Marcus's POV
My office door opened, revealing Noah, Brett and Cody. I frowned for a second, then remembered that Cody had a spare key. They sat down in front of the desk, the chairs creaking under their huge bodies.
"Right, we need to figure out what's going on with these rouges." I said. They nodded and Cody lent forward to rest his arms on his legs.
"What do we know?" He asked, frowning.
"They're the last rouge pack we haven't defeated. They're a lot stronger than the others, with almost as many members as we have. They've been threatening to attack for months, but they've suddenly stopped." I informed them, rubbing my temples to soothe my quickly forming headache.
"Why would they stop?" Noah asked, "Are they going to attack soon?"
"I don't know. We've given them no new reason to and our sources say they haven't brought more members in. We could still defeat them if they did attack, but with heavy casualties." I said, looking at Noah who was frowning. It hit me suddenly, that the man sitting opposite me was in a way my equal. He had Alpha blood and was practically the same size, yet was sitting on the other side of the table following orders. I wondered, suddenly, why he was doing that.
"Maybe they want to surprise us. Attack in the middle of the night, with no warning." He said, looking thoughtful.
"That's always an option, but we've doubled patrols. There's no way that they would get in, even if they tried." I replied, sighing.
"Do we attack them before they get us?" Brett suddenly asked, leaning back on his chair. I shook my head.
"No, that might get other packs involved. We want to keep this fight as small as possible." I said, realizing how complicated things were becoming. We had no idea what they were planning, and with no new threats, there was nothing to give away their next moves. "We just need to stay alert. Leave no area unprotected, twenty-four hour patrols and full day training."
We were cut off by Annabelle's screams. Her tortured screams rolled down the stairs, through the cracks in the floor boards and filling the room like a disease. I stood up quickly, motioning for the others to stay there.
"I'll be back in a minute." I called, already half way up the stairs. I threw open Annabelle's door, rushing over to her bed. Her head was clasped between her hands, her shaking form curled into a tiny ball.
"Annabelle. Wake up!" I yelled over her screaming, shaking her gently. Her eyes flew open, crazed eyes darting around the room. I pulled her onto my lap, rocking her while she sobbed into my shoulder.
"It's OK. You're safe." I whispered into her hair. Her grip around my neck tightened but her sobs slowed. "I'm here. You're safe."
"It was Joey," She sobbed, "He won't get out of my head and I-" She cut off, burying her head back into my shirt. Her skin felt hot against my own. Pure, white hot rage filled my being. The need to kill the two men responsible for this was so powerful, it shocked me.
"He's not here, you're OK." I whispered, desperately trying to comfort her.
"He is." She sobbed, "He's always here."
"Come on, get back into bed." I instructed softly, helping her back between the sheets.
"Please don't go, Marcus." She begged, clinging to my hand.
"I have to. We're having a meeting, but I promise that I'll come back when they're gone." I told her, slowly moving over to the door. She looked heartbroken, but nodded anyway. I shot her an apologetic smile, then headed back downstairs.
"Dude, what the fuck was that?" Cody asked when I came back into the office.
"Nothing." I said, sitting down. Brett and Cody didn't look convinced, but Noah had a knowning look in his eyes.
"She OK?" His voice was stable, despite the shaking of his hands. I nodded without commenting, then dove straight back into the meeting.
My mind was back on Annabelle though. My wolf was howling, enraged that we'd left our mate. I needed to finish the meeting though. With such a large territory, I needed to make sure everything was running smoothly, especially since there was the threat of an invasion.
We finished quickly, the atmosphere suddenly tense. No one mentioned the wet patch on my shoulder where Annabelle's tears had stained the fabric. I practically shoved them all out the door then raced upstairs.
Shouldering the door open, I saw Annabelle was lying on her back with her hands folded on her stomach. I lay down next to her, our shoulders brushing.
"You still have your jeans on." She commented, turning to smile at me, "That doesn't seem very comfortable."
"I didn't want to keep you waiting too much longer." I replied, returning her smile.
"I wouldn't mind." Her quiet voice seemed a million miles away. Her room was dark, but just light enough to see. There was a peaceful silence that wrapped around us like a cocoon.
"I have a better idea." I stood up and slid my jeans and T-shirt off so I was just wearing my boxers. A small part of my said this was a bad idea, but a bigger part couldn't stand to be away from our mate for long.
"I'm impressed. Usually when guys say they have an idea it goes horribly wrong." She teased. I sat back on the bed, leaning against the head board. She snuggled against me, her head resting on my chest.
"You're getting awfully sassy." I observed with a grin. She laughed, her little body shaking next to mine. I couldn't help but kiss her soft lips that were pulled back into a small smile. I only meant for it to be a simple kiss, but I couldn't pull away.
My hands ran up her bare legs and over her waist, which was covered by a thin T-shirt. I gripped her hips and pulled her onto my lap so we were eye level. Her dark eyes stared into mine, her pupils dilated.
I took a handful of her shirt, slowly dragging it up while keeping my eyes connected to hers. She didn't pull away and allowed me to pull it off, leaving her in her panties. My eyes wandered down her body. She was skinny, with only a thin layer of fat over her bones. Pale scars littered her body, some paper thin and others like a knife had slashed at her skin. A large set of teeth marks curved around her belly button, starting under her left breast and finishing at her hip bone.
But she was beautiful. In her own, imperfect way she was beautiful. Her long hair ended at her waist and was the color of summer clouds. Her curious brown eyes were layered with gold, green and black.
