Wolven Rising: Untold Stories

GR-15: Mistakes

Alana

I felt a lot better after talking to Mason. He was a great big brother, over-protectiveness aside. I wasn't ready to talk to my parents yet, though. I was sure Mason would tell them what they needed to know, anyway.

After my brother left my room, I got dressed and followed suit, intending to eat breakfast with the visiting delegation.

"Alana," my mom said, stopping me when I was mere feet from the door.

"Yes?" I said, slowly turning, hoping she wasn't intending to grill me about my late night walk with Shasta.

"We're having some boxes delivered this afternoon," she said from her place at the counter. "Please make some time to start packing."

Packing. Oh. "Okay, I will," I said, edging toward the door.

"We don't want to leave it until the last minute, okay?"

One more foot to go. "Right. I'll make time, I promise."

"If you find you need more boxes or luggage while you're packing, let me know so we can get more."

"I will," I said, opening the door. "See you later, bye!"

Before she could say more, I slipped through and shut the door quickly, leaning against it with a sigh.

"Do you think she's okay?" I heard my mom's worried voice on the other side of the door.

"I'm sure she's fine, Sarah," my dad answered. "She seems happier than I've seen her in awhile."

"You really think so?" My mom said thickly.

"Oh, Sarah," I heard the faint twang of couch cushion and springs as my dad must have gotten up to go soothe his mate. "She's growing up. We have to let her go eventually."

My mother sniffled, and I suddenly couldn't bear to listen anymore. I tiptoed away, feeling an odd tightness in my chest that I couldn't quite explain.

---

A few hours later, I found myself on the training grounds with Harlie. Kendria had ordered a light workout for everyone in her delegation today, but they could do it whenever they wanted. I knew for a fact it was because she was spending most of her free time with Rowan. Every time I saw him, he had a huge smile plastered on his face. That or he was staring adoringly at her, mirroring the lovesick puppy expression my brother got when he looked at Harlie. I loved seeing him so smitten. He really was a big softie, something that made him unique as an Alpha. Not every pack was lucky enough to have someone who was both strong and caring. Some gave in to their more brutal, possessive natures and ran their packs more like a military than a family.

"How many miles should we run?" Harlie asked, stretching her quad. Her curly blonde hair was pulled up in a high ponytail and she was wearing hot pink leggings and a black moisture-wicking top. Her athletic shoes were lime green, giving the allusion of a neon watermelon when she kicked her foot up to stretch the other leg.

"I don't know, four?" I offered, stretching my calves. Harlie made a face, but nodded. I liked her a lot, and was happy when she approached me this morning to ask if I wanted to be her workout partner. She was only seven months older than me, but with all the experience she had helping to run their pack up north, she seemed older than that. Already I thought of her as a sister.

We finished warming up and started out on one of the trails around the fields. I led the way by half a pace, only because I knew the land better and could choose a route that would end back at the training field right at the end of the four miles.

"So, you're...friends with...Shasta?" Harlie said, speaking between controlled breaths.

"Yeah," I replied shortly. We weren't out of breath yet, but still exerting a fair amount of energy. "We both...like books."

"Ah," she said, turning the corner of the half-harvested wheat field with me. "That's good."

"Is it?" I asked, slowing down to more of a jog so we could converse more easily.

"Yeah, he needed a friend," Harlie said. "Especially since Kendria and I..."

"Found your mates," I finished.

"Anyway, I'm glad he found someone who shares his love of books," she said. "He didn't really have anyone to talk to about them on Mount Haven."

"Well, he has me now," I said. If only he really did have me.

"I suppose he does." Harlie smiled knowingly.

We picked up the pace again, finishing our four-mile loop in good time. "Whew!" Harlie said as we slowed to a walk. "You set a breakneck pace, Alana. I'll be out of commission for a week!"

"Oh no! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to go so fast!" I exclaimed, worried I'd pushed her too hard. Hopefully, Mason wouldn't be mad at me.

"Relax, girl, I'm just kidding," Harlie said, swinging her arms to keep her blood moving. "I complain about working out all the time. You'll get used to it."

"Oh," I said, embarrassed.

Just then, a couple of warriors from Harlie's delegation stepped onto the track. Ben, who was one of the quieter ones of the bunch, merely waved at us and started his own warmup, but Fletcher, who was a bit more talkative, kept walking toward us. "Harlie, Alana, Hi!" Fletcher said when he got closer. "Did you already go for a run?"

"What do you think, Fletcher?" Harlie snapped a little, her face sweaty. "Do I usually look like this before I go running?"

"If you started out with combat training, then yes," he said with an easy-going smirk. Harlie glowered at him. "Ignore him, Alana. He lives to push people's buttons."

"Aww, Harlie, give me a break, would you? You're making me look bad in front of the beautiful she-wolf next to you." Fletcher said with a megawatt smile in my direction. I blushed horribly. Beautiful she-wolf? I was clearly just as sweaty as Harlie, and my skin was probably all blotchy like it usually got when I got my blood pumping from exertion.

