Without a Wolf

4

A piercing pain shooting through my head is what brought me back to consciousness.

I sat upright, forcing my eyes open. My head throbbed with the sudden movement, the pain sharp like it was a knife in my skull. I tried to sit up, a wave of panic rushing through me when I realized I had no idea where I was. Before I was able to, however, an arm came across my blanket covered chest, forcing me back down.

I looked around, startled by the fact that I wasn't alone. The Alpha sat beside me, his sharp eyes watching my every move. "Easy there," he said, his voice deep and commanding. "Your head took quite a hit. You need to rest."

I blinked, trying to clear the fog from my mind. Memories flooded back in pieces, the events leading up to me blacking out coming back in flashes. I remembered being attacked, I remembered the slap of head against the concrete. I remembered fighting back, I remembered the Alpha saving me. I remembered the Alpha being the last thing I saw before I lost the fight against my obvious concussion.

And then... nothing.

"What... what happened?" I whispered, my voice hoarse.

"You don't have to worry, you're safe. The man who attacked you..." the Alpha said, he trailed off, seemingly leaving something out. "We managed to take care of him, but not before he got a good hit on you. You hit your head on the pavement."

I winced, feeling the pain in my head intensify. "How long was I out?" I asked.

"Three days," he said, his eyes softening slightly, he seemed worried by how long I had been unconscious. "Our healer looked after you, but you need to take it easy. Your body needs time to heal."

I frowned, moving away from him. "Where am I?" I said warily, my eyes darting around the room again like it might give me some clue as to my location.

"You're safe," he answered. "That's all you need to know right now."

"Where is safe?" I asked him, probing for a location so I could know how hard it would be to leave.

"What happened to you?" He disregarded my question. "Why were you living amongst the humans, and not with a pack?"

"I am human," I told him. It wasn't a lie, not really. I had lost my magic.

"You're not," he said quickly. "I know...well, it didn't take our healer long to realize you were missing your wolf. It explains why I could barely smell you."

I frowned, pointedly looking away from him. Right now, he was the last person I ever wanted to talk to about my missing wolf. When I turned back towards him, he was still staring at me.

He frowned, taking a long look at me before shaking his head. "What's your name?" He ignored my statement, though I could tell he was troubled by it.

"I want to leave," I said quickly, trying to sit back up. However, the pain in my head flared with the movement.

"Lay down," the Alpha ordered, his voice low. "You are injured."

"I don't care," I said sharply, though the pain in my head prompted me to lie back down.

"I do care. What's your name?" He asked me again, his voice softening from the commanding tone it had just been.

I shook my head from side to side, knowing I couldn't tell him who I really was. The danger was too great. For my sake... but now, for his pack's sake, too. They had no idea who they were dealing with.

"What's your name?" I asked, deflecting his question.

He sighed, looking at me as though he was trying to understand why I was being so difficult. "Emeric Bain," he bit out finally, as if it pained him to say it.

My face froze. I had heard that name before. Emeric Bain was the Alpha of the Orion Pack, rumored to be one of the largest and most powerful packs in North America.

"You've heard of me?" He asked, clearly he had been watching my expression attentively, and no doubt my expression reflected my shock.

I quickly masked my surprise. "No, Emeric Bain is just a really weird name."

He sighed, bringing his hand up to his face where he pinched the bridge of his nose, frustration evident in his features. "Please tell me your name," he sighed.

"Cleopatra," I muttered, becoming annoyed by his presence.

"Really, Cleopatra?" He asked, he looked me dead in the eye, a smirk forming on his lips.

"The one and only," I sighed out, shrugging like I was at ease. I wasn't at ease, though. I was only trying to reveal as little about myself as possible so that when I was able to leave, I'd leave no traces of my real identity behind.

"The ID in your bag said Gemini," he said, and when I didn't answer, he didn't press the issue. "Why did you run?" He asked, his voice turning soft again.

I dropped my eyes, looking down at my hands. I answered honestly, this time. "I don't want a mate."

I could feel him staring at me, and he waited a few seconds before he answered. "Why not?"

I sighed, shaking my head before looking back up towards him. I answered with more honesty. "Why would I?"

As I stood there, searching for the right words to say, I couldn't help but notice the confusion and hurt in Emeric's eyes. That's when my mother's words came flooding back to me. She had warned me about the rare instances where rejecting a mate was necessary. She said rejection should only be used if there were no other options.

From where I was standing, this seemed like one of those rare instances. I couldn't be a true mate without a wolf, and it wasn't fair to either of us to continue with a bond that could never fully form.

Taking a deep breath, I looked up at the Alpha, who had been silently watching me. "I reject you," I said firmly but calmly. His mouth formed a little "o" of surprise, and I couldn't help but feel a slimmer of regret as I saw the pain etched on his face.

Emeric broke the silence with a quiet statement that cut through the air like a knife. "It doesn't work if you don't have a wolf." His voice was devoid of anger, but filled with pain. I could feel his sorrow like a tangible thing in the room.

"Then can you just reject me?" I asked him, my voice barely above a whisper.

Emeric looked at me for a long moment, his lips downturned in a frown. "Not yet," he said, his voice firm but gentle.

"Why not?" I asked him, the desperation finally spilled, creeping into my voice. "I don't want to be here. I don't belong here. I don't need a pack if I don't have a wolf. You're keeping me prisoner. Let me go."

Emeric seemed offended by my words, and I could see the defensive expression that crossed his face. "You are not a prisoner here, you're free to leave any time you'd like."

"Really?" I asked him, my eyes widening in surprise. For a moment, I felt a glimmer of hope that I could escape this place and start over somewhere else.

"I brought you here for your benefit," he shook his head, releasing a breath. "Your benefit, not mine."

"What are you saying?" I asked him, not understanding in the slightest.

"You're not healing correctly," he told me, his eyes flickering to the cut on my head. "At first, we thought you were just healing as a human. Slow," he scoffed, "but generally effective. You're healing slower, and less efficiently than a human. Selene, our healer, said it was because you're missing your wolf."

"Not only that," Emeric continued, his eyes running over my face again. "The man who attacked you was from Arizona," he said the words without explanation, because he knew they needed none. I knew what was in Arizona. He knew what was in Arizona.

Everyone in the wolf world knew who was in Arizona. The Hunters.