I couldn't keep the smile off my face. I don't remember the last time I had smiled like that. It was an uncontrollable thing, being this happy. You could try to fight the smile, swallow it and pretend it didn't exist, but that would be useless. It was an invisible force, pulling both sides of my mouth up.
It broadened when Annabelle returned it. Her beautiful face transformed completely. Two perfectly formed dimples appeared on her rosy cheeks, her pink lips spread like the first curve of the sun over the horizon, slowly widening and covering everyone that can see it in light.
"Tell me to stop and I will." I whispered, looking deep into her eyes.
Annabelle's POV
I looked back into his eyes and said nothing. My love for him had never been stronger and I wanted him in anyway possible.
But then the memories came back, hitting me like a tidal wave. Joey's phone call. The feeling of being watched.
'You've only got three days left.' The little voice in my head nagged. 'Don't let these stupid thoughts stop you.' I swallowed, knowing it was true.
I lent down, pressing his lips to mine. They were slightly dry, but I dampened them by brushing my tongue over them. He moaned into my mouth, holding my hips tightly. My hands went to his chest, feeling the muscle that rippled underneath my fingertips.
His mouth slid over my neck, leaving a trail of wet kisses down my throat and in between my breasts. I moaned onto the top of his head, gripping his shoulders as a surge of passion tore through my body. Every nerve ending was alight, sparks bursting from his skin onto mine. He moved us, so I was underneath his huge body.
That gorgeous smile was still playing at his lips, producing a little dimple on his right cheek. His usually blue eyes were black with lust and searching my body hungrily. His hair was ruffled and falling into his eyes, so I brushed it away with a caress like kiss.
His lips found mine again, and didn't leave them until the early hours of the next day when I was draped over his body lazily. His heavy breathing indicated that he was still asleep, even though it was at least mid-day. Soft sunlight was shining through the cracks between the curtain and the wall, highlighting all the different shades of blond in his hair.
His eyelashes were longer than I expected, brushing over the skin under his eyes. The rough stubble on his face had grown slightly longer, the brittle hairs rough against my chest, where his head was resting.
A tear swelled in my closed eyelid, rolling down the scars on my face like a river in a valley. I felt like a child, but I couldn't keep one thought out of my head.
'I don't want to leave him.' I almost wailed, never wanting to let Marcus go. But I knew I had to. I need to keep everyone safe. My thoughts went back to the girls night, that seemed like a lifetime ago.
"OK, guys. I have something I want to tell you both." Cece announced, flicking the movie off.
"What?" Maria and I asked in unison, interest sparking in my stomach.
"Cody and I are thinking of having a baby." She squealed. For a moment we were silent, then Maria screamed like she'd just seen someone get gut stabbed and wrapped Cece in a bear hug. I laughed and joined in, the girls happiness contagious.
I can't let that poor unborn baby never happen because I'm too selfish to let Marcus go. He'll find his second chance mate and soon forget about me.
The sadness in my heart was sickening. The feeling spread through my veins like a drug, slowly taking over. I decided then what I was going to do. I was going to love Marcus in the short time I had him, make up with Noah and make sure that Cece and Maria knew how much they meant to me.
I was just beginning to doze off again when a there was a crash downstairs. My whole body jolted, waking Marcus up. He looked around, confused for a moment.
"There's someone downstairs-" I started but was cut off by the bedroom door flying open. I screamed, grabbing onto Marcus's arm.
"Noah is gonna be so pissed." Cody commented, leaning against the door frame. I pulled the covers up, even though he couldn't see me due to Marcus's arm on my waist.
"Dude, can you get the fuck out of my house?" Marcus complained, laying back on the pillows.
"Nope, it's two o'clock in the afternoon. You've missed loads of training, Mr Alpha." He mimicked a teacher, or a mother while edging towards the window. I frowned for a moment before realizing what he was doing.
"Cody-" I yelled, but was cut off then he threw the curtains open and let the blinding afternoon sun hit us square in the face.
"CODY!" Marcus roared, covering his eyes with his hand. Cody's head bowed a little bit under Marcus's Alpha tone, but he kept his annoying grin as he skipped out the room.
"If you're not in training in one hour, I'm telling Noah!" He called before slamming the door behind him. I was out of the bed before Marcus could even blink.
"Calm down," Marcus yawned, "Noah will just have to deal with it."
I glared at Marcus half way through pulling my underwear back on, "Yeah, but he'll probably punch you in the face and I really don't wanna see him getting beaten up."
Marcus groaned and heaved himself out of bed, distracting me from the current predicament. His huge shoulders were covered in bulging muscles, his gigantic arms rippling as the perfectly formed tendons curved around each other. His chiseled chest and stomach were covered in a smooth layer of tanned skin, with a trail of light blond hair starting at his belly button and trailing downwards and disappearing into his boxers.
"It's good to know you care so much about me. Him punching me in the face could really hurt..." He grumbled, pulling a clean shirt on. I blinked, snapping myself out of my daze and grinned. Standing on my toes, I gave him a quick peck on the lips.
"Poor baby." I cooed, patting his cheek affectionately. He smiled down at me, the breath from my lungs getting caught in my throat. Kissing his dimple gently, I squeezed his hand and left the room, a happy smile etched onto my face.
So it finally happened!! Things are gonna get dramatic pretty soon :P Thanks for reading!