"Stop it, Fletcher," Harlie said, rolling her eyes. "This is my new sister, Alana, in case you didn't notice. So you'd better back off before my mate beats your ass. Plus, can't you read the room? She doesn't want your s****l depravity aimed right at her."

"Right. My apologies," Fletcher said, raising his hands in surrender. "I didn't mean anything by it, Red. Just part of my outgoing nature."

"Um, it's fine," I said, feeling more embarrassed by the second. s****l depravity? It just seemed like he was being nice, maybe a little flirtatious. But sexually depraved? Harlie seemed to be going a little overboard here. Maybe Mason told her to keep an eye on me?

Harlie scoffed. "Just keep your paws to yourself, Fletch. At least when it comes to Alana."

"Relax, Har. I'm perfectly capable of platonic friendship, you know. We're just friends, right, Red?"

"Sure, I guess," I said, even though I didn't know him that well. It would be good to make friends in Shasta's pack, right?

Fletcher wiggled his eyebrows. "See?"

"Okay, you're friends," Harlie gave in, putting her arm around my shoulder. "Can we finish our workout now?" She spun us around and started tugging me toward the weight room.

Suddenly, I was pulled back and spun around. "Hey," Fletcher began with a grin, "We're okay, right?"

"Uhhh...yeah?" I said, still startled by the abrupt movement.

"Get your hands off her!" A loud snarl came from behind me. Except it wasn't Harlie.

It was Shasta.

He looked positively livid, his chest expanding and contracting, his blue eyes icy with hatred, his hair wildly tousled.

He was magnificent.

---

Shasta

"I said, get your hands off her," I snarled again, this time advancing and yanking Fletcher's hands off of Alana's shoulder. She looked a little dazed.

"Relax, man, we were just talking," Fletcher said, raising his hands in defense.

"Are you blind? She didn't want you touching her," I said lowly, glaring at him. "I could tell from a hundred yards away that she was uncomfortable."

"Shasta—" Alana began, but I didn't give her a chance to finish, instead moving protectively between her and Fletcher.

Fletcher tossed his hair back and shot an arrogant look at me, the douchebag. "Sorry, I didn't realize I was cutting in on a girl you already called dibs on."

"Watch your mouth," I growled.

I stood there glaring at Fletcher until I felt a featherlight touch on my arm. I turned around so quickly that Alana's hand, which was on my arm, ended up sliding across my body to my chest. I relished the feeling for just a moment, until she yanked her hand back as though she'd been burned. "Shasta, it's okay," she said quietly. "We were only talking."

"Yeah man, we were just talking. Like I said," Fletcher spoke up, and I wished with all my might that he would drop dead. Or at least stop taunting me. Because I knew exactly what he was doing. He'd done this more than once. If there was a random girl in the human town he was feeling competitive over, he'd make me out to be an irrational i***t, while making himself seem suave, reasonable, and charismatic. Asshole.

I stared deeply into Alana's stormy eyes, and she stared right back. I don't know if I was hoping for the mate bond to magically snap into place, or for her to anchor me in some way, but neither of those things happened. My mind grew more unhinged with thoughts of Fletcher moving in and ruining her innocence, using her and turning her into a shell of the beautiful person she was now. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore, so I turned around and punched Fletcher in the jaw.

"Shasta!" Alana cried out as Fletcher went sprawling, caught completely off guard. Then, to my dismay, she rushed over to see if he was okay. "What were you thinking?" she said, staring up at me in shock. f**k. What had I done?

"I'll tell you what he was thinking," Fletcher groaned, spitting out some bloody saliva. "He was thinking that I was going to f**k you before he got the chance to, except I wasn't going to do that. Did I leave anything out?" He snapped, glaring at me with a wicked gleam in his eye. Hunter snarled in my mind, begging to be let out to rip him to shreds.

"What—Shasta?" Alana asked uncertainly. "Is that true?"

"Of course it's true," Fletcher explained, getting to his feet. "Shasta's got a bit of a competitive streak. Never did like it if I beat him to one of the girls in the human town, did you?" He said, spitting again. "Doesn't mean I'm always looking to get in a girl's pants, though."

"...Shasta?" she asked tremulously.

I opened his mouth and closed it a few times. Of course it wasn't true. Except...in an awful, twisted sort of way, it sort of was. I did fool around with girls in the human town, sometimes in competition with Fletcher. I did think that Fletcher was trying to move in on Alana. But it wasn't because I wanted to be with her first. I didn't want to use her and lose her, as Fletcher often so inelegantly put it. I wanted to be with her. For the rest of my time on this Earth, under the blessings of the Moon Goddess. But...I could see how what he was saying had a ring of truth. And so could he.

I hung my head. "I'm sorry," I whispered.

Tears sprang to Alana's eyes, and she crossed her arms and cupped her elbows, hugging herself. Harlie, who had been standing back and watching the events unfold, finally came forward. "That's enough."

---

Alana

I numbly let Harlie lead me away, leaving both Fletcher and Shasta behind. "Where do you want to go," Harlie asked after we exited the training grounds.

"My room," I whimpered. I couldn't believe what just happened. Shasta just wanted to have s*x with me? Was it some sort of game he played? Was everything he told me last night just an act to get in my pants? I wanted to know what my wolf thought, but Zusa was quiet, also unsure of what to think.

