three | maybe love at first sight
Copyright © jackie taylor 2014-2016
All Rights Reserved
"Physically, I'm okay. Emotionally, I'm bruised." - Harry Styles
WHEN Annie was younger, her mother told her the story of how she met her father. June described to her daughter how she felt when she first saw him, how in that one second the whole world seemed to be just the two of them and everything else didn't matter. She was a young wolf at the time, had only shifted a year before. Annie's father, Will, was the son of the Callisto Pack's Alpha and was sure to find his mate soon. However, they never expected it to be each other.
From that moment on they loved and adored each other. Annie's mom told her that when she would meet her mate, she would feel the connection she felt. It would be like time stopped and the only thing she would see would be her mate. Their eyes would meet and everything would be right in the world.
Her mom was definitely right.
All Annie could think about were his is chocolate brown eyes. How they look at her with adoration. How they held love and lust and pain. How they changed from a deep, chocolate brown to black, but they soon went back to the chocolate brown ones. His wolf stood tall and proud, ready to pounce on her at any given moment. Annie's wolf was awake, full of sadness but a touch of hope.
And then he was walking towards her. "Mine," he growled.
He stopped right in front of Annie. She had to crane her neck to see his face due to his towering height. His arms wrapped around her and Annie was suddenly tingling from the contact. Her heart was beating wildly, and as she pressed against him, she was sure he could feel and hear it, too. Annie's arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer to her. She breathed in his intoxicating scent.
"Mate," he whispered into her ear. His voice was husky and thick, which sent shivers up Annie's spine.
As he held Annie, she looked past him to the crowd of people. Everyone was cheering and clapping, smiles all around. Lily was hugging her mom and Max was holding onto Cindy's hand with a proud smile.
Max turned to the crowd and gestured towards Annie and their Alpha. "Our Alpha has found his mate!"
The pack went wild. The Alpha was their leader, the one who was willing protect his pack at any costs. He was dominant, extremely powerful, and proficient. Their Luna was strong and a leader, as well. But she was also the face of the pack, the one who was kind and caring. And now the Crescent Pack has both an Alpha and Luna to lead them.
Annie's mate pulled away and looked at her, his smile never fading. He wrapped his large, rough hand in Annie's, making her hand tingle from the contact. He turned and tugged Annie into the house, directing her up the stairs.
On the fifth floor, he took Annie to the last room at the end of the middle hallway. Holding the door open for her, Annie walked into a room six times the size of what she was given earlier. The room was elegant, with hard wood floors, and light blue and soft grey walls. A king size bed was up against the right wall and a flat screen TV and fireplace were across from it. There were two doors on both sides of the TV, which probably lead to a bathroom and closet. A small sitting area with a desk was off to the side. Across the room were double doors, leading to a small balcony that gave a view of the backyard and forest.
The Alpha stood in front of her and cupped her cheeks. "I've waited so long to finally meet you," he said eagerly. "And here you are, the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."
She felt her cheeks flame at his words. "I'm here now," she replied softly.
He took a deep breath as his smile faltered. "You're not apart of my pack," he remarked.
Annie sighed. She knew this was bound to come up sometime. "No, I'm from the Callisto Pack. We were... attacked last night."
Suddenly he was looking her over, checking for any signs of injuries. He was relieved to find none.
"I didn't get hurt..."
"Tristan," he said.
"Annie," she added. "I didn't get hurt. I ran with my brother until we got here."
"Is your brother fine?" Tristan asked, worry written across his face.
"Physically, yes, we got out fast enough," Annie answered. "Emotionally, I don't think so."
Annie wrapped her arms around Tristan, feeling the need to be as close as possible to her mate. Her eyes started to cloud up and she knew that she was going to start crying any second now.
Tristan realized this and wrapped his arms around her, easily picking her up off the ground. He sat Annie down on the bed and kneeled down in front of her.
"My father told me that two wolves from the Callisto Pack would be joining us because their pack was attacked by rogues," Tristan whispered. "He hadn't elaborated, probably because we would've gone over it once I was settled back in. Please, tell me what exactly happened?"
Annie felt tears forming in her eyes, but tried to hold herself together so she could speak. "A pack of rogues attacked us out of nowhere. I was the first to spot one of them; I called – I called for my parents and brother, and then ran inside. My mother told me to get my younger brother and run. I-I didn't want to leave, I wanted to help, but I had to keep my brother safe."
Tristan pulled her close to him as she let out a long breath. She rested her head on his shoulder, smelling his woodsy scent and feeling his warm body. He let her release all of her tension by crying. Tristan comforted Annie with soothing words.
