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I never knew anybody 'til I knew you
I never knew anybody 'til I knew you
And I know when it rains, oh, it pours
And I know I was born to be yours
Kygo & Imagine Dragons
Valerie
I woke up the next day to find Alaric still fast asleep beside me. He was laid flat on his stomach, his face turned to face me, his heavy arm was slung over my waist. Heat radiated from Alaric, warming me up. Just like any other wolf, Alaric's body heat was like an oven; no wonder he slept shirtless with only a pair of shorts on. Often during the night, I would get really hot to the point where I would try and move away from Alaric; the keyword being try.
Alaric looked so peaceful, and relaxed. Usually, he was always up before me getting ready to go to the Pack Office and do whatever it was that he did when he wasn't home. My eyes glanced at his bare tattooed back, and I remembered the words that we had exchanged yesterday. Alaric didn't feel comfortable expressing his past to me, and I just had to accept that. Even though he was interested in my past, didn't mean that he was comfortable with me knowing his.
I turned to look at the clock on the bedside table, my body jerking up in alarm. It was well past ten in the morning and Alaric had overslept!
"Alaric!" I said, shaking him slightly to wake him. "You need to get up!"
I didn't get a response and he didn't make a single move.
"Ric, wake up!" I said loudly, adding a bit more force to my voice.
He grunted out and groaned, still not moving.
"Go back to sleep love," he said groggily.
"You've overslept!" I protested.
"It's Sunday, Valerie," he said, popping one eye open. "I can have a day off, you know."
Instantly, I felt like a complete idiot. I had lost track of the days and I had also assumed that Alaric was a workaholic alpha.
"Sorry," I whispered feeling embarrassed, looking down at the bedsheets.
Alaric sat up, and I heard his bones click as he stretched.
"Don't apologise, it's been a while since someone awoke me up by aggressively shaking me," he said, which sounded more like he was thinking out loud.
I looked back up, my eyes meeting Alaric's tired brown ones. "I just thought you might have meetings, I didn't realise it's Sunday."
"I'll be damned if I had a meeting to go to on a Sunday!" He grunted out in disgust.
Alaric slipped out of bed, pulling on a black t-shirt, before entering the adjoining bathroom; closing the door behind him. Once he was done, I spent my time in the bathroom doing the necessary things. When I left the bathroom, Alaric was nowhere in sight. I made my way downstairs to find him in the kitchen.
Instead of cooking breakfast, Alaric had prepared two bowls of muesli. I pulled a face and made sure that he saw.
"No eggs today?" I asked, taking a seat at the kitchen island.
"If you want to make them, go ahead," Alaric challenged. My shoulders sank in defeat and the look on my face made him laugh.
"I really need to learn how to cook," I mumbled, as he passed me a bowl of rabbit food. "Why do you even like this?"
Alaric smirked as he poured milk into his bowl and passed the milk over to me.
"It's high in fibre, that slowly releases energy keeping you fuller for longer," he sounded as if he was promoting the damn rabbit food. But when I looked up, Alaric looked as if he was trying to hold back a laugh.
"You're joking right?" I asked. He nodded his head and smirked.
"I don't know Valerie, I'm just used to eating it," he shrugged, taking a spoonful. I decided not to pester him about the subject and thought that maybe muesli was his childhood breakfast.
I reluctantly ate the rabbit food, it didn't taste too bad after a few spoonfuls. Alaric finished his bowl in record time and then excused himself to his office. Even though he said he had a 'day off' he still had some Alpha duties to take care off.
After washing the bowls up, and making sure that the muesli was pushed to the back of the cupboard, I went back upstairs to sort my tangled hair out.
I was stood in front of the mirror of Alaric's adjoining bathroom. My bright purple eyes stared back at me. It was such a relief to not wear contact lenses anymore, but at the same time, I wasn't used to seeing my natural colour often. The purple was sometimes soft and calming but it could also be harsh and intense depending on my mood. I still didn't know the true reason why I had inherited such eyes and the rest of my family had not. Although, Artemis had told me that long ago purple eyes were a sign of being related to the Moon Goddess... but how was I related to her? I wasn't strong or brave enough to even be associated with a deity as powerful as the Mother of wolves herself.
