Lucy’s Point of view
I think I'll wear a dress today, there are so many different dresses in here. I don't usually go for pretty, I like comfort and covering myself up, but here, I don't know, I feel different. I pick out a nice long blue one, I put it on and it’s the perfect size. I peek in the full length mirror, wow, I look ... lovely, I take my hair out of the braid I put in after my bath. It somehow slipped out of its ribbon again last night.... I think my mate likes my hair down, I'm starting to like it down too, it feels ... what's the word for it? Feminine, that’s how I feel looking in the mirror, I feel like a woman. I love looking at the mark on my neck. I never thought I would be mated after everything that happened, but before I lost Sakura, we would talk about it, about how it would feel. I wish she was here now, I'd love to have someone to talk to about all of this, not that I would need to say much, she could just read my mind. Even though she can’t be here, I love her for her final gift to me, ok she didn't know that he would turn out to be my mate, but she liked him enough and thought he was good enough to let him go on a date with me. That speaks volumes. "Thanks Kura”, it feels good to be able to think of her and not cry. All this time I've had no-one, well apart from my secret helper, but I could never speak to him, I understand why now, but I was so lonely, that thinking of my best friend was too painful. But now, I have Alex, I know I can lean on him for support.
I pick out a pair of blue flat shoes and put them on. Everything is so comfortable here, the bed, the clothes, the towels. He really put a lot of effort into this. I don't know how he could have done it all without being noticed. Surely the alpha would have been keeping an eye on him, he must have known it was only a matter of time before Alex came for me. I hope we are safe up here. It feels safe. It feels like a fairytale, I feel like a princess who has been rescued by a knight in shining armour, he brought me to his castle and we are living happily ever after, but I know it can't last, the need to mate is so much more intense since we marked each other. Once we mate, we have to go back and face the big bad world. So I've decided that I am going to enjoy being the princess in my fairytale while I can. I will face the big bad world head on as soon as I need too. But until then, I'm just a woman getting to know her man. It still seems so strange, me having a man. On one hand, it feels absolutely right, like he has always been there and that we were always meant to be, but on the other hand I've only known him for a few days, and he seems to really love me. I know he says he loves me and that's sweet, but I can feel his love for me, I felt it when he marked me, and I feel every time he looks at me. See fairytale madness.
I walk downstairs and go into kitchen but Alex isn't in here, I boil some water for tea and go on a hunt for food. After a few minutes of checking every cupboard in the place, I'm pretty sure I know where everything is, everything but the food that is. I make a pot of tea and get two cups ready, I walk into the room off the kitchen, I haven't been in here yet. Gotcha! The food is all in here, I grab some bread, eggs and butter. Poached eggs on toast? good plan. It's strange that I haven't seen Alex since this morning when he woke up. He said he had to get some supplies but that he would be back for breakfast. I don't want to use a private link, just in case he is back down in our village. I don't even know where he is. See, this is another reason we need to mate, once we are mated we won't need to use pack links, we will just be connected. He will be able to hear my thoughts if I open my mind to his and vice versa. I boil a pot of water and break the eggs into it, and pour a cup of tea. I don't like this, I don't like being here on my own, not knowing where he is. What if the alpha found him? What if he is injured? I am going to kill him when he gets home, I grill some bread and set the table for two, he will come home, I just have to trust that he will come home safe. I leave two eggs in the pot and take out the other one, put them on a plate and put a slice on toast on the side. I sit down and wait for Alex, and wait, and wait and I'm still waiting. Well I'm not going to let this go cold, I butter my toast and take a sip of tea and try to stop my mind from imagining all the horrible things that could be Keeping Alex from coming back. I dip my toast into the egg yolk and burst it, I love that sensation. After a few minutes I'm done with breakfast and done with waiting around too. I'm going to go for a walk.
