by Unknown
Am I deaf? "Fine! I'll go out," I call out to him before he can actually burst in here through the door or with it, most likely.
"Five seconds."
Jeez. "How generous of you," I mutter unlocking the door.
I find him waiting for me in just a pair of boxers, hard planes on display and fine hairs trailing to his waistband.
Fingers twitching, I can almost feel the trace that line. The one I should never get near to.
Breathless, "Let's get one thing straight, Alpha. If this is what you have planned for tonight, better not get your hopes up 'cause there's no way in hell for this to happen," the words come out in a stutter.
Eyebrow arched, the corners of his lips turn up, a dangerous gleam in those eyes of green. Stalking closer, like a predator on the prowl, every fiber of him exuding dominance, his nostrils flare up taking in the air, poised with my scent.
I can smell it as well as I can feel it. Liquid excitement pouring out from me. And he can too.
All that it took has been peering at his nakedness. A drool-worthy specimen of a male, a man who can twist your panties in a knot and make you pant while breathing that hotness in... He is that man, deceiving in appearance as he is so much more inside.
A monster. A tormentor.
Mine.
Heartthrob or not, I can't forget he is the one who chased everything good and pure out of me.
"Don't pretend you don't like it." With a smug look on his face, he's puffing out that chest as if wishing to make it bigger than it already is.
At 6'1'' he's towering over me, his large and strong frame placing him in the advantage one too many times. I know what these muscles of steel can do. I know how these sculpted arms can hurt others. There is an appeal but will it ever be enough to make me forget so many hard-learned truths?
Hoping he will see the bitterness in me, I flash him a smile.
"Bond or no bond, nothing's changed between us, Alpha," I tell him, watching the smirk melt off his face and being replaced by hollowness. No sadness. Certainly not hurt. Just plain nothing. Like he no longer feels my words burn him. "I guess you probably expected me to be out of my panties the moment I set my eyes on your hot bod but, see, that's only going to happen when hell freezes over."
Giving said body one last, lingering look, I sidestep him and go to sit on the bed. "You said you wanted to talk. By all means, do talk."
(31) You Can Leave Your Hat On
|Scarlet's POV|
"Strip." It's the last thing I expected to come out of his mouth.
"Are you for real?" Echoing aloud, I rise from my spot on the bed and cautiously back up away from him. I'm not imagining how these same lips will feel on my body. This is the last thought in my mind.
"What do you mean strip?"
"I mean take off your clothes, Scarlet." Flashing me a grin, licking these oh-so-kissable lips, it's official. He's gone crazy.
Or have I?
"Why do I need to take off my clothes if we're just going to talk?"
We're just going to talk. That's all there is. He's not in his underwear. He's not smirking at me a cat-like grin. Those green orbs are not darker with desire. Oh no. He's not doing any of that.
He's not getting closer, each step he makes towards me isn't making me excited to the point of exploding.
"Don't be mistaken, Scarlet. The moment I want you underneath me, you will be." Crudely, he's not bothering to sugarcoat it. Hand reaching up, thumb caressing my lips, trailing down my chin, my neck, rubbing circles at the crook of my neck, where his mark is supposed to be, strange sensations are flooding my body.
Insanity.
"The moment you're ready, I'll be ready too and I will accommodate you any way you want me to." Beaming at me, inching closer and closer, my feet retreating from the heat of him, his hand trails lower and lower.
Shivers on its way. Limbs tingling. Heat burning in my core, pooling out, I fold my hands, my back hitting the wall behind, his own caging me from both sides now.
"I will never be ready, Alpha." Reason's flailing back at the insanity. Tense to the point of bursting, I must keep my hands still, not give in to the need to touch him.
Leaning closer, breath fanning my skin, sending small shocks to my spine, my body's quivering, alit by desire and melting in the heat of all he is. Pure. Male. Mine to take.
"Soon," he's whispering, so close I can count his eyelashes
Inhaling my scent, his own mingling with mine into an intoxicating fragrance that brings that fire inside me closer and closer to the surface, boiling under my skin, he's forsaking my reason for me.
"So sweet," he growls, vibrations travelling deep into my core, images of what could be living inside my mind.
Hand coming up to cup my face in its palm, tilting my head up for his better access, he's pinning me down with that heated stare of his, challenging me for a taste.
Will it be sweet? Will it be bitter? Will I crave more once I've tasted him?
Lips descending upon mine before I can stop the momentum, my heart is stuck in the back of my throat as his mouth takes a hold of mine, capturing it, tasting it, begging for entrance.
Like mold in his hands for him to shape into a form of his own desire, I'm so weak I can't fight it. My eyes flicker closed. I give in to his advances. My hands in front of my chest fall down, pushed by his as he goes on a sensual exploration down my body, ending on my hips, pulling me closer and closer to him... until there's no space between us.
We fit. Like lock and key. A perfect symmetry.
Not knowing where this will lead, What are we doing? Why am I allowing this? How did this happen? I should be wondering. I should be asking myself now. I'm not.
Breaking the kiss, resting his forehead on mine, he's panting, body shaking.
And I... I'm now cold, with blood inside my veins that's freezing, with soul inside me that's being torn apart. What have I done?
Every caress, every brush of his lips is turning into a scorching bruise. Small bites of guilt are breaking my heart all over again.
I'm back... under the fistfall of memories. My breath chased out, I am choking for air.
Struggling under his touch, my hands go to his sculpted chest to push him off me.
"Go away." Pleading in a whisper, I'm broken. Doesn't he see it? Doesn't he care?
"What's wrong?" he asks, glowering because, once again, I am denying his right. Alphas should get everything they want. Alphas should always win their battles.
Cold to my very bones, is this how I'll feel every time after he touches me? Is this how it is supposed to be?
"What is wrong, baby doll?" he says, voice softer, hand back to my cheek, cradling it gently. There's not a trace of the anger I've glimpsed a few moments ago. He's back to being sweet and caring. It's what the bond is turning him into.
"Everything's wrong. Everything. This, you, me... it's all wrong." No matter what he does, nothing's ever gonna change.
"I'll make it right again, Scarlet. I promise you I will." Words that are empty of meaning. Pointless just like his struggle will be.
The past can't be forgotten. What he did can't be forgiven. No matter how hard he tries, this battle's already lost.
"You're wasting your time with me, Regan," I tell him the truth.
He chuckles. "I don't think I am and now, when I know you feel the attraction too, I am going to try even harder. I want that - you, and you know I always get what I want."
Is this all a joke to him? Does he think he can snap his fingers and make it all go away?
"Don't look at me like I'm gone mental, Scarlet. I don't have illusions that this will be a walk in the park. I know how hard winning you over is going to be but I also know that I can do it. I will do it. You know I never give up."
Alphas don't give up. Of course, I know. He's the one who taught me this. Day after day. For two years. "Not this time, Alpha. Not this time." This time, he's going to fail.
He steps away from me, narrowing his
eyes. "We'll see, Scarlet. Now get those clothes off and let's go to bed."
"I thought you wanted us to talk," I remind him, scowling at the images the idea of sleeping in the same bed with him evoked.
"We will but tonight I'm just going to lay next to you and hold you," he tells me point-blank causing me to groan. "And better get used to it because I'm not going to wait for you forever." Shivering, this is the Alpha I've come to know. Unyielding.
"Ready or not, I will have my queen one way or the other."
Is this a promise or is it a threat?
(32) I Dreamed Of You
|Scarlet's POV|
War howls ringing in the quiet of the night, the patrols are calling out for the pack to join in the fight, disrupting the silence of sleep.
My hands trembling, I slip into my clothes. The fear is choking me while I keep listening to people shouting, crying out in pain and surrender. Ears catching every sound, not a single voice of my pack mates manages to repeat the plea. Just once and they end in silence.
What is happening?
We haven't been under attack for a long time, the last I could remember has been years ago and then it was just a couple of rogues who breached the territory. This doesn't sound like a rogue attack.
No, this is war. A war raging in the very heart of our territory.
I run out of my room, the one next to mine, my stepdad's chamber is left open as if he's made his way out in a rush. Not surprisingly, he's been one of the first to join the battle. Even after losing his mate he hasn't given up. His protective instincts still alive, he has kept his strength somehow. Maybe it's the knowledge that he needed to be which kept him strong. He couldn't step down yet, at least not until I was ready.
I'm not ready. I haven't even changed yet.
I count the few lost seconds as I wonder if I should do what every juvenile in the pack is supposed to do in this kind of situation but quickly dismiss the idea. I'm not training to be a coward. Even if I am small and too young to be a part of the fight, there's no way I will hide tonight. No one who is supposed to take over a pack should retreat in hiding as the men face the threat. It just doesn't work this way.
As soon as I step out of the house I see the wreckage. Half of our warriors are laying on the ground, fallen in their defeat. A bloody mess, yet an honorable way to die.
I take out my blades, letting out a vicious shriek. I can't manage a growl considering I'm still one of the unshifted wolves but in my own way, I'm as dangerous as any wolf. I jump to my father' side, flanking him as he battles the perpetrator wolves, canines menacingly bared in a statement that could not be clearer.
I'm not as strong, not as big a threat as a full grown wolf is, but my daggers are sharp, slicing through fur. They stick in, probing into their flesh with efficiency.
My father and I are making our way through the masses of furry shadows, leaving a bloody trail behind. The perpetrators are getting weaker, dying helped by us. Our warriors are winning their fights, as brave and ferocious as they are supposed to be.
Just a few of the wolves are still standing now, their efforts ending in despair as we taunt them with attacks meant to hurt but not kill, not yet. Victorious in our howls.
I join in the song, my lips parting and letting out a sound more animalistic than any I have produced before. The thrill is like nothing I can describe. To be a part of this is something I never dared imagine, yet, now that I am experiencing it, I want more of it. More battles, more blood to bathe my skin.
The very thought is terrifying and gruesome but somehow it's what I need. Something deep inside me is whispering that truth and I, for once, am willing to accept it.
And then, as if from the very pits of hell, the howl of victory is drowned in a litany of growls, their voices louder than our own.
They descend upon us from the darkness, emerging from behind the treeline. Hundreds of them, probably standing spectators to the battle till the very end only to announce the fight is far from over, the victory is nothing but a trick they played on us.
A wolf, black as night in color and in form bigger than any I've seen, is leading them. His paws hitting the drizzle-soaked ground with thunder. A god descended from his throne to quench the fire, his wolf eyes are glowing with a spark that speaks of all things evil. Green with specks of yellow, lighter in their animal reflection of the man, they take a slow perusal of our battered group. His canines flash white and a strange, a near laugh-like, sound comes out.
He is mocking us, telling us without actually uttering any words...
You bow down to me. You surrender. Or you die.
My father's wolf growls in response to the threat, his body stiffening as he prepares for the other's attack. My hands clasp my blades tighter until it hurts.
With a soft, promising rumble, the black wolf lunges at my father.
I swing... again and again until I can no longer hold onto the steel.
A single, dying cry is heard as the last of our men falls and two strong arms take a grip of me to drag me screaming to the pole standing a hundred feet from the house.
The fire inside me still burning, the shame of the collar fastened around my neck is unacceptable. A girl collared like a dog as the enemy rejoices in their victory. That's who I am suddenly.
"You stay here and learn to obey, little one," the green-eyed monster tells me before leaving me to rot on the pole for days to come.
I stay there. Wounded and bleeding, shaking with something I can't face yet... loathing the sun that sheds its rays on me day after day and cursing the Moon night upon night... weeping for my loss and screaming out my anger that can't be contained.
Someone joins in the shouting, a voice from far away, from a time different than the one I've returned to. It is a voice I recognise, one that has been haunting my nightmares for months.
That collar is tight around my neck, suffocating me with its burning grip on my sore flesh as the restraints are holding my hands in place, not to hurt myself.
The shouting becomes louder. Words I can't understand yet. But slowly their meaning registers in my mind.
"Wake up, baby doll. Wake up. It's just a dream, princess," they are saying with desperation.
As I open my eyes, the haze is lifted and replaced with another. The eyes from my dream are staring down at me, the restraints are nothing else but his hands clasped over mine.
"It was just a dream, baby girl," he promises, hugging me closer to himself, swinging us back and forth in an attempt to calm me. Like a mother waking over her child.
Just a dream... A nightmare... It's what he says it is but he's wrong.
"What did you dream of?" he asks with concern. He's worried, that much is evident on his face. It's pale and scared. A look I've seen just a couple of times on him. A look that does not become him.
"You. I dreamed of you," I whisper, choking on the words.
(33) The Healer's Truth
|Scarlet's POV|
He's seeking help. Now, when he knows just how broken I am, he wants me to heal. He's searching for an answer and praying for a cure for my illness but nothing can cure me of my own memories.
What can he do to make me forget?
I'm stand in the hall outside our pack doctor's office while they talk. I don't know what they are speaking about - the office is soundproof for a reason, but I can guess. He's probably telling Doc what's wrong with me, asking how I can be healed, not realizing that the only cure there is for me is to be away from him.
Being close to him has brought all these memories back. Being back at the place where it all happened has made me live in a new type of nightmare, one that has a very distinctive, very unique taste.
It tastes like him.
He doesn't realize that I am an addict, that just like an addict, being away is the only remedy there is for me.
They emerge from behind the door, Doc holding it for Alpha to pass as my mate points a concerned look my way. Soon enough, realizing his slip, he plasters a smile
on his face. Faking it like I am faking being someone else and not the broken girl he's rendered me to.
Alpha steps up to me, placing his hands on my shoulders. He leans closer, his lips brushing my cheek, he whispers, "Just listen to what she has to say, Scarlet. Talk to her."
I nod, not daring to look into his eyes. It's hard to do that after the nightmare. It's like everything he did to me is coming back when the least I need is to relive it again.
I told him I didn't want to do this but he isn't someone who will just listen, no matter that he's now demanding it from me. To listen.
This isn't going to change anything.
"Go in." Giving me a light push, he's still smiling at me. I take a tentative step. Doc is holding her office door open, now for me.
She is a small, frail woman looking to be in her mid-thirties. It's possible for her to be this exact age too. Healers age faster than normal wolves. They are different. More magical than the rest. But magic always has its price.
The path they walk is difficult, the burden they carry heavier, taking its toll on them day after day, draining them of life as they give it away to others who need it more at the time.
I have seen the woman before but never been in actual contact with her, perhaps because they never brought me here and, being a healer, she never meddled with pack affairs. However, this is what she has been meant to do. Heal. Regardless.
She never did this for me. Heal me. It's a complete miracle I survived Alpha's care on my own.
I get inside her cabinet, responding to her welcoming smile with a slight nod as she motions for me to take a seat opposite her desk. A glass door leads to the examining area but since I haven't been physically hurt there's no need for us to go there.
The strong smell of antiseptic and medicine is lingering in the air. It doesn't seem to be bothering her but it does bother me, my nose sensitive enough to be overwhelmed.
I take the indicated seat as she closes the door and comes behind the wooden desk to sit on hers. She fiddles through the folder on the desk, turning a few pages and stopping at a blank sheet, then takes the pen laying next to it, ready to take notes.