I picked up my hairbrush, brushing through a few sections of my long raven hair. The knots pulled at my scalp slightly, and I adjusted my grip on the brush; brushing through lightly. In the reflection of the mirror, I saw Alaric enter the bathroom. The door was wide open anyway, so he took that as an invitation to enter.
I watched him, as he watched me brushing my hair.
"Can I take you somewhere?" Alaric asked. I turned around, holding the brush at my side.
"Um yeah," I said. "Where to?"
Alaric smiled softly. "You'll just have to wait and see, its hot outside so dress appropriately."
I frowned, was he taking me somewhere as a surprise?
"Okay," I nodded.
Alaric soon left the bathroom and I heard him enter his walk-in wardrobe. Turning back to the mirror, I stared at my reflection noticing that my face looked a little brighter than usual. I didn't have any dark bags and for once my cheeks had a natural rosy tint to them. It made me think about how I would always use makeup to cover away dark circles and fake a natural rose tint. I was always unhappy back at the Shields pack, it wasn't a happy place to be. I sighed heavily shrugging away my thoughts of my old pack and carried on brushing out my half tangled hair.
Once I was done, I left my hair down, flowing in dark waves down my back. I splashed some water on my face and brushed my teeth again. I didn't have any makeup, so my natural face would have to do. For some reason, I found myself wanting to make an effort for not only myself but for Alaric also.
Alaric wasn't in the bedroom nor was he in the walking wardrobe when I finally left the bathroom. I hadn't heard him leave but that was probably because I was in too deep with my thoughts.
From the huge balcony windows, I could see how sunny it was outside and decided to take Alaric's advice and dress accordingly to the weather. I had picked out a white playsuit, that had detailed purple and red flowers, with an intricate lace at the neckline. I slipped on the vans that Alaric had given me and checked myself in the mirror. It wasn't something that I would've usually worn, in fact, I never used to wear playsuits because Alpha Shields didn't permit me to wear nice things for no reason. Only around Alpha Richards, I made an effort with my appearance and what I wore. Often, I would wear the things he had bought me, only when he was around.
Breathing in heavily, I tried to not feel self-conscious but I couldn't help but worry if I looked ridiculous. I didn't have time to pick a new outfit because Alaric walked back into the room and straight to me.
"You look beautiful," Alaric complimented, his eyes scanning me from head to toe. It was the first time that he had told me I looked beautiful, it made my stomach feel funny. I noticed that his eyes looked warmer than usual as if there was a new light in them. His gaze on me was intense but not uncomfortable.
"Thanks," I said shyly. "You don't look so bad yourself."
I didn't say that just for the sake of saying it. Alaric always looked good in whatever he wore. Today he wore a simple white shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows exposing his tanned forearms. Dark black jeans fitted his long toned legs and he had a pair of sunglasses placed in his hand. He must've gotten dressed while I was still in the bathroom, but yet I didn't hear him. His hair was also styled, but he didn't use the bathroom in his bedroom. I wasn't sure why I was so concerned about how and when he got ready but it was a distraction from the way that Alaric was looking at me.
"Shall we go?" I asked, feeling nervous.
Alaric
Our hands were entwined as though we were connected and were one. The sparks of the mate bond travelled through my hand and up my arm, pulsing the electrical sensation into my veins. The feeling was of none that I had ever experienced in my six hundred years. I had Valerie's hand felt so small in my larger one, her bones felt thin and fragile as if I were to squeeze her hand tightly and it would break. Everything about her was fragile, not just her small hand. Her purity and innocence were to be protected and saved. If Valerie didn't already know, being mated to a six hundred-year-old Alpha would lead to the tainting of her innocence.
Today Valerie was different. Instead of seeing the girl dressed in an oversized t-shirt and leggings, I saw a beautiful, innocent young Luna. My young mate who could not feel the mate bond between us. The more I thought about it, the more it frustrated me and whenever I would get frustrated it never ended well. Valerie didn't need to see me in such a state, she had already seen me in my monstrous ways, I couldn't allow her to see more.
"Where are we going?" her soft voice asked. I looked down at her, her bright purple eyes staring up at me in curiosity.
"It's not far, if you're worried about the distance," I assured.
"Are you always evasive?" she wondered out loud.
I chuckled lightly. "No, it's only around you."
