Stray Echo

Overwhelm, Attraction, and Grief

POV: Echo

Atlas wouldn’t let me leave the walk-in closet until I’d picked a new outfit to wear after my shower. I struggled immensely as I had no memory of ever owning more than a couple of tops and bottoms at a time.

Wanting nothing more than to wash the smell of the hospital off my body, I grab a plain shirt and leggings, much like what I was used to wearing minus the holes and transparency. Atlas raises his eyebrows at me and clicks his tongue.

“Little Mate, you are supposed to be picking something you want to wear, some you actually like!” He says with a gentle smile, putting the offending clothing back. I can’t help but feel anxious as I look more closely at the items in the closet.

It’s filled to bursting with such a wide variety of colours, textures, and styles that it completely overwhelms my system. Even though it seems to be organized into categories of clothing, from lounge wear to formal wear, the options are overwhelming and intimidating.

Hell, the only time I have seen a closet like this was when I stripped the Alpha quarters and was stripping the Luna’s bedroom turned closet. The reminder fills me with an unshakable feeling of fear and unworthiness.

Pretending to be looking at an interesting article of clothing, I ducked into the farthest reaches of the clothing rack in the corner, not wanting to alert Atlas of my distress. I quietly try to take steady breaths, but the scent of new clothing only seems to make me more uncomfortable.

Closing my eyes, I fight back the tears as my panting breaths become gasps, and I hyperventilate. Immediately, I am in Atlas’s arms, and he carries me swiftly to our bed and cradles me in his lap.

“Shhh, my Little Warrior,” he coos, rocking slightly while he caresses my cheek. “Breathe, baby, breathe! Copy me, come on, Little Mate, breathe!” He evens his breathing and keeps up a steady stream of calming murmurs until my breathing evens out again.

“I am so sorry, Little Mate, I shouldn’t have pushed you to pick something!” He whispers, kissing my forehead. I snuggled into him, suddenly exhausted and no longer worried about a shower.

“That’s it, just rest, my Luna.” I hear him say as the exhaustion wins over, and I sink into the most comfortable sleep of my memory.

Waking up, I felt as though a weight was sitting on my ribs and legs. Warmth radiates through me, and with it, a feeling of calm, safety, and love. Everything that’s happened in the last while flashes through my mind, and I can’t help but feel as though my life has become a fairy tale.

Finally waking up enough to open my eyes, I am surprised that the room is dark, and what appears to be early morning light is gently shining through the balcony doors. Trying to see the doors, I try to wiggle out from under the weight on top of me, but the weight shifts, pulling me impossibly closer to the warmth beside me.

In my groggy state, it takes me a moment to realize the warmth is my mate, which is only clarified by his warm hand brushing my now exposed waist, sending tingles shooting through me. As he shifts in his sleep, I can feel his hard member pressing into my hip. I now realize Atlas has curled himself around me, with his leg thrown over mine, and his arm wrapped around me.

Blushing, I slowly tried to wiggle my way out from under him, only to be dragged back again, his face nuzzling into my shoulder. Huffing, I gave up my attempts to escape and turned my attention to the god-like face beside mine.

Shiny blonde locks of hair are splayed across his pillow, and I realize now that it must reach at least his shoulders. Resisting the urge to run my fingers through it, I shifted my eyes to take in the strong jawline that was covered with a blonde five o’clock shadow that matched the hair on the top of his head.

‘I wonder if he’s blonde anywhere else?’ Tala yipped, shoving the memory of us watching him get dressed in Red Stone into my mind. ‘Couldn’t quite see that time! But I can’t wait to see it soon!’

‘Tala!’ I gasped at my wolf, shocked at just how dirty her mind was. I knew our wolves were s****l creatures, but we literally just met the man, escaped the hands of our abuser, moved packs and spent much of the last week or two unconscious.

‘Priorities girl! Maybe focus on the important things?’ I scolded her, forcing the chain of recent events on her and smiling slightly as she agreed maybe we had other things to focus on first.

Naturally, the first thing my eyes focused on once I began observing my sleeping mate was his full lips, which made me blush thinking of the varying kisses and intimacy we’d shared so quickly upon meeting.

Before I did something I might regret, I moved on, admiring his eyelashes that were long enough to make most she-wolves jealous. I am glad to see that his face is completely void of tension, which had furrowed his eyebrows for most of the time we had spent together.

Taking him all in, I have to admit that this giant of a man might be the most handsome man I have ever set eyes on. It’s hard to believe that the Moon Goddess thought I deserved to be with someone so strong and attractive, and an Alpha at that. I feel like we are the complete opposite.

Glancing at his hair again, I give into my impulsive desires and reach a trembling hand and gently run my fingers through the long, soft strands. I’d only intended to do it once, just to see what it felt like, but once I did it, neither Tala nor myself wanted to stop, so we didn’t.

I wasn’t sure how long I sat there and fiddled with my mate’s hair, but after a bit, I felt like someone was watching me. Looking down, I blushed furiously as I made direct eye contact with Atlas. Immediately yanking my hands back, I lowered my head and stared down at the blanket covering us.

“I-I’m sorry! Don’t know what came over me!” I squeaked. Atlas may be my mate, but I know nothing about him or his preferences.

I’d heard stories floating around the pack house of mated pairs where the male wolf wouldn’t let their mate touch them without permission and would beat them viciously if they did. And those were the milder of tales of happenings between mates.

“You can run your fingers through my hair anytime you like, Little Mate!” Atlas stated huskily, gently cupping my face in his massive hand, and tilting it up, so I was looking at him again.

The sound of his voice combined with the sparks from his hand created a deep, throbbing heat deep within my core. It took me entirely by surprise, and I remember Atlas and Tala having described it as arousal and desire.

My face turns an even deeper shade of pink as shame at my body’s reaction floods through me. Atlas turns his head to the side, watching me for a second, before sniffing the air slightly faster and chuckling lightly.

Slowly pulling his hand away, he sits up, pulling me up with him. I squirm as he just watches me for a moment before I bury my face in my hands in a poor attempt to hide from his gaze.

‘Echo, why are you embarrassed by our body’s reaction to our mate?’ Tala asked, unable to understand the inner turmoil that was rapidly growing within us. ‘I just met him! I’ve hardly spent time with him, and my body wants to… to… do those things with him?!’ I didn’t realize I was mentally shouting until Tala flinched.

‘That may be, but many wolves mate and mark each other within a day or two of meeting. It is, and has always been, our way, the wolf’s way. It has been a week since we met Atlas. While you were unconscious for most of it, it doesn’t mean the bond stopped growing. Especially with our mates staying by our side the entire time.’ She explains.

I can feel Atlas’s confusion and concern, but my thoughts are too chaotic to explain to him yet. ‘But I’m scared, Tala,’ I whisper internally, and she nudges me gently to continue. ‘I know they said it feels good with your mate, but I am so scared that it won’t. I’m scared that I feel like I did with him, that I will see him in my mind if we try anything.’

Atlas startles when I suddenly break out into gut wrenching sobs, but he recovers quickly and pulls me into his lap. I remain inconsolable and he is just there with me, gently rubbing my back with his palm and murmuring encouragement and love into my ear. Allowing me to finally have the opportunity to grieve the loss of my parents, my freedom and my innocence for the first time in ten long years.