"We'll find those rogues," Tristan growled. "I'll hunt them down myself if I have to."
Annie shook her head. "I don't want you to get hurt."
"I can take care of myself," he snarled cockily. "You don't have to worry about me. I am an Alpha after all."
Annie pulled away from his chest and stood up. One minute ago Tristan was acting sweet, but now something darker and more dominant has taken over him. Annie's older brother was like this sometimes.
"Alpha or not, you're still my mate, Tristan," Annie told him with a boost of confidence, but loving the way his name came smoothly out of my mouth, "and I don't want you in any danger."
This ignited a spark in him. He stood up to his full height, towering over Annie. He was an Alpha, and whether or not he was Annie's mate, he was still the dominant one, the one who overpowered her.
"I am your superior and you will respect me," Tristan roared. "Mate or not."
His body was shaking and his eyes were pitch black. Tristan was about to walk out when he glanced back at Annie who sat there stunned and shaken up. Then he exited the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him.
After wiping away her tears and composing herself in the mirror, Annie left Tristan's bedroom and tried to find her way back to the pack barbecue. The pack house was huge, with long and confusing hallways. She followed Tristan's scent downstairs and ended up at the front door. From the way he looked before he left, Annie knew his wolf took over, so he was probably out for a run.
Annie followed the scents from the pack members to the backyard. She looked for Lily and Tara, but couldn't find them in the throngs of people.
"Annie!" She heard her brother calling.
Annie turned around to see him running towards her. She knelt down to his height.
"Hey, Teddy," Annie said. "I thought you were playing soccer with your new friends?"
He shook his head and gave a wary smile. "I am! But we stopped because their Alpha found his mate!"
Teddy wasn't a full wolf yet. Most changes occur around the age of human puberty, but with Teddy's Alpha genes, that could change. He grew up in a wolf pack, so he knows much about the werewolf kind. He was still learning, though. Teddy doesn't know much about mates. However, he knew the basic meaning of a mate.
Sighing, Annie nodded. "Yes, I know."
Teddy's eyes widened. "Do you know who it is?"
If Annie were to tell Teddy she was the Alpha's mate, she wouldn't be lying. However, the way Tristan stormed out of the room, Annie didn't know if he has accepted her or rejected her. But then again, if he didn't want her wouldn't he have already rejected her?
"Teddy, I'm the Alpha's-"
Annie stopped when one of the younger wolves Teddy's age came over, telling her brother they were waiting for him. Annie told her brother to enjoy himself.
Annie found Tara after Teddy ran off with his friends. She was talking with a couple of other girls from the pack. Instantly, Annie was hit with nerves. She felt comfortable around Tara, enough to let her rub her cheek against hers to show that there was a bond forming. Annie felt the connection between her and Tara even within the short amount of time knowing her.
"Guys, this is Annie, our Luna," Tara announced.
"I'm so happy we finally have someone to tame our Alpha," a brunette girl said, taking Annie's hand and rubbing her cheek against Annie's.
The girl next to her shook her head in agreement and did the same. "Yes, and we are so happy to finally have a Luna."
Annie didn't expect the girls to be so welcoming. "Well, Cindy is still the Luna, technically. But what do you mean by 'tame our Alpha'?"
The brunette's eyes widened. "Oh, well, Alpha Hale has been pretty restless for a while. He took on the Alpha position very young and has been waiting a very long time for his mate. He's a great leader and I'm honored he's our Alpha, but he's not always in control."
Before Annie could say anything, Lily joined the group with Cindy behind her. Cindy's smile brightened the moment she saw Annie.
"Oh, Annie! I'm so happy for you and my son!" Cindy exclaimed, rubbing her cheek against Annie's. "Where is Tristan anyway?"
"He had some work he needed to finish," Annie lied smoothly.
Thankfully, Cindy seemed to understand. "Alpha's and their pack duties," she said, rolling her eyes jokingly.
Cindy excused herself and left the group to join her mate. Lily turned to Annie.
"I'm so happy you're my sister-in-law," she said. "All I've ever had is Tristan. Not that I don't love him, but I don't really get to do girl things with him."
Annie didn't fathom how a cocky, temperamental Alpha could have such a sweet little sister.
Annie smiled at Lily. "I'm happy you're my sister-in-law, too."
Annie's wolf was restless. She had been calling out for her mate ever since he left. The wolf side of Annie wanted her mate, but the human side didn't mind him not being here at the moment.
It's been hours since Annie last saw Tristan. Lily and Tara kept Annie company, talking about the latest werewolf scandals and cheering Travis on as he played soccer with the other pups.
