Two Alphas: One Broken Girl

Chapter 3- The Path through the Woods

I stopped short at the end of the block in hesitation. My heart beating faster than before at the threshold. I forced myself to push past the panicky feelings. My choice was made- time to act. I turned left and began making my way down a once familiar route to the east that I had been avoiding for 8 years.

Most days I would be heading west toward the school and heart of town, but today I had a special errand to run first. Something that I did not for myself, but for my brother. It would take a good fifteen minutes to walk to the lake.

I hiked up my bookbag more securely on my shoulder and straightened my skirt as I started walking toward the rising sun.

It was a cool autumn day and I wished I had brought my jacket, but in my hurry to get out the door without further incident I had not thought to grab it. I shoved my fists into the pockets of my thin skirt, gritting my teeth together and looked to the horizon, stubbornly pushing ahead. The sun had just crested the distant hills burning through the mist and allowing me to see a ways across the rolling landscape. The narrow road dipped into the valley, but as I started down the path, I took in the distant views of the Fiore mountain range that marked the border of our territory. Beyond that, I could just make out the tiny shadowy shapes of dragons that inhabited the lofty peaks. On some occasions you might even hear the distant crashes of the giants that also made homes in the mountain caves.

This morning, however, the only sounds I heard were the singing of morning birds and the steady crunching of my own feet on the dirt road in time with my heart. At the base of the small hill I had descended, the path veered south into lush forest.

Without slowing I continued into the comforting shadows of the tall trees which still held most of their leaves as it had been a warm October thus far. Until today, Ugh! What a terrible day to forget my jacket. Although I came from a long, prestigious pedigree of wolves, I still found I got cold more often than most my age. It was concerning to me- further evidence that I may be wolf-less after all. I pushed those thoughts away.

I wasn’t far now. My quiet reverie was interrupted by a sudden whooping sound. I stopped short, my hand going instinctively to my throat in surprise. I was not alone in the woods. I scanned the trees surrounding me and relaxed somewhat when I realized the sound was only a trio of young men from my pack. I smelled them now- sandalwood, musk, tobacco, frankincense, apple blossoms, ginger, lemongrass- the blending of their smells made me lean forward and inhale deeply. These wolves smelled incredibly good. I recognized they were the twin alphas Aric and Alec and their beta, Tazz. I shuffled to the side to stay out of their way as they were jogging up the path in my direction, coming from deeper in the woods.

They were laughing.

“And then, and THEN”, chortled a breathless Alec, “THEN she said ‘Alright, you may keep the panties if you carry them with you into battle.’ And I said, I’d rather wear them if it’s all the same to you!”

All three boys roared with laughter. (I say boys, but they were young men of 21 though the maturity of the conversation was that of BOYS).

“And then I asked her if she’d still want them back after the fact because they were sure to be s**t stained!” Aric added, swatting his brother playfully.

Tazz guffawed so wildly at that that he was unable to continue keeping pace with the brothers. They carried on ahead of their beta, Alec chasing Aric as though to launch an attack in revenge for his brother’s dig. They were so deeply in their own little world that, despite being on the edge of the path, I was nearly trampled by the two giant boys.

“s**t!” gasped Aric as he swerved around me at the last moment, just as Alec hit the breaks so abruptly he created a cloud of dust that enveloped me and momentarily obscured my vision entirely.

My heart was beating frantically, and my throat felt dry all of a sudden. As I waited for the dust to literally settle and then, there they were. Just inches from me and time stopped.

Though they were twins, they were not identical, the same as Orion and me. Aric was the older twin- a formidable six foot five inches of lean wiry muscle. His light golden skin was faintly flushed from morning romp in the woods. His bronze wavy hair was almost to his broad shoulders and his ridiculously pleasant face was unobscured by facial hair allowing me to take in the sharp planes of his chiseled jaw line and distinguished cheek bones. My eyes were locked onto his. His blue eyes were startlingly blue which blended into almost sea green at the centers. I pried my shocked eyes away from his with some difficulty and took in the other giant. Though the younger (by minutes) of the two Alec was actually an inch or two taller than his brother. He had a similar build and skin tone, but he seemed marginally broader and more muscly looking. His hair was a medium brown and was almost straight and kept a little longer than Aric’s. He did have a beard, though I suspected his face was similarly structured to his brother’s. his eyes were the light blue of a cloudless sky. Both men were incredibly beautiful, as though they had been sculpted by an artist. I felt myself blushing in the loud silence that seemed to stretch for ages though it was truly only a couple of seconds.

I heard a throat clear. It was Tazz catching up to the others. The sound broke the spell. I demurely looked at my feet as I often did in intense atmospheres.

“I’m sorry, Alphas.” I murmured, not sure what I was actually apologizing for, just doing it out of habit. I was surprised to hear a roar of laughter. My eyes flashed up to meet Alec’s eyes again. I could see in my peripheral vision that Aric was also fighting laughter. I felt suddenly chagrined. My cheeks blazed hotter, and I surprised myself by moving to push past Alec and continue up the path.

He caught me when I tried to pass.

“ExCUSE me,” I snarled. (Where did this brazenness come from. These were the ALPHAS for goodness’s sake).

He just tightened his grip on my shoulders, attempting to stifle his laugher. I automatically stiffened at the touch despite not sensing aggression from this action.

“I’m sorry for my brother. He is a tactless moron, young lady.” Said Aric with a sly smile, gathering himself more quickly than his moronic brother.

I sniffed indignantly and tried to pull away from Alec’s grip again.

“Just wait a second, ok?! I’m sorry! I was just so surprised that you apologized to us for almost bulldozing you! I couldn’t imagine what you had to apologize for, that’s all. I didn’t mean to upset you.” Alec explained, his bright blue eyes still shining with humor and mischief. I looked back and forth between the two of them, not sure how to respond. I felt I had now made a fool of myself and then proceeded to disrespect the most respected members of the pack in a matter of a few moments. I sighed. I was already having a hard morning and this day made me want to apologize again and again and again whether it made sense or not, but they wouldn’t know that. I doubted they even knew who I was even though I was the daughter of their father’s Gama (technically. He did not claim me).

“Please, I have to go.” I mumbled, feeling a stinging in my eyes. I fought wildly against it not wanting them to see me cry. I had embarrassed myself enough, thank you.

I glanced up at Tazz- 6 feet, burly with shiny copper skin and ink-black hair cropped short. He was handsome in a different way from the other two.

He smirked at me, and I quickly averted my gaze back to my grubby loafers.

“Oh, alright. We are sorry, though, I hope you can accept the apology.” Said Aric gently. He had such a pleasant voice and manner of speaking- a velvety baritone.

I nodded and Alec released my shoulders with a sigh. I spun around as soon as I was free and ran further into the forest along the path.

“What the hell was, THAT!” teased Tazz as I hurried away from the trio of tall imposing figures.

I walked quickly, so distracted by what had happened on the path that I forgot the purpose of my mission until I arrived at the banks of the Kato Lake. As I arrived at the very spot my twin had died and everything good in my life had been turned upside down. Eight years ago, today. Happy anniversary.