Chapter 15
Amy's POV
Wiggling my toes, I felt the waves of terror drift away. The amber eyes, those of my mother's wolf who could have killed me, faded away until the light from the sun burned my eyes. Hissing, I turned over. My body aching and groaning in dispute of not having moved in such a long time.
"Amy?" A frail, quiet voice asked. The unsurity was alarming. I peeked out from between my pillows, to be greeted by my dearest friend, Merida. Her eyes were red and puffy, tears still staining her cheeks. She had dark circles under her eyes and she was as white as the cotton bed sheets beneath me.
"M-Merida?" I responded. My throat was dry and itchy; my voice hoarse from not having used it. She smiled sadly. She quickly dived on the bed, pulling me close to her. Her sweet perfume filled my senses and I could feel myself melting into her touch.
"I'm so happy you're back!" She exclaimed. I balled the back of her shirt in my fists as treacherous tears escaped and soiled the beautiful lilac silk of her blouse. "You were frozen in a state of fear and I thought you wouldn't recover. You fucking scared me half to death you silly cunt. I haven't slept in three days, I have barely even left your side for longer than five minutes. I thought you wouldn't come back." The crack in her voice told me she was crying too.
"Merida..." I began, choking back a sob and fighting back the harsh lump in my throat. "I'm sorry."
"No. Don't you dare apologize. We should have known you couldn't be alone like that. We should have stayed with you. Harry should have stayed all night, no matter how fucking hungry the bastard was. He shouldn't have left your damn side. The least he could have done was ask one of us to step in while he left."
"No. Don't blame Harry. We all thought I was getting better. I thought I was getting better. Things like this were bound to happen. I'm sorry I couldn't fight it in time. Harry was just a few seconds too late was all. I swear I am getting better. I'm lasting longer." I argued.
It was true that I had fallen in these states before. They were very frequent when I had first arrived. Some lasted a couple of hours, some lasted a few days. My father even admitted to me after my first shift that I was not in a coma. I was frozen in a state of pure, unadulterated fear from the attack.
That is why I can not be alone. That is why I need somebody with me when I sleep, somebody I trust. But I know that eventually, I will have to let them go and sleep by myself. It is just a case of preparing my body, and my mind, for that day.
Moments later, a very proud Will entered the room. A plate stacked high with pancakes in one hand, and sausages and bacon and toast in the other. Merida released me and helped me into a sitting position. He placed the plates down on the bed and I immediately tucked in. They smiled as I moaned my utmost gratitude.
The soft, pillow-like pancakes exploded sweetness in my mouth. I felt as though I were simply chewing on an intensely sensational cloud. The sausages were thick and juicy, the herbs complimented the powerful taste of the pork; just how I like them. But the pancakes, they were perfectly crispy and perfectly chewy in all the right places.
It was pure, explicit heaven. My taste buds were having an overload of different tastes and my mouth watered with satisfaction. Then I burped my thanks and we all exploded into a fit of raucous laughter.
Satisfied, they left me alone to shower while they too leave my room to go have their own breakfasts. The water ran down my body, unwinding every knot, soothing every muscle and massaged every ache in my body. I sighed in content.
I quickly dried myself off. I wanted to see Harry. Hurriedly, I threw on a pair of shorts and a shirt and dashed out of my room. Sprinting, I made my way downstairs and found Harry in the living room. His back was to me as he stared at the picture frames above the fireplace of us together.
"Harry!" I shrieked. I jumped into the air when he spun around and he caught me in his arms. Wrapping my legs around his torso, I snaked my arms around his neck as I hugged him to close to me. His hands gripping my thighs as he sniffed my neck and sighed in relief.
"Amy! You're awake. My little princess." He cooed into my neck. The vibration of his voice and his warm breath on my skin tickled me, causing a giggle to escape my lips. I froze when I heard a deep guttural growl coming from behind me.
Craning my neck, I saw a furious stranger staring at Harry and me; rage burned like fire in his eyes. I jumped down from Harry, fear wracked my body once again and I hid behind my big brother for protection against the scary men. Instantly, he stepped in front of me, holding my hands in his as he gave it a gentle reassuring squeeze which seemed to have angered the man even more.
"Mine." The stranger spat through gritted teeth. Harry looked down at me with wide questioning eyes. I was confused, I opened my mouth to ask Harry what was going and who was this man but he beat me to it.
"Amy?" He asked, his tone soft and gentle. The kind of tone you would use on a child when asking them if they had done something bad when you already know that they caused trouble.
"Who is he?" I asked, my voice trembling.
"It appears, that you're the mate of a lycan, princess," Harry informed. The man growled again. My eyes widened in surprise and I looked over at him. "Don't you feel the pull, princess?"
I looked him up and down. I did not know. I did not know how one knew if someone was their mate, their destined partner, their other half. I did not know how it felt when you found that one very special person. I shrugged my shoulders in response.
Pain flickered across the man's eyes as he fell to his knees. He looked distraught and hurt at my response. Tentatively, I pulled away from Harry and walked towards the man with cautious footsteps.
