Beck followed her home in his wolf form. He had to make sure she got home okay. He knew he couldn't let her out of his sights after this. Not until she was claimed, and they could communicate. Using the coverage of the trees, he followed her to the South side of town where she wound through backroads until finally pulling up to a dark little rambler. Feeling a little stalker-like, he bellied down in the underbrush and watched his mate slip from the truck and walk up the drive. She fumbled with the keys for a minute before she pushed in and switched on the lights. He took one last longing glance at her before the door shut and his view was interrupted.
For a while, he waited there, listening to her bumble about the house. All of the drapes were pulled so he couldn't see in. But just hearing her was enough. Deep inside of him, he craved her. He had never wanted anything as badly as he wanted her. She was his.
The Luna shined bright above, hanging in the midnight black sky amongst the stars. Her glow cast down on him, and for once in his life he was so grateful for her. Beck sent a quick, silent prayer to her. She had truly gifted him with this female.
In his head, he replayed their interaction, first focusing on her. She was so beautiful. Her short, wavy dark hair curling at her shoulders. Her lips, full, raspberry red, and kissable, always seeming to be in a permanent pout. Her skin was tanned, freckles dotting across her sloped nose. And her eyes, strikingly brown, deep and rich as chestnuts. She was much shorter than his massive stature, but he guessed she must have been around five six. He wanted his hands on her again. He wanted to ask her about the bruise on her forehead.
Beck latched onto her spirit too, one that had heat course straight through him. She was fiery as all hell, and he welcomed the challenge. He couldn't recall the last time someone had spoken to him as she did. The Alpha male knew that she would certainly keep him on his toes for the rest of his life.
Despite it all, there was something wrong. He recognized the scent of a wolf a mile away and had tracked her to the bridge. Yet, she didn't know she was a wolf? Nothing was adding up. But he had scented her truth in the air, the authenticity behind her confusion. She wasn't messing with him, she wasn't in danger. So, what happened? Beck hoped he would get more answers tomorrow, and maybe give her some too.
After another twenty minutes, he supposed it was time to go back. There was a tingling of fear in the back of his mind, leaving his pack alone for too long. And now, of course he was worried about leaving her too. Beck decided he would set up a patrol schedule for her, just to make sure someone had sights on her. He couldn't take any risks, not after Thadal. It was just too easy to lose the people you loved.
The run back to the packland didn't take too long, even though every step away from her hurt. When he arrived at his backdoor, he shifted and changed into a spare set of clothes he kept in a bin by the door. For once, his cabin was empty. Amira, Kristin, and Carter went home when he left after dinner. He was suddenly grateful for his sliver of silence to end his evening. He wasn't quite ready to share his experience with his family.
Inside, Beck drank a glass of water and retired to his bedroom to lay down. He could still smell her spicy scent on his skin. She smelled like oranges and cinnamon, a mouthwatering combination that he inhaled over and over until his head spun. When he closed his eyes, he could still feel the warmth of her against his skin. For a moment, he let himself slip into this peace and quiet. It was a beautiful silence, watching the movie of her inside his head as he breathed in her scent. He couldn't wait for her to be in his arms.
Beck wanted to know everything about her. He wanted to know her passions and fears. He wanted to know what made her happy and what made her sad. He wanted the little things like her favorite color or song. But he also wanted the big things, like what her life was like and what had happened to her.
The last part haunted him even into his sleep. Every horrible scenario ran through his mind, speculating on how she ended up not knowing she was a wolf. Maybe she really was in danger and didn't even know it. Selfishly, that made his spine tingle with unease. How could he knowingly bring danger to his pack? After everything they had been through? The thoughts made him sick to his stomach. He tried not to care, but he had spent his whole life making sure something like this didn't happen. Maybe he hadn't been so lucky. Maybe the goddess was testing him.
That night, he dreamt of her, running with him as a wolf. He dreamt of her eyes staring up into his, her hands on his face, in his hair. She was whispering into his ear, but he couldn't understand what she was saying.
