Chapter 4: Mates
1119 Words
I stood up but almost stumbled back down. I was weak and weathered but full of profound determination.
Roaming through the woods amongst dead leaves, thorns, and hanging branches with a rumble in my stomach and an ache in my leg was no small feat. I had no apparent destination. I couldn't go back to Tenebrous, that would be calling for trouble.
Yet, somehow, something guided me. The moon maybe. Because soon, I came across another being.
I had to blink the blurriness out of my eyes to be sure of what I was looking at. It could be one of Ryker's men. I hid myself behind a tree, trying to assess the stranger's profile and body language.
He was so tall that he was almost competing with the trees, and his biceps filled out the short sleeves of his shirt. I could just make out an intricate silver-gray tattoo on his forearm.
I squinted to get a better view of the tattoo. It was of a wolf surrounded by a crescent moon, while the outer rim featured Celtic knotwork patterns.
I gasped out loud, recognizing the intricate details. The Lunaris Lupus that only a Lycan King could possess.
My perspective of him changed as I wondered if really he was the Lycan King. His hair was jet black in the darkness of the night, a stark contrast to Ryker's white one, but his topaz eyes shone. They looked ethereal.
Despite the fact that a scowl graced his face, he was so effortlessly beautiful, almost like a sculpture. He was quite big, pretty much filled out everywhere.
Impeccable long lashes and full brows framed beautiful eyes, and his mouth, although set in stone, made my stomach flutter at the thought of meeting mine with them. Even his jawline looked like it could cut paper, it was that sharp and defined. His stance reminded me of power, of intelligence, of leadership.
But there was something in his eyes. Some sort of staunch resolve. I didn't have the time to try to decipher it because he soon raised his left hand up in the air.
My eyes followed the single act. It was then I saw the knife that was clamped in his fists. The twinkle on it suggested that it was just as sharp as the one I had been stabbed with.
As he brought it down with a force, I didn't stop to think about it before ripping out from my hiding place. Giving him no chance to react at all, I crashed on him, during my bid to reach for the knife.
His counter attack was so fast, I didn't even see it coming. Within seconds, I had been flung on the dead leaves, my wrists bound by a strong and very cold hand behind my back. His grip was very tight.
I could feel the intensity of fury radiating off him. I tried to look at his face, but it was impossible with how I was positioned. I twisted my neck to the other side, feeling his body's coolness.
"Don't do it," I cautioned.
It was ironic. That this man had been trying to end his life when I just begged back for mine. Fate played awful games.
"Who are you?" He hissed.
"I mean no harm." I wasn't sure my tone could convey my feelings since I was still panting very hard and he had one heavy knee on both my legs to hold me down. As if the tight hold he had on my wrists wasn't enough. "Just release me and hand the knife over."
He seemed amused. "You want to get the job done for me?"
"No," I replied firmly.
"Well then red, you better tell me what you want before I knock you out."
It was the first time I had ever been referred to as "red" just because I was a redhead. Strangely, it didn't sound so bad. But I shouldn't digress. I was trying to save a life after all. "I told you, I mean no harm. And I don't want anything. Just for you not to waste a life that so many others seek."
"That sounds rehearsed."
I sighed and tried to wring my hands out but it was pointless. I was no match for him especially in my drained state.
"Who sent you to me?" He asked in a deadlier voice.
Dirt seeped into my mouth as I opened it to reply and I spat it out. I was already exhausted. I didn't need all this in addition. "Nobody."
His responding snort was full of derision. "Shall we take this from the beginning? What the hell are you?"
I extended my claws and made a slight dent in his skin with it.
"Werewolf," he noted, answering his own question. The tone of his voice no longer had that threatening tinge to it. His grip loosened.
"Can you let me go now? I'm not a danger, I promise."
His knee released my legs and he got to his feet, dragging me up with him holding just my right hand.
"You can't kill yourself," I began rambling immediately. I looked up at him. "You really can't…"
His eyes, meeting mine cut me off mid sentence. As well as the change of energy between us. The air seemed to vibrate with anticipation. It was like a torrent of emotions had been unlocked.
He felt it too. I knew what the frown on his face and the furrow of his brows meant.
He jerked me towards him, and soon, our chest were against each other. His heart pounded in perfect harmony with mine. Synchronized heartbeats wasn't an everyday occurrence but there we were.
I swallowed hard. His glare was cutting deep into me and I was still trying to gather my own scattered wits. Suddenly, I could feel his own thoughts and desires just like I knew he could feel mine.
Both of ours wasn't very saintly.
"What is this?" He growled.
The heady intoxicating aroma of him suddenly hit me, making me feel light headed. Two minutes ago, his scent hadn't been this strong.
The air around us cackled with electricity just as a soft blue-white glow began to emanate from both our bodies. It pulsed in rhythm with our synchronized heartbeats.
I had seen this once before. With Ryker.
The Lycan King took one long sniff of my hair, of my soul, and grunted the very thing I feared with his eyes closed. "Mate."
The wooziness overtook me and I felt myself falling out of his arms, back to the dirt on the ground.
Just as his arms came around me again, stopping the floor from claiming me, I blacked out.
- Writer