Instead of walking through the paths in Regnum to get to where I was taking her, I had taken Valerie through the grassy field area that was near the house. I wasn't avoiding pack members, I just had chosen not to encounter any today.
Valerie started to slow down after twenty minutes of walking, my grip on her hand loosened and I stopped in mid-track as did she. I was only a foot away from her, and I turned to see her staring up at the sun. Her eyes were closed as she stood with her feet slightly parted, her arms were at her sides. To anyone, this would've been a strange sight to see but I knew what she was doing. She had been trapped all her life, unable to be free. Unable to live like a normal girl, a daughter of an Alpha. She was denied the simple pleasures in life, of feeling the sun on her pale skin. Something that was so simple in my view, was one of pure happiness for Valerie.
The sun kissed every inch of her skin, bounding off her high cheekbones and adding a shine to her dark raven hair. She truly looked stunning, standing there absorbing the sun. The once ugly purple bruises on her neck had now faded away slightly, a few marks were stained on her skin, but to a human eye, you could barely see them.
I didn't want to take the moment away from her. If she wanted, I would gladly spend the rest of the day in the grassy field with her, giving her all the time she needed, to absorb the sun.
Valerie soon opened her eyes, bright violets stared at me in embarrassment.
"I'm sorry!" She squeaked out. I felt a sense of fear wash through her as she stared at me in uncertainty.
"Nothing to be sorry for, love," I said with a small smile, watching as she breathed out in relief.
Valerie scampered back to my side, and I held out my hand for her to take. As soon as her fingers touched me, the familiar sparks infiltrated my veins.
There were only another twenty minutes left until we reached the destination, and with every minute that passed by I could tell that Valerie was in awe of her surroundings. The Shields territory didn't have endless fields or as much forestation as Regnum. As well as that, Valerie had possibly never even set foot in a field.
The sound of trickling freshwater could be heard and I knew that Valerie couldn't hear it, she did not have enhanced hearing due to not having a connection to her wolf. I didn't make a comment as I didn't want to upset her. We soon reached a slight up-hill and Valerie didn't falter, she ascended the hill with no issues and didn't even complain. The fresh air was doing her good, making her more determined and comfortable.
"We're almost there, just a little further," I said, stepping over a small log. I turned to help Valerie, lifting her over it and placing her back down on her feet.
"Thank you," She commented, smiling up at me. Her smile was sweet and shy, it was as if she didn't know how to be herself around me and I didn't blame her. I hadn't given her much of a chance to get to know her, but that was all going to change.
The top of the hill was insight and I picked up the pace, making Valerie walk much faster to reach the top. She matched my long strides with her own smaller ones and eventually, we reached the top of the hill.
I was slightly apprehensive of Valerie's reaction, of the sight that was before us. From the top of the hill, the whole of Regnum could be seen. It was truly a sight like no other, with the vast green forestation insight down to the small villages of each sector. The sun illuminated the land, highlighting almost every aspect of Regnum. The fresh running water in the background was a natural song to our ears.
Stepping away from Valerie, I allowed her to witness the sight before her in her own way. I could see that she was taking in the view as if she had never seen such a sight before. A few metres away the natural freshwater running stream could be seen. It wasn't a huge stream but it was big enough to dip your feet in and enjoy the cool water on a summer's day.
"It's so beautiful," I heard Valerie mumble. I moved to her side, standing by her as she continued to look at our land.
I was used to seeing Regnum from a distance, it always looked smaller than what it was but at least this way I could see every aspect of it. I assumed that Valerie would be overwhelmed by looking at the view, but instead, she proved me wrong. She didn't falter, she didn't panic; she just accepted the land for what it was.
"You were right about Regnum being so big, there's so much here," she said in awe. Her gaze was turned to the sectors that included a few shops.
"You can go to the shops whenever you want, it would be good for the pack members to get to know you," I suggested. She looked up at me and nodded her head.
"I'd like that."
I turned away from her and found a spot to sit down, stretching out my legs in front of me. Valerie did the same, sitting down beside me; staring ahead at the view.
"No one else is allowed here," my words had come out slightly harsh. The thought of pack members up here angered me. They knew the rules and the consequences of going to places that were restricted.
"Apart from me," Valerie commented.
I nodded my head. "Apart from you."
