Lauren's POV
"They found it." I huffed as I dropped down on the tree branch.
"Who found what?" Ally raised a brow in question as she balanced along the branch before walking up the trunk.
"The wolves found that stupid contract," I grumbled but I knew she heard me from the way she stopped and let her head hang so she was looking at me upside down.
"The one you drafted to make that girl void from the treaty?"
I nodded, and she frowned as she turned and walked back down the trunk and along he branch towards me, eventually sitting beside me.
"It was missing from the cellar when I went down there this morning to revise it and so I sent a scout out to try and find whoever had taken it. They stumbled upon an unplanned council being held by the wolves. It turns out they had it and have put in place some sort of agreement for discreet, around the clock 'protection' of Y/n."
"So they know of your intentions with her?"
This is why I talk to Ally about things like this. She's the most level headed of us all, and she brings up intelligent points vs Dinah or Normani who would likely just call me 'a fucking dumb bitch', as they have before, and hunt Y/n down.
"I don't know of my intentions with her," I pointed out and heard her sigh, "but I know what my intentions would be if I had an ounce less control."
My cuspids grew slightly as if to emphasise my point, but shrunk back into my gums when I noticed they had and ran my tongue along them.
"I've read about something like this." Ally spoke, and I turned to watch the water of the stream below rush by as I listened intently, "I may be entirely wrong, but have you heard of bonding?"
"'Bonding'?" I repeated, and she chuckled slightly.
"I'll take that as a no. Basically, some of our kind will make a bond with someone, be them like us or... not. It can make it harder for us to resist them, but they're supposed to be like 'soulmates'-"
"Don't be ridiculous. She probably just has, like, a really rare blood type or something. Plus I already am suffering from my condition, which amplifies their smell and my cravings. She just smells... really delicious. That's all." I rambled on quickly, not wanting to believe for a second what Ally was saying. Yes, I'd heard of it before. It took a little jog of my memory but yes, I definitely had. And I didn't believe it.
Just thinking about y/n made me hungry though, and so I hopped off of the branch and started heading towards the house.
"Where are you going?" Ally called out from behind me and I heard a gentle thud as she landed on the ground.
"I'm starved," I called back and then picked up the pace so it took just a few seconds to get back to the house and into the cellar.
Opening the chest on the far wall, I sighed at the sight of only one more measly blood bag sitting at the bottom. I'd have to go hunting tonight, something I hate that I enjoy. Today I hated it even more though because I wasn't supposed to need this. By this last bag I was supposed to be healed, meaning it's mostly animal and wouldn't quench the hunger that had risen just from my conversation with Ally and throughout the day.
"Last one, huh?" Ally asked as she peered over my shoulder, having to stand on her toes to do so, "Don't worry, I'll come with you tonight."
I grinned slightly at the promise and reached down to take the bag, looking it over for a few seconds before closing the heavy-looking chest lid and turning to face Ally only to see she had already left.
Damn her and her silent footsteps.
Carefully, I moved the bag around a little and watched as small bubbles formed and the contents swirled around.
At least I decided to treat myself to deer, I thought and slightly squeezed the bag in a way that'd allow me to sink my teeth into it and not drink from the nozzle. We had too many blood bags anyway, it didn't matter if I broke this one, and it always tastes better to drink it this way, or to me at least.
That was a mistake, though, because as soon as I did just that, images of the bag being replaced with her pulsing wrist flooded my vision. I should've pulled the bag away, gotten some fresh air, told someone about it, but I didn't do any of those things. I felt my pupils dilate, canine teeth elongate, fingers grasp desperately at the plastic between them as the lukewarm temperature of the red liquid inside spread through every inch of my body but left a burning feeling behind, and I savoured it.
I relished in the feeling when I should've stopped right away.
I'd gone back to square one.