*I tried to update ASAP but my final exams are around the corner. but anyway, thank you to @QueenOfRebellion , @KhomeshSakeesing , @screamer_girl and @CheneeLeilanniClarke for the comments and votes! Thank you so much for spending your time to read this story. ^_^*
In lightning speed, I pushed him away and was on my feet, putting a distance between us. Ian got up too but his eyes glued to my left side of my waist as if he can see the scar through the sweater. His eyes meet mine again and I know he has questions ready to be shoot at me but goddess, I don't want to talk about my past when I'm closer to my future.
Ian sudden low growl make me flinch and step back.
"Did your Alpha do that?" His voice was strain and his arms are shaking like he's trying to control his anger. I was actually surprised that he right away suspect Robert did this to me. "Tell me, Selyen."
'I think you're seeing things, Ian.' I said carefully.
"Don't lie to me now!" He snarl and his eyes turn darker and dangerous. His Alpha power starts to radiate, trying to make me submit to him but honestly, it makes me angry since he's trying to bow an Alpha. "I saw and felt it. You can't hide that from me. You have to tell me who did that to you!"
He's pressuring me with his intimidate Alpha aura and it start to annoyed me. I was unable to control my growl from escaping from my mouth anymore. 'No!' I mentally scream and watch him. Ian flinched when he felt my Alpha aura and I mentally curse. I should be keeping under the radar, for Goddess sake but after last night everything felt so sensitive. My vision, my hearing and my senses are just too much. It's like every inside me has been upgrade or something. Is this what it feels like to be bloomed? I thought people will feel just normal.
"Selyen, please." his voice change into soft and I found myself relax at his soft voice. "He or whoever did that to you is not gonna hurt you anymore. I'll protect you, I promise."
'It's not about afraid that he will hurt me anymore, Ian.' I slowly admit and look away. 'I just, I don't want to remember it.' I gulp and make myself look like I was being haunted by my bitter past. From the corner of my eyes, I saw him sighed and run his hand through his hair. His eyes blanks out and it was either he was talking to Adam, his beta or Adrian, his wolf.
He sighed again. "I'm sorry." He took a step closer and I took a step back, acting like I was hurt and scare by his anger. I hate lying and pretending that I'm weak but Ian is too close to find the truth about me and my pack. I want to believe him and spill everything but I'm so confused right now. I don't know who to trust anymore. I don't know who's an ally or a foe.
He is our mate, Selyen. How can you doubt him? Diane whisper in my head and I swear I could feel her sad at my thoughts. He won't do anything or take anything from us. He has his own code but I believe he will respect other's too if we be honest.
I'll be honest when I'm ready, Diane. I said slowly. I look at him and say, 'No, I'm sorry Ian. This is something that I have to keep away from you, for now.'
His eyes change into emptiness, like he just switch his emotions off. His expression change into the man that caught me trespassing his territory, the man who hate the rogues and willing to hunt them down. He nods in emotionless. "Okay." He stepped back and headed for the door. He pause when he reached the door. "Get rest. You won't be training today." he said without looking at me. He open the door and slammed it shut.
My heart clenched and word of guilty keep whisper in my head and beg me to ask his forgiveness and tell him the truth. But I held my ground. No, this is something that I have to do to safe my pack. Father has told me before, a pack is important than your life but he also reminds me, that a mate is like once in a blue moon so he said sometimes, an Alpha has to make a sacrifice.
And I have made mine; I choose my pack instead of my own mate.
I don't know what has gone through me. But for the first time after I lost my parents, tears start to escape from my eyes. It's not because of the lost of my parents anymore, no, it's because for what I am about to lose now. So I cry for the decision that I have made.
~
(Ian POV)
I was out from the house in flash and storm into the woods. She has a bite mark, a werewolf bite mark on her skin like a werewolf bite the flesh out of her and I'm pretty sure it from her Alpha since she refused to tell me about her Alpha. It has to be. She's a pure-blood werewolf and I can smell that on her so there's no way she's The Bitten One, a human who was bitten and transform by a pure-blood werewolf. But how can Alpha do that to his own pack member? How can he do that to her?! Yes, an Alpha can rule their pack in the way that he wanted but hurting or torturing your own pack members is consider unacceptable. A good Alpha must not be so cruel or their pack will either become disarray or everyone will have the same dark personality like their Alpha's. I may have been cruel to my own pack but I never give then a major scar or punish them with silver.
