Renaissance

Episode 3

*Autry’s POV*    I dragged the boys all around to finish the shopping as quickly as possible to leave for our room. I was aware of the mesmerizing look plastered on both of their faces, although I wanted to be away from prying eyes before explaining anything to them. When we finally entered my room with all our shopping bags, I quickly locked the door after us. Looking at each of their eyes, in turn, I said one word only, and it was enough to freeze them on the spot.   “Mate!” I said as my hand combed through my dishevelled hair. The two goons they were, they looked at each other and then me. I sighed, sinking my massive self into the soft bed.  “She is human.” I blurted.   This was a huge problem. Yes, there were wolves mated to humans all over the world now. It wasn’t unheard of. But I was an Alpha. Our pack was one of the strongest, even though recently its glory was slipping away.    “Brother,” Damon called, with pain evident in his voice, putting his hand gently on my shoulder. He was quick to get emotional, and usually, I would hate it. At the moment, I appreciate any act of affection. The status of an Alpha-to-be was a lot like a prince’s. I was to become an image of power in any way. My looks, my training, my management… even my mate. And in the supernatural world, a human mate was the weakest amongst all. It is considered that one will not be able to sanely move his pack when his mate needed his constant protection. When an Alpha-to-be is mated to a human, he ought to choose between his mate and his title.    In my case, neither were acceptable. I wanted to empower a change; I wanted to show the world my way of ruling. If word spreads about this, I am doomed. If the dish reaches the elders, I will be forced to take one of the actions in the blink of an eye.   I always thought that I would quickly reject the human no harm caused if such a thing occurs. But here I was, considering throwing away my life-long dreams after a single encounter.    “What are you going to do?” Damon asked.  “What choice do I have, Damon? Are you willing to take over as the Alpha?” I asked knowingly. He has clearly stated his lack of interest in the Alpha position before. However, I offered him years ago the choice to become the next ruler of our pack.   “We have been through this, brother. You know I will never be as mighty as you will. I will never, willingly, take the position.” he refused again.   “Damon, I shouldn’t have invited her.” being forced to think this way was enough to pain Godric and me, but I shouldn’t have. “Tomorrow, I should cook her dinner, explain everything to her and make her accept, rejecting me. If I spend one second longer than necessary, my resolution will completely shatter.” I stated the fact. All three of us sighed heavily, and I started waiting for my never-ending 24 hours to pass by.    *Cecelia’s POV*    I couldn’t sleep all night, as I’ve been haunted by the memory of the 10 minutes I have been able to share with this complete stranger. The voice in my head was driving me crazy by constantly reminding me of the appealing features of Autry. Being raised in the orphanage, we rarely went out, and I didn’t have much chance to interact with the male species. All my experience will be limited to paying money to the cashier when the cashier is a male. So I couldn’t understand the source of my boldness yesterday, accepting a meeting offer so readily.    Despite the toughness of his actions, I didn’t feel intimidated by the apparently powerful man before me. In fact, mesmerized by his boldness, excited by his closeness, I was drawn to him for a reason. After putting away all my belongings neatly into the drawers inserted into my room and eating something for breakfast, I selected the hand-me-down dress I would wear this evening. There was still 5 hours to our promised meeting time and, the waiting was killing me. So I decided to make a small cake as a gift for preparing dinner for me, also as a distraction for myself.   As I was mixing ingredients and whipping the cream, and assembling the cake, the time flew by. When the cake was nicely put together and packed, I had only 30 minutes to get ready and get out.   I quickly put on the dress and my shoes and placed on the only makeup item I owned: an orangy-brown lipstick. Today, I wanted to put my hair up, so I took a ribbon matching the colour of my skirt. I braided it into my hair to have two braids starting at the crown of my head and going down on both sides. I tied the ends, crossed them over, wrapped them all around my head like a band, and then tied the ribbon at the top of my head to form a beautiful bow. I left some curls around my face loose. This way, it looked more natural. I smiled at my complexion over the mirror. Grabbing the cake and my purse, I left my room and quickly descended the stairs.   