I looked down at her and she looked up, her bright violet eyes full of curiosity but there was something behind those eyes; I just couldn't put my finger on.
I cleared my throat and decided to try and find out more about her. "Tell me about yourself-"
"Ther-"
"Before you say there's nothing to tell, I'm sure there's much about you that I want to know," I interjected fiercely.
She thought hard for a minute, fiddling with her hands and then nodded her head.
"Okay... but only if you tell me about you, also," she said her voice havering demand and I raised my eyebrows raised in surprise, Well, she had every right to know more about me, I just didn't want to tell her anything. It wasn't fair that I knew slightly more about her than she knew about me, but that was the problem. After six hundred years, it was hard to just let anybody in, but Valerie wasn't just anybody.
"For you, only this once."
I watched as Valerie's face lit up, as she realised this was her chance to get to know me. What she didn't realise was that I wasn't going to give too much away, just yet.
"When is your birthday?" I asked, starting with a cliche question but it was also important. What kind of mate would I be if I didn't know her birthday?
She downcasted her eyes, her shoulders sagged in a sense of deep sadness. Had my first question upset her that much?
"Valerie?"
She sighed heavily, still fiddling with her fingers. "It's sometime in April... I've never actually celebrated my birthday."
I almost swore under my breath at her revelation. I could feel my blood starting to boil beneath my skin. I knew that her parents didn't care for her much but I didn't know that they were so cruel to deny her the celebrations of a birthday. I never cared much for birthdays, they were redundant and tedious to me, nothing more than a constant reminder of the fact that I was ancient.
"When is yours?" she suddenly asked, redirecting the question to me.
"Back in the 1300's people didn't generally keep a note of the exact days of birth, but I was born in the late November," I said, realising that Valerie and I were similar. I didn't know my exact birthday and nor did she.
"Do you celebrate it?"
No.
"Yes," I said instead of the truth. I hadn't celebrated my birthday in at least five hundred years. What would Elijah and Adam think of my new interests in birthdays? How would everyone in Regnum react, if I was to announce a birthday celebration in November? It was late July now, and only four months until my birth month, that would be enough time to organise a big birthday celebration; something for Valerie to be apart of.
We continued to ask each other questions, mostly Valerie answered them and mostly she would give short answers or shrug her shoulders. I had asked her about her likes and dislikes and whether she had a particular taste in music. I hadn't listened to music for a long time, but for her, I would change that.
Despite not wanting a mate, I wanted her. I didn't show my connection or the way I felt about her because I was still unsure. It was like all these feelings and sparks were being forced upon me and I had no choice but to accept them and live with them. Never had I paid so much attention to a female before, I never took the time to get to know one, I didn't care about pointless things such as birthdays or favourite colours... but I cared about Valerie's favourite things.
Her favourite colour was violet and I found that ironic considering her eye colour. She didn't explain why but I had thought it was because her family hated her eye colour, and she had grown to love it. She enjoyed the simple things in life, such as seeing the sun set in the evenings or watching a full moon illuminate the sky. She also pointed out her dislike for muesli and I promised that I wouldn't make her eat it again.
I caught Valerie staring down at the ring on my right hand. My stomach tensed and I just hoped that she wouldn't ask me about it.
"Your ring... family heirloom?"
If only she knew.
There was destructive darkness behind the ring, something that was powerful and dangerous. Something that was my weakness and if that ring fell into the wrong hands, it would be the equivalent of unleashing hell.
"No."
She gave me a look to elaborate more, the beast inside me was stirring at the edge of his seat waiting to see what I would do. He impatiently waited, wanting the ring to be taken off; waiting to show Valerie just how demonic and dangerous I could be. My fists clenched tightly, my body trying to relax and keep the beast at bay.
"It controls my wolf, restrains him," I finally answered, feeling Valerie tense up as she looked into my eyes. In her eyes, I saw my own flashing from brown to red constantly. The beast was making an appearance, wanting to be seen and wanting to be known.
I knew what was going on in her head... a six hundred-year-old Alpha can't even control his own wolf. Hell, it even sounded fucking pathetic to me. Right here and right now, I had told Valerie my greatest weakness, something that very few people knew.