The next day, he restlessly awaited for the time to tick on until he could see her again. His eagerness was palpable around him, his mood significantly better than it had been before. Enough that his closest peers quickly noticed.
It was almost noon when he ran into Kristin and Carter planning for a new drainage ditch on the south side of the packland to divert some of the pooling water that had appeared after a few recent storms. Carter grinned almost as soon as he saw his Alpha, his wide easy grin glinting in the subtle light that filtered down from the low hanging clouds. They were dark, promising rain. Beck couldn't help but smile back.
"What's up?" Carter grinned wider, pleasantly surprised to see his Alpha's good mood.
"Yeah, what is up?" Kristin raised a suspicious eyebrow.
"Nothing," Beck sobered and shot them each a look that they both rolled their eyes at.
"Come on," Carter almost whined. "Please share the good news, I've had a shit morning."
"He has, Andrew kicked him out of the house earlier. I found him pouting." Kristin piped up, a mischievous smile on her face.
"Not fucking cool, Kris." Carter growled.
"What did you do to Andrew?" Beck narrowed his eyes playfully at his second.
"Nothing!" Carter barked.
Kristin rolled her eyes again and tossed her hands up, "Goddess, fuck. Beck, just tell us what's good."
Carter narrowed his own eyes on the Alpha, looking over the slight uptilt of his lips and the way the corners of his eyes creased very slightly. He gasped.
"What?" Kristin snapped.
"He found her," Carter's mouth is agape.
Beck's head snaps to him, his eyes wide. "How did you know?"
"You did?" Carter and Kristin say in unison.
Beck runs a hand over his face, sighing.
"He did," Kristin confirms, shaking her head with a laugh. "That's amazing, Beck! Where is she?"
"It's... complicated." Beck swallows. He hadn't quite prepared to tell anyone yet, especially not the pack. Not until he figured out what was going on.
"How so?" Carter's head tipped to the side inquisitively.
"Well, she's a wolf... But she doesn't know she's a wolf." The line of the Alpha's brows drew together, the crease between them displaying his own concern on the matter.
"I don't understand," Kristin murmurs softly.
"How does she not know?" Carter interjects. The both of them could sense his unease about the matter and it made them shift uncertainly. It was a rare day that their Alpha was on edge and presented it to them. Scaring the Alpha had been fairly difficult since their pack had been ripped to shreds by Thadal.
Beck's broad shoulders lifted into a shrug. "I'm meeting her again today. We'll go from there."
Carter rested a hand on his shoulder and smiled, "Congratulations, man."
The Alpha smiled, turning to his third and clapping him on the back good naturedly. "Thank you."
"I can't wait to meet her," Kristin grins.
Their approval was worth a million to Beck. It made him feel even better to know that they knew and were still optimistic. The weight of meeting her had weighed heavily on his shoulders, but his family took pieces gladly, it was how they had always been for each other.
"Alright, enough of that." Beck walked along the line they were planning for the drainage system. "Let's dig this fucking ditch."
---------------------------------------------------
The rain had come, but it was nothing but a constant gray mist that coated the windshield as Millie drove towards the bridge where she had met Beck. The heat that was blasting from the vents of the Bronco was not nearly enough to warm her frozen fingers that gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles were white. Inside, her stomach was in knots of anticipation. Over and over, she chided herself for going through with this. And over and over, her gut reminded her that this was okay. Absolutely insane, but okay. She hoped her gut was right, because otherwise, she was a fucking idiot.
That night, she had dreamt of him. He was so ruggedly beautiful, his intense hazel eyes steady on hers, beckoning her to him. Millie couldn't stop looking at him, his face, his hands that were so strong... She wanted him, she realized. She wanted him like nothing she had ever wanted before.
Millie pulled the Bronco over in the same spot she had the day before. She pulled her coat tighter around her and slipped the stocking cap she had brought down over her head. With a shaky inhale, the girl slipped out into the rain. As she rounded the front of the car, she nearly screamed as he appeared from the trees. Shakily, she covered her mouth and sighed, rolling her eyes.
