Kaelon
The scenery around me was a blur as I rushed around trees and jumped off large boulders. My fur tossed around as the cool breeze blew on me. I seemed to know where to go in this endless forest.
I stopped by a river to drink the flowing water when her scent reached my nose. I immediately perked up. I sniffed the air for traces of her sweet jasmine perfume calling me to her.
I took a few steps forward into a clearing that had just appeared. I was now in my human form.
'Kaelon,' I heard her call from behind me. I turned around, only to see a ghostly white breeze floating away. I know it's her.
I tried to catch the mist with my hands, but it disappeared before I could, dissolving into the air.
'Find me, Kaelon.' Her soft sweet voice whispered into my ear. I swung around faster, trying to get a glimpse of her only to find myself in front of a very old, rustic cabin.
Snow laid evenly on the cabin's roof and ice covered the glass windows. I noticed that the trees around me were bright green and the sun was still shining brightly. Where did this snow come from? I asked myself.
I stepped forward, keeping my eyes on the door. I pushed it open and stepped in.
The cabin was large and warm. Fires lit the wall as people around me danced and ate. It was a celebration.
In the corner of my eye, I saw her running away as her raven locks floated behind her. I rush to follow her, her sweet jasmine scent pulling me in.
No matter how fast I ran, I could never catch up.
"Stop," I ordered as she drifted through an open wooden door, closing it behind her. I ran over before trying to push the door open, getting more and more desperate as her scent started to fade away.
Soon she was gone.
I lowered my head against the frame just as my eyes focused on the intricate patterns carved into the wood. I lifted my head again to study them.
I've seen these carvings before I said to myself. I took a step back in shock once I realised where I was.
My eyes darted open, pulling me from my vivid dream. I scrambled out of bed and ran out of my room and into the hall.
There, in front of me, stood the wooden door I saw in my dreams with its intricate carvings. I opened it. The feeling of disappointment and anger washed over me in a massive tidal wave once I realised nobody was there.
"What is it, Kaelon?" I heard Zoron, my first commander, yell from behind. "Is it a security breach?"
"Should I sound the alarm?" I heard Edrik, my second commander, yell next as they ran behind me and look over my shoulder.
I slam the door shut with more force than I should have. "It's nothing," I tell them pushing down my emotions. "I thought someone was there."
Edrik's eyebrows furrowed. "No one has stayed in that room for years." He paused. "Who did you think was there?"
"Leave it," I tell him. "I'm sorry for waking the two of you up."
"Don't worry about it," Zoron replied, "the sun is starting to come up anyway."
I ignored his reply before I pushed past my two commanders and entered my bedroom. I sat on the edge of the bed, feeling empty inside.
The Goddess has taunted me with scattered dreams of my mate for eight years now. As Alpha, my connection with her was stronger than anyone in the pack. I see her symbols when others don't, guiding me to do her bidding.
I have done everything she has asked of me. I have united more than half my pack with their mate, yet she has given me no other clue of who mine was other than her distinctive sweet jasmine scent and her raven black hair.
I let out a snarl of frustration.
Getting up, I washed my face and got changed. I needed to travel to The Great Hall today with warriors from the Northern Tribe.
My foul mood was lifted by the time we stepped foot in Terra Nullius territory. We had been greeted by a priest at the territory line and asked to quickly ready ourselves for the ceremony.
Once we changed and freshened up, he escorted us to our assigned huts and then into the Great Hall.
Alpha Thomas arrived shortly after with his female warriors trailing behind him in perfect unison.
The ceremony has started.
As the doors of The Great Hall closed, the scent of my mate weaved its way up my nose. Her scent was strong and clear, filling up the room, stroking the wolf inside me.
She was here.
But where?
There were too many unfamiliar wolves gathered too close to know.
My eyes darted around the room, glancing at every unfamiliar female with dark hair. My wolf's agitation grew with every passing minute, making it harder to stand in place.
"It is time for the inspection," a Priestess yells, pulling my attention back onto the ceremony.
Trying not to look agitated, I walk slowly towards the first female offered. I scanned her face and arms for deep looking scars before I take her hand and feel her bones.
I move on to the next female, inspecting each person faster than the last until I stopped at the last female.
I noticed right away that her hair is raven black and instinctively take her hand.
Bliss, pure bliss.
That was what I felt when her skin touched mine. I melted slightly into her hand as my agitation leaves my body.
I see her jump once she realised I'm in front of her. Her bright brown eyes meet mine for a second before she looked away. My wolf howled inside me feeling a little rejected.
How can she not feel this?
I traced the scars on her arms, taking my time to notice each one. She's a good fighter I said to myself, feeling proud.
I gently massaged her hands, softly testing her, but I don't see any sign of her cracking, or responding to my touch at all. I put her hand down.
My face morphed into a soft frown as my eyes gazed down on her. Is it really her? I found myself asking, starting to feel unsure.
I keep cool as I took a lock of her raven hair and lifted it to my nose. I took one deep breath, making sure her scent was the same as that woman in my dreams.
It was.
Forcing myself to leave her side, I took my place on the side.
"Alphas, before the fight begins, I need to ask you, are you both satisfied with the females brought to you today?" The Priestess announced.
I give her a nod. I was definitely satisfied with my warrior mate.
The Priestess moved onto the next part of her speech before the fighting begins.
My eyes stayed glued on my mate although I did glance at other pairs every now and then. I watched as she took calculated movements to attack and defend herself.
