The Crow and The Wolf

Chapter 12

12.

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Valeria never truly understood the meaning of mates, and what their purpose was. Where they came from? Or what the real fuss was all about. Of course, she knew what they were from the lessons in school and the brief memories she had from her childhood when her parents would answer all her silly little questions.

But she just never understood it.

Her parents described it as receiving this precious gift, a rare gift bestowed upon you by the Moon Goddess. This gift was meant for you and you alone and yet everyone seemed to get the same gift but at the same time not the same at all.

That was the part that mostly confused her when she was young.

As time passed, she let go of trying to understand the meaning behind it and waited for the so-called spark her mother would always daydream about. But the only spark she noticed was the one dying in her mother after her father's disappearance. Her mother's brown eyes dimmed with every day that passed since the man vanished and she couldn't help but resent the bond for it.

The little she knew now was from Mr Edgar, well the little she cared about to know. He would tell her these stories about his mate, his late mate. How they met, the small things they did for each other, the ups and downs of their bond and the time they had before she passed.

Valeria always felt prickled whenever Mr Edgar would recite his memories of his mate because she could hear the pain in his voice whenever he spoke about her but she knew he tried to hide the pain away from her with a small smile in between the stories. She would sigh and smile back at him wondering why the Moon Goddess would bless her children with such love to only take it away from them at the end of it all.

Valeria heard Nicco's jeep pull up the driveway and his light dew scent that the wind picked up when he got out of the car but what puzzled her a little bit was the scent of musk that was mixed with it.

The door being opened drew her out of the confusion and she smiled at him as he rounded the couch to sit next to her.

"You ready for this new show? The humans call it a masterpiece," she rolled her eyes at his words, "The humans don't know jack about masterpieces but I'm a little excited. It's the most talked about show in their world," she said with a shrug.

He grinned and placed the cheesy pizza between them as Valeria switched the tv on and selected their desired entertainment. The smell of Gouda cheese mixed with bacon and pineapple filled the room but the tinge of musk from Nicco made her nose twitch again.

She inhaled the scent again, confused as to why it was coming from him because she knew Nicco's scent to be cinnamon mixed with a tinge of oranges, and yet here was this musk scent that he was practically swimming in.

She had lost focus on the show as she tried to figure out where the scent was coming from and why it seemed so familiar. She knew the scent was from someone from the pack but not enough to recognize it at the present moment. There were too many smells in the room that distracted her and not having her wolf made her abilities worse.

She breathed in the scent once again whilst blocking all the rest around her and she let it run through her body, all the way to her memories and her wolf's  as well, when suddenly a picture of a white wolf pops up in her vision. His stand tall and big, his eyes bold and dominant, and a growl from his chest ran a shiver down her spine.

Her eyes opened immediately and she paused the show. She turned to look at him and from the way he avoided eye contact she could tell he already knew where this was going.

"When did you see him? And I hope the only reason you went to see the bastard was to reject his ass," she watched as he flinched at the terms she used to describe him and she ignored the ache in her heart when she used the terms to describe her future alpha.

Disrespecting those above you was forbidden not only in pack law but also in nature. The pack lived in order and because Zachery was next in line, he was an alpha heir, her alpha she had to respect but that still didnt stop Valeria from recognizing a pig when she saw one.

"He called for me....well his wolf did. His wolf is down bad Valeria, I had to go help him," he said with much turmoil in his voice, "I'm his mate, I am supposed to help him when he needs me, it's the only thing I can do right now, and I would take anything to just spend a few minutes with him," he admitted to her.

"Even though it means being tossed away minutes later because you've done your job," she shook her head and closed the gap between them as she took him in her arms.

"Nicco you can't take this anymore. You care so much about his wolf, what about your half? Can he take the constant rejection being thrown his way? Can YOU take the rejection? Do you even know how long Zachery will continue playing this bloody game with you? With your heart,"

"You don't understand Valeria, you won't until you find your mate and realize you would do anything for him, even if it means dying..."

"Dying for a male that doesn't want you, that sounds ridiculous,"
He growled pushing away from her, "Well it's better than being blocked by your own wolf and not having a mate at all,"

"Well Nicco, I would rather have a wolf than end up a rogue because someone couldn't choose me,"

The house echoed Nicco's threatening growl, "Watch how you speak about him. He is your alpha,"

"Well he certainly isn't acting like one," she growled back at him.

She watched as he battled to gain control of his wolf, her heart racing with anticipation. His eyes constantly changed from green to yellow, from yellow to green. She heard his bones echo and she could guess he was losing the battle to his wolf.

She took a few steps back but the movement drew the attention of his wolf who growled at her. His eyes were a bright yellow, demanding attention and her submission. He growled again at her as he approached her, closing the gap between them and she heard her heart racing and how desperately she tried to settle it.

His eyes flashed again, they remained green for a moment before he turned and ran through the kitchen to the back door and Valeria remembered seeing the flash of yellow before he turned away from her.

She sighed and followed after him. She watched him from the kitchen door disappear behind the forestation. She stood there for what seemed like forever but it was only for a minute before the sound of a broken howl echoed through the forest and the pack link.

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