"Y-Yeah, you c-can a-apologize to y-your m-mate, but w-when th-that said m-mate i-is me, y-you sh-shouldn't," I said and immediately looked away.
What was wrong with me? I had gotten way too open with a total stranger! I didn't even know his name, yet, I felt like myself around him. It was very weird.
"Ok ok, wait. We are really getting off topic here," he said, snapping me back to reality, "All I wanna know is what did you mean by 'finally free'?"
My hands trembled as I thought about my life before this. I just possibly couldn't tell him about my life. He would really hate me.
"N-Nothing," I said simply and turned around, ready to leave when he grabbed me by the arm, sparking some old memories to surface.
I snatched my arm back and faced him completely with my eyes shifting everywhere, to his every body part which made even the slightest movement.
He scrunched up his face and tilted his head to the side.
"What's wrong, mate?" that seemed to snap me out of my daze as I shifted and started running away from him.
'What the hell are you doing, Iz?! Just talk to him like a normal person!' she screamed at me as she felt the distance between us and mate increase.
She was getting restless. She wanted to be with him but we couldn't.
'Don't you understand, Liz? I am NOT a normal person! I am far from it actually,' I said as my heart clenched.
I never stopped or looked back and focused on the passing surroundings. The branches of trees cut my skin open but I promptly ignored it.
After a few moments of running, I felt the distance decreasing between mate and me as he came beside us in wolf form.
His eyes glowed in anger and frustration and I was forced to look away.
He just kept running beside me and soon enough, I felt tired and had slowed down, automatically getting caught.
His wolf was huge as he came towards me when I stopped and he went behind me. He walked over me and sat on top of me, forcing me to sit.
After a while, he stood up and went behind a bush while I went behind the other one. I reluctantly shifted back and put on some clothes before coming back out.
I stood there with my head hanging low and my cheeks pink as I waited for him to speak.
"Why do you keep running, mate?" he said with a little force this time and I gulped. Wind swept past us and I shivered as I tried to form a coherent sentence.
"I-I th-thought I t-told y-you already...?" I whispered out and bit my bottom lip while I think he pinched the bridge of his nose.
Was he disappointed? Or was he just annoyed that he couldn't take me home and throw me in a cell? It was probably the latter.
"We will talk when we get back. Just come with me and I will take you to your aunt after we talk this out," he sighed and I felt a spark of anger inside.
Did he seriously think that I would just go with him?! Just like that? Did he know how much I struggled to be free?! And now that I was, I wasn't going to trust anyone that easily.
"No," I said with force but it came out rather weak and crossed my arms across my chest.
He could do all he wanted but I wasn't gonna go with him on my own. Ok, maybe not all he wanted.
"You are being rather difficult, mate. Just come with me and I will give you whatever yo-," he said before his phone rang. He made a face but picked it up nonetheless.
"What do you mean? What happened?" he said and I tried my best not to eavesdrop but it was impossible with him being right in front of me.
"Ok, I will be there by tomorrow," he sighed once again before hanging up and his eyes met with mine which made me quickly look away.
"Stop being so stubborn, mate, and just come. I really have to get back now and I am not leaving without you," he said with finality but I wasn't going to back down either.
"W-Well, I-I am n-not g-going with y-you. Wh-Whether you l-like i-it or n-not," I fought back with equal persistence and I could tell he was getting impatient. Just a little longer, Isabelle.
"Mate, I really have to go, but I swear to god that I will be back to get you, no matter how long it takes," he said and looked away with dispare in his beautiful yellow eyes.
My heart ached for him, to be in his arms and make that expression disappear but this was for the best. He needed to leave me alone and find someone better who was actually strong.
I was just a broken girl who couldn't even breath without looking pathetic and weak while he was the epitome of courage and perfection. He didn't need me. I would just ruin his reputation.
He shifted in front of me, his bones cracking and reassembling into a wolf before a gigantic beast stood before me.
It was a midnight black wolf with electric blue eyes and my fingers ached to be passed through its silky fur but I just stood there as he left.
I didn't wait for him to disappear, I just looked away and silently cried by myself. The same way I had done for the majority of my life but this pain was only getting stronger.
***
I dragged my weak body through the path which I assumed lead to my aunt's. I couldn't tell because Liz just wouldn't speak to me and refused to come forward.
Anyway, I just kept walking until I found the scent of flowers and I could definitely smell some kind of water body nearby.
My eyes darted everywhere and my nose sniffed every single scent present in the air. I found the scent I was looking for and followed it to a cottage.