As the night settled, her wolf was getting more and more worried about their mate. Was he okay? Where did he run off? Was he in trouble?
Annie tried to shake the thoughts of her mate away by busying herself with mindless chatter amongst her new friends. Travis was off with his group of friends adventuring around the pack house.
"So how old are you, Annie?" The brunette, Rebecca, asked.
"Eighteen," Annie replied.
"A young wolf for a Luna," Lana noted, "but I have a feeling you'll do great."
It wasn't uncommon for a pack to have a young Luna. Most Alpha males find their mate between the time they shift and normally around twenty-five years old. Once they have found their mate, they became full Alpha and Luna together. If they are a young couple, they can choose to wait until they feel they are old enough to take on such a title and role. Alpha males don't normally become full Alpha until they have found their mate, but it has happened before when some are forced to become the Alpha because their current Alpha had fallen.
However, Tristan's father was still alive. Something must have happened for Tristan to take on the title so young.
"Already I feel this Luna pull towards you and you haven't even mated to the Alpha yet." Rebecca smiled.
"My mother was Luna of my pack." A somber look crossed Annie's face.
Rebecca realized what she said. "Oh, well... it suits you."
An uncomfortable silence hung over them, but it vanished as soon when Lily came over with a plate of chocolate, graham crackers, marshmallows, and metal sticks. All the girls roasted marshmallows and built s'mores.
As Annie looked around the group, she noticed how similar Lily's features were to her brother: tall, fit, and brown eyes and hair. Annie's mind was momentarily brought back to Tristan and how his brown eyes lit up like the stars on a clear night when he saw her for the first time. Annie's body shuddered.
"I'm going to head upstairs," Annie decided. "It was really nice meeting everyone here today."
The girls all said goodnight to Annie. As she was walking through the pack house, Annie could hear shouting voices. She kept hidden behind a wall
"I thought once he found his mate, Tristan would be himself again," Alpha Max grumbled. "Seeing as he hasn't, I don't know what we're going to do from here. Tristan is off God-knows-where and his mate is here mourning without her mate by her side. I did not raise my son this way."
A soft voice replied, "He's been through a lot, Max, you know that. The way he's treating his mate is not right, especially after what she's just been through, but I know our kind and caring son is in there somewhere. Just give it time."
Feeling as though she was intruding, Annie quickly and quietly left, retracing her steps back to the room Teddy and her were given.
In their bedroom, Annie found a pair of pajamas on the bed and changed into them. She rested on the bed and played with her necklace while she waited for her brother to come up.
When Teddy entered the room, he changed into his pajamas and told Annie all about the pack house.
"There's a gym, which has really cool weights and stuff - Jeffery was trying to lift them, but he couldn't! - and, oh, there's a game room on the second floor! You should've seen it! It's so cool!" Teddy said enthusiastically.
Annie was glad Teddy was having a good time, but the minute he stopped talking about his adventures with his new friends, desolation overcame him. Teddy told Annie the he missed his old friends and wished they were with him. He missed mom, dad, and Jasper, so much that he started to cry. Annie comforted him until he was asleep.
She was tossing and turning the rest of the night. Annie's mind kept thinking about the attack while her wolf kept thinking about their mate. When she had enough, Annie quietly left the room and ascended the flight of stairs. She followed her mate's scent to his room and didn't bother to knock on his door.
Annie knew he was awake. Annie looked into his room and saw Tristan lying awake in his bed.
Annie walked towards his bed and sat on the edge. Looking at him, she saw he was already looking at her. Tristan didn't say anything as Annie lay next to him. He pulled her closer to him and she hugged his torso.
As Annie fell asleep with her mate by her side, she let the tears fall down her cheeks.
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You're probably staring at the screen like this right now in shock and disbelief:
Yes, I actually updated!!!! lmao but I probably won't be posting for a while after this, and it's not because of procrastination. I have a life and school. I'm preparing to take the SAT and ACT soon, plus exams and semester finals are coming up. I really hope I'll be able to post something around New Year's for you guys, but I can't make any promises.
I'm happy I was able to update during the thanksgiving holiday, though! And a happy thanksgiving to all my fellow Americans! Hope you ate until you were in a food coma :)
I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who is sticking my this story. I know I only post once in a while, but I keep seeing my reads increasing everyday. It makes me so happy to know so many people want to read my story! Thank you so much!! I love you guys!! This is me right now:
Tell me what you thought about this chapter in the comments! The necklace above is the necklace Annie's mom gave her in the first chapter before Annie fled. You'll be meeting some new people soon in the coming chapters!
Love you guys and thank you so much,
Jackie exohexoh