"There is no entertainment tonight." Caleb growled softly.
"None?" The stranger laughed softly. "Two humans and four wolves. Sounds like a party to me."
A disgusted shiver ran down my spine at the image she was trying to create.
"Just leave." Caleb warned the stranger.
I wondered why Asra had not yet spoken, but his body language was more defensive than offensive. I assumed he was going for intimidation, perhaps a front of his title.
His body had shifted, so he was mostly in front of me. His hand slipped from mine, and I caught the look the woman gave him from behind his shoulder. It intrigued her. As my eyes adjusted, I could make out her features better. Her hair was magnificently long, draping past her hips in long, white waves. Her eyes were dark and bare of any lashes, her eyebrows so white I couldn't see them. With skin even paler than mine, I wondered what she was more than who.
"Protective, Alpha?" She clicked her tongue.
"Eris." Asra growled. "You are close to the wolf sectors. Coming here was not an accident."
"Oh, I was just going for a run, Alpha." She teased.
I watched her as she moved, her limbs long and thin as she effortlessly glided across the ground.
Eris.
He knew her by name.
"Run elsewhere. There is nothing here. These humans have been out of your sight for years." He warned her.
"As far as I am aware, this land is not under your protection though..." She cocked her head. "So the humans are fair game."
"How did you find this place?" Caleb wondered. "It took us years to find it."
Asra stiffened when she came closer and I inhaled sharply when her keen eyes studied my mate. A strange sense of jealousy overcame me that had me scowling. I wasn't the jealous type, so why was this strangely unique woman making me feel that way? I had to force away my fear and face this situation head on. It was my only option.
"The way the human clings to you is truly intriguing..." she hummed, avoiding the question.
Asra's snarl grew louder, and I could see his lips curling, preparing to reveal his gleaming, sharp teeth. My sister's fingers dug into my skin, but I barely registered the pain of her nails.
"These humans are under my protection." He snapped.
"What did you do to her? Was it magic?" Eris grinned. "Tell me you did not seduce her just to kill her."
"He did not seduce me." I spoke.
Her eyes flickered to me; eyebrows high as she ran those dark orbs over my face. I felt goosebumps rise on my skin, an unwelcoming feeling taking over me. When her nostrils flared and a broad grin erupted on her lips, the feeling only grew.
"A human who can snap back." She grinned. "Rare when they usually cower at the sight of me."
"You are nothing terrifying to look at." I pointed out, keeping my voice in check.
I didn't want her to know she intimidated me. Her appearance here had everyone on edge, and I did not want to be the topic of conversation without saying something to defend myself. They deemed her a threat, but nobody was taking action.
"How intriguing. I am impartial to a female human..." Eris smirked, drifting her eyes over to Asra. "Do you perhaps share, Alpha? Two between five?"
Asra was tense, his growl his answer. She sighed, crossing one arm beneath the other as her hand caressed her chin. She seemed at ease, as though being surrounded by four wolves was child's play when they could rip her open with ease.
"How excited I was." She tutted. "It has been a while since I met a human who could not cower... The females always taste better, too."
My spine went taught, a shiver of disgust threatening to overtake me.
Taste better? Just who was this woman?
I noticed the way her eyes flickered to my sister, and I took a step from behind Asra to shield her more. It only seemed to make her grin broaden, and she bared her teeth with glee. That smile was strange, couldn't tell if it was good or bad, but it would definitely be intimidating... If I actually cared.
"Oh, this one is fun." She quirked. "Tell me, why can you resist me when the female of similar blood cowers?"
"What do you mean?" I frowned.
"Do you hold powers? Are you a half-breed? Perhaps you are bewitched." She cocked her head.
"Enough, Eris." Asra warned.
"I am just asking a friendly question." She pouted, dismissing Asra. "I want to know why a human can resist me. It is a very rare phenomenon. She smells... mostly human. Tell me, have you bitten her already?"
"You will not get an answer." He grunted, moving to shield me again.
Her expression fell from my view, but I could hear her sigh as she lost her target.
"You dogs are no fun." She whined.
"Leave. We don't want trouble." He hissed.
"Trouble?" She laughed softly. "I don't cause trouble. I am trouble."
"Which is exactly why you should leave."
She inhaled sharply. "Fine, but only because I am tired, full, and uninterested in playing."
"Even so, you will not be touching either of them whilst we are around." Asra growled.
I peered through a gap in his arm, and her dark eyes met mine. They seemed to glow a deep red when we made eye contact once more. That comical grin erupted on her face.
I inhaled sharply. What was she?
Red eyes meant vampire, in my books, but other than that, she seemed relatively normal.
"I see that, Alpha." Eris bared her teeth. "I suppose I shall take my leave."
"Yeah, go back to your master," Caleb sneered.
My eyes widened when she hissed, and Arabella whimpered behind me.
"It will please my master to know that his competition is already eying up this village." She taunted. "Annual hunts may begin here for us too..."
"Empty threats, empty promises." Asra took a step forward.
She was grinning, that much I could see through his body, and with a shrug of her shoulders, she was gone. She had moved so quickly, her body a streak of white as her long hair breezed behind her.
The small clearing fell quiet, and I awkwardly cleared my throat to diffuse some of the tension. Asra moved at the noise, coming to wrap his arm around me and force me to the truck. He lifted me into the seat before I could utter a word and slammed the door closed soon after.