I need to know her pack's name. I need to know the Alpha who responsible for that bite mark and the silver bracelet that she wore when I caught her. But Selyen is being a secretive. I know she's hiding more than just her past. There's something else that she doesn't want me to know and I know she's lying to me.
She must have a reason to keep it under, Ian. Adrian speak up. We can't doubt her.
I'm not doubting her! I snarl. I want to know who did that to our mate. He deserve to be punish for torturing her, his own pack members.
I know that too! But forcing the truth out from her is not helping! Adrian snapped back. We both are furious that her own Alpha torture her but in time she will tell us the truth and when that happens, we can plans on how to punish the Alpha back.
I growl and at the edge of shifting but Adrian's right. I can't force the truth out of her but I don't want her to stay in her shadow. I don't want her to look like she's being haunted or how the sound of the gunshot make her flinched and hesitate. No, Selyen is a warrior princess. The best one that I have seen and she's in a mission of her own. I know that and it's probably she is up for revenge since I recognize the fire in her silver eyes when she said she will return to her pack and when she is determine to get her target first.
I stop walking and stare at the stormy sky. Something else happened to her that made her who she is now and made her so secretive. She is so beautifully mysterious and I want to know more about her. I want her to be open to me. I want to see her smile and laugh. Even without her voice, she so amazingly beautiful when she laugh last night and the look of her happy face when she dance despite she doesn't know how to dance, warm my heart and soul.
Then I remember that today is her birthday, her eighteen birthday. She's a full bloomed werewolf now and two things cross my mind; her in heat and the probability for us to get mated. A mature She-wolf will be going into a heat if she has found her mate and haven't been mark yet. Usually the male will mark her as his and then they mated. Selyen will be going through that if I don't mark her but from what we're facing right now, I know she doesn't want to be mark or mate yet. If so, I have to prepare to keep others male away from her and keep her under my surveillance when she's having her heat.
Then we have her to ourselves. Adrian suggested, wiggling his tail.
I groan. Don't you dare start it, Adrian. With your animal lust mix with mine, I don't know how long I can stop myself from ravishing her.
Well if she tease us again, like she did before, I'm gonna have her.
I groan again and run my hand through my messy short hair. God, help me because I could still feel her sexy leg wrap around my waist. I was pretty surprised that she pulled that card out and then when she tighten her leg around me, the friction between my buddy and her sex was too damn close. If she didn't unbuckle and drop me to the floor, I could have start rocking myself on her against the wall.
'Alpha.'
I heard Hiro called me and I answer right away through our pack link, pushing the dirty images away. 'What is it, Hiro?'
'One of our pack members from the Shadow unit saw a rogue lingered outside our perimeter, watching and observing. You told us to stay hidden so she did and she reported that the rogue dropped something at our south boarder.' Hiro filled me in. 'Lady Hart is on her way as we speak.'
Those fucking rogue! 'I'm on my way. Stay hidden and tell the others to keep watching. Who knows if it's a divergent to distract us.' I said and start to sprint like ninja, deeper into the forest and towards my south boarder. Shadow units are a group of my best stealth men from the pack. Both my Shadow unit and Warrior unit are faster and strong but the Shadow unit is more stealthier while the Warrior unit is twice stronger. I often use my Shadow unit to infiltrate a rogue's base or to guard our outer part boarder while my Warrior will guard inside the territory. They are the best fighters and most of them have volunteers to be in these unit.
I run through the trees, dodging and sliding here and there to dodge some low branches. My feet barely make a sound as I run toward the south boarder. When it was close, I slow down and track for Hiro. He was standing behind a large tree that was covered with wild vines and flowers, wearing a dark green shirt and shorts with barefoot. His dark brown hair was a mess and his eyes look like he didn't rest for days. His Asian face frown and tensed like he was thinking and worrying things too much. Adam and Hiro are the best Second and Third in command I ever had. Adam handle the pack activities and training while Hiro lead the Shadow unit. They always focus on their jobs and never disappoint me.
When I approach him, he slightly bow his head in respect and say, "The little thing that he dropped is 10 feet away. Do you want us to track the rogue?"
"Yes. Sent Ethan for it. Report back when he gets some info." I said and eyed on the mysterious wooden crafts. I took a sniff and snarl. "Witchcraft."
Hiro flinched and silently nod at the info. Then I heard a movement from behind us and saw Alex walkout from the trees with Veronica riding on his back. She jumped off from his back and brush her jean as she mumbles under her breaths. "This is the second time I have to quit my class."
