Fated to the Promised Alpha

Chapter 3 - Adrenaline rush

The paved streets were easy to navigate, feeling nostalgic as Charlie ran a familiar route through the buildings. On cool summer days, going for a late afternoon jog to soak up the last of the sunshine was always something she enjoyed, the light warming her skin as much as her mind. Though the feeling of this run was very different. The cold night air whipped across her skin, clouding her breath in small puffs of smoke that quickly dissipated as she charged through them.

Her heels clacked loudly on the cobbled road, and she soon kicked them off in favour of picking up speed. The large training park was up ahead and that’s where she was headed. Hard stones bit into the soles of her feet but she pushed forward, the pain a simple distraction to empty her head. She didn’t shift into her wolf form out of fear of her urge to turn back, worried it would grow until she would be stood at the packhouse doors once again. Running back to him.

Soon the rough underfoot melted into fluffy green grass, adding an extra spring to her step. Each footfall sunk slightly into the soft ground indicating a recent rain fall but the mud didn’t deter her. If anything, she relished the thought of being more herself. More down to Earth, dirty and natural. How a wolf should be.

The training centre quickly came into sight and Charlie slowed as she approached. Outside the front of the building was an outdoor gym area, a new addition since her last visit, though she did have to remind herself that six years was a long time; A bitter twist now dominated that thought after her run in at the party. As she came to a stop on the edge of the black square of rubber chippings, a sparkle glinted in her eyes like a kid looking at a park. Shiny equipment dotted around the area, each tempting her closer for a play. Charlie chose her favourite, the punch bag.

Though the run had burned through her leg muscles, her arms were ready to go. She stretched one over her chest to begin her warm-up but noticed she was still wearing the satin navy blue dress and leather jacket. Not the best work out gear. A quick search of the area showed no clothes to change into, so she shrugged out of her jacket and looked over the dress. The bottom of it was already dotted with mud and clung to the sweat of her efforts. She might as well ruin it completely before throwing it away. Grabbing the hem that brushed against her outer thigh, Charlie gave a sharp tug and the material complied, ripping a new opening that travelled up to her hip. It split a little higher than she intended but it allowed her to drop into a comfortable stance as she faced the hanging heavy bag.

Bouncing on the tips of her toes a couple of times, Charlie gave a few practice jabs. The bag was unforgiving and fired heat through her knuckles, chastising her for being ill equipped. With a grumble, Charlie looked around again for something to wrap her hands. Again, she came up short. A muttering of profanities escaped her lips, telling herself she would have to complain about the lack of clothing and wraps to the Alpha tomorrow. The blonde-haired man popped into her mind and all at once the last couple of hours played back in her thoughts. Her heart began to race, and her palms clammed up.

Charlie stood, just staring at the punch bag, frozen from her thoughts. Jayden’s image rolled about her head making her wolf stir with a happy rumble, but that soon turned into a growl when Oliva’s image popped up beside him, hanging on to his arm, whispering sweet nothings in his ear, kissing his lips, touching his body, riding his... Charlie cut that train of thought off immediately. With gritted teeth, she instead focused her mind on each little step she did, forcing any intruding images from her thoughts. She tore two small strips of material from the bottom hem of her dress and wrapped them tight around her knuckles. The navy bindings wouldn’t stop the pain, but they would at least stop her skin breaking on impact. Though her knuckles already danced with silvery lines that betrayed the amount of training she had undergone.

Her body was littered with scars. Broken bones, minor accidents, sparring mishaps and fun nights at university, each gave her a little memory on her skin. She bet the porcelain skinned Olivia didn't have any such blemishes, but Charlie couldn’t feel remorseful of her own. They were small marks to show the life she had lived so far, and each one had been worth the pain. The pain of a broken mate bond though... that was scary. The separating of two souls that had been placed together by the Moon Goddess wasn’t a light thought and Charlie had heard of wolves who had gone crazy after losing their mates. Whether it was rejection or death, the pain was unimaginable, and the mental toll allowed their inner wolves to take over, making them a danger to themselves and others.

It was a truth that she had already resigned herself to, knowing her fate wasn't happiness but pain. Jayden was promised to another wolf and his reaction at the party hadn’t been hopeful for his plans to change. He was going to reject her, and she would have to accept. A lump swelled in her throat, taken from the pit forming in her chest. It wasn’t like she loved the man; they had been friends growing up, but she knew nothing of the Alpha he had become. It would be a blessing for this all to be tied up now rather than wait for her feelings to develop and intertwine with the mate bond that connected them.

A bitter tone laced her earlier thoughts, and she chastised her naïve younger self for thinking she should trust the Moon Goddess to find her the perfect mate at the perfect time. Maybe there was no such thing. Maybe the Moon Goddess had forced this awful timing upon them to punish Charlie for staying away from Red Moon for too long or maybe it was to ensure Jayden and Olivia become a mated pair. Charlie groaned and squeezed her eyes shut, begging the thoughts to stop. Who was she to guess the workings of a Goddess.

Shaking out her muscles, she focused on the bag in front of her. Exercise had always been an escape and she prayed it worked for her tonight, when she needed it more than ever. The first hit felt the best. For the millisecond of impact, her body relaxed, and her head felt as light as a feather. The deep dent left behind by her fist gave Charlie an odd sense of satisfaction and soon she was pounding against the heavy weight, driving all her frustrations into her movements.

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Charlie smelled him before she saw him. A soft sheen of sweat glistened on her forehead and her breath was coming in sharp pants. Her hands tingled with the overexertion of her fists, but that wasn’t the reason the rest of her body suddenly lit up. Her eyes fluttered for a moment when the sweet scent danced over to her, but only a slight hesitation would’ve been observed before she threw her next punch.