I watched as the sharp end of Kira's spear falls to the floor before she picks it up and throws it at my mate's shoulder causing a deep wound. My mate doesn't flinch.
My stomach turns inside out as a daunting feeling slowly rises inside me. Something was wrong. Warrior or not, she should've at least finched. Pain was, after all, pain.
I turned to the wooden box that I kept the initiation necklaces in and unconsciously took out two before closing the lid.
I was about to open the box again when the purple gemstone necklace that I wore grew hot, burning the skin around it's resting place.
Quickly, I pulled it from my neck, releasing the pins that held the silver metal strands together. I briskly rubbed my thumb over the gem. It was cold now.
I played with gemstone, rolling it between my fingers when a symbol appeared. I held the gemstone up. The Goddess symbol. Instinctively, I knew exactly who she wanted me to give it to.
The Priestess finally announced the next step. I quickly checked the wounds of each warrior from Fucus before choosing the two who had the least. I presented them with her necklaces, then quickly moved onto my mate.
Her face was blank as she stared off into the distance like a toy soldier. I looked at her bleeding shoulder. It will heal.
Placing my hand on her chin, I lifted her face so that her eyes met mine. I lingered on her eyes more than I should have as I looped my purple gemstone necklace around her petite neck.
I forced myself to leave her side once more.
The Priestess ended the ceremony, causing the wolves on the sideline to rush to the warriors in the middle.
I lost sight of my mate as Alpha Thomas approached me, blocking my view. He held out his hand for me to shake.
"Thank you for bringing in such graceful warriors," he said. "I have a feeling the Goddess will be very pleased with us."
"Indeed," I replied, thinking about my mate.
Throughout the rest of the day, I watched my mate from a distance. She was vibrant, chatty, and perfect in every way, yet her lack of displaying their emotions other than the usual 'happy', 'sad' and 'angry' troubled me deep inside. Could this be why she doesn't feel me around her?
When the time came for the feast, I made sure to keep an eye on her. She had been enjoying the different types of meat that had been prepared. I smile as I watched her gobble down pieces of pork belly and fish.
I started to relax when the feast began to come to an end. I turn back to where my mate sat only to find out that she had snuck away. Although I believed she could handle any male who attempted to mate with her without the goddess's blessing, I left to find her just in case.
Keeping a tight leash on my wolf, I transformed to move around silently. I tracked her down easily and watched from the shadows. I can tell she is tracking that Fucus male.
The possibility that he was her brother had crossed my mind, but they shared very little similarities, enough to make me question if they were related.
Before I can stop, I emitted a low growl.
I back away from her, watching for her reaction, but it doesn't come. It's like she didn't know I was here.
I ran up ahead of her and peeked out from behind a large tree, testing out my theory.
She jumped when she sees my glowing eyes. She's playing a dangerous game tracking like that. She quickly kneeled.
I transformed back into my human form so I can make my introduction. Alpha Thomas had already given me her name during the feast. I placed my hand under her chin, causing small amounts of electricity to move around my body. I lift her up from her position.
"Alpha Thomas had told me that your name is Edrei," I told her. "We have not properly introduced ourselves yet. You may call my Kaelon."
Edrei bowed once I finished. "It's an honour to be selected into your pack," she replied, keeping her tone steady.
It was now obvious that she had been moulded into the perfect warrior her whole life. Her tone and lack of expression made her seem emotionless and mechanical. She was the perfect warrior and my wolf was not happy about it.
I smelt the male before I saw him come out from behind the tree. He greeted me with a kneel. I quickly acknowledged him before hesitatingly leaving the two alone.
I didn't care how hard he fights tomorrow, there was no way he was coming with us.
——
The journey back to Orion filled me with joy. The closer we got to home, the more confident I was that these past few days were not a dream.
I breathed a sigh of relief once we arrived home. Zoron and Edrik helped settle in the new members of the pack in the guest rooms before they met me in the study.
"Are you fucking crazy?" Zoron yelled accusingly. "You made someone with barely any experience a commander? What the hell were you thinking?"
I let him take out his frustrations as I walked to my large Oakwood desk. I unlocked the top drawer before pulling out the spare purple gemstone necklace and looped it over my head.
"I have to agree with Zoron," Edrik chimed in. "Not only because of her experience but also because of the gossip that will be circulated around the pack. I mean for fuck's sake, Kaelon, you have warriors here who have more experience than her!"
"Enough!" I growled before taking in a breath to calm the beast inside me down. "She's my mate."
Edrik threw his hands up in the air. "And you acknowledged her by making her a commander? It's like you want her to die in our next war or something."
"Of course I don't!" I spat back. "The Goddess wanted her to have it. The necklace burned me." I pulled down my shirt to show them the small circular burn just below my collarbone. "Then I just knew what I needed to do."
Zoron's eyebrows furrowed. "Why did the Goddess want her to have it?"
"I don't know, but it has to have something to do with Edrei not reacting to my presence as her mate."
Edrik's eyes widened. "You mean she doesn't know you're her mate? That's rough man."
I looked at him. "I need you to talk to your grandmother tomorrow. She might know why," I ordered Edrik.
"He doesn't need to," Zoron cut in. He took a deep breath. "I know why Edrei is like this, and I know how to fix it."
"How?"
"You won't like it," he replied sombrely.
I was willing to do whatever it took. For the Goddess, for myself, and especially for Edrei.
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