Picture is of Piotr's tattoos.
The man's dark honey eyes roamed over my body, sending heat to my cheeks.
Is he-- is he checking me out!? I wondered, squirming under his gaze.
Ceil cleared his throat, sticking his hand out to the new comer. The other man walked to him and grabbed his hand.
"Piotr Aviv. I'm the head warrior for my pack," His smile was dazzling.
Ceil shook his hand and nodded his head.
"Ceil Murphy, Beta. My Alpha is waiting on you." The dark haired man's voice was strict, annoyance lacing it.
The other male glanced back over at me, a smirk tugging at his lips. Turning to me, he held his hand out.
I stared at it, taking in all the details; it was scarred and burned. He had long, nimble looking fingers. His nails were short and were dirt free. Tattoos went up his right arm--they were pretty.
"Ahem," The sound of someone clearing their throat caught my attention, making me jump.
Flustered, I took his hand. The second I did, I felt a shocking feeling travel up my arm. I yanked my hand back, hissing under my breath.
Piotr chuckled, his laugh sounded as sweet as honey. What's with me and honey? I thought as I looked at the man before me.
Ceil scoffed and reached behind me, pushing the door open and gesturing for the group to flood in. He did so as well.
Piotr brushed past me, leaning in close to my ear.
"My bad." He whispered, smiling at me.
Oh dear god.
~*~
All throughout the meeting, that Piotr man kept glancing at me. And every time he did, he would have this stupid grin on his face.
"All in all," Marti sighed, "I think we have an agreement. What with the increasing amount of threats your pack is receiving, I think it is only necessary for my pack to help protect you."
Apparently their pack was receiving death threats from a neighboring pack-- a really nasty one too. That pack meant everything they said.
Piotr nodded his head, smiling at our Alpha.
"I will let my Alpha know as soon as possible. On his regards, we thank you very much." He sounded like such a kind person. But boy did his smirk say otherwise.
Marti nodded, waving the group off. She never was much of a talker.
Getting the hint, the crowd dispersed, some staying back to chat. Ceil and I were one of those people.
So was Piotr.
"So, Beta, huh? That's interesting." Piotr chuckled, making small talk with Ceil.
I kept my head down and tried to get past the two without catching their attention. It didn't work.
I felt a hand grab my wrist, tugging me back ever so slightly. It sent the same shocking feeling up my arm.
"Hey!" The taller male smirked.
I wretched my hand out of his grip, which was quite loose, and stared up at him. His teal colored hair had long since dried, and the color was fading.
"Our introduction wasn't exactly... Great," Piotr chuckled. I know. I thought.
We stared at each other for a while, taking in details. He had piercings, only two from what I could see. His ears were stretched, and he had a septum piercing. It suited him.
He had scars scattered on his face, varying in size. His nose was kind of crooked, maybe it had been broken before?
"Piotr. You are?" His voice startled me, making me gasp quietly.
Stammering, I replied, "Uh, Eitan-- Eitan Shain!" I heard Ceil chuckled. Piotr smiled, nodding his head slowly.
"Nice to meet you, Eitan." I shivered. The way my name rolled off his tongue was-- there are no words to describe it.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ceil slowly slinking away. A huge grin on his face. Jackass. I thought.
I pointed to Ceil, waiting for the male to look. When he did, I took off in the other direction.
I hated the feeling I got around that man. The twinge I got in the pit of my stomach, or the shock I felt when he had touched me. It was weird-- it was no doubt wrong.
As I ran out of the room, I could hear Piotr call after me. Or maybe it was Ceil. I couldn't tell.
You know why you feel like this. My wolf whispered.
Rounding a corner, I barged into the nearest room and slammed the door behind me. Panting, I leaned against a wall beside the door.
"It's not true-- it's not." I whispered, running my hands down my face. Sweat was start to form on my brow.
The scar on my neck felt like it was on fire. My skin crawled as I thought of the possibility. It wasn't true, it couldn't be.