Beck quickly breached her space, keeping only three feet between them. He smiled softly and her insides melted. "Afternoon, Millie," he murmured. Her name on his lips was heaven.
"Beck," she greeted, watching a shiver roll across his frame. "Am I stupid for actually meeting you?" A small smile was on the corner of her lip, her humor calmed her nerves slightly. It didn't matter if she was stupid, she didn't care. Caution to the wind. Whoever this beautiful man was, he was worth whatever happened because of him. And anyway, Millie felt like she was either dying, or the world was ending based on the tumult of her health condition. So nothing could be as bad as that.
"Maybe," he smirked. "But I am so glad you did."
A blush colored Millie's cheeks but she recovered quickly. "You better be ready to give me some answers."
"Of course. Should we walk?" Beck asked her, tipping his head in the direction of the forest. An invitation. Millie's eyes followed his gesture to the trees and her stomach fluttered in that unbearable longing.
Swallowing the saliva that was collecting in her mouth, Millie nodded and jammed her hands in the pockets of her coat.
"I like the Bronco, by the way. That thing is a relic," Beck smiled appreciatively, just the corner of his lip tilted up.
"She's pretty rusty, but she gets around okay." Millie glanced back at the beast parked on the side of the road.
The two of them began to walk side by side into the trees. Millie waited for the warning bells to go off in her head, but they were silent. Instead, she admired the difference in their heights. Millie felt she was average for a girl her age, but he must have been close to six foot four, maybe taller. She expected someone of his stature to be lanky, but he was far from it. The contour of his broad chest and shoulders was mouthwatering, even from beneath his shirt. He was more built than any man she had ever seen. Another indication that maybe he was right, maybe he wasn't human. Millie swallowed again, clenching her hands in her pockets. She contemplated if she might have died when she passed out in class and had been doomed to some strange limbo or parallel universe. A shiver rolled down her spine.
"Would you like to start your interrogation?" He wondered as they wandered further into the woods. The brush was sparse and snow still collected between the massive trunks of Spruce and Pine.
"Absolutely," Millie responded, her eyes on his back as she fell behind to step over a log. Beck was wearing a gray thermal and black canvas pants. Both of which were pulled taut across the curve of his ass and ropes of muscle that created the slope of his back. Millie sighed in anticipation for something she wasn't yet brave enough to name. "Tell me about the wolf thing first."
Beck sighed, slipping his hands into his pocket, he waited for her to catch up to him. They walked side by side. "We're part wolf, part human. Typically, we are born this way, but we can be bitten and changed. You're an equal mix of the wolf and human spirit and you can become either form. We live in Packs, usually, of others like ourselves. We hide from humans, or at least try and blend in. And we have a very unique culture that we follow."
"You said you can become either form?"
"Yes," Beck responded calmly, his eyes flicking to hers.
"How?"
"Just by thinking about it, I can change into my wolf form."
Millie's eyes widened, "Wolf form? Like..."
"Like a wolf. Some have said we look like the Native Rocky Mountain wolves, but much much bigger."
"Oh," she murmured, swiping a strand of hair from her face.
"Have you ever noticed anything different about yourself? Like your ability to hear? Or smell?"
A pause fell between the two of them as Millie slowed her pace and considered his question. Had she? She supposed maybe she could hear better than some others. Maybe she could smell better. But overall, she didn't know. Looking up at Beck, she merely shrugged.
Beck's brows pulled together, an expression she noted to be thoughtful. Suddenly, he turned to her. "Can you hear my heartbeat? From where you are."
Millie paused for a second, thinking about the distance between her ears and his heart. He must have been at least five feet from her. Millie shook her head.
"Focus, Millie. Really try." His large index finger tapped the spot on his chest directly above his heart. His eyes were steady on hers.