I instantly recognized it and quickly shifted back behind a tree. I ran to the cottage and knocked on the door, my foot tapping the ground and my hands wringing together.
The door opened to reveal a young girl with tan skin and orange hair. She looked me up and down and sniffled once before meeting my eyes.
"L-Leah?" I said while she narrowed her eyes at me and right then, a boy yelled from inside.
"Who is at the door, Leah?!" he yelled from inside the house and Leah whispered, "That's what I'm trying to figure out."
"I-It's me, I-Isabelle," I said and looked down, fidgeting. Suddenly, out of nowhere, she wrapped her arms around me in a tight embrace, refusing to let go.
"It's been so long, Iz!" She said as she finally let go, but kept me at arm's length.
"Y-Yeah, I-I'm surprised th-that y-you even r-remember m-me," I said, feeling nostalgic, talking to someone I knew and loved.
"Oh come on, Isabelle, we could never forget you even if we wanted to. Mom loves you and misses you lots," she said as she invited me in and an angry looking guy approached us.
I tried to keep my composure as he slapped Leah's shoulder playfully, dare I say.
"Leah, I think I asked you a question," he said as he stared her down but all she did was roll her eyes.
As they argued, I took that time to look around the wooden cottage.
It was very cozy-looking with every single one of its furniture made out of wood, except for things that couldn't be made out of wood.
It had that female's touch which made me think about my mom. My mom, oh my beautiful mom. How I missed her and wished for her to be here with me, but, I supposed that she was in a much better place.
"Isabelle...?" I heard a motherly voice call from the kitchen and my eyes snapped in that direction.
There she stood, looking like she always did, with a warm smile on her face. She wore jeans and a T-shirt.
"A-Aunt K-Karen..." I whispered out before she ran to me and gathered me in her arms. Tears streamed down my face as I latched onto her for dear life.
It felt like a dream as I hugged her and she stroked my back, lovingly. Reminding me of how my mother used to do the same until she...
I buried my face in her neck and sniffled as my worthless tears stained her cute shirt.
After me shedding tears for a few minutes, we finally settled into the living room and I went back to being myself.
"So you are The Isabelle who mom won't stop talking about," the boy, Bennett, spoke for the first time after his argument with Leah and my cheeks gained a light color.
"Y-Yeah, I-I guess," I said in a hushed whisper and wringed my trembling hands together. She talked about me. My heart felt warm and I gasped on the inside. That was a weird feeling.
"Ok, let's get you settled in, Isabelle. Leah, show her to the guest room and help her get comfortable," aunt Karen said as she stood up, her eyes shifting from me to Leah.
"On it, mom," Leah said as she stood up as well and approached me with a smile. While Aunt Karen left towards the kitchen and Bennett turned on the television, Leah motioned me to follow her.
I cautiously followed after her up the stairs, where she led me through a plain looking door, matching the surroundings while a blue colored door proudly stood against the wall.
Leah closed the door behind me, making me jump slightly and making my eyes dart everywhere.
The room was plain with a double bed in the middle with two side tables on either side of it. It had white sheets and white comforter to match.
There was a small window on the opposite side of the eoom from the door and a dresser beside it. All of the furniture looked quite decent and the bathroom door was a light brown color.
"You should go take a shower and I will place your clothes on your bed, ok?" she said as she put my small bag, which I didn't know she was holding, beside the foot of the bed.
"Oh, and call me if you need anything," she added as she turned to leave and closed the door as she did so.
I let out a sigh which I didn't know I was holding and went into the bathroom.
The bathroom was quite big with a glass shower cube type of thing in one corner with a sink just as you enter.
I took off my clothes and looked at myself on the mirror. I. Looked. Horrible. I couldn't believe I had been talking with my relatives who I met after 10 years, looking like this.
I was ashamed at my actions. I felt awkward about facing them again. I knew that I didn't particularly look good all the time, but this was way worse!
I let out a heavy sigh and went into the shower, glass cube kind of thing.
I took my time showering and thinking about my life before getting out and wrapping myself in a fluffy towel.
The towel felt so soft against my skin and I most certainly did not miss my old rag of a towel. It was so rough and old, to say the least.
I went in front of the sink and saw a brand new toothbrush and toothpaste sitting on the counter. I felt so grateful that my eyes started to tear up, but I refused to cry.
I refused to shed a tear because of my old pack. I had started a new life and I was having fun and was grateful.