The spring blooms of Ktukda make the city sparkle with vibrancy and colour. They fill the grass verges on the sides of streets and spill from the balconies, their petals making soft colourful carpets below. The pink, blue, and purple hues of the peonies, the sunny yellow of the tulips, the peaceful white of the daisies. I can't help but feel joyful and optimistic as I take in the colourful scene. It fills the world with a sense of new beginnings. Of hope, and the reminder that change can be beautiful. Even the warm air, the soft breeze carrying the flowery scents that fills my lungs, reminding me of the joys of life.
It's the day after my dinner with Alice, and I've escaped into town early in the morning, not wanting to be stuck indoors with my thoughts. I'm not even sure I've ever seen Ktukda during the daytime. My brief stints are usually in the late evening, followed by the early morning trip back to the train.
The city seems quieter than usual, partly because it's early morning on a weekday, but also because it'll soon be the start of spring, and wolves will be choosing to return to their packs to spend springtime with their family. It's a big time for celebration in the werewolf community. A time when you are statistically most likely to meet your mate, a time when females are supposedly most fertile. Although I reckon that's an old wives tale driven from the mating patterns of actual wolves. But it doesn't stop the huge celebrations thrown by the wolf communities, hoping to bring new cubs into their packs, and allow young wolves to meet their mates.
The city is surprisingly beautiful during the day, and there are more things to see than I had noticed during my drunken nights and mad rushes home. As I leave the train station, I notice that the shutters lining the ground floor of almost every building have been thrown open, revealing rows of small, quirky shops that call to me with their eye-catching fronts. Each one is more exciting than the last, their wares displayed in a cascade of colour in the windows, and the sweet tinkling of bells as customers open and close the doors sounds like music to my ears. They sell such an incredible variety of goods, from gorgeous hand fashioned jewellery, to bright traditional werewolf clothing, to the most beautiful stationery sets I've ever seen. I lose myself in the magic of the area, momentarily forgetting my Alice conundrum as I wander between the various stores, letting my fingers thread through the soft materials, tracing the gorgeous patterns and designs.
I'm not looking to buy anything, simply enjoying the feeling of exploring, and discovering the joys of small talk with the intriguing shopkeepers. They're nearly all older members of the werewolf community. Most represent a specific pack, here to sell the wares produced by the wolves back in their regions. The older women tempt me into trying on outfit after outfit, testing the blues, greens and red against my skins, trying to find my colour. They're so motherly in their words and actions, that I have a hard time trying to avoid thinking about my own mother. But a brief, caring smile from one of the sweet looking old ladies is enough to make resolve fly from my brain, the tears quick to come. I force myself to quickly close my eyes as I struggle to hold back the tears at the deluge of memories, that motherly smile so like my own mother's. The woman who raised me. Who picked me off the floor when I fell and scraped my knee. Who would kiss my injuries better, would brush my hair in the morning. The woman who held my hand when I got scared, but pushed me to be the bravest version of myself. Who abandoned me when I needed her most, unable to recognise me when I was at my most vulnerable.
These elders, with their wrinkled hands and wise eyes make me miss home in a way that I haven't in months. I've always thought back on it with melancholy, but here in sunny Ktukda wandering through the streets, surrounded by the kinds of people I would have seen at home, for the first time ever, I feel like going back.
I shake my head slightly, trying to rid my mind of the idea and go back to my exploration, nodding along with the women's chatter as they hold up fabric after fabric against my skin, trying to tempt me into buying more, ever more. I finally manage to extricate myself from their motherly clutches, hands miraculously empty, and am instantly stopped again by the beautiful window display in the next shop and the whole ordeal starts again.
Eventually I grow tired of the shopping, resisting the urge to peer at any more tempting window displays, my wallet no lighter than when I had started but my heart maybe slightly more full after spending so much time with my own people.
I continue my wander through the city, desperately forcing myself not to think about Alice, following my feet as they take me to the bustling town square, a large space that is actually probably more hexagonal, giving rise to the six main streets of Ktukda. They branch off from the area at even intervals, traditional low rise buildings rising between these. On the Northernmost side, I spot the town hall, a building that stands out slightly from the others due to the huge clock tower mounted above it. The shutters are painted a deep royal red, the colour of an Alpha's eyes, and in fact the more I look around, the more I notice the signs that indicate that this is not just an ordinary town. The statue of the original wolf pack in the centre of the square is the biggest clue, but others are more discrete, like the colour of the shutters, all in a variety of reds, yellows and greens to represent the colour of pack eyes, or the hierarchy of building sizes as you move out of the town square.
A large market fills the square today, and the whole place is alive and vibrant, the bustling stalls packed with people crowding around the food vendors that fill the square with the glorious smells of freshly baked pastries, spiced vegetables, and seared meats. In between these, green grocers and butchers call to passerbys, tempting them in with a bite of something to taste or test. I manage to resist the temptation until I reach a bright yellow table. The lady sitting there looks old enough to be my great-grandmother, the knitting in her lap forgotten as she serves the previous customer. Despite her lack of calling and cajoling, there doesn't seem to be any fewer customers than at other stalls, a sure sign that her products are good. But what catches my eyes is the contents of her stall. Baskets upon baskets of dried fruits. Raisins, apricots, apples, and my personal favourite, mango. I pause as my eyes rake over the selection. She catches my eye, a friendly smile on her face, and without even having to say anything to tempt me, I join the cue of customers.
I decide to get a selection of everything, and then on a whim ask for an extra bag of just mango, hoping that I'll have the self control to be able to save it for when my next period comes.
