"Here," aunt Karen said as she handed me my bag. As she let go of the bag, it almost fell. I had to use so much energy just to hold it.
"Th-Thank you," I said with a smile and she smiled back. My shoulders eased up and a little bit of the stress and nervousness left my body.
"Your welcome, darling. Now, remember to call me once you get there and don't forget to eat complete meals. Oh, and not to mention-" aunt Karen said but Leah placed her hand on her shoulder.
"Mom, stop it. She must have all this memorized by now," Leah came to my rescue and I smiled at the both of them.
"Good. She shouldn't forget it," aunt Karen said, her eyebrows coming together. She scratched her nails from the place where the nail paint was chipped.
"She won't, so just chill out, ok?" Leah said with a roll of her eyes and sniffled.
"Ben?! What's taking you so long?!" Leah said as her mouth turned into a frown.
"D-Don't rush him," I whispered to her and both aunt Karen and Leah chuckled.
I looked inside the little cottage and saw Ben coming out with a box. I smiled when I saw it and took it from him once he reached the door.
I hugged all of them one by one and when I was done, I smiled with tears in my eyes.
If I ever saw them again, I would be so lucky. I didn't think that I would survive from my 'mate' crisis. I didn't want to get locked up again but I knew I had to take this step, so here I go.
"Bye," Leah said with a small, reassuring smile and aunt Karen hugged me again while Ben just stood there, staring at me.
"B-Bye. See you g-guys later," if I survived. I waved and started walking backwards.
When I was almost into the woods, I turned around and sighed. So, this was it. I hoped not.
'Stop being a baby about this situation, Iz! Our mate is amazing and he won't do anything to us, just trust me on this,' Liz said with an exaggerated sigh.
'I am trying my best, Liz. See, I am out here, trying to find him, aren't I?' I said as I looked around, sniffing every place I could.
'I have no idea where we have to go,' I said and Liz smirked at me which weirded me out.
'Let's shift and I will guide you,' she said. I listened to her but still...
'How in the world of pancakes do YOU know where to go and I don't?!' I asked as I took my clothes off and shifted.
All of my senses hightened and I looked around the woods. As far as my eyes could see, the ground was covered in trees with tall grass.
All I could smell were some not-so-harmful wild animals and greenery. A whole lot of greenery.
I heard a frog's ribbits in the distance. There were probably 3 of them in that direction. Anyway, back to the problem at hand.
'Where to, Liz?' I said, standing with my ears up and my eyes darting at every sound.
'To our ex-pack house.'
That was a surprise. I didn't understand why, but I didn't question her and let her do her thing. She was the expert in these things.
***
We were sitting with our head on our paws, dosing off with cool air making our fur dance. The smell of the greenery around us made us even sleepier.
We watched as the rays of the sun reflected off of the surface of the lake, making it shimmer. This was such a beautiful scenery, I wish I wasn't alone here.
I tossed that idea out of the window as soon as it came and focused on the birds chirping. It was like a lullaby as my lids felt heavy, before they finally shut.
When my eyes opened, the sun was setting. The colors of the sunset; red, yellow and orange, reflecting off of the lake took my breathe away.
This scene brought me the kind of contentment I had never felt before and I knew that this picture worthy moment would always stay encrusted within my heart.
To top it all of, the cool, soft breeze just relaxed me further. I never wanted to leave that place, ever.
As I contemplated staying like that forever, my mind wandered to a certain someone whom I had left my aunt for.
My face blushed but I was angry. I sighed before getting up and as I was about to give control to Liz, I felt a presence.
I quickly went behind a bush and shifted back. When I was dressed, I went out of my hiding spot and looked around.
The aura the person was giving off felt oddly familiar, yet foreign. I wanted to run away, yet, I didn't.
What was wrong with me?
I sniffed as hard as I could and picked up a scent. My body visibly relaxed and I turned in the direction of the scent.
I saw him standing at a distance with his hands shoved in his pockets and his eyes shining in the remaining rays of the setting sun.
I shifted in my spot, my hands wringing together as I looked down.
I heard the crunching of leaves but never did I ever lift my eyes and just focused on the grass blades which were stuck under my feet.
Soon enough, a pair of heavy looking shoes entered my vision and I gulped before looking away from them.
"Mate, we finally meet again," he said with a hint of a smile in his voice, "it has been way too long for my liking."
I felt something on my chin as he lifted my face to make my eyes meet his.
He wore a charming smile on his lips while I kept my lips sealed in a straight line. My heart was beating way faster than its normal speed but I kept my eyes locked with his, even when he let go of my chin.
"I am back to get you, mate," he said and I was forced to remember what he had said the last time we met.
