My Foreign Mate

CHAPTER 10 A Good Run

The following days Selena kept her cover up story alive and Olivia as well as all the other wolves around believed it. She admittedly thought that life became a bit easier. Selena was able to roam around freely and didn’t have to pay attention to things she would say and do. Especially when it involved certain werewolf habits. In a way life was truer to her real self. She only had to pay attention not to talk about her past, but she wasn’t in the mood for it anyway. The pain was still too strong, every time she even thought about it, it felt like she was suffocating. The people she met were a distraction at least. The more Selena got to know them during lunch breaks at school, the more she couldn’t help it but to like them a little bit more. They all belonged to the Bloodmoon pack, which was one of the bigger and wealthier packs around. They obtained a huge territory as werewolf packs usually resided in colder regions with more forest and this region was a lot more like shrubland. Alexandra was outgoing and easy to talk to, always curious. She was the was the daughter of the packs leading hunter. People wouldn’t expect it of her but as a wolf she was a fierce killer, especially because of her brown doll eyes and her big brown curls. The tall and dark-haired Anna seemed very distant at first, who spent most of her time on her phone.

Olivia told Selena it wasn’t that Anna was always texting, that she mostly read books on her phone. Apparently she was highly skilled and really enjoyed reading, whilst always keeping herself involved in every conversation. It just was her skill. She was the Beta’s daughter of the pack, and her older brother would be the future Beta. Nicolas, who always had a smile on his face wanted to become a pack doctor like his mother one day. He was one of the few people Anna had vivid discussions with and they always ended up in an argument. Even so, Olivia was certain that they would be mates once Anna turned eighteen. There was Jason, who looked like a Latin-American dream and he was well aware of it. He enjoyed to flirt but never took advantage of it. Eventually he would be the pack’s third and therefore was already involved in pack matters. Then there was Olivia of course, Selena was right, she was the Alpha’s daughter, hence the natural leader of this group. She was carefree and always optimistic, it reminded Selena of herself, before dark events in her life changed her. Now Selena was more the quiet type.

It was a beautiful warm night. The sky was clear, the stars were sparkling, and the moon was crescent and shone bright. Selena sat outside on the porch and enjoyed listening to the birds and the crickets. As always, her thoughts wondered back to Olivia’s brother. She couldn’t help it but always had to think about him. Through listening to the conversations the others had, Selena found out his name was William and he went to college. Obviously, he would be the future Alpha of the pack. If she agreed to be his mate, she would become the pack’s Luna, remaining at this place for the rest of her life. Of course, this scenario was out of the question. She didn’t want to be here, being involved with their pack on this level would be just dangerous for herself, Elara, and this pack. Apart from that, she didn’t know if she really liked him. Yes she felt attracted to him, her recent dreams were enough proof for her, but that was just the mate bond. Out of the blue a thought popped up in her mind, like an erupting volcano. First only a shaking underground, building up tension and finally leading to an explosion and stones, ashes and lava spreading around. What if he didn’t want her? She didn’t know why but the thought bothered her immensely. In fact, she couldn’t stand it. Her mate was supposed to want her. It was her pride, that couldn’t stand the idea of a rejection by her mate. Like the volcano, she was shaking. She could feel her wolf being in an uproar. With shaking hands Selena got up from the chair sweating. Why did it bother her, that there was the possibility that he could be the one to reject her? She put her hands up to her head and looked up to the sky. The restlessness still rose, and she started anxiously walking up and down the porch. Eventually she knew what she had to do. She had to let her wolf out, she needed to run to clear her head. So she grabbed the seam of her tank top and pulled it over her head, let her shorts fall down her legs and started running. The wind touched her bare skin, it was flowing through her hair. It was wonderful and she took up speed. The urge heightened immeasurably, and she knew this was the point she wanted to shift. She jumped and landed on her paws. It felt so liberating. Selena always loved her wolf form, she was white with a light grey fur and intensified blue eyes. She kept on running for a while passing trees and bushes, then more bushes and grass, the grass turned to dry earth then grass again, till she reached bushes and trees again. When she smelled water, she stopped. There it was, she heard a river running and paced straight towards it. Once she reached the water she stopped, the sight was breath-taking. She shifted back to her human form and stopped there watching the water for a while. The sound of the water, the crickets, the smells and the sound of the wind all around her made her feel at ease. She leaned down to the water to scoop some with her hands to drink. Suddenly a breeze tickled her nose. There it was again, the most beautiful scent in the world. It was him. Selena froze immediately and stayed crouched, too apprehensive to move. Slowly she turned her head a bit to the direction the smell came from. The bushes rustled and behind the trees a dark figure walked towards her. She couldn’t really see him, just his glowing eyes but the smell was without a doubt his. Once he came out of the darkness and into the moonlight he stopped, and they stared at each other for what felt like ages. Then he broke the silence. “What are you doing here?” Very slowly Selena moved her head to look back to the water and straitened herself again one limb at a time. Then she turned slowly to face him. “I could ask you the same.” She didn’t want to move more, for simply his voice made her lose her focus. She had to keep herself together, though it was difficult. All the thoughts she had earlier resurfaced and his presence didn’t help her to think straight. Suddenly she noticed his eyes turned black and he had an inner fight with his wolf. She completely forgot her nakedness and blushed a bit, but kept her posture not wanting to show any vulnerability. If she was honest, the thought of him seeing her n***d aroused her a bit. He tore his gaze away from her and she could see it was a struggle for him. “Could you get dressed, please?” He pleaded.

