Helyo

Chapter 2

Helyo

            A whisper. Faint, but here. That’s all I could hear. I opened my eyes to a tenebrous land: the sky was pitch black, with no stars and a translucent, small moon disappearing in the distance behind a thick fog. The ground was coated with heavy black sand, although there was no sea to be seen or heard in the area. I took a step forward and realized I was barefoot. In fact, I had nothing on me but a long, thin and vaporous black dress almost going to my ankle. My skin was a diaphanous white, as if it had never been under the sunlight, or any light whatsoever.

            *Waaaake uuuup*

            I shivered. Another whisper, more distinct this time. I looked around to check if someone was around, for I could sense no presence, only the oppressive atmosphere this place was filled with. I was alone, here, in this nothingness, and I started to wonder if this were some sort of afterlife, some kind of realm between the worlds where I was trapped.

            * WAKE UP*

            I flinched: there were many voices now, and the whispers had gotten stronger. Panicked, I tried to run from them, but they were getting closer. I could almost feel a breath in my neck and on my ear, moving my long white hair like a soft wind. I planted my feet on the sand, standing my ground against the voices, but they increased, until my head was full of them. They were almost shouting now, the whispers and screams telling me to wake up were whirling madly in my head, like a hurricane of pain and despair.

            *WAAAAAKEEE UUUUUUUP*         

            I put my hands on both my ears, striving to get them to stop. It hurt like hell, and I had no idea how to get rid of them. I fell on my knees, my eyes closed and tearful, my fingers digging the ground, hoping to get a hold of something, anything really, and I screamed all my pain out, not sure about how long I could endure it.

            Then I felt it: this rough sensation of falling off a cliff, like in a dream, a sharp instant of a close-death consciousness, where the heart is about to pulse out of the chest.

            I woke up in a gasp, bending forward into a sitting position, out of breath and my eyes opened on a way to intense light, although I could not have cared less at the moment. I put a hand on my heart, bouncing in a mad race to prove me I was alive. It was painful, but not as much as the burn I was feeling in my head, like a throbbing fire blazing through my skull. I felt a moan in my dry throat, my deaf ears still ringing with the insane whispers of my nightmare, and while my crane was flaming up, I felt frozen to the bone from my upper body to my toes.

            After a few seconds trying to get a hold of myself, I sensed the pain slowly going away, yet not fully disappearing, but I decided it was enough for me to be able to focus on something else. As I gradually came back to my senses, I noticed where I was: sitting on a bed, in what I assumed to be a medical room due to the machines and the lack of decoration, faced by three men I didn’t know but who were staring at me like they’d seen a ghost. I adjusted my sight and contemplated them while I took a profound breath in, catching as many scents as I could. One of the men approached me, too fast to my liking, and I backed up against the wall, getting more and more aware that if they were to attempt to harm me, I was screwed, considering how weak and alone I was. Wolf, I smelled.

            I were wondering if I could find a blade or any sort of weapon in the room in case I had to defend myself, when I noticed that the face of the guy who had previously stepped towards me had changed and that he had moved back too, retreating gently, apparently understanding that he had scared me. I could read a sincere sadness in his eyes, as well as… anger? I glanced at the two other people present, and understood right away: wolves. I was circled by three fully adult wolves that were definitely not from my pack. S**T.

            I had to leave, NOW. I knew that when found on enemy territories, most outsiders ended up dead: a punition for crossing the borders and not respecting the treaties made between packs to guaranty the safety of their members. Depending on the accord, some packs even had full rights on their now prisoners, and there were sadistic Alphas that waited for those moments to happened to let their ferocious anger take control and rip the intruder apart. Guess I had to pray now…

            I got taken aback when instead of vicious looks and loud growls I heard a soft, deep, manly voice.

            “I won’t hurt you. I promise.” He reassured me, seeming genuinely concerned for me.

            What the hell. Why was he kind? I could see and smell that he was the Alpha, meaning he should be furious, not staring at me with those puppy eyes. Something was off, but I didn’t know what, and it started to get on my nerve. I was still shaking from being soaking wet, and a strong and unpleasant smell of hospital was filling my nostrils. I inspected the guy: a tall, black haired and green eyes beauty. His skin was pale, and his muscles were showing through his short sleeve shirt. I noticed something curling up his left arm: a tattoo.

            “You’re shaking, I’ll take you something to warm you up” he declared, leaving the room hastily and stopping me in my observation.

            The two other men hadn’t spoken a word this entire time. They were looking at each other, their look in the vague. They were probably talking through mind-link, I thought to myself. The first one was strong built and short blond haired. He was almost as tall as the Alpha and had strong large hands that were resting on his muscular thighs. His complexion was golden, the same color as the one of surfer from the Californian coast. The other on the other hand, was a way more standard height. He was slim but far from skinny, with brown long hair tied in the back. He had a silver, old scar above his right eyebrow that was the size of an index. I had gathered he was the doctor by the clothes he was wearing, and it made my head throb again.

            I winced and heard the door open again, as the black haired man came back with a folded blanket, putting it on the bed before going back to his original place. I stared at them pensively and decided to wrap myself in the thick and soft fabric. It was wet the moment it laid on my shoulders, but that was better than nothing considering the situation I was in. I smelled it as I was pulling my knees up to my torso and rested my arms on them, but there was no particular scent on it.

            “Who are you?” I asked with a hoarse voice I hardly recognized.

            “I’m Alpha Serk, and this is Jace and Murkan.” He explained, pointing out the blond guy then the doctor. “What about you?”