Yeah right, as if. Aida scoffs at me.
I dive into the first bag, tucking the other one neatly into my backpack. The apricot is amazing, both juicy and just the right level of chewy, without any of that fake added sweetness that you get from packaged dried fruits. The raisins are nothing spectacular, although I'm quite impressed by the dried apples. But the mangos take the cake. They're nothing short of divine, filling my mouth with their glorious flavour. I practically moan as I chew, eyes closing in delight.
"I have no idea what you're eating. But I'm going to have to get me some of that if it's as good as you're making out." My eyes open quickly, searching for the source of that voice that is so familiar. A pair of gorgeous green eyes gaze back at me and as soon as he notices that I've spotted him he continues speaking.
"Hi there... Reyna." My name rolls off his tongue, and I notice the small smirk of satisfaction that spreads on his face, a smirk that tells me he knows he's getting to me. Because without meaning to, the second I saw him, my face split into an enormous grin.
Cool it Reyna. Yeah, yeah, I know Aida. I know.
I hastily swallow the remnants of the dried mango.
"Saul!" My voice is oddly breathless, and I swallow again, trying to regain control of my senses. I haven't even thought about him this week, so completely focused on stressing about my evening with Alice, and now stressing about it even more. Yet I can't deny that I'm happy to see him, much more than I usually am. I take a deep breath and try again.
"I didn't expect to see you here! And honestly you really should, it's excellent" I smile gently at him, schooling my features away from excessive radiant happiness, and offer him the top of the bag. He dips his hand in, retrieving one of the dried apple pieces, and moves it to his lips. As he takes a bite, I finally recover enough from the shock of bumping into him to actually look at him properly. His perfectly ironed shirt brushes against his slender neck, his sharp jaw line moving rhythmically above as he slowly chews the apple. I notice for the first time the peak of a slim leather necklace appearing from beneath his shirt. On his lower half, a pair of flare suite trousers fall evenly, a pair of Chelsea boots sticking out from beneath them. His shirt is tucked in to a thick leather belt, and is fit tight to his chest, highlighting his toned, and almost curvy body. He swallows the apple, the muscles in his neck moving in sync as his tongue darts out to lick his lips. I lick my own lips in response, hyperfocused on his perfectly shaped mouth.
Reyna? Reyna?!? My mind snaps back to reality. Saul's eyebrow is cocked at me, his face expectant.
"Erm... sorry?" He chuckles at me.
"I was just saying that it's truly excellent dried apple."
"Oh. Yeah. You should try the mango! It's even better." I offer him the bag again, and wisely turn away after he's selected a piece. Although I don't miss the defined muscles of his arms as his hand dips into the paper bag, noticing how his apparent lack of body hair emphasises the outlines of his strong forearms, and I feel strangely turned on at the thought that maybe he is hairless elsewhere as well. I manage to avoid looking as he chews on the mango, but as he reaches for another, I can't help but be fixated by the elegant tilt of his hand as he removes the yellow snack.
You'd definitely prefer it if you were his snack. Shut up Aida.
I slowly start walking, smiling back at Saul as an invitation to follow me, hoping that I may actually get to spend some time with him. And at least if we're walking I'll be able to not look at him continuously and hopefully maintain some semblance of a sensible conversation.
"So what are you doing in Kutkda on a random Thursday morning? Not that I'm complaining, since it allowed me to run into you." His lilting honeyed voice is not quite as light-hearted as it usually is, I notice.
"I got the day off from work, and really needed a bit of time by myself. But also a bit of a distraction" I admit.
"Oh. In that case perhaps you would prefer to be left alone?" His offer is genuine, and I realise that despite his happiness to see me, he's also happy to leave me be. Although maybe he doesn't actually want to spend time with me, and is trying to give himself a polite way to escape.
"Oh not at all. As I said, I'm also looking for a distraction." I grin at him, slyly winking in his direction in a joking way and yet despite the humorous lilt to my voice I find that I somehow actually mean what I've just said. I was only trying to be friendly and lighthearted, hoping that it might tempt him back into wanting to spend time with me.
"Oh I see. I'm just a distraction for Miss Reyna. Well in that case..." He turns as if to walk off and I automatically reach out to grip his arm, pulling him back around, not missing the strength in his biceps as my fingers curl around them.
"But you're such a cute distraction." I jut out my lower lip, pouting like a slightly petulant child, as I attempt to further my joking intentions. I realise that despite it all being an act - one that I'm letting him see through - I'm being incredibly needy. But I'm really struggling to know how to act around him. I feel like I can just be myself around him, but I'm struggling to do that just now, so incredibly distracted by how attractive I'm suddenly finding him. Or maybe it's because it's been so long since I've been able to just be me. Luckily, my action is met with a burst of laughter as Saul chuckles beside me. I laugh with him, but as I remove my hand from his arm, he grabs it, squeezing it between his hands. They're smaller than an Alpha's hands, and I'm surprised by the lack of calluses, but they have an elegant strength to them. He draws me towards me, forcing me to look him in the eye.
"I would love to stay and distract you Reyna. But also, honestly." My hand is resting against a curve on his chest, still encased inside his own, and I find that I'm really struggling to pay attention to what he's saying. "If you want me to leave, just say the word."
This time I realise that the suggestion is just because of concern for me, and I don't fight back the happy smile that spreads across my face.
"Saul. I would love the company. And the conversation." I add as an afterthought. I desperately want to find out more about the intriguing Gamma who has managed to capture my attention in a way that no male has ever done before. And all without any mate attractions.