"Knock it off already, honey. Grunting is not healthy for woman." Alex teased her and she respond by tucking her tongue out like a 6 years old child. She looked at me. "How's Selyen?"
I tensed for a moment, remembering our little fights. I shrug. "She's fine."
Both Alex and Ica gave me a look.
"Something happen, isn't it?"
"Did her heat come and you marked her without her permission?"
I growl at both of their questions. "It's nothing! Now can we please focus on that thing that the rogue dropped outside my boarder."
Ica sighed. "Fine." She walked to the wooden craft as Alex and I followed closely behind her. We circle the wooden craft and stare down to it. Ica smirks. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?" She couched down and pulled out a handkerchief. She picked the wooden piece with the handkerchief and stand up to show it at us. It looked like an eye crafted on a piece of wood. There's a single unknown symbol in the middle of the eyes, colored in red.
"What is it?" Hiro asked curiously behind me.
"A compulsion device." She said as she inspect it. "Witches can compel people through a spell or use this. A spell require a target and a full concentration while this one need a few ingredients like vampire's blood and whoever touch it, you'll be their puppets."
"Why Ivan sent his rogue to drop this here?" Alex asked.
"Probably he wants to sneak in through your pack members, Ian." Ica looked at me. "Once touched, the witch that work for him will control the body. The witch can hear us, see us and tap into your pack's mind link."
Both Adrian and I growl. "That son of a bitch."
"I think we need to start move again." Ica suggests but I shook my head. "No, we're getting closer to catch that bastard and I'm not going to back off now when he's playing witch cards on us."
"Then, I think we should use our witch cards too." Alex smirks and look at Ica. She stared back at him and slowly a sinister smile drawl up on her lips. She looked at me with her violet and pulled her eyebrow up. I couldn't help but to smile at their idea. Ica took that sign as a green light from me and starts to mutter some foreign language. She stares at the wooden craft until suddenly, it was on fire. She dropped it to the ground, along with her handkerchief and keep muttering her spells. Her eyes glowed in light violet and dark smokes emit from the craft. Then, there was a small sparks and the craft turn into ashes.
Veronica grinned. "I think the witch gonna have to wear an eye patch."
~
Once I told Hiro to alert our men and told him not to overwork in his duty, Alex, Ica and I raced back home but I followed them back to Ica's house and walked straight to her book shelves.
"It's been a while for you to be interested in books again, my brother." Alex teased and laid on a couch.
"It's not for me." I grunt and grab the Book of Creature. "It's for Selyen. She likes books."
"Sexy and a nerd." Alex mused. "I like that."
I ignore him as I continue to search for any books that maybe she likes but then she said she read any kind of books available. I know where Ica placed some of her novels as she always separates her books of spells and magics and her readings. "What kind of books does she read?" I wondered.
Suddenly, Ica stood beside me and chucks. "I think you should give her the books that you have read." She pulled a few books without using her hands and float it down to her. She handed me 4 books that I have read before. Honestly, most of them are histories and I have use them as guidance to become a great leader so basically, these are the only books that I've read over and over again. "Will she read these kind of books?" I asked.
Ica shrug. "Honestly, I don't know but it worth a shot. Besides, both of you have the same hunger for knowledge."
I grab the books from her. "I'm borrowing these."
"Do not tear the pages or I'll burn you, Ian." She glared at me and I couldn't help to chucks at her warning. "Hey, I'm dead serious!"
I rolled my eyes. "Yes, yes. I get it. Thank you." I said and walk out from her house and went straight to my home with heavy books in my arms. I kick the door open and went up into my room. Balancing the books with one hand, I open the door quietly and sneak inside. The room was dark but I can see her lying on my bed. She was sleeping and I placed the books at the nightstand. I watch and stare at her beauty as she sleep. Her lips slightly apart and her black hair flow behind her beautifully but I notice something else. Her cheeks moist as if she had been crying before she sleep.
Did I make her cry? Was it my fault? My heart clenched at the thought of it. Did I cross the line that she draw? I can see the sorrow on her face and I don't want her like this. I want her to be happy and smile again. Damn it! Why do I have to spoil everything?!
She stirred and a sob came out. Adrian whined at the sight of her and then next thing I knew I was under the cover with her and wrapped my arms around her waist. I felt her body relax and she unconsciously nuzzled her nose at the base of my throat. I shiver at her small movement and inhale her mouthwatering scent before I start to drift into realm of dreams.