He told me that he would be back to get me, but it was 5 months ago. He still remembered?
"Y-You j-just made th-things e-easier for me. L-Let's go," I said as I forced a small smile at him while he just stared at me.
"You aren't going to try and run?" He asked cautiously and I shook my head. He breathed a sigh before reaching for my hand which I quickly hid behind my back.
He got the message and smiled at me before motioning for me to follow him.
"So, did you find your aunt?" He asked and my chest felt warm.
"Y-Yes," I said and refused to look at him as we walked. I kept my eyes down and my trembling hands shoved in my pockets.
"How have you been?" He asked and I glanced up for a brief second. Why was he talking like he knew me? Was he trying to gain my trust?
"G-Good," I said before my eyes fell upon the car parked in front. It looked super expensive and I felt dirty standing next to it.
"Get in," he said as he went to the driver's side and got in. I gulped before slowly reaching forward and opening the door.
So, this was it. I was finally going with my mate and it was my own choice (kinda).
I got in and shut the door behind me before looking around in the car.
It had a very clean interior, unlike my aunt's car which was...chaotic.
I heard the engine hum to life before he drove towards the path leading away from the town I had finally felt free in.
I quickly looked away before the waterfall could start and focused on the road ahead.
After half an hour, we had finally reached a proper road and were surrounded by buildings. It felt so foreign to me as my eyes darted everywhere.
"So, what's your name, mate?" He suddenly asked and I flinched before slowly turning to look at him.
He looked so perfect as he kept his eyes fixed on the road. I loved how he occasionally rubbed his arm and tapped his index finger once on the steering wheel.
He cleared his throat and I blinked, shaking my head as he glanced at me with those mesmerising eyes.
"Your name, mate?" He said again with a raised eyebrow and I immediately looked elsewhere.
"I-Isabelle. I-Isabelle R-Reynard," I said, trying to bring my heartbeat back to normal. I saw him from the corner of my eye.
He had his eyebrows creased and was biting his bottom lip. I wanted to ask what was wrong but didn't.
'Just ask, Iz! He will be so happy that you care!' Liz suddenly said and I blushed furiously.
'Shut up!'
"Yours?" I said without looking at him and I could feel him looking at me. To top it all off, we had stopped at a red light.
Just my luck.
"Ethan Grey," he said and I could hear the smile in his voice. I felt like giggling or chuckling or even just smiling, but I kept it in.
I would just curse at myself for falling for his act when I would be sitting in the cell in his packhouse. I could just hope that he won't betray me like everyone else had before.
Hope. That was the only thing that I could control in my life right now.
"Are you hungry, ma-Isabelle?" My eyes snapped to him and I felt my face growing hotter.
'He just called you by your name! Now reply him, you dimwit!'
"N-No, thank y-you," I said with a ghost of a smile playing on my lips.
"But I am hungry," he said and looked at me for a good second.
"Then, we can eat," As I said that, my tummy rumbled ever so slightly and my cheeks gained color.
I had eaten about...5 hours ago!!!! We had been traveling for 5 hours?!
"E-Excuse m-me?" I said as I turned to him and he said, "Just say my name, Isabelle." I blushed.
"E-E-Ethan, h-have we r-really been traveling f-for 5 h-hours?" I said as I looked at him through my lashes and when he looked at me, he took a sharp intake of breathe and stopped the car on the side of the road.
"Y-Yes, we have been. You slept for almost 2 hours, maybe that is the reason you can't feel it," he said, his yellow, sparkling eyes staring deep into my silver ones.
"Y-Yeah, th-that's probably i-it," I said as we stared into each others eyes. I felt like we were magnets as we kept getting closer and closer.
I felt my heart hammering away in my chest. We were going to make romantic physical contact for the first time since we met.
This was oddly exciting and nerve-wracking. I didn't know how it could make me this nervous, but it did.
I hoped that I smelt good.
I closed the gap between us and wrapped my arms around his body. Sparks flew wherever I touched him as we hugged.
He seemed surprised at first, before he, too, wrapped his muscular arms around me in a warm embrace.
"You are something else, Izzy," he said as he pulled back and smiled at me with a certain glint in his eyes.
"Oh, I hope you don't mind me calling you, Izzy, from now on," he said as he started the car and pulled out onto the road.
"N-No, o-of course n-not," I said, kinda confused by what he said first.
For the rest of the ride to the place where he wanted to eat, I tried my best to hide my smile and blush from Ethan who looked like he was lost in his own world.
He was grinning and his ears were red. I really wished that that was because of our hug.
At that thought, my cheeks started to turn red, again.