Knock-Knock
My eyes darted to the door, chest rising and falling at a quick pace.
"Eitan?"
Go away! I thought, sweat falling down my face.
I watched in fear as the door opened painstakingly slow. I narrowed my eyes at the man in the door way, fists clenched at my sides.
"Go. Away." I growled. The other male scoffed, closing the door behind him.
In a second, we were inches from each other, his breath hitting me in the face.
Piotr's eyes wandered down my torso, biting his lip. "Eitan, may I just say that you're downright gorgeous?" He asked, smiling a toothy grin. They were as white as pearls.
I glared at him, growling, "You better shut your mouth!"
The other male scoffed, leaning close. His breath smelled of mint. He himself smelled of wildflowers, rain, smoke-- the works. It was intoxicating.
His breath tickled the skin of my neck, causing me to shiver.
"You should be kinder to your mate, my dear."
Mate?
My heart was racing as I stared into his honey colored eyes. At this proximity, I could see all the other colors in his eyes: specks of blue, gold, some green. Beautiful. I hate him. I thought.
Sighing, he said, "I don't know about you, but I'd love to get to know you. Even if you don't want to."
His words made me squirm and whimper. It only made him grin more.
Piotr's hand moved up from his side and started to near my face. I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for his hand to smack me.
Instead, I felt the weight of his hand on my cheek. A second later, a warmth was placed on my forehead. Shocks.
I felt my knees grow weak. I grabbed his tattooed forearm to steady myself, heat rushing to my face.
"Don't flinch away from me, I would never hurt you." His voice was deep, his accent thick. It made me shiver.
As fast as the scene had unfolded, his heat was gone just as fast. My heart ached. Everything ached.
~*~
A week.
That's how long it's been since he left. Ever since, Ive felt so alone. More than when the incident happened.
"Eitan you can't just sleep all day! You have a pack to feed." Marti growled, ripping the quilt off of my curled up form.
The cold draft hit my skin, making goosebumps rise up on my skin. I grunted in response.
She growled, "There's no more food, and we have pups to feed!"
"There's left over meat--"
"No there's not! The last time you hunted was a week ago!" I flinched at her words.
I felt the bed dip. Marti sighed, "I know you're upset, but your pack comes first. You either go hunt, or I find someone to replace you."
Those words made my blood boil. Replace me? How dare she! I shot up, narrowing my eyes at her.
"Then find someone!" I screamed.
Smack!
I stared at my lap; my cheek stung.
"Don't you dare raise your voice at me, Shain," she hissed.
The bed creaked as she rose, her back straight and eyes narrowed.
She continued, "I don't care why you're so upset. Whatever it is, you need to suck it up, because it's affecting your pack. You have ten minutes. If you and your hunters aren't out of here by then, I will kick your ass."
With that, she left.
~*~
The sun felt good on my back. I shook out my fur, glancing around at the hunters sitting in front of me.
We're going in groups of two today. Small game only-- winters approaching, and I don't need all the big game to be dead come spring. Give them a chance. Am I understood? The wolves around me barked and grunted in response.
I nodded in approval, and made the groups.
There were 15 hunters in all, not including myself. There used to be 14, but we got an apprentice sometime this week. She was put with me.
The leaves were all but dead and had fallen to the ground, making piles of said leaves everywhere.
As my hunters ran off, my partner sat in front of me.
She was a larger wolf, most of her weight not being muscle. Nevertheless, I knew she would be a great Hunter. Her dark brown fur was long, and blew in the crisp wind.
What're you waiting for? I asked.
She seemed startled as she scrambled to her feet, tail tucked between her legs.
My apologies, sir. I merely blinked at her reply.
Instead of responding, I put my nose to the ground, searching for a scent. Anything, really.
We had made it to a clearing before I noticed she was messing up. Flowers littered the field, the grass was tall and no doubt stocked with game.
My apprentice, Jenna was her name, was following closely behind me. She was pretending to know what she was doing. I could tell by the way she was tripping over her feet.
