Without a Wolf

5

I knew all too well about the horrors that had been committed there and in surrounding territories by the Hunters, a vicious pack who followed none of the rules of the wolf world. Their reign of terror was infamous, and their targets were plentiful.

Emeric's gaze bore into me like a drill. He seemed to be searching for any tell-tale signs of recognition or fear in my expression.

Despite my efforts, I could feel the anxiety bubbling up inside of me. I couldn't think of a reason why I would have even been on their radar. The Aurora Pack had never been one of their targets. Thousands and thousands of miles had separated our pack from theirs. No boundaries, nor territories were shared. Why, then, had they sent someone after me?

As I tried to steady my breathing, my mind raced with thoughts of what Emeric had implied. The idea of escaping him had seemed impossible, but compared to the Hunters, it might have been child's play. I shuddered at the thought of what could happen if they caught up to me.

A sudden knock on the door jolted me out of my thoughts. Before I had time to respond, the door opened and an older woman stepped inside. She looked to be in her mid-40s and I guessed that she was the pack's cook. Her eyes briefly met mine before shifting back to Emeric. She set down a tray of steaming hot food on the bedside table and left without another word, shutting the door quietly behind her.

"Finally." I said breaking the silence, "I thought you had forgotten you're supposed to feed your prisoners, so they don't die of starvation before the torture begins."

"That's not funny," Emeric said about my obvious joke, he still avoided looking at me. "I told you that you can leave whenever you want."

I raised an eyebrow, "Really? So, why am I still here?"

"Leaving won't be as easy as just walking out the front door," Emeric explained to me, his tone indicating that he thought this was obvious. "If you choose to leave, there are precautions we need to take."

Perplexed, I asked, "Why not? How else am I supposed to leave?"

Emeric shook his head in disbelief, "There are people looking for you," he said, emphasizing each word. "Plus, you're injured, and you can't even heal yourself. One wrong step and you could trip and fall, hitting your already concussed head and die."

At first, I responded dismissively, "If I do, it's none of your business."

Emeric quickly corrected me, "You know it is."

The pain in his voice was palpable. He was right, I realized then the death of a wolf's mate could cause so much grief and pain that it could potentially kill the wolf too. If it didn't kill them, it could leave them weak and powerless, in a state so dark they wished for death, instead.

I leaned over to inspect the tray of food, finding two plates of spaghetti in red sauce, two glasses of water, two sets of cutlery, and a small bowl of bread in the center. My stomach rumbled as I grabbed a plate and fork, and started shoveling the food into my mouth.

"I didn't know what you liked, so I asked Diane for something simple," Emeric said, pulling out the chair and sliding into it. He grabbed his own plate of food from the tray. I was too busy eating to answer him.

I continued eating as if it were my last meal, given that I had no idea what plans this Alpha had for me. I didn't stop until my plate was clean, and then I moved on to the bread, which was warm, buttery, and perfect.

As I ate, Emeric placed his half-empty plate back onto the tray and stared at me. His gaze was unashamed, and it made me feel slightly uncomfortable. Most people would have looked away or pretended nothing happened when caught staring, but Emeric didn't seem to care that I had noticed. Our eyes met and locked, neither of us looking away.

I knew he would be attractive, because Alphas were more physically attractive than your average wolf, but I never fully believed the extent of the differences until I saw Emeric. I don't know if it's because they have exclusively selected genes, or just because the Moon Goddess has a problem with favoritism. While my eyes raked over his face, however, I was disappointed to find that not only was he Alpha-type handsome, he was gorgeous.

As he sat before me, I couldn't help but be entranced by his striking features. He had honey coloured eyes that shone under the light. His dark brown hair was thick and wavy, with a natural-looking style that made it seem like he had just rolled out of bed. The shorter sides of his hair were neat and tidy, which made the longer, tousled locks on top stand out even more.

I let my eyes wander to his body. My description of him as a mountain of a man from when I first saw him in the cafe still stands. His shoulders were broad, stretching against the white dress shirt that was wearing. His arms were huge, even sitting casually like he was I could easily see the defined muscles in them.

Clearly, favoritism. Moon Goddess, I'm onto you.

"I'm sure you have questions. I'll do my best to answer them." He said calmly, looking into my eyes.

"When can I leave?" The words left my mouth before he even had a chance to blink.

He sighed, looking slightly disappointed. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Is there anything else besides that?"

"Where are we?" I asked quickly, not letting his stalling tactics of the most important of my questions stall me from getting information.

"We are in my pack house, which is in rural North Dakota, almost at the Canadian Border," he explained calmly, and on one hand, I was thrilled to know we weren't in another continent.

But we were still in a different country, and I knew that makes leaving a hell of a lot harder.

"What do you want from me?" I asked, my voice grew quieter as I asked this question. I was scared to hear the answer.

He titled his head slightly, confusion covering his face once again. "I just want to make sure you're safe, and protected."

"Is that all?" I probed him, getting the sense that he wasn't being completely honest.

"In a perfect world...I'd want you to be my mate. For you to be my Luna." He said the words slowly, like the answer was obvious.

"Why?" I asked him.

He paused, scanning my face again like he was trying to read my true reaction. "What do you mean, why?"

"Well, I don't have a wolf, so why would you want you to be your Luna?" I asked him, leaving out the part about the mate. I didn't need to tell him that without my wolf, we could never fully bond.

His mouth turned down at the sides, like he didn't have the answer to my question. "The Moon Goddess doesn't make mistakes."

"I don't want to lead a pack. I don't want to be in a pack at all." I expected him to question me about why, but he didn't.

"Listen, Gemini..."

"My name is not Gemini," I lied.

Emeric smirked, raising his eyebrows. "Okay, Cleopatra. Let's make a deal."

I leaned forward, my curiosity piqued. "A deal?" I asked, my voice hesitant. I had a feeling this wasn't going to be a simple agreement.

Emeric's gaze grew intense as he leaned in closer. "I'll protect you," he said, his voice low and commanding. "My pack will protect you from whoever is trying to harm you. Our healer will figure out what's going on with your healing..." He trailed off, as if choosing his next words carefully.

My heart pounded in my chest as I waited for him to continue. "But?" I prompted, sensing that there was more to the deal than just protection.

"But you have to stay here with me," he finished, his eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my pulse quicken.