Harlie took me swiftly up to the Beta suite, which was luckily empty this time of day. She found my room with ease, probably by scent, since she hadn't been in here before. "How about you take a shower, then we can talk if you want," she said gently.

I nodded and walked like a robot to the bathroom, closing the door behind me. I took a long shower, most of it just standing in a daze, my mind refusing to process anything. When I finally got out, Harlie was sitting up against my headboard with wet hair and wearing Mason's clothes. She must have showered in his bathroom while I was in mine.

She patted the bedspread next to her. "You can just sit, or we can talk. Whatever you need, I'm here for you."

"Is it true," I said desperately, flying to her side. "Is Shasta just trying to get in my pants?"

Harlie chuckled a little. "Alana, I've known Shasta very well for a very long time. He is not trying to use you."

I rested my head on her shoulder, sagging with palpable relief. "Why did Fletcher say that, then?'

She sighed. "I don't know if I'm the person who should tell you that. I think you should talk to Shasta."

I was already shaking my head before she even finished speaking. "I can't ask him. I just can't. Besides, I'm not sure he would actually tell me."

Harlie turned my shoulders so I was facing her, her damp blonde curls damp leaving water spots on Mason's t-shirt. "Can I ask you something? Not as your brother's mate, but as a fellow woman?"

I straightened a little. "Yes."

"Do you like Shasta?"

"...Yes," I said bravely.

She nodded once, as if my words confirmed something else for her, though I didn't know what it was. "I'm going to tell you a few things, Alana. Not necessarily because I believe they should come from me, but because, as a woman and my sister, I think you deserve to know."

My heart warmed at her calling me her sister. "Okay," I said, settling in to listen.

"Ugh, this feels like a small betrayal to one of my best friends, but since Fletcher ran his mouth, I suppose it was coming out anyway," Harlie began. "First, for context, Shasta is really good at beating himself up for things that are beyond his control or not his fault." I bowed my head in acknowledgement. I had seen that last night, with Shasta's admission of his guilt over his parents' deaths.

"He also...has done a little bit of fooling around and blowing off steam in the human town, starting a little after he turned sixteen."

My heart sank. There it was. Shasta had previous s****l experience. He hadn't waited for his mate. What was I expecting? I knew it was fairly common, especially for male wolves, to have a partner or two before they found their mates. But the news that Shasta was counted among them was a little hard to take. If we were mates, how was I supposed to compete? If we were mates, why couldn't he have waited for me?

"Alana, are you alright?" Harlie asked, pulling me out of my spiraling mess of thoughts.

"Yes...no...I don't know," I answered, as truthfully as I could.

"For what it's worth, Shasta did decide to stop doing all that stuff before he came here," Harlie continued, putting her arm around my shoulder in a side hug. "He wanted to figure out his life and find a better purpose."

"That's good," I said in a small voice. It did make me feel marginally better that Shasta wasn't doing—those—things anymore.

"As for Fletcher, she said, her voice growing sharp. "He is a nice enough guy, but he is a flirtatious manwhore, and excels in the manipulation of women. Don't let him fool you. You can be friends, but stay on your guard, okay?"

I nodded vigorously. Getting caught up with a guy like that was the last thing I needed.

"Now, I won't try to sway you either way when it comes to Shasta," Harlie said matter-of-factly. "You are your own person, with your own opinions, thoughts, and feelings. All I'll tell you is that Shasta is a good, well-intentioned person who has made some mistakes. It's up to you what you do with that. Okay?"

"Okay," I agreed. It was refreshing, being able to talk to someone about Shasta without feeling judged or pressured in any way. I was thankful to have found a new sister in Harlie.

"Now, I'm going to do you the biggest favor of all," Harlie said, giving me a quick hug and getting up from the bed.

"What's that?" I asked quizzically.

"I'm not going to tell your brother about what happened at the training grounds," she said simply. "Plus, bonus, I'll make sure Fletcher keeps his trap shut, too."

"You would really do that?" I asked. "You'd keep something like that from your mate?"

Harlie shrugged her shoulders. "What can I say? You're my sister. And some things, Mason is better off not knowing."

"Better off not knowing what?" Mason said, poking his head through the door and making me jump.

"Didn't I tell you to knock before barging into my room!?" I shrieked. How much did he hear?

Harlie, on the other hand, seemed unconcerned, walking to the door and pecking him on the lips. "Nothing, honey," she sang. She must be so attuned to him that she saw him coming, I realized. That was probably why she got up in the first place.

"Is that my shirt?" Mason said, growling a little with approval.

Harlie giggled, tugging on the hem. "Yes. Do you think it fits?"

"I think I'd rather see it on the floor," Mason said mischievously.

"Ew, you guys, gross!" I exclaimed. "Can you take your dirty talk somewhere else, please?"

"Sorry, Alana," Harlie smiled at me. "Remember what I said, alright?"

"I will," I replied.

"What did you say?" Mason asked.

"None of your business," Harlie said, shooing him out of the room.

I sighed with relief when the door closed behind them. Now to figure out what in the world I was going to do next.