            I hesitated. I couldn’t give my full identity in case they were enemies, but I couldn’t stay quiet like that.

            “I’m Helyo.” I answered, my voice still broken.

            “Well, Helyo, we have a lot to discuss.” The Alpha Serk had said my name like he tasted its shape on his tongue, looking pleased by the sound of it, while his eyes had lightened brightly.

            I glared at him, frowning, wondering why I felt weird about this last sentence. I seemed as he knew something I didn’t, something important. He started to approach the bed slowly, still looking me in the eyes, and sat in front of me, his feet on the ground and a hand resting on the mattress. I could see he was holding back from doing something, but I couldn’t think clearly enough to decipher him properly and know who I really had to deal with. The corner of his lips stretched and a smile lit up his face even more, worrying me.

            “I’m your mate, little one. Nice to finally meet you.”

            WHAT.THE.F**K.

            Was he serious? My mate? No way. I guess my expression had changed drastically, probably looking shocked right now, because I saw the two guys sitting on the other side of the room stiffen, while the one in front of me had raised an eyebrow at my silent attitude. I tried to reach my wolf, hopping I would get an answer from her but nothing happened. As I started to panic internally, I felt a hand on my arm that stopped me in my reflection. I stared at it, waiting for something to hit, but there was no reaction whatsoever. Rolling my eyes back to him, his penetrating gaze pierced through my skin. The glowing green of his irises had darkened a bit, his expression unsure about what to interpret from my behavior.

            “No…” I whispered.

            Something burning in my throat was making me feel uneasy and the more I tried to push my voice the more it break and hurt, as if a thousand needles were keeping me from saying another word.

            “I’m.. I’m not your mate.” I declared, sighing.

            Everything after that went hurriedly: his pupils dilated and his irises grew almost black, thus making him look like the predator he really was. His breath shortened, his muscles tensed and he was fighting with himself not to shift. His grip on my arm tightened, too hard, and I decided to stop this nonsense.

            “Let me go.” I ordered dryly, with a bad look on my face.

            “No. You’re my mate, you should acknowledge it!” He growled, even more pissed than before.

            Great. Now I had a delusional Alpha on the verge of losing his mind to deal with, while I had nothing to shield me and definitely not enough strength to run away, for he was certainly faster than me in his human form. And I was the one supposed to calm him down? Really?!

            “Serk.” Interrupted Jace, seeking to calm the fury down.”Let her go, you’ll break her arm at this rate.”

            He seemed composed, but I knew he was tense by the way he was slowly hiding me behind his back, facing his Alpha fearlessly. Man, that was probably brave but quite foolish too, for if Serk were to snap, Jace would be dead for sure. A loud, powerful rumble coming from Serk’s wolf echoed in the ground and on the walls, shaking the furniture in the room. I had goose bumps on my spine, not out of fear, but out of anger. How dared he! Menacing his men around as well as me, a God damn Alpha? That was enough.

            “I am not your mate and I suggest you take your hand off me right now.” I snarled through my clenched jaw witch a deep intimidating voice.

            His eyes widened in confusion when I stood up, facing him up close until we could feel each other’s breath on our face. I was shaking, but the cold had left while the rage burning inside me had grew, giving me the energy to confront him. He still hadn’t let go of my arm, which he was crushing slowly by the way, and Murkan and Jace were both desperate, contemplating what was going on before them.

            “Serk! For God’s sake get a hold of yourself!” Yelled Jace, ready to intervene if the wolf was to break loose. “You don’t know if her wolf acknowledges you at all! You can’t force it into her. She has to see it by herself, man.”

            The grip on my arm had completely gone off and the eyes trying to pierce through my skull were now soaked in agony, painful disgust and anger. With a fuming breath he turned around and slammed the door opened, disappearing in the corridors. I glanced at Jace, who was weighting the pros and cons of following his Alpha to check on him. I nodded as he was inspecting me, signifying him that I was fine, and he left in a hurry on the traces of the mad dark-haired guy, leaving me here with a man I didn’t know, alone, on a foreign territory, incapable of shifting into my wolf. That was a wonderful day, wasn’t it?

---

            I was standing in front of the huge mirror in the bathroom next  the bedroom Murkan had brought me in, explaining I was going to reside here for a time, at least until I was completely back in shape. He had explained to me that we were in the main house of the pack and had assigned me another room from the one I was supposed to occupy at first, Serk’s room. I felt dirty and worn out the moment I was alone in the large bedchamber, far more spacious that my old apartment which could have fitted in a third of this place, and I decided to clean myself up, to take some time to rest and think about the last events.

            The reflection in front of me was ghostly: I was covered in mud, sand and blood from head to toes, with a sick-like face, dark circles under my red swollen eyes and my lips blue and dry from the exhaustion. My thick hair was messy and as filthy as the rest of my body, but way longer than I remembered. How long had I been unconscious? They had grown from my hips to my knees, accentuating my phantom-like appearance. My hands were still shaking and my nails were almost all broken and black from the dirt. Yep, I could have walked on a horror movie set and no one would have batted an eye.

            Taking my clothes and my heavy boots off I checked for injuries, finding myself covered with bruises, but no cut or broken bones were to be found, which meant I would heal faster, provided that rest a bit. I rinsed in the shower before sliding in a hot bathtub, relaxing a little for the first time since I had opened my eyes. I could lie completely in and I guessed it could support at least three persons in it. Who needed a three person bathtub really? I couldn’t understand the way people were throwing their money away in luxurious and not-