Thorne

8

ETHAN

Ethan trudged through the icy wilderness, his boots crunching on the frozen ground as he navigated through the winding glaciers. The frigid wind whipped at his face, stinging his skin and making it difficult to see.

As he approached the cave, he could feel his rage reaching a boiling point. He had spent years working to secure his place as Alpha, rising through the ranks and earning the respect of the pack. And he wasn't about to let Thorne just waltz back in and take over, not after all the hard work he had put in.

At last, he emerged into a vast chamber, the walls of which were lined with shimmering crystals. The light from his flashlight danced across the sparkling surface, but Ethan barely noticed. He was too consumed by his own anger to appreciate the beauty of the place.

He paced back and forth across the chamber, his fists still clenched at his sides as he tried to find some way to vent his frustration. He saw the icy mold where Thorne's body had been frozen over- it was completely empty.

Ethan stood there, his chest heaving with rage, as he tried to come to terms with the situation. He didn't think that Thorne would ever return.

With a growl of anger, Ethan unsheathed his axe and began to hack away at the ice. The sharp blade cut through the frozen surface with ease, leaving deep gashes in its wake. Ethan was relentless, his arms straining with each swing as he drove the axe deeper into the ice.

As the ice chips flew and the sound of metal against ice echoed through the cave, Ethan's rage only grew. He stormed through the winding tunnels of the cave, his flashlight beam bouncing off the icy walls as he walked. His breath came in short, angry gasps, and he could feel the tension building within him with each step.

Ethan let out a roar of rage, his anger and frustration reaching a boiling point.

And with that he stormed into the night, his tall, muscular form silhouetted against the darkness as he trudged through the snow. His blonde hair whipped around his face in the freezing wind, and his dark eyes gleamed with determination.

He walked with purpose, his feet pounding against the frozen ground as he made his way through the forest. He knew that the journey ahead of him would be long and hard, but he was determined to see it through. He would stop at nothing to ensure that Thorne never got what he wanted. As he trudged through the snow, he found himself thinking back to the day that had changed everything.

It had been a cold, dark winter's day, and Thorne was only fifteen years old. Thorne's older sister Madeline had recently met Ethan and, since they discovered they were mates, Ethan proposed shortly after. Because of Madeline's connections, Ethan was set to be Beta of the pack, second in command to Thorne.

Ethan found this to be utterly absurd. How could they expect him to listen to a cocky little teenager who doesn't know a thing about leading a pack? Ethan was older, wiser, and mated to the eldest sibling of the family.

So, he invited the family out for their first hunt together. They had stumbled upon a pack of wolves, and in the chaos that followed, Thorne's mother had slipped and fallen off a cliff. Thorne and Madeline were devastated by her death, and Ethan seized the opportunity to strike. He had challenged Thorne for the position of alpha, and in the ensuing fight, he killed his own mate. His original plan had been to keep Madeline and her mother in the dark about what happened, but they were unfortunately just collateral damage. After the death of his sister, Thorne was devastated, and he did not protest as Ethan pushed him off the cliff to fall into a freezing river.

Ethan had known that the killings would haunt him for the rest of his days, but he had been desperate for power. And so he had done what he had to do, and he had taken the position of alpha for himself, lying to the rest of the pack about what happened.

But now, as he walked through the night, he found himself regretting everything. He knew that he had been wrong to kill Thorne's mother and sister, and he knew that he had betrayed his own code of honor in doing so. Not only was it wrong, but he was unsuccessful in killing Thorne, and now he had to do things the hard way. He had risked it all, and once everyone found out what he had done he knew he would be killed.

He stopped in his tracks, his heart heavy with anger and frustration as he looked up at the stars above. He knew that he could never go back and change the past, and it would be a lot harder to challenge Thorne now that he had grown up. Thorne was now a fully grown alpha male from one of the most powerful bloodlines in the werewolf world, and he was going to take the beautiful Anastasia away from Ethan as well.

Ethan's feelings for Anastasia ran deep, and he couldn't shake the feeling that she was the only woman for him. From the moment he met her, he had been drawn to her, and he had always known that they were meant to be together.

He remembered the way her bright green eyes sparkled in the sunlight, and the way her soft, blonde hair flowed in the breeze. He remembered the way her laugh sounded like music to his ears, and the way her smile could light up a room. He couldn't imagine his life without her, and he was desperate to do whatever it took to win her heart.

But as he walked through the snowy forest, his heart heavy with grief and longing, he knew that it wouldn't be easy. Thorne was a formidable opponent, and he wouldn't give up Anastasia without a fight.

