"No fucking way."
I stood awkwardly by the door, watching as Thea and Damien fought. The morning had been swept away, courtesy of my ability—or a lack thereof—to rouse. It was Thea who'd woken me at one in the afternoon, grinning about the tour she'd promised.
Needless to say that the Alpha was not nearly as enthusiastic about her proposition.
"Why not?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest. "She deserves to see the grounds, Damien!"
I raised my brows and gazed out of the window, mentally willing myself out of the room. Things were starting to get heated and I could do nothing but linger by the door, muscles seized by a corporal fear. I hated confrontation— especially when I was merely witness to it.
"I think you're forgetting the fact that she's a Huntress, Thea!" when she made a move to object the Alpha held up a hand, closing his eyes. "Granted, she isn't one anymore, but that doesn't mean that she can be trusted."
Thea shook her head. "You know what my Uncle was. Does that mean I can't be trusted?"
"That's different—"
"The only thing that's different here is that you're being an inconsiderate asshole!"
Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit—
Damien sighed. "Must you be like this?"
"Yes." Thea said firmly.
The two stared at each other for what felt like aeons, willing the other to back down. Eventually, the fire in Damien's eyes died and he slumped in defeat. I straightened, eyes widening with disbelief, as the infamous Alpha gritted his teeth and nodded.
"Fine." he choked out. "But Alex will accompany you."
Thea rolled her eyes. "We're not children, Damien."
He arched an eyebrow. "That's debatable."
Thea looked as if she was about to launch herself at him so I cleared my throat. When the pair looked at me, features still hard from their confrontation, I awkwardly raised my hand in a half-wave.
"If it's a problem, then—"
"It isn't." Thea said, just before Damien could open his mouth. "Why don't you call Alex over?"
Damien's silver eyes blazed momentarily and I flinched, blood curdling at the sight. The mind link. His pupils dilated and his features, for just a second, lost their usual hardness and melted into a soft expression.
I looked at Thea in disbelief and, by the time I'd switched my gaze back to Damien, his eyes had lost their ethereal spark. "He's coming." he said.
"—And this is the forest, where I lost my watch—"
Thea looked over at me, rolling her eyes. Alex, upon leading us outside, had abandoned his role as our guard and decided to man the tour instead. He'd led us through each individual room—pausing at Damien and Thea's to waggle his eyebrows at his Luna—and proceeded to take us outside.
"No one cares how you lost your watch!" Thea exploded, exasperated.
Alex whirled around, placing a hand over his heart. "Goodness, T, you wound me!"
She ran a hand through her hair. "I'll really be wounding you in a minute."
I couldn't help it. The look on Alex's face—true, unparalleled shock—was enough to send me into a fit of hysterics. A soft giggle tumbled from my lips. And then, just as I began wildly grasping for some semblance of control, another peal of laughter wracked my form. Soon I was crouched on the floor, shrieks catching in my throat and eyes filled with tears. Thea and Alex shared a look.
"Fucking hell," the Beta deadpanned, brows raised. "Is she having a stroke?"
Somehow, through my wide smile, a few choked words managed to tumble from my lips. "Nope. It's just...f-funny."
After a few moments of stifling the uncontrollable giggles I righted myself, lips involuntarily twitching upwards into a grin. Alex looked at Thea triumphantly.
"See?" he said, pointing at me, "people do think I'm funny!"
Thea grasped my arm. I looked up at her, frowning in confusion, though my countenance twisted into a knowing smile as I noted the mischievous glint in her eyes. Let's get rid of him—that's what she seemed to be saying.
"Damien just mind linked me," Thea said, her voice as calm as ever. "He says that you're needed, Alex."
He frowned. "What for?"
"Um...something to do with...yes, well...the fact you missed your patrol on Thursday?"
I looked at Thea. Judging by the expression on her face and the slight question in her voice, it appeared that she had precisely no fucking idea what she was talking about. But still, by some strange miracle, Alex balked.
"He knows about that?" Alex asked, to which Thea nodded unsurely. "Fuck. It was one time, okay? One time! And the only reason I missed my shift was because the Bachelor was on, and the drama is fucking real on that show—"
Thea drew a shaky breath, as if she herself was gripping on to the last remnants of control. "Don't explain yourself to us, Alex. Go say all of this to the angry Alpha waiting inside."
Alex huffed. Something sparked in his eyes—whether it was fear or anger I couldn't tell, for he swiftly spun on his heels and made his way towards the door. He reminded me of Ares, albeit for the slight differences in species and ideals. He was fiercely loyal yet funny and relaxed, too. Watching him retreat was almost like seeing my best friend slip away, bleeding into nothingness. My heart ached.
"C'mon.' Thea whispered, pulling on my arm. "Let me give you a proper tour of the forest—Thea style."
After a moment my muscles relaxed on their own accord. I allowed her to tug me further into the dense copses for fear of what would happen if I objected- I hadn't known the Luna for long, but we were close enough for me to recognise that she was not to be defied. I envied her. I was jealous of her unfaltering strength.
"Run, Isa!" she squealed, nervously throwing glances at the pack house. "C'mon!"
Part of me murmured that this was wrong, that Thea was a werewolf and would kill me at the first opportunity that presented itself. Another part whispered that the Alpha would be furious.