I crouched before him and looked into to his eyes. I felt drawn to his magnificent deep blue eyes. They reminded me of the depths of the ocean. His dark hair was the color of the darkest nights where stars did not glitter. His cheekbones were sharp and prominent. His chin was chiseled to perfection with a slight 5 o'clock shadow and I knew that he had not shaven in a few days. His muscles constricted against the tight, plain grey shirt he was wearing. His dark blue jeans complimented the length of his legs, even if he was on his knees.
Hopelessness filled those mesmerizing eyes. His body hunched over in defeat. My heart broke at the sight before me. I sniffed the air around him. He smelled like the forest; the trees, the musky earth. It whirled me into life. My wolf howled in content while my body became alight as though electricity buzzed through me deliciously.
Touching his cheek, intense tingles sparked across my palm and I immediately drew back my hand and stared at it. I looked back to him, those blue eyes stared at me back. A wisp of hope flashing through them.
"Mate?" I asked. Tasting the word on my tongue as though it were foreign, as though I had never heard the word before in my life. He nodded his head, confirming my question. Backing away, I rose to my feet. "I don't understand."
The remaining hope in those ocean eyes snapped. His persona melted away as he rose to his feet and turned away from me, causing a flash of pain to strike hard in my chest. Grasping at my shirt, I stared at him.
"I will make you recognize who I am." He whispered coldly. I flinched at his tone. "You will see, that I am yours, as you are mine." Leaving those words lingering in the air, he stormed through the crowd of people and left me - confused and mysteriously broken.
A part of me wanted to run after him and throw myself at him, to tell him I was sorry and give in to him. But another part of me screamed at me to stay away, that he was dangerous and should be avoided at all costs.
One spoke louder than the other and I was frozen in my place, bewildered at my conflicted emotions and thoughts over a stranger.
"Lycan?" I asked.
Beside me, Harry approached and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Yes. He's a Lycan." He confirmed. I sighed.
I brushed off his hand and walked back to my room. I felt empty. Why did he have to come now? Why, of all the people in the world, did it have to be him? Why did it have to be a Lycan?
Throwing myself onto my bed, I screamed into my pillow; releasing the frustration, the anger, the pain, the fear, the sadness. It all consumed my heart and I was left feeling confused and alone about the whole situation.
It was unfair. Completely unfair. When I had found out about mates, I cowered away in disgust. I did not want a mate, nor a boyfriend for that matter. I had run away from relationships my whole life. I did not care for them - especially now that I was a werewolf, my feelings towards relationships had amplified.
I was perfectly fine before him, and I will be perfectly fine without him. I do not need him to be a hero for me, to protect me, to love me unconditionally. I am better off without him.
I remembered what Merida had told me when she tried to explain the whole mate concept to me. One can accept or deny their mate. She even told me how one would go about rejecting a mate. Which is exactly what I plan to do.
With a sudden burst of determination, I swung my legs off the bed and launched to my door. Throwing the wooden door open, I slid down the banister of the stairs and ran to the patio. Sprinting onto the field in bare feet, I zeroed in on my target.
As the fire burned proudly in my heart, I stormed up to him. His eyes narrowed as he saw me approaching him. Poking my finger in his amazingly toned chest, I said, "You. Name. Now."
"Mike." He responded dryly.
"Mike what?" I ordered.
"Mike Payne."
"I, Amelia Collins, do reject-" I began. His hand covered my mouth as he scowled at me, immediately cutting me off.
"Don't. You. Dare." He seethed. "You are not going to reject me. I will not accept your rejection." Tingles danced along my skin where his hand touched me. Then he gripped my other arm and I could not fight back the moan that escaped me when the intensity of the tingles caused by his touch amplified dramatically. "See? Your body does recognize me as your mate. So why are you fighting me?" He asked gently.
His hand moved away from my mouth slowly, as though he were afraid I would continue with my rejection. But no words left my mouth, my mind was completely blank. I was battling the urge to jump in his arms, to feel him.
Suddenly, he pulled me into him. Upon reflex, my arms wrapped around his strong torso as my face made contact with his chest. My body became alight with fireworks. He deeply inhaled the scent of my hair, and I will admit, I too inhaled the scent of him.
My knees became weak as I purred in delight at his scent. I snuggled in closer to him. Wanting more. Needing more. Before I could even comprehend what was happening, I muttered "mine" into his chest. It was not until he repeated the same word had I realized what I had just done.
As though ice water had been poured over me, I pushed him away with all my might. Alarmed, I ran away back to my room and locked the door. Panting hard, I slid down the door and berated myself for allowing that to happen.
Even more so, I have officially announced that I recognize him as my mate.
I'm really sorry I didn't post last week guys. I was mega busy and got into an awful argument so my spirits have been low as of late.
To make it up to you all I am giving you TWO updates this week. Yes you heard that right, TWO updates.
Also, my fellow Stitch lovers (as in the furry blue character) I have news. PRIMARK IS SELLING STITCH SHORTS SO GET YOUR ASSES DOWN THERE!
As per usual, if you're enjoying the story so far please don't forget to:
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See you next week my little doves.
XOXO