I walk out the back door and walk straight to the cherry blossom, I pick up a fallen flower from the tree. I feel a lot calmer out here, only three quarters of my brain are focused on my mate’s whereabouts. I spin the flower in my hand, I miss my little herb garden though, it was nice to go out and tend to it in the morning, maybe he really did think of everything and there is a little patch of herbs just waiting for some love and attention. I put the cherry blossom flower in my hair and go exploring. There are some of my favourite flowers here, tulips and daffodils and some snowdrops but they are dying away now, I kneel down in front of them and remove the old flower heads, they will grow back better next year if they are not still trying to feed the dead flowers. I carry on my search and I get to the far side of the house, I haven’t been around this side yet. Hmm ok not a herb garden, more like a full blown vegetable patch, there is room to grow enough vegetables here to feed a family all year round. Oooooh and there is a little patch set aside, I bet that is for my herbs. Wow he did think of everything. Which makes me think of him again. Which makes me worried again. I can't catch his scent so he is still not close. What should I do?
I'll wait a bit longer and then I'll try a pack link, I know it's risky, but he could be in danger. I'll have to find a way to distract myself while I'm waiting. I'll do what I do best. I'll clean up, and I'll start in the kitchen and clean up after breakfast, I'll have to throw out Alex's breakfast. It is pretty much inedible now. After throwing out the food I fill the sink with water and wash the dishes, I'll leave them on the side to dry while I sweep. I found the sweeping brush and all the cleaning supplies on my search for food this morning. I grab the brush and start sweeping. It's not a huge kitchen so it only takes a few minutes, this isn't good at this rate I'll have the whole house clean in an hour. Then what do I do? I make my way around to each room that we have been in and tidy up, I even change all the bedclothes and put out fresh towels. But I’m finished far too soon. What am I supposed to do now? I'll make some bread for the next few days. That will take a while. Right? Every noise I hear I hope its Alex coming home, so I can hit him with a frying pan for getting me so worried and then wrap my arms around him and never let him go. But to no avail. He is still not home. The bread is the oven. I have to try a pack link. I open up the pathway in my mind "Alex, where are you?" Now I think that was very calm and sensible, if I didn't filter myself it may have been more like "oh Alex dear, where the hell are you? You better not be hurt, I'll kill you if you're hurt." Yes a bit counterproductive, but it's killing me not knowing. And he still hasn't answered me. Should I go looking for him? I can't go back to the village, if I'm seen I know the alpha will take me. But I should be able to make it down the trail, to the lake, he might be on the trail.
Ok, I need to get a bag ready again don't I, but I'm not going out in this dress, I run up the stairs and pick out a pair of loose pants, something I can move in, and a plain t shirt and jumper, I find a pair of boots, they will be better than my flats. I pack it all into a bag and add some underwear and socks. Then I strip and put the clothes into the laundry basket. I shift, I know this is dangerous, I know Alex wouldn't be happy knowing I was leaving the house and going where it’s not safe, but I can't just sit around. I grab the bag with my teeth and walk down the stairs. I smell the bread cooking, crap I'm going to have to shift again to turn off the oven, maybe Alex isn’t the only one who might burn this house down. I drop the bag and shift, turn off the oven and take out the bread. What if I get to Alex and he is injured, I found some bandages and ointments in one of the cupboards earlier, I grab everything I think I can use, put it all in the bag and shift again. I pick up the bag with my teeth and walk out the back door. I start walking around to the front of the house when I hear voices. None of them are Alex's. Oh crap. They found the house. I turn around and get to the back of the house, if I can make it back into the forest, I'll be safe there, once they go into the house I'll make a run for the trail. I sneak my way around the house, there is about twenty feet between the house and the trees, I'll have to run for it and hope they don't see me. I hold the bag firmly in my teeth, and run like hell, once I get to the trees I dart right, then left over bushes, under branches, trying to ensure I make a clean get away, once I get to a spot where I can lay low I look back in the direction I came. I stay perfectly still and try to slow down my breathing so that I will be able to hear them coming. I listen, I can catch a few words of what they are saying, but they are not close, they are in the house. Then I hear them shouting
"Where is she?"
"He'll kill us if we don't find her"
I’m going to have to start making my way back to the edge of the trees, I need to get down the trail. I stand up when I hear,
"This bread is still hot, she can't be far."
"She must be in the forest, move!"
Oh crap, I'm running before I've even fully contemplated that they are coming for me, I think there are three of them but there could be more. I could try leading them to the cliff, unless they know the area they might fall like I did. But I don't want them to die. It sounds like they are just following orders. Crap. I have to go for the trail, it's the only way. No more looking back I just have to run, and hope like hell I can see where the jump is. Oh Alex, where are you?