I sat open-mouthed as he turned to Arabella and gestured for her to get in the back. She scurried, eyes wide with fear and uncertainty, as she approached the side of the truck. He opened the door for her and she took hold of the inside handle, pulling herself up and in. He slammed the door on her too and the truck cab fell into silence as he walked away to his two men.
Neither of us knew what to say. What we had just witnessed was bizarre and intense. Bella must be so confused.
Eventually, though, she cleared her throat. "What is this vehicle?"
"You tell me." I murmured. "Some kind of car-truck."
"Oh." she muttered. "I have never been in a car-truck before."
"It's not the greatest ordeal." I winced. "It is still taking me time to adjust."
"I am glad I am not in the front, then." She swallowed.
"Tell me about it." I mumbled.
Silence once more before she addressed the obvious.
"So... wolves."
"Wolves." I nodded.
"I have a feeling it is going to be a long conversation." Arabella muttered.
"It will be." I sighed. "We have a lot to talk about."
"Of course." She agreed.
I turned to look at her. "Well... You took it all rather well, considering we just kidnapped you in the middle of the night."
"Wolves aren't so scary... I have seen them before."
"You have?" I wondered.
She nodded. "When I would walk in the forest, sometimes I'd go near the border. I always saw the sock wolf and a couple of others."
The sock wolf? Everett?
"Why did you not let anyone know?"
"They never harmed me. I thought they were just wild." She shrugged. "We were told shifters killed, Ailia. Hunt or not, I did not want to risk ending up like..."
I winced, understanding her trail of thought. She didn't want to end up like Dad. Killed and eaten by wolves.
She was silent, and I watched the frown form on her face. "How do you live with him? He... he turned... dangerous."
Darius.
"I know." I winced, unable to hold her gaze. "How long were you living with him?"
"I wasn't... This... This was the second time I went round to his house. Mum... she encourage it all... She... said it was good for the family." She stammered. "It's only been a few weeks, maybe a month, since she encouraged it."
"Mother is nothing but a liar." I scowled. "She will do anything to lessen a burden, Arabella. The moment you turned sixteen, she knew what she wanted from you."
"But Darius..." she whimpered, tears in her eyes. "He made everything seem great and then... he made me do things..."
"I know, I know." I interrupted her. "You don't have to talk about it right now, Arabella."
"I was scared, Ailia."
That was it. My heart shattered at the terrified look in my baby sister's eyes.
"It'll be okay now, I promise you." I reassured her. "With everything that I am, I promise."
She nodded quietly, blinking back the tears. I turned to see what was going on and found Asra finished speaking with his pack mates and was walking back toward the truck. I watched him with a deep sense of guilt in my stomach, worried for my sister after this night.
Would she wake up thinking it was a dream?
How would she handle living in the wolf world?
She was taking this all fairly well, so I hoped she moved on okay.
Asra stopped at the hood of the truck when Caleb shouted his title. He didn't turn, but kept his eyes locked on me as Caleb spoke too quietly for me to hear. I shivered, feeling exposed under the power of his gaze, even when Arabella continued to talk.
"Asra... is he... good?"
"He is good." I confirmed, holding my mate's gaze. "More than good."
His jaw tensed before he blinked and rounded the front of the car. I slid off my coat and placed it on my lap as a blanket, trying to get comfortable since we were about to leave.
"Okay, you seem very close to him." Arabella muttered.
I contemplated my next choice of words, chewing my lip. "I love him, Arabella."
I heard her intake of breath, just as he opened the door to his truck and pulled himself in. A soft oh escaped her, and Asra slammed the door shut, turning the key in the ignition to start the engine.
Damn, he was moody. I wondered if there was a dent in the door frame.
"Everything okay?" He wondered, glancing at my sister.
"We're okay. Can we just go?" I licked my lips, a nervous habit.
"Of course." His eyes softened. "Feel free to sleep, Arabella. It's a few hours to my pack house."
She muttered an okay and buckled herself in when he started the engine. I moved to do my own, but Asra was already wrapping his arm around me and pulling it himself. I couldn't help but feel flutters in my stomach at the motion, his head dangerously close to mine. Just when I thought he would pull away, he buckled it in and kissed my lips softly.
With such a simple gesture, I felt my spine decompress, and I exhaled the stress. His eyes were still dark and on edge, but he placed the vehicle into gear and turned us around, following Caleb's truck down the dirt road. A quick glance at my sister told me she saw, and her eyes were scrutinising as she stared between the two of us.
As we drove out of the forest and onto a proper road, I felt my eyelids falling heavy. The heat of the car complimented with Asra's scent and the gentle rocking of the cab was lulling me into a security unlike no other.
"Get some sleep, Tulip. I fear you have a long day ahead." He murmured.
I hummed, glancing at my sister through the side window. She was already asleep, her body giving in and slumped against the middle seat. Her lips were parted, and I traced my eyes along the bruising across her throat. It was fresh, and I never noticed it before because of her hair. The guilty feeling only grew, and I felt every insecurity crawl back to haunt me.
Before I slept, I drifted my eyes to my mate. "Asra... That woman... She..."
"Yes." He nodded, reading my thoughts.
But I needed it out loud. I had to be certain.
"Vampire?"
"Vampire." His fists clenched on the wheel. "Too close for my liking. They have their own land, and it is not so high in the mountains."
"Who is she?"
"An old acquaintance." He murmured.
An old acquaintance.
Things just got more mysterious.