Run Wolf Run (Complete)

Chapter Sixteen (Edited)

Hello! Sorry for such the long wait, and thank you for your support and patience. I know it's short but it's more of a filler chapter this one... enjoy!

Chapter Sixteen

We were all sat around a small table, each on the sofas, in the club and the atmosphere could have been cut with a knife. The events of the day before were pressing down on everyone and it wasn’t long before a collective sigh passed around the group.

                I’d been staring at Xavier and Dame for the past twenty minutes and they had yet to notice. It wasn’t common knowledge yet that they’d mated, but it was obvious to me. They hadn’t taken their eyes off of each other since we’d arrived. I could also just about see the faint outline of a bite mark on her shoulder where Xavier had no doubt completed their bond by marking her.

                Only a moment later however, Dame turned to face the coffee table, a faint blush colouring her cheeks while a smile lifted her lips. I couldn’t help the smile that reached my own face.

                Her eyes met mine, taking note of my knowing expression, and then quickly looked away again as her blush turned a deeper red. It wasn’t long before she was hauling Xavier away onto the dance floor.

                Ray noticed the movement and gave me an inquisitive look, but I merely shrugged. If Xavier and Dame didn’t want it to be known that they had mated then I wasn’t going to be the one to snitch. Ray gave me a final glance but then turned back to facing the wall. To others it would have seemed like she was deep in thought, but I could tell she was watching Garrett from the corner of her eye. Garrett was completely oblivious of course.

                “Will you just ask him to dance already?” My voice in her ear made her jump as her head whipped around to face me, her eyes narrowed slightly.

                She shook her head, dismissing my notion. I sighed.

                I didn’t understand why they were both being so evasive of the feelings they no doubt had for each other. Sure, I didn’t like Garrett much, but the way Ray lit up when she was around him was something not to be messed around with. He made her happy.

                “Aria...” Ray’s whisper brought me back to the scene in front of me. I looked towards her, only to find her gaze trained in front of her. I finally followed her gaze, and froze.

                The smell of pine filled my nose, a smell I’d grown so accustomed to, and a smell that made me shiver.

                Brown hair was all I could see, and then a face emerged from the crowd. In seconds I was on my feet, before he could come any further.

Some of my pack, still sat on the chairs, turned to look as I stood abruptly. However, before they could turn and see who it was; I was off. Within seconds I had bolted across the room with inhuman speed, if anyone noticed, they didn’t show it.

                Archer hadn’t even seen me yet and I was already grabbing his arm, hauling him towards the exit.

                He was too stunned to resist and soon enough we’d burst through the doors, away from the lingering eyes of my pack. Thankfully the hallway was empty.

                Finally, turning around to face Archer, the questions that were ready to burst from my mouth halted on my tongue. He was so close.

                My eyes stared up into his and I found myself getting lost in their depths.

                “W- What are you doing here?” My voice was as weak as my knees. I scolded myself for it, I was meant to be over him and yet here I was having completely forgotten what I set out to do in the first place.

                “What’d you think? I came here for you.” My heart fluttered at the sound of his voice.

                “Why?” I looked away out of shame. I’d left him there, in the woods.

                “I thought you were going to come meet me, I got worried when you didn’t.” The concern in his voice was just enough to spike my interest, but I wasn’t having it. I’d made a decision; it would always be my pack over whatever he meant to me.

                “I- I know. I’m fine now, see? So you can go.” I turned to walk away, and I thought I was going to make it until his warm fingers encased my arm. The shivers the contact brought had my eyes fluttering and my feet coming to a halt against my will. I sighed at the feeling.

                “Aria...” He looked down at his hand, seeming to finally realise it was still attached to my arm and quickly retracted it.

                That broke through to my resolve. I felt shunned.

                “Wait,” his voice sounded as I once again rounded towards the door, “Can we just talk?”

                “I’m sorry Archer, I... can’t. My... friends need me right now and I don’t even know that much about you.” As soon as I’d said it, seeing the hurt look in his eyes, I wished the words back as quickly as they’d come.

                “I... need you.” His words cut through me to my core, and for a moment I felt like my heart would leap from my chest. My wolf was howling at me to turn, run at him, and shout at him, anything that would mean not walking away from him but that’s exactly what I did.

                I walked through that door, leaving Archer staring after me. How was it going to work between me and him? A human mate was never going to end well; I couldn’t be worrying about him when I needed to be there for my pack. I knew they needed me now more than ever as the choosing ceremony was just around the corner.

                I sent a final whisper after him, before the door closed on him for good, “I don’t need you.” And I knew he’d heard me because he didn’t follow.

                The lie broke my heart that little bit more.

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