My heart started beating faster as I recognized Autry, standing at the gate, his back to the staircase. He had a fitting light orange shirt on a pair of black jeans. He was standing with both his hands in the pockets, slightly leaned to the wall on his left. Just as I started to climb down the last few stairs, he turned to me as if he somehow knew I am there. He looked at me from head to toe. I smiled weakly.   “You really came.” He said, more to himself than me, while offering me his arm.   “I promised I would,” I answered, taking the offered arm without hesitation. “Where are we going?” I asked.   “Unfortunately, I only have the study desk in my room, as a decent table. Therefore, we are going there.” He said. “Which will be this way.” He led me to the west wing of the guesthouse. We used the elevator for the west wing. His room was on the 7th floor, and I was thankful that he didn’t make me go up all those flights of stairs on foot and quickly regretting that when we stepped into the cramped space of the elevator.  There was tension in the air. I tried to ignore his eyes and to look anywhere but not at him. Although, even if I converted my eyes, I could still feel his intoxicating fragrance of the musky ocean, causing my insides to twist.   Thanks to the technology, it didn’t take long before we heard the bing sound, announcing that this torture was over. He stepped out first, leading the way. When we entered his room, I realized it was a little bit spicier than mine. The furniture were much nicer too. He even had a small lounge area, where he apparently re-located the study desk and turned it into a dinner table by properly laying a tablecloth on it. The food was all ready to be served, and it smelled delicious.   “Did you like the room?” he asked, pulling one of the chairs for me to sit.   “Yes, it’s much nicer than mine,” I admitted while he helped me sit.   “Really? I thought we received standard rooms but suspected my mother went ahead and pulled some strings when I heard that no one other than us three were resident on this floor.” He said while serving a soup to me. I watched his movements as he poured one for himself and got seated in front of me.   “Thank you very much,” I said, starting to eat. It was a tomato soup and might as well be the best I ever tasted. Couldn’t help the surprised expression on my face, earning a chuckle from him.   “I’m glad you liked it,” he said.   “I’m glad you made it! What kind of magic is this. It tastes nothing like any soups I ever tried.”   “It’s a tomato soup. I have brought a spice mix from-“ paused for a split second “from my hometown. It works magic with vegetables in general.” He explained. “But we are not here to discuss my cooking skills, are we?” he said, leaning in on the table a little. I quickly nodded, averting my gaze back on the soup. I heard him sigh, “Mind tell me a little about yourself, Cece?” he asked.   “What am I supposed to tell?” I asked. Honestly, I had nothing interesting about me other than the fact that I was raised as an orphan and heard a voice in my head for the last two or so years.   “Start by telling me your age?”   “Actually, tomorrow is my birthday. So, I baked a cake, thinking maybe we could celebrate together, since we are together here, right now. This will be the closest thing I ever had to a birthday celebration.” I blurted out. I didn’t know what came over me, telling much more than I was asked…   “It is?” he asked, and I confirmed with a nod. “You should have told me before. I’d have prepared a present for you.” He said with disappointment. “But I am surprised, does your family never celebrates birthdays?” he asked. I took a deep breath.   “I have no idea. I never met them. I was raised as an orphan.” I admitted, looking down at my soup. I didn’t want to see the pitiful eyes that haunted me all my life. People would pity us, orphans, and send the clothes, toys, books, notebooks and pens their families no longer need. I was thankful for all of them. Just that knowing they were never intended to be ours pained me. Knowing that I had no family to provide those simplest things discouraged me. The pity of the orphanage worker, while she handed us those items, saddened me. I was well taken care of yet, carried that empty spot in my chest, eating me from the inside, all these years.   “I am sorry, you don’t have to talk about it.” He quickly said, apparently uncomfortable with the twist of our conversation. I sighed.   “It’s okay, I never knew them. I was found at the orphanage gates, where I was left with a handmade blanket and a pendant neckless. I hoped to search for any remaining relatives, but the headmaster of the orphanage is positive that it will be a comprehensive search as they weren’t able to spot a clue.” I explained, trying to make it sound a less gloomy subject and internally cursing myself for not being able to. “I always had many people around me, yet no one to run to. I am used to being alone, and it suits me well because usually, I don’t talk much, although right now it seems the exact opposite.” I smiled, honestly surprised with the volume of words I was using, where usually, I was a shy being, preventing talking any more than absolutely necessary. I heard him take a deep breath.   “I just turned 24 years old.” He said, and I was thankful for him giving my mind another subject to busy itself with. So he was 4 years older than me. He continued, “My family owns a business, and we are on the downfall. I am here to study how we could bring it back up so that our family can live a decent life.” He explained, serving us both his main dish, beef and baked potatoes. I thanked him, taking a bite from the meat. It was nothing like I ever tried. It was so much in volume, and its taste was enriched with spices I never tasted before. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the meal. We ate in silence. He has been eying me to see if I ate. I was familiar with that sensation of being watched while I eat. So it didn’t really bother me.   When I finished eating the last bite of my potatoes, he cleared his throat as if on cue.”Cece, I need to tell you something.” He paused, looking into my eyes intently. “And I need you to please not freak out until you hear me till the end?” I wondered what it was.“I belong to a group of people, who make themselves invisible to the world, generally to protect themselves.” What was it? Was he in a cult or something? “You see, although we mean no harm, other people are easily frightened from us, which causes them to hunt us… that’s why we hide, as big families, away to the naked eye.” I was considering a few possible scenarios. They wanted to stay safe and lived as large groups, away from human eyes… that wouldn’t mean, would it?   “Are you a magician?” I asked with enthusiasm. “Like Harry Potter?” I was so excited. Autry exhaled audibly before answering me in a melancholic tone and a pained expression on his face.   “No, my dear mate, I am a werewolf.”     *Autry’s POV*   My day went by painfully slow, as I couldn’t sleep at all. I started cooking at 6 in the morning, preparing everything one by one, pulling the desk over to the lounge area and covering it with a tablecloth. I put the freshly purchased dishes and cutlery on the table, one by one. Tried making everything look symmetrical while chopping the vegetables for the sauce… Although everything was ready, including me, by half-past four. Having nothing else to do, I went downstairs, hoping maybe she will come down earlier than we promised.   I casually leaned my shoulder against the wall, watching the little garden the guesthouse had, not because I am interested, but to pass the time. I was checking my watch every minute for the last 35 minutes. When the arms of my watch showed five, and she still didn’t show up, I wondered if she changed her mind and wouldn’t show up. Thinking that pained me a lot, while a part of me yearned to be relieved from the confrontation I had to go through tonight.     Just then, I heard the delicious scent brought to me by the wakest of breezes. I turned around. There she was, looking at me with those beautiful eyes of her from the top of the last flight of stairs to the east wing. I looked at her, up and down, trying to burn every detail of this beautiful creature, which was made especially for me, by the moon goddess, and the same angel that I need to break at various places by the moon climbs high tonight.   I shook my awe out and started to close the distance between us. She was gorgeous in the bright green dress, which was a tad bit tight around her chest, but becoming a fluffy knee-length dress as it went down. The hemline of its skirt was bordered with laces, and the way she put her hair up complimented the little decollete she was showing around her shoulders.   “You really came,” I whispered to myself, sure that she couldn’t hear it without the heightened hearing ability of a wolf while offering her my arm.   “I promised I would,” she answered, leaving me in awe. She tangled her arm into mine before asking, “Where are we going?”   “Unfortunately, I only have the study desk in my room, as a decent table. Therefore, we are going there. Which will be this way.” I led her. I directly went for the elevators since my room was on the 7th floor, and a gentleman wouldn’t make a lady walk for that long. Although, I never thought about what being in such a cramped space would do to my wolf or me. From the spot I stood, I had a clear view of her marking spot on her neck, which she left bare, and was calling for me so loudly now that the small cabin of the elevator was filled entirely with her delicious scent, causing my canines to elongate involuntarily. The worst part was, I could feel the intensification of her fragrance as her want for me grew each second. Even if human, she had instantly felt the desire and knowing this brought me further down, thinking about what I had to do tonight.   I was still unable to peel my eyes off of her when the machine stopped with a beeping sound. I stepped out and led the way. I watched her as she took in her surroundings.   “Did you like the room?” I asked as I pulled a chair for her to sit in.   “Yes, it’s much nicer than mine,” she said with a pretty smile.   “Really? I thought we received standard rooms but suspected my mother went ahead and pulled some strings when I heard that no one other than us three were resident on this floor.” I explained as I poured in some of the tomato soup I cooked, just for her.     “Thank you very much,” she said and taking a sip from the soup. She was making a face I would wish to see on her while she screams my name from the pleasure I give.   “I’m glad you liked it,” I said quickly, averting my attention elsewhere.   “I’m glad you made it! What kind of magic is this. It tastes nothing like any soups I ever tried.”   “It’s a tomato soup. I have brought a spice mix from-“ I almost said my pack “from my hometown. It works magic with vegetables in general. But we are not here to discuss my cooking skills, are we?” I said, watching as she nodded affirmatively. I sighed, “Mind tell me a little about yourself, Cece?”     “What am I supposed to tell?”   “Start by telling me your age?”   “Actually, tomorrow is my birthday. So, I baked a cake, thinking maybe we could celebrate together, since we are together here, right now. This will be the closest thing I ever had to a birthday celebration.”   “It is?” I asked, and she confirmed with a nod. “You should have told me before. I’d have prepared a present for you. But I am surprised. Does your family never celebrates birthdays?” I asked, trying to make some small talk.   “I have no idea. I never met them. I was raised as an orphan.” When she said this, I felt like the worst i***t ever existed on planet earth.   “I am sorry, you don’t have to talk about it.” I quickly said.   “It’s okay, I never knew them. I was found at the orphanage gates, where I was raised with a handmade blanket and a pendant neckless. I hoped to search for any remaining relatives, but the headmaster of the orphanage is positive that it will be a comprehensive search as they weren’t able to spot a clue.” Her words weighted into my chest “I always had many people around me, yet no one to run to. I am used to being alone, and it suits me well because usually, I don’t talk much, although right now it seems the exact opposite.” She smiled, washing some of my unease away.   “I just turned 24 years old.” I tried to divert the conversation. “My family owns a business, and we are on the downfall. I am here to study how we could bring it back up so that our family can live a decent life.” I briefed her, serving the main dish. I watched as she brought the first bite into her mouth, going into a trance. I considered asking some more questions, but I enjoyed the sight before me as she enjoyed the food on her plate. I needed to tell her as soon as possible, or I would never be able to say goodbye.   I cleared my throat to prevent my voice from coming out so husky, also getting Cecelia’s attention on me. “Cece, I need to tell you something.” I blurted out, as there was no easy way coming true about this. “And I need you to please not freak out until you hear me till the end?” She didn’t make a sound but was intently looking into my eyes, so I continued. “I belong to a group of people, who make themselves invisible to the world, generally to protect themselves.” Still, no answer. “You see, although we mean no harm, other people are easily frightened from us, which causes them to hunt us… that’s why we hide, as big families, away to the naked eye.” I was freaking out with every passing second she gave no reaction, fearing the worst. I braced myself when she opened her mouth.   “Are you a magician?” she said, with enormous sparkling eyes. “Like Harry Potter?” she said, excited like a child. Well, technically, she still was just that, a child. I exhaled a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.   “No, my dear mate, I am a werewolf.”