But my heart screamed that this was totally, undeniably, right.
So I ran, stumbling and laughing as I went.
There was something wonderful about the woods. My father had never let me out of the borders of my tiny world, stating that the trees held secrets—secrets that would kill us, should we venture too deep. I agreed, to an extent—the thick branches that tangled above us in a dense canopy had witnessed all that had transpired beneath them, seeing but never telling. Yet as I flew through the thick foliage, I felt free. Unbound and unbidden, obligated to do nothing but live. The ancient willows and spruces stood watch like careful guardsmen, marking my path.
The air whipped past me as I ran and it seemed to me that the frigid gales were the horrors of my past. As I bolted they sluiced my form as water does a duck's back— quickly and carelessly, with only a thin residue clinging to my skin.
A grin tugged at my lips. I picked up the pace, matching and eventually surpassing a shrieking Thea, and revelled in the familiar ache of oxygen-stripped lungs. There was something brilliant in the breathlessness of it all— the dizzying lack of oxygen saw me lose all sense of dignity and I ran without thought, throwing my arms out and absorbing the greens and browns of the forest as a smothering blur. The pain, I'd been taught, was merely a reminder that I was living.
"WATCH OUT—"
Before I knew it Thea had barrelled into me, sending me sprawling on the floor. I wheezed, turning onto my side.
"Christ," I choked, shakily rising. "What the hell have you been eating?!"
Thea, who was still rolling around on the floor, didn't get a chance to speak.
"Damien's dick?"
I shrieked, throwing myself away from the intruder. After a moment I looked up, chest heaving. Alex was stood just metres away, arms folded across his chest. Both Thea and I winced.
"Damien needs you both back at the pack house." he said stiffly, tilting his head in the direction of the faraway building.
He started marching away. Thea and I shared a furtive look before trailing behind him, sensing his inward anger.
After a few moments of silence, Thea spoke. "We're sorry for tricking you, Alex."
He didn't respond at first. I wrung my hands together, suffocated by the palpable tension. And then he whirled around, grinning widely.
"HA, BITCHES!" he shouted, knocking me into stunned silence. "I got'chu good!"
Thea blinked rapidly. "So...you're not angry?"
He shook his head. "No, but Damien is. She's a Huntress, remember? Running into the forest like that was careless."
"Damien is always angry." Thea said sullenly, kicking the upturned soil. "Why should I care?"
Alex shook his head. From behind him I couldn't see his face but I knew his cheshire-cat grin would still be intact.
We emerged from the forest to a hubbub of commotion.
On impulse my hands curled into fists. A coldness that I rarely tended sprang forward, freezing my emotionless facade in place. It urged my limbs into action and soon I was pushing through the crowd, body singing with power.
Danger, it warned. We're in danger.
Thea wasn't far behind. I felt her hand on my arm and stray, unbidden locks of her hair colliding with my shoulder blades. With her help I managed to manoeuvre myself through the heaving throngs, blood burning with anxiety.
And then I saw him.
Alpha Damien was beside him, attempting conversation. Two men stood watch a matter of yards away, both donning cool facades. My mark sprang to life, as if trying desperately to gain his attention.
I tugged hopelessly at Thea's arm, heart hammering. I knew it was him, even before he looked at me. I felt sick. Very, very sick. I felt the panic swirl in the pits of my stomach, churning what little food I'd eaten into a dense mass. I gulped loudly and placed a hand on my heart, scared that it'd jump out of my chest if it continued to beat so quickly.
And then, as if attuned to the thumping cadence, he turned around and looked at me.
To say I was scared would be an understatement.
Who wouldn't be? This was my fate, encompassed in one body and one soul. The man who stood before me, dark haired and eminently beautiful, was my salvation and my damnation all at once. I felt the bond flood the expanse between us—crescendoing and diminuendoing, thrumming like a fatal piece of artistry. In those few silent seconds the mark on my shoulder burst into life, sweating and buzzing and thumping.
His eyes roamed my face, my body and my soul, and despite the distance separating us his gaze was like a caress. It slid over my skin, hot and searching and scouring, and the receptors beneath my flesh responded in fervour, their beat a thumping cadence. He was mine, and I was his. I knew, in that moment, that the planes of my mind were no longer bequeathed only to me but also to him. I was a territory, boundless and bare, and he had claimed me, rewriting the fables of my thoughts in the colours of our intertwined fates.
Soon, yet not quite soon enough, he covered the distance between us in three large strides, twining bands of muscle rippling with each step. After a moment, my gaze reluctantly slid from the floor to rest upon his face. His eyes, as dark and mysterious as the midnight sea, bored into mine.
"Mate."
The word, spoken with such reverence that my heartbeat seemed to falter, woke me from my male-induced stupor. I stumbled backwards, eyes widening with realisation, and did the only logical thing—
I ran.
A/N: A bit of a short and choppy chapter, but I think it's fair to say that it's a pretty important one!
So our lil' Isa bean has finally met her mate. And she ran.
Kudos, Isa. Kudos to you.
QUESTION FOR TODAY: The city 🏙 or the countryside 🏞? I live in the countryside- my town is pretty rural and quaint- but I prefer the city.