ANASTASIA

I couldn't help but be drawn in by his dark, brooding appearance. His piercing blue eyes seemed to look right through me, and his chiseled jawline and full, luscious lips gave him a mysterious, alluring look. His broad shoulders and muscular build made him look strong and confident, and he exuded an air of power and authority, and I knew that he was a true leader.

It seemed like it had been ten minutes, before we finally broke eye contact and I asked, "Who are you?"

He began moving closer to me, "Have you not figured it out already?" He replied curiously.

"Well, I think I saw you the other day, only, you were... different then." I said carefully, still not feeling at ease with this stranger who broke into my home.

"You mean you saw my wolf." He clarified to me, taking another step towards me, and I shifted uncomfortably, my eyes darting to the door. "What were you doing messing around in those caves, darling?"

I looked up at him nervously. "Well, I don't know, I-I was lost, and, well- how come you were in there? You were... frozen."

"Don't change the subject." He said sternly, taking another step, so that now he was standing right in front of me.

I cowered backward again, my back hitting the wall. "I was lost."

"Lost? You shouldn't be going out in the forest alone." He countered, and took another step, now standing almost uncomfortably close to me.

"Well, I didn't even really mean to." I stumbled on my words, not even sure why I was trying so hard to appease him. "I just sort of, woke up out there."

"I don't want you to go out there again, do you understand?" He said seriously, placing his arm on the wall next to me, blocking me from exiting the room.

"You're scaring me. I don't know what you are doing in my house," I said.

"Do you understand?" He repeated. "I'm not here to hurt you."

"Yes, I understand." I said, giving in. "I don't remember going out there in the first place."

The man frowned, and ran his thumb across the stitches across my forehead. "Stitches..." He said quietly. You can't remember because you hit your head?"

"I guess," I shrugged. "I can't remember anything from before a few days ago."

"You're a human," he stated darkly, as he ran his hand down from the stitches until his hand was cupping my chin.

"You don't like that?" I asked him, my heart pounding in anticipation.

"It's not that..." He trailed off, his hand moved down so it cupped my throat. "It just means that I have to worry about you doing things like going out and hitting your head and losing all of your memories." He looked in my eyes, "But you just promised me you wouldn't do that, right?"

I gulped, and nodded my head. I felt simultaneously scared and turned on.

"Tell me again that you won't."

"I won't," I promised him, and at that moment I really meant it. He smiled at me, and grabbed my back, and led me towards my bed so we could sit down next to each other. The moment his hand touched me, I felt shivers spread down my spine.

"Good girl." He hummed and moved our bodies so that my legs were on top of his as we sat. "Now, what's your name, darling?"

"Anastasia." I answered shyly, shuffling sideways to create more distance between us.

"Stop moving away from me," he insisted, moving closer to me again. "Do you know what I am?" He said, taking my hand in his.

We both took in a deep breath as he did so. Electricity flowed between our hands and made me feel funny.

"I think so," I whispered, pulling my hand back to look at it.

"Do you know who I am?" He asked, to which I shook my head. "My name is Thorne, Thorne Taylor."

I nodded my head, "It's nice to meet you, Thorne."

"You're not friends with that Ethan character, are you?" He said darkly.

"Well, I thought I was, but then he kind of flipped out on me when I.." I paused to look at Thorne, who had a distasteful look upon his face, "well, when I told him I saw you, and that I thought you were my mate."

Thorne had a pained look on his face. "Stay away from that man, Anastasia." He demanded, "He's evil."

"I'd be dead if it weren't for him." I explained, "he found me and took me in."

Thorne shook his head, "you've only known him for a few days, right?" He asked, and I nodded my head, "He let my mother die, and he killed my sister."

Suddenly it made perfect sense. "Thorne?" I asked wearily, "You're the Alpha that disappeared, aren't you?"

He nodded, a dark look forming in his eyes, "Unfortunately."

"And Ethan, he- he did all of that on purpose to steal your title, but why?"

Thorne looked down at me, "I was naive, that's why." He explained, "My father died too soon, and I had to take his place when I was only 14. Ethan did what he did because I let him, but I'm not naive anymore." Thorne paused and took a deep breath, "I won't let anything happen to you."

"I'm so sorry." I answered, not really sure how to respond. After Ethan freaked out the other day, I was quick to believe Thorne's story. "I was starting to get the feeling that Ethan had something dark inside him." I said, and brought my hand up to my shoulder in remembrance.

Thorne noticed, and pulled the collar of my shirt over to the side, breathing out heavily from his nose. "He did that to you?"

I nodded, my eyes welling up with tears, but I quickly turned away so Thorne wouldn't notice. He pulled me in closer, and this time I let him. Thorne let out low growl as he embraced me, and I felt the rumbling from his chest through my head and chest.

