The Alpha's Celestial Hellhound

The Surface

Chapter 16

The Surface

(Seraphine’s POV)

I awoke to the sound of birdsong and to the scents of a lush forest filling my nostrils. It was a stark contrast to the screaming of tortured souls and the odour of rotten meat that I was accustomed to. I had lived with those things for so long that I barely noticed them; it was only in their absence that I truly understood how dreadful my mornings were.

My body felt groggy and heavy as I moved it, dodging the low branches and the thorny bushes that had assumedly kept me hidden. I knew I was on the Surface, but it was so strikingly bright. I only saw the world through its gritty nightlife in the cities or at isolated crossroads at twilight. Deals with demons were rarely made at the break of dawn.

The dappled sunlight warmed my arms and I twisted them to watch how the light and shadows danced across my skin. I looked around me, catching sight of two squirrels chasing each other up a tree. I saw a bird swoop down into the forest’s debris and pluck a worm from the soil.

There was so much life around me… so many colours that I had forgotten about. Hell technically had forests; stretches of barren land with the dry carcasses of dead trees littering it. It technically had cities; buildings imitating what the humans had built, but there was no canvas of blue sky.

I felt so guilty. Guilty that I got to experience a morning on Earth, while my brethren were stuck in that overheating wasteland of damned spirits.

How did I even get here?

I rubbed my temples and groaned when I recalled my last memory. Renrik had moved in the blink of an eye, even with all his wounds. I felt a flash of pain and then everything went black. He had knocked me out. He had stolen me away without my permission.

Anger pushed me to my feet. Where was Renrik and Kent, anyway? I had a few choice words for them!

Suddenly I caught a whiff of new aromas. Beyond the flora and fauna of the forest were the smells of firewood and smoke and fish. Then the scents of Renrik and what I assumed to be Kent.

Renrik had a very particular bouquet. Rich and earthy, yet there were notes of mountain air, smoke, leather, musk and salt and… Blood; both his and Valefar’s. He had risked a lot coming for me, but that didn’t make what he did right. I told him I didn’t want to be rescued and my words meant nothing to him.

I followed my nose and pushed past the brush, into the clearing where Renrik and Kent had set up. There was a small fire and skewered fish cooking over it. Kent was picking at the scales of one he’d already taken a bite out of.

“There’s something really fun about camp-food,” Kent’s voice was friendly and innocently happy. “Smoking fish over an open fire just hits different to cooking stuff in an oven.”

Renrik shrugged his shoulders and checked the fish currently on the fire. “We can take a real camping trip soon.”

“Don’t lie. You’re always too busy thinking you have to do everything by yourself to actually have time for a trip.” Kent pouted.

“I do NOT think-” Renrik stopped his aggressive snap-back when his nose twitched and he caught my scent. His icy eye immediately turned to me, shining, twinkling with both hope and anxiety. “Seraphine…”

Watching that hard, angry man suddenly whisper my name so delicately nearly made me melt. I almost forgave him on the spot. A lot of his wounds had at least halfway healed, although his damaged eye had a gauze over it. I wondered if the eye was still there or if it had been ripped out.

Despite my worries, I bit my lip and stood my ground. I was not going to let him off the hook. “Renrik.” I spat out.

Kent stood up. “Weeeellll, I think it’s about time for my patrol, so I’m going to go ahead and do that.”

Smart man. He didn’t want to endure my wrath and I wasn’t going to stop him from leaving. My beef wasn’t with Kent.

I could have sworn Renrik gave him a pleading look, desperate not to be left alone with me. Regardless, he didn’t say anything. He just nodded his head, giving Kent permission to go. We both stayed silent until Kent’s silhouette faded completely into the treeline.

I did my best to look annoyed and intimidating, but to him with all his scars and that hulking frame of his, I must have looked like a bratty child. I listened to the fire crackling for a few seconds to hold my courage; it was a strangely comforting harmony, despite reminding me of Hell.

Renrik watched me, waiting for me to make my move.

I sucked in a breath. “How am I here?”

“You never get the birds and the bees talk?” Renrik smirked.

“You seriously think this is the time to joke around?” Admittedly, no. I didn’t get a stereotypical ‘birds and the bees’ talk. I got Amber giving me the ‘Mate’ talk and it wasn’t particularly informative - just descriptive.

“Sorry,” Renrik bowed his head and continued to rotate the fish over the fire.

“I don’t want apologies, I want answers.” I demanded, crossing my arms and tapping my foot against the grass.

“I rescued you,” Renrik didn’t look me in the eyes as he said those hollow words.

“You kidnapped me.”

“You’re safe here.”

“Can I go wherever I want?” I held my head up high, but inside I knew I had nowhere to go. I didn’t know where I was or how to even live a normal life on the Surface. I wouldn’t survive a single night on my own.

Renrik’s icy gaze finally flicked up to me. “No.”

“So I’ve gone from being Valefar’s captive to yours?” I blew air out of my nostrils. The outright ‘no’ had surprised me.

“It’s not like that,” Renrik cursed under his breath, barely keeping his anger in check. “We couldn’t get those bracelet things off of you. They’re something to do with your demon, aren’t they?” The twisted, sad look I felt on my face gave him his answer. “If the demon comes to ‘reclaim’ you, I’d like to be there to defend you. I have a clever brother back at my pack who is currently studying Demonology. I want to take you there and see if we can free you properly.”

“But what about the other wolves still in Hell?! I can’t just leave them-”

“No-one is telling you to f*****g leave them.” Renrik shot to his feet and he stormed over to me. Each step was heavy and deliberate but I didn’t back away. He came right up to me until my nose was almost touching his chest. “You can do fuckall down there. It’s better to be here with me, planning out a real rescue mission. Putting our heads together first and- fuck.”

He wrinkled his brow and turned his head to the side, quietly cursing himself. “What’s wrong?” I leaned my head into his view, trying to not look as concerned as I felt.

“It’s nothing,” he whispered solemnly. “I just sound like someone I know.”

I rolled my eyes and straightened my back again. “I thought you remembered something terrible!”

Renrik opened his mouth but shut it straight back up. He must have been about to make another snarky remark.

With a sigh, I let my arms drop either side of me. What was done was done; I couldn’t ‘un-rescue’ myself. He was my mate and he acted how any good mate would. Renrik literally went to Hell and back to save me. I tried to give him a small smile, deciding that I should try to build a bridge with him.

“I see your point. Why don’t we just leave it with an apology from you and move on-”

“An apology from me?” Renrik rose one thick brow. He glared at me, that one eye shimmering with an unusual intensity. “I’m not going to apologise for saving you.”

“You kidnapped me,” I pointed out again.

That made the hairs on the back of Renrik’s neck stand up. The words made him uncomfortable and I could see his internal squirming. I tilted my head, watching him expectantly.

“... Sorry, Seraphine…” He bowed his head but when he looked up again, he seemed furious. With me or himself, I couldn’t quite tell. “I’m going to take a piss. Stay here and make sure the fish don’t burn.” He ran a hand through his dark hair and slunk away in defeat.