"Can you hear mine?" Millie whispered, suddenly wary.
Beck nodded, "Since you pulled up, your heart rate has been hovering around one hundred and ten beats per minute." He smiled a little, mischievous and boyish. "Are you nervous, Millie?"
A strangled breath escaped her parted lips as her eyes widened once again. Internally, she fought the urge to leap into his arms. Something about him was luring her in very quickly, but again, she was shocked to admit that she still wasn't scared. In fact, she was intrigued. Her eyes narrowed. "Hardly, Beck." She said stubbornly.
Beck merely shrugged; his eyes still locked on hers. "Listen," he urged.
For a second, Millie held his gaze, trapped in his stare that pierced all the way through her. And then she closed her eyes and listened. All around her, she could hear the wind, the river, the trees swaying. And then, there it was: lub dub, lub dub, lub dub.
"I can," she whispered, opening her eyes to look at him with wonder.
"Humans can't hear that without a stethoscope, Millie."
A shaky inhale sucked in through her clenched teeth as he let that sink in for her. "No shit," she choked.
Beck looked at her then and she was amazed with the ease in which she could read him. Looking into his eyes granted her access to the forefront of his thoughts. At that moment, she saw that he knew he was right, and in her heart, she knew he was too. She wasn't normal, and maybe she never had been. At least not for a long time.
"Maybe I just have really good hearing," Millie tried to reason, which caused Beck to laugh lightly.
Suddenly, he was right in front of her and she jumped slightly. Delicately, he took her wrist into his massive hand and lifted it to his nose. Millie could only watch, mesmerized by the fire that scorched her veins just from his touch. His nostrils flared and his eyes closed, dark lashes fanning his cheek as he took in her scent.
"No, Millie," he murmured. It was all she could do to focus on his words and not the feeling of his touch. She wanted more. "I wish I was wrong, but you smell like a wolf. It's subtle, but there."
Millie sighed shakily, she wasn't sure if this was scaring her or intriguing her. Maybe both. "Subtle?"
"Well, have you ever shifted?" He asked.
Millie shook her head, and he gave a vague gesture that said there's your answer.
"However, you don't smell like a Northern wolf." He wondered, taking another scent of her skin. "You smell like you're from... The desert?"
"I'm from Texas," she said, her stomach doing a twist. "How do you know I'm from the desert?" She was unnerved at the closeness of his guess.
"You smell like sage and foreign dirt. It's a distinct smell." He responded easily. "Did something happen to you in Texas?"
Millie backed away from him suddenly, as if she had been slapped. She chose to avoid the question all together. Instead, she leaned into her stubbornness. "I want to see."
It was Beck's turn to recoil, "What?"
"I want to see you shift, or whatever." She folded her arms over her chest and narrowed her gaze on his.
"Are you sure?" Beck asked, blinking.
"Yeah, what if I still don't believe you?" She challenged.
Beck growled, sending a ripple of pleasure through Millie's chest. Instead of jumping this time, she smirked. He narrowed his eyes at her. "Fine," he smirked back, enjoying her challenge. He began to strip, almost teasingly, as he pulled his thermal over his head. As the fabric slid up and off, she was revealed just how built this man was. His pectorals flexed with his massive arms, his abdominal muscles coiled and ready. And then he began to unbutton his pants. Millie looked away, ceasing her unconscious gawking. His chuckle was warm and spread heat across her cheeks. "Are you ready?"
"Yes," she responded, though her voice had become breathy. Millie turned her eyes back to him just as he shook into the form of a massive black wolf. His pelt looked like a pot of oil, so black it was bottomless and reflective. The wolf shook it out before her, his lip pulled back to reveal sharp white teeth. His ears flagged on his head, awaiting her reaction. But his eyes, his eyes were the same silver gray that they were before.
The next thing she knew she was on her back in the dirt and snow.
Beck's face was over hers a moment later, human once again. "Are you okay?" He ground out, his voice dripping with concern. Millie realized she had fainted and cursed softly.