~
(Selyen's POV)
I love this scent of forest. It smells like home, not my home home but like a new home where everything is just simply perfect and right. Diane purred at the warmth around us and I want to inhale more of this scent so I raise my chin and my nose brushed onto something smooth. It seems like the scent is much stronger here and I knew I hit the hot spot. Unable to control myself, I brushed my lips on the surface and sighed.
Something shivers and I heard a low growl in front of me. My eyes snapped open and the first thing that I notice was a male neck. I look up and meet a pair of blue ocean eyes filled with lust.
I blinked and when the fact that I was in Ian's arms, I turn around and faced away from his heated stares as a deep blush rushed to my cheeks. Oh goddess! Did I just... wait, I brushed my nose and lips at the base of his neck, didn't I? Oh god, no wonder the scent smell stronger there and it so addictive like drugs that I want to turn around again and do it again.
Fuck. Hold your shit together Selyen.
I heard a deep chuck closely behind me. "You're free to do it again, Selyen. As your drug, I'm at your service."
I realized my mental wall was down so I build it up again and growl at him. 'Shut up.' I said and touched my heated cheeks. My tears have dried up and I hope he didn't saw my puffed eyes. I don't know how long I cried but I guess I must have cry until I fall asleep. 'How long have I sleep?'
"Long enough." he said and removed my hair from my neck. I want to snap at him but when his lips touch my neck, I gasp at the warmth of his soft lips. I could feel him smile against my skin as he say, "It's almost midnight though."
I shivers at his touch and husky voice. My hands were gripping his arms and I unconsciously give him more access to my neck. Ian growl lustfully and pulled me tight against his muscular chest. His lips brushed from the back of my ear to my shoulder and went back up again to bite my earlobe. I gasp again and if I have a voice, it might sound a moan. My heart rate increase and stirred something at my lower part. If he continues to run his sinful lips on my neck, he might suddenly brush some scars on my back. 'Ian. Stop.' I breathlessly telepathic to him.
Ian groan and I bite my lips at the sexiness of his voice. To my relief, he pulls away and loose his gripped on me. With that I pry his hands from my waist and sit up, facing away from him. Oh god, that was dangerously felt good.
I felt a movement and Ian chucks beside me. "You look really, really adorable when you blush." He said. I playfully glare at him. 'Stop teasing me!' I huffed and turn my head away from him when my face turn red even more. Ian laughed softly and I'm half way to push him off from the bed.
My eyes caught a few thick books placed on the night stand and I noticed one of them is the Book of Creatures. I grabbed the book and ask. 'Why is this book here?' I look at Ian.
"Well..." He scratch his neck before he sighed. "It's your birthday and I don't know what to give. So since you like to read, I err, borrowed Ica's books for you. I'm sorry I didn't buy something special or give a perfect birthday present for you."
I blinked a few times as his words filled my brain. He did his best to give me something for my birthday and I am absolutely speechless and very touched at his efforts. My heart fluttered and actually falling for him. I couldn't help but to wrapped my hands around him. I felt him surprise with my action for a second before he wrap his hands around me too. When I pull back, I couldn't bring myself to look at him as I thank him. 'I love it actually and I don't mind if you borrowed from Ica but I'm flatten that you tried to give me presents. So thank you.' I said as I play with the hem of my sweater.
A hand slide at the side of my face and tilt my head up until my eyes meet his. He got that handsome smile on his face with his blue eyes glow in the dark and I found myself wanting to drown in those beautiful eyes. "I'm glad you like it. And em, I'm sorry if I was harsh to you before."
He keeps apologize at us, you know. Diane noted and she's right, he did. An Alpha barely give out an apology to someone. I ignore her and smile at him. 'I'm sorry too. I wish I can tell you-'
"Shhh..." He hushed me and run his hand through my hair. "It's okay. I understand. I'm right here when you're ready to tell me."
Without I realize, my tears start to wet my cheeks again. Ian blinked and he pulled me into his warm arms as he muttered some calm words and hush me like a child. Seriously, how can he be so nice to me when I'm keeping secrets from him? How can he still relax when the truth is I'm chose my pack over him? Why is he so perfect?
I cry for the second time but this time in his arms and let out a silent pray that he still be here to accept my apology when I leave him for my own selfish mission.
+++ And I am very sorry for my grammar mistakes+++