The sounds of her fists striking the heavy bag drowned out the footsteps that approached, but her mind was hyper aware of his movements. Slow and directed, inching closer to her like one would near a bear with a sore head. Was she really that unapproachable or was he as nervous to get this rejection over with as she was? Charlie wasn’t sure but didn’t ruminate on it. Either way, she would have her answer in a few moments.

The presence of blue eye grazing over her body felt like a finger light brush drawing an intricate pattern over her that she couldn’t decipher, and they took their time, lazily observing her tense muscles as they continued to be pushed further. Charlie felt her body wind up with tension as the seconds ticked by, but she refused to look at the Alpha or have the first word.

“You look like a warrior princess.” Jayden’s voice was barely above a whisper and yet its firmness carried the words to directly to her, feeling like they were meant for no one else.

Charlie didn’t know what she expected, maybe for him to just say ‘I reject you’ and then leave, but his words made her freeze. She mulled them over, glancing down at her torn muddy dress revealing her hard-working limbs. Her feet were bare, and she was certain the number of directions in which her hair was sticking would be infinite. The connotations of the pet name princess had never sat well with her, but a smirk tickled her lips and she found herself not hating it... not that she’d let Jayden know that.

“Princess?” Charlie placed a hand on her hip and c****d an eyebrow. She turned to face him and bit back the curse from leaving her mouth when she did. Jayden still wore his suit from the party but had relaxed his attire. The blazer had been removed and the sleeves of his white shirt were rolled up to his elbow, tightening the material around his biceps. The navy-blue tie hanging around his neck had been loosened to allow the top buttons of his shirt to hang open. Charlie’s eyes lingered slightly too long on the small tuffs of hair brushing the top of his exposed chest, before she forced her eyes away to finally meet his. They danced with amusement, the smirk on his lips indicating her staring had been noted, if not enjoyed.

“Warrior princess.” Jayden emphasised the first word, his eyes glancing down to the quirk of a smile pulling the corners of her mouth. “I was just thinking about making your outfit the new requirement for all warriors.”

Charlie snorted and dropped the hand from her hip, feeling her whole body relaxing with it. After so many years apart and the strange events of the evening, it was a relief for her to know their friendship still flowed between them. A silence settled, lasting a few beats of her heart, but she could feel unspoken words hanging in the air, waiting to be released. Jayden had come to talk, not watch her workout. She sighed and walked over to a bench nearby, sitting on the table with her feet resting on the seat. Charlie closed her eyes but raised her face to the night sky above. A crescent moon was their only witness and it shined upon them without judgement, offering peaceful support.

A breath hitched in Charlie’s throat when Jayden took the spot next to her, sitting closer than necessary. Their thighs were temptingly close to touching and she found herself wondering if he also felt the pull drawing them closer. The bare skin of her leg hummed for the warmth of his hand to cover it, but the gap maintained, like a wall sneering the truth of the incoming rejection.

The only sound disturbing the still air was his breathing. Small puffs that rhythmically slowed her own recovering pants to a steady flow as she synced with his body. A small bundle of nerves wrapped around her chest, but she wasn’t sure if the feeling was her own or coming from the mate bond. Jayden’s fidgeting made her think the latter. He twisted and turned his fingers around each other, but Charlie denied permission for one of her eyes to sneak a peek at his face to confirm her suspicions.

She desperately wished she could take his hand in hers, wrap him in her warmth and let him know this was ok. She understood their predicament and what he needed to do, no matter how loud her feelings were shouting inside her to do the opposite. The pair remained that way, enjoying the silent companionship of the other.

Finally, a sharp inhale pulled Charlie’s attention and she turned to face Jayden, but his eyes were already on her. His face seemed closer than it should be, and those blue eyes were locked to her mouth. Instinctually, her tongue flicked out to moisten her lips and they were left parted, all her words caught in her parched throat. He moved closer. Charlie felt the graze of his hair on her forehead and her breath quickened. This couldn’t be happening; she hadn’t prepared for this.

Jayden’s eyes darkened with an azure swirl and from this close, Charlie could see every last speck of controlled sky blue succumb to the hunger of his gaze. Their noses touched, just the tips before he tilted his head ever so slightly and followed the line of hers to bridge that last centimetres between them. She could feel tickle of his breath warm a pink flush onto her cheeks and held back the whimper that threatened to escape her lips.

When their foreheads touched, Charlie slammed her eyes closed, squeezing the lids shut to eliminate the image of his starved gaze from her mind. She forced words she didn’t mean out of her mouth to halt his advance and whispered, “Please, just reject me.” Her cheeks darkened, hating the weak plea behind her tone.

“What?”

The word brushed against her, challenging her restraint. She felt his eyes on her, but his looming presence didn’t move an inch. Her own eyes stayed locked tight, not trusting them to be opened in case the tears prickling in her ducts came free.

“You have a chosen mate, so this can’t happen. Please, just reject me.”

“No.” Jayden’s voice was firm and rumbled with the echo of his wolf vibrating in his chest. Her eyes flew open, staring at the resolve on his face, sparking a light of hope inside her.

Suddenly, approaching footsteps reached the pair and they both jumped apart. Jayden shuffled to the other end of the bench whilst Charlie flew off her seat entirely. Landing as far away from the Alpha as her legs could manage from the rush of adrenaline that spiked through her blood. Jayden’s mouth opened as if to speak but closed again without a word. He glanced once towards the encroaching voices and back to her. With a nod, he turned away and melted into the darkness.

Charlie couldn’t move, as she watched him leave again. At least this time his arm wasn’t around another wolf in the process, though that didn’t make her heart feel any lighter. Her fingers lifted to her lips, the ghost of his breath still tingling across them. Thankfully her mind cleared just enough to return to her workout as the wolves made it into sight. Now she had a lot more thoughts to silence as she punished her muscles once again.