"I'm fine," She muttered, realizing she was in his arms. He was so warm, hot even, and her cheek was pressed to his chest. Everywhere he touched her sent electricity to her central nervous system. She didn't want to let go. She had fainted enough in the past week to set a new embarrassing record, she worried for her heart. "A part of me just thought you might have been joking, but..."
"It's real," he finished, still looking concerned.
"Very, very real." Millie agreed, looking up into his stone gray eyes. Beck smiled softly at her and she felt her tense muscles relax slightly. He stood up, lifting her with him before setting her back on her feet. Beck made sure she was stable before reluctantly letting go.
The man's eyes were centered on her, calculating her expression. "Were you bitten, Millie?"
Millie's eyes snapped to his. "No. I mean, I don't think so."
"You don't know? It leads to a very painful process that can up to a week to complete for some people."
Subconsciously, Millie's mind slipped back to void in her memory, where she had gone missing for three weeks only to be found in a ditch not far from where she was last seen. There was nothing from that time, just an empty black hole where memories should have been. Had she been bitten then? Nothing had been the same after the accident, but maybe that was because she had been undoubtedly traumatized. The thoughts filled her with a terrible mixture of guilt, fear, and sadness. Nothing had been resolved since she was found.
But her gut told her that this man might just have her answers.
"Do you think I was bitten, Beck?" She asked, looking up at him.
"Yes," he answered simply, honest.
"But you can smell that I have never... changed?" The language was still weird, she wondered if she would ever get used to it.
"Yes," he answered again.
Millie didn't want to tell him about the accident yet. She didn't trust him well enough. That kind of insight was something you had to earn. "Tell me more about the wolves and what all of this means."
"We share a lot of likeness to wild wolves. We live in packs, with a hierarchy of sorts. My pack is very self-sufficient, we mostly rely on ourselves, but wolves can come and go as they please. I can show you... Sometime." He smiled reassuringly at Millie and her heart fluttered nervously. "There are many other packs, all over the world, but we try to keep to ourselves. We do have allies though, mainly one Pack, North of here a ways. Our pack is on the smaller side, and fairly young in age. We had to rebuild, a long time ago now."
Millie wanted to ask as she watched the pain and anger roll over his face. But she kept her mouth shut, maybe she would ask him later. Maybe.
"Why do you live in secret?" Millie asked, feeling naive.
"Labs, the government, hunters... The list goes on. If you stray too far from the baseline, humans begin to poke and prod. It's the last thing we need." Beck leaned up against a massive Spruce tree.
Millie nodded agreeingly, "I guess you're right." She recalled a few days prior, when she had been getting poked and prodded by doctors who had no idea what was wrong with her. Was this what was wrong?
"Do you have more questions, Millie?" The way he said her name would always roll a shiver down her spine, curling her toes with pleasure.
"So many," Millie smiled at him slightly, quelling her nerves, enjoying the way his eyes lit up at the gesture. "But there is just one more I need to know."
"Anything," he responded, folding his arms languidly over his chest.
Nothing had been right since the accident, not her health, her daily living, nor her ability to truly hold herself together. Especially with the last week throwing her health for a loop, meeting Beck... Nothing was firm anymore. If she didn't figure something out soon, she feared for her sanity. And then there was whatever laid between them, drawing her in and holding her close. Whatever the hell had happened and was happening, it was too late to turn back now. She knew this man would be in her life for a very, very long time. Rather she liked it or not.
"Do you think you can help me figure out what happened to me?" She was suddenly very serious. If she actually was a wolf, then she was one step into the game of figuring out what the hell had happened to her, and maybe even who did it. The prospect was entirely appealing and terrifying.
Beck approached her, stepping into her space. He held out his hand. "I will try my absolute best to figure it out with you."
They shook hands. It was a promise.
sorry about the delay! i have been out of town. i hope you enjoyed this one.
dont forget to comment, vote, and share if you please. it is much appreciated!!
LS