A Different Beginning (1st book of Different Series)

Chapter 8

There was a knock on my door before I could ask Cyra what she meant. The door opened slightly when I didn't answer, and Tommy peeked his head through. "Sam?" he asked, his voice filled with hesitance.

I lifted my head and looked at him. "Did your wolf tell you?" I asked, my voice void of any emotion.

He sighed and nodded while he moved a hand through his hair. "Ya, he did," he confirmed. He cleared his throat and walked into the small room, closing the door behind him.

Slowly, he walked towards me, looking like an injured wolf that only wanted love and attention. His brown eyes bore into mine while he made his way to my bed and knelt beside it.

Hesitantly, he reached for my hand and took it into his. A sigh of relief passed his lips when I didn't pull away, and he offered me a sad smile.

I tried to smile back, but I couldn't. My mind was a whirlwind of emotions and questions, questions that I had no idea if anyone could answer.

Tommy cocked his head and studied me. His face fell, and a look of concern filled his eyes. "Sam?" he asked. Gently, he pushed a strand of blonde hair out of my face and studied me further. "What is it?"

"My grandmother died," I said, monotoned. I didn't move toward or away from him while he brushed my hair out of my face and stared at him with a blank look.

Tommy furrowed his brows and cocked his head further. "Your grandmother had been dead, though," he said. Confusion filled his voice, and I knew that he didn't know what I meant when I told him that my grandmother was dead.

"My mom's mom," I replied, and he raised an eyebrow. "She's dead."

"I didn't know that you had another grandmother," he said, honestly. He squeezed my hand, and I squeezed it back, feeling the sparks between us and the bond strengthening. "No one ever said anything about her."

"I know," I replied. "I didn't know about her either until my wolf told me." I closed my eyes and sighed, not able to handle seeing my mate's worried gaze any longer. "I wish that I've known her," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Why didn't you?" he asked. "Why didn't you two meet?" He hesitated but got onto the bed with me and pulled me until I was on top of him. He rubbed my arms with his finger, leaving sparks in its wake.

I didn't reply and shrugged my shoulder. I buried my head into his chest and took in his comforting and addicting scent that I had fallen in love with even before we found out that we were mates. "I don't know," I replied honestly. 'Cyra?'

'Because she was the white wolf before you,' Cyra replied. 'It would've been dangerous if you had known each other while you were still young, then they would've found you and her.'

I furrowed my brows. 'They?' I asked, confused. 'Who are they?'

'The ones that want to control the White Wolf.' She sighed and shook her head. 'I don't know who wants to control you, but I know that someone does.'

'So I'm in danger?' I asked, and Cyra nodded in confirmation. My whole body grew stiff in Tommy's arms, and my heart pounded in my chest. Concern and fear filled my body, and I couldn't help but feel concerned for my pack, my family that I needed to protect, even if they had bullied me. 'My pack?' I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

'They'll be in more danger if you leave,' Cyra replied. 'So suggest you don't leave, especially since you have accepted your mate.'

"Sam?" Tommy asked when I stiffened against him. He moved my face until I was looking at him, and I could see the concern in his eyes while he studied me. "What is it?" he asked. His eyes were wide, and he studied me. "Sam?"

I bit my lip and looked down. "Someone is out to get me," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "Because I am the white wolf." I took a deep, shuddering breath and cleared my throat. "They killed my grandmother."

"Do you know who?"

I shook my head, no. "I couldn't meet my grandmother because she was the white wolf before me. The people that want me would have found me if I had met her all those years ago."

Tommy nodded and studied me. He cleared his throat and set his jaw, and I raised an eyebrow in question. "You're not leaving," he stated in a voice that left no room for arguments. "You're staying here, and that's it."

I sighed and nodded. "I wasn't going to leave," I mumbled. "It's not safe for me to leave."

And it's not safe for me to stay.

I bit my lip and buried my face into his chest. I took a deep breath and let it out, trying to calm myself and take in his scent.

Tommy held onto me closer as if he was afraid that I would up and leave him. "I think that you need to start training," he said, and I looked up at him. He looked down at me and nodded. "I mean, it is the only way to make sure that you are safe."

'He's right,' Cyra said. 'You need to start training. No one will push you away any longer.'

I nodded. My heart pounded in my chest and then skipped a beat. Excitement filled my body, and I was that I would be able to start training, even though it had been something that had been blocked from me in the past.

"We also need to figure out how to lead the pack," he mumbled. He rubbed my arm, and the hair on my arm stood up at attention. "We also need to find a new Beta since your rank has changed to Luna." He sighed and moved a hand across his face. He looked tired and worn, the weight of the pack appearing on his shoulders again.

I kissed his cheek and looked at him, taking his hand into mine. "We'll do this together," I mumbled. "We'll figure this all out together." I smiled when he pulled me closer to him and relaxed, enjoying the sparks and the calm he could give me.

"It's going to be difficult," he said. He rubbed his finger up and down my arm, his pace neither slowing down nor speeding up. His heart pounded in his chest, but it wasn't hard enough to cause me alarm.

"So?"

"Are you sure that you can handle this?"

I opened my eyes and stared at him to see that he was staring in the distance with a pained look on his face. I studied the boy turned man in a matter of hours and knew that he was just as scared as me, if not more. I knew that he didn't have anyone to fall upon if things rough with the pack and no guiding hand to show him the position that now fell on his shoulders.

Feeling my gaze on his face and not responding, he looked down and stared, his eyes a darker brown. He had a blank look on his face while he stared at me, and I wondered what he thought because he had his block up, his mind blocked from my view.

I smiled, and he smiled back before he pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead. I closed my eyes and enjoyed his warmth before I cleared my throat and sighed happily.

"Well?" my mate asked when I didn't respond to his question. His breath tickled my forehead because he hadn't pulled away after he had kissed it, and I kept my eyes closed while he did that. "Are you sure that you can handle this?"

"With you by my side, I can handle anything."