"Thorne?" I asked, pulling my head up to look at him, "Why did you wait so long before you came to me?"

"I'm sorry, Anastasia, I just had to make sure it was safe first." Thorne explained, "Ethan was following you everywhere, and I had to make sure you two weren't together, I really didn't want him to figure out who I was and that I was here."

"Oh, Thorne," I said, nervously, "I think it may be too late for that."

Thorne frowned and nodded his head, "I'm guessing that Ethan has abandoned ship by now. When was the last you heard from him?"

"He was missing all day today, ever since I told him I thought you were my mate, not even Marcus has heard from him."

Thorne cursed under his breath, tensing up his arms and shoulders, "I'm just glad you are safe now, darling."

We both shared a long glance, like we were examining each others souls, unsure of where to go from there. There were so many moving pieces to place back together, and at the moment it felt like an impossible load. I shifted my weight, and now sat on Thorne's lap, straddling him. It felt so strange as we barely knew each other, but at the same time I just couldn't stop myself from wanting to touch him and be near him. He looped his hands behind me so I could lean back into them.

"This is just all happening so fast," I told him, "Last week I woke up and I didn't even know who I was, and now... so much has happened in a short time."

Thorne tensed his jaw, "Anastasia..." He said gently, "I barely know you, but, I also feel like I know you so well. Just know I'm going to be here for you, and I'm going to figure all of this out for us."

I nodded, and decided to give him a hug. The thought of letting him take care of everything sounded really appealing to me, but there were somethings I knew I would have to figure out for myself.

As I hugged him, he leaned in and stood up, taking me with him, and walking over to my closet. He opened the door and grabbed a tshirt and some pajama pants, and then set me down by the bathroom, "Why don't you get ready for bed, princess."

I nodded, and took the clothes into the bathroom. I changed and then stood in front of the sink, staring at my reflection in the mirror. My long blonde hair was tangled and messy from the day's events, and I couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious as I began to brush it out. I had always been a bit of a neat freak, and the idea of Thorne seeing me in my natural, unkempt state made my stomach twist in knots.

Brushing those thoughts aside, I quickly brushed my teeth, and rejoined Thorne back in the bedroom. He led me into bed, and then left to use the restroom himself. I heard him turn the shower on, and relaxed a bit onto the covers. I was nervous about the idea of us sleeping next to each other in bed, although, I also couldn't imagine him sleeping on the couch. His feet would stick out and he would barely fit onto it if he laid horizontally.

I tucked myself into the covers, and laid my head. I decided to play some games on my phone while I waited for him. It crossed my mind to text Rachel about what had happened, but I decided not to. I wasn't really sure how Thorne would want to handle everything, and I was somewhat worried about her telling Marcus or Ethan about this new development.

Soon enough, the water came to a stop. My eyes shot up as Thorne entered the room wearing only a towel. I blushed and turned my head away from him.

Thorne laughed, "You have a washer?" He asked, holding his clothes up.

I nodded, and got up from bed to show him where it was, "I guess those clothes were probably really dirty."

Thorne nodded, "Yea, I went through my parents' old house and got some of my dad's old clothes," he explained.

"Your parents' house? It's still full of all their stuff?"

Thorne nodded, "Yea, I'll show you sometime."

I smiled, "I'd really like that."

I looked down awkwardly as I thought about our sleeping arrangements, and how Thorne did not have any clothes to wear, but he simply grabbed my hand and led me back over to the bed and tucked me in first.

"Can I sleep in bed with you, darling?" Thorne asked, looking at me intently.

I hesitated for a moment, looking at Thorne with wide eyes. I had never shared a bed with anyone before, let alone a man. The idea both excited and scared me.

"Are you sure it's a good idea?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. "We just met, and I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable."

Thorne chuckled softly, his deep voice sending shivers down my spine. "I understand your hesitation, Anastasia, but I promise you have nothing to worry about. I just want to be close to you, to keep you safe and warm. Plus, we're soulmates, remember? It's natural for us to want to be near each other."

I bit my lip, still unsure. Thorne must have sensed my hesitation, because he leaned in and brushed his lips gently against mine.

"Please, Anastasia," he whispered. "I'll behave myself, I promise."

I couldn't resist his pleading gaze and soft kisses, and eventually I nodded. Thorne grinned, and we climbed into bed together, snuggling close under the blankets. I tried to avoid the idea that he wasn't wearing anything but his underwear.

As I drifted off to sleep in his arms, I couldn't help but feel a sense of contentment wash over me. Maybe sharing a bed with Thorne wasn't such a scary idea after all.