"They don't call me the Demon Alpha for nothing, Valerie. In six hundred years, my wolf goes on a rampage and its almost impossible to control without this damn ring," I spat out. I hated this flaw, I hated the ring but without it; I wouldn't be able to sit with her or even talk with as we were now.
Valerie didn't say a word, she didn't seem scared and she didn't seem apprehensive. Her gaze was cast onto the view in front of us. She was in deep thought, fiddling with her fingertips and for once I was actually worried about what she was thinking.
I sighed heavily, running a hand through my hair. I closed my eyes, in some attempt to soothe the rage I felt inside.
"A penny for your thoughts?" I asked, opening my eyes.
"You don't want to know."
That was the thing, I did want to know. In fact, I needed to know.
"Trust me, love, I want to."
"Will you outlive me?"
It was not the question I was expecting. Hell, it even shocked me for a second. I blinked away the traces of surprise and frowned. Valerie's purple eyes looked at me softly, and for once I had no choice but to give her an evasive answer because I really had no fucking clue.
"I don't know." I hated that reply, I hated those three fucking words. I detested the look on her face, it was the same look I had seen when her father denied me the right to take her. It was a heart-clenching look as if she was thinking that she would die and I would live on and be mateless for the rest of my eternal life.
"Am I really your mate?" She asked, her tone seemed confused and desperate. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes showed fear. My jaw clenched tightly, my eyebrows furrowed tightly as I frowned and tried to hold back my anger.
I didn't blame her for asking, she didn't feel the mate bond between us and I wondered if she ever would. I couldn't make her feel it, I couldn't even help her feel it. The process of marking her didn't even do anything, it didn't make her feel connected. It was as useless as a glass hammer.
"Yes," I breathed out.
Splatters of rain suddenly dropped on my skin, the coldness of the moisture alarming me. Looking up at the sky, black clouds were starting to sprawl onto the clear blue sky, tainting it with its cloudly darkness. The air felt thick and smelt damp of the coming storm, a chilling breeze swept over us and I felt Valerie shiver at the coldness.
"Time to go," I barked out, abruptly standing to my feet as I grabbed Valerie's hand and pulled her up. I didn't give her a chance to speak as I picked her up in my arms, drops of rain splashing down on her without mercy. Within seconds the innocent drops turned to heavy showers, drenching us in the matter of a blink of an eye. The booming claps of the thundering sky were loud to my ears as I looked ahead I could see lightning flashing as if it was a serpent of brilliant light sent to bite the earth.
I didn't waste any more time and with my ability to teleport, Valerie and I were soon stood in front of the house. The rain was still hammering down, drenching us even more if that was possible.
I placed Valerie down on her feet, keeping a hand on her shoulder as she swayed slightly. She wasn't used to the teleportation but hopefully, in time she would be accustomed to it. I grabbed her hand and led her to the front of the house but stopped in mid-track, staring at bouquets of flowers and gift bags before the front door. Valerie peered around me and walked up to the gifts, her movement was hesitant and unsure as she picked up a gift bag and read the tag.
"To Luna Valerie, welcome to Regnum..."
She looked up to me, a small blush staining her cheeks.
"This is all for me?"
I nodded my head, even though I knew nothing about these gifts. The pack had accepted her, and that was enough for me.
"The pack are happy that I've found you, they are happy to have a luna."
I quickly grabbed all the gifts and hurried to unlock the front door. Valerie scampered inside as soon as the door was opened, and I dumped the gifts in a neat pile by the staircase. My clothes and hair were soaked as if someone had just chucked buckets of water at me. Valerie didn't look better, she was drenched from head to toe, her hair was soaked and her clothes dress was clinging to her like a second skin.
At that moment she looked beautifully perfect, even though she was drenched looking like a drowned kitten. Her purple eyes were bright with hope and the same unsure emotion. All my senses were stripped from me and at the back of my mind, my wolf was urging me to claim what was rightfully mine. To mate with her, connect with her, cherish her... I couldn't do any of those things just yet, but I could do just one thing...
I breathed in heavily, raindrops trickling down my face from my soaked hair and stepped closer to Valerie. She was stood by the staircase, squeezing out the rain from her long hair.
"I just want to try something," I breathed out huskily. This could either go two ways... good or bad.
"Try what?" She asked, looking up at me with a slight frown.
"This."
Without thinking I leaned down slowly and pressed my lips against hers...
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