“No.” That answer surprised him, and his face snapped back to look at her.

“Why not?”

“Because I didn’t bring any clothes with me.” He sighed and started to pull off his shirt. For a second Selena forgot how to breathe seeing his bare chest. She felt a sudden urge to slide her hand over his abs down his v-line, but she closed her eyes to get rid of the thought and hoped he didn’t notice anything. But he handed her the shirt with a knowing smile and she started to blush again. He kept his distance by stepping back again and now it was her time to for a little smirk. The shirt had his smell and it weakened her, she thought she really had no luck and pulled it over her head. It just covered her butt. Now his smell was all over her and it was even harder for her to concentrate. This was the opportunity to reject him.

“Selena, right?” He looked at her with a curious face and Selena couldn’t help but think it was cute.

“Yes. William.”

“Please. Only my dad calls me like that when he is angry.” He smiled and Selena begged the Moon Goddess to stop otherwise she could never go through with her plan.

“Why did you run away when we met?” His smile was gone was replaced by a serious expression.

“I didn’t want your sister or anyone else to know.” Now it changed to confusion.

“Why not?”

“I have my reasons.”

“What? Am I not good enough for some European stray?” His anger took Selena off guard, it hurt, and she snapped back.

“You don’t know anything about me.”

“Neither do you.” They stared at each other in silence, not moving a bit. It seemed like they were fighting for dominance. The longer Selena kept looking at him having his smell around her, the more she had to fight with herself to finally say the words. She swallowed hard and as she wanted to open her mouth, he spoke first.

“You are brave. You know that?” His expression softened.

“Why do you say that?” This took Selena by surprise.

“My sister told me you are away from your pack to study abroad. This can be dangerous. You could be mistaken as a rogue. Which pack do you belong to?”

“Why is being a rogue such a crime on your continent?”

“Most of them are criminals and they have troubles containing their wolves. They are just a danger to others.”

“That’s because they don’t receive any help. Most of them want to belong to a pack but nobody wants them because they are seen as a burden.” William’s face changed back to anger and he shook his head.

“Maybe where you are from. Here they just are a bunch of thieves and murderers.” They glared at each other, and Selena was certain she could never become his mate. If he knew she was rogue he would probably do more than just reject her.

“You haven’t answered my question.”

“What?”

“Which pack do you belong to?” He looked at her and Selena started to panic.

“You wouldn’t know it anyway.” She tried to play it off.

“What? Do you think I’m one of those uneducated Americans?”

“Are you?”

“Why are you mean to me? I haven’t done anything to you.” His voice became louder and he took a step towards her. He was an Alpha and it should have been intimidating to Selena, but it wasn’t, which irritating William. Worse, she challenged him by also stepping forward, staring right into his face.

“Excuse me? You were the one who called me a stray! And if I’m so mean maybe you should just reject me and get on with your life. A nice conservative all-American sweetheart would probably serve you better.”

“Maybe I’ll do that.” That hurt both and they realised it while their eyes were still locked. They noticed they came so close to each other their chests were almost touching each other from their heavy breathing, both being upset. Selena snapped out of it first and took a step back.

“When you decide to reject me, then do so after your sister’s birthday party because I am invited and don’t want a scene. And I guess neither do you.” She took a last look at him before wanting to turn away, but he grabbed her wrist. She could feel the sparks erupting from his touch, she absolutely loved the feeling and wanted much more of it. This realisation made her eyes water as she looked at him.

“Is it what you really want?” He looked at her in disbelief. Selena noticed a tear running down her face. She couldn’t stand the thought of him seeing her cry, so she pulled her arm away and took off running as fast as she could into the darkness.