She also hadn't closed her mind link to me, so I knew everything she was thinking.
God, he's going to think I'm an idiot!
I don't know why I try-- I'm horrible at this.
I'm too big to do this, anyway.
Her last thought was what made me change back. Eyes narrowed, I slipped on a pair of black shorts from behind a tree. It's become second nature to hide clothing in random places now.
"Change back." I growled, fists clenched at my sides. I heard her whimper as I grabbed one of my t-shirts and a pair of shorts.
She did as she was told, covering herself. Her face was a bright red. She had curves that suited her, and the slightest bit of a stomach.
I threw the clothes at her, turning the other way so she could get decent.
"Sir-"
Turning back around, I glared at her. "Why would you think that?" I hissed.
A look of confusion crossed her face.
"You're new to the whole wolf thing, aren't you?" She nodded, "That's what I thought. You forgot to close your link, my dear. I heard everything."
If her face was red before, it got so much worse. She castes her eyes to the ground, shoulders slouched.
"Who told you that you were "too big" for this job?" I growled. She remained silent.
She wasn't a big person. She had curves, and that was about it. Yeah, she had a stomach, but she was as healthy as a horse. All hunters have to be tested to see if they're healthy. I wouldn't have chosen her otherwise.
I pinched the bridge of my nose, huffing, "It doesn't matter. Let me tell you something, Jenna,"
I took a step closer to her, resting my hand on her shoulder.
In a soft voice, I continued, "You're a curvy woman. You have hips, and surprise! You have breasts. Your thighs may touch, but who cares? You're a hell of a runner, and I'm damn sure you're going to be a hell of a hunter.
"Your body type doesn't stop you from being a hunter. I bet you'll out do all of the others. Jenna, please don't ever think you're "too big", or "fat", because you're not. You're healthy and fit, and that's all that matters."
Finally, Jenna looked at me. Her blue eyes were watering, but a huge smile was on her face. Suddenly, she pulled me into a hug. I hugged her back without hesitation.
"That's the nicest thing someone's ever said to me." She whispered.
~*~
As my group gloated about all the game they'd caught, I remained silent. Everyone was in front of me, heading back to the pack. It had started to get dark, and the moon was beginning to come out.
Before I knew it, I was left all alone in the woods just outside the territory.
Knees pulled to my chest, I watched as the sun set. Gold, purple, and red painting the sky. I closed my eyes and relished in the beauty.
It wasn't long until a familiar smell filled my nostrils. A scent that smelled of wildflowers, rain, and smoke.
Smoke.
I opened my eyes, snapping my head to my right. A large wolf with dark brown fur sat next to me. It glanced back at me.
If he was in his human form, there'd be a smirk on his face. Instead of changing back, he nudged my hand with his muzzle, a low whine rippling from him.
As much as I hated him, I felt oddly compelled to hold him.
Hesitantly, I brushed my fingertips against his muzzle. He didn't flinch away. Instead, he leaned into my palm, whimpering.
I sighed and scooted closer to him. Letting out a shaky breath, I ran my fingers through his fur. Piotr closed his eyes, his tail wagging slightly. It reminded me of a dog.
He's going to end up just like him, Eitan. Don't trust him.
Tears brimmed my eyes as I thought of him. Of what he did.
Before I knew it, I could hear myself sobbing. Piotr had noticed to. In a matter of seconds, he was licking my face.
It made my heart flutter. But I didn't stop crying. I just kept remember what had happened.
Next thing I knew, I was embracing that stupid mutt, crying into his fur. He was whining and licking my clothed shoulder, and bare neck.
I felt safe next to him. And I hated it. I hated feeling a bond starting to form. I'd end up hurt, and I'd lose another mate.
I didn't want him as my mate. I wanted to be alone.
I was better off alone.
A/N: There are SO many skips here. Next chapter won't have as many. I'm working on the next chapter, so be ready for that.