. I immediately felt bad.

"Enough about me though, what about you? What's your favorite color?" I mocked,  trying to lighten the mood. But the chuckle that left the Alpha's mouth was strained. I winced and had to resist the urge to just grab his hand in apology.

"Well, my favorite color is orange, I think my star sign is Cancer? I don't know but I guess the only real hobby I have is cooking?" His gaze was to the right as he thought, his bottom lip jutting out. I grinned crookedly, my eyes wide

"You like cooking?!" I marveled in surprise, leant forward in my chair. I grimaced slightly as my ankle clipped the leg, but continued to gaze at the man in front of me. He didn't seem embarrassed at my excited reaction as he stared back at me. He nodded, his mouth pulled up, creating little lines at the corners of his navy eyes. I relaxed back into the chair as I grew lost in his iris', the warm breeze ruffling his hair.

"My mom taught me how to cook, it was one of the few activities my father allowd between us. Apart from that I trained with the pack or took lessons from the man who was more Alpha than parent. He was incredibly strict, believed that he was above everyone, he dictated the pack until we all feared him. That was how he wanted it. When the war started, he saw it as an opportunity to gain control over more land, more werewolves. My mother left and I had to help him in his twisted plans. Even after he'd won the war and had concurred more land and packs than any person in history, he still craved more, so he turned to killing cohorts and covens. After months of watching him murder hundreds of innocent people I couldn't let him continue, so I challenged him for the title of Alpha." Finian looked so solemn as he told me about his father, his expression changing rapidly from anger, disgust and sorrow. My heart ached in my chest painfully, our mate bond allowing me to feel what he felt. Usually so confident and sarcastic, seeing him like that made me want to cry.

"How old were you?" I questioned quietly, my fingers picking nervously. My voice broke the atmosphere, and I heard him snicker a breath through his nose.

"I was almost eighteen, four years before I was to inherit the pack. Typically, if an alpha is challenged it's a fight to the death, and my father nearly killed me. But I couldn't give up so easily, and let the pack fall into the tyrannical hands of him again. So I fought back until I'd bested him, yet I couldn't kill him. I was better than that, better than him, so going against tradition I banished him over the Canadian border, after I gave back the land and packs he stole." His chest was puffed out in pride, his eyes far away as he remembered his feat. He was smirking to himself gleefully as I admired him. Even though I barely knew the man that sat across from me, I was grateful that I was lucky enough to have him as my mate, and I could easily see myself falling in love with him.

I'd never been in a relationship, had always gotten to a point of liking a guy that I convinced myself I didn't have feelings for him and I over analyzed his every flaw. I always ended it, then regretted it after. I never understood why I did it, but now, watching Finian I realized that it was fate, and he was obviously the only person I was meant to be with.

¤¤¤

"Thank you for tonight, I had an amazing time." We stood in the doorway of my room, his still standing in the hall. It was a full moon tonight, so him and the rest of the werewolves were going to shift and go for a run.

"Me too, it was great getting to know you." He stood with his hands in the pockets of his pants as I fiddled with my fingers. I licked my lips nervously as we stood in silence, my heart speeding up the longer we stared at each other. He was so much taller than I, my head tilted back as he looked down at me. He looked relaxed, a small smile gracing his full lips.

Were we supposed to hug? To kiss?! Did I shake his hand and tell him to have a fun run?

My anxiety rose as my breathing grew audibly faster, my eyes flittering over his handsome face. I swallowed harshly before quickly stepping toward him, my lips meeting the smooth flesh of his cheek. My eyes were wide and my mouth incredibly chapped. I lingered a few seconds too long before staggering back, not even sparing a moment to take in his expression.

"See you later." With that, I slammed the door in his face. I stared tensely at the white door as I registered what I'd just done. My mouth dropped open as I made a high pitched groan before repeatedly smacking my forehead. That was the most embarrassing moment of my life. I couldn't believe I'd just done that. What an idiot!

¤¤¤

I half awoke as I heard the click of the door as it shut. I knew it was Finian before he even slid into his side of the bed and pulled me into him, our chests bumping. I threw my leg over his and snuggled deeper into the pillow. I was nearly asleep again when I felt the bed dip as he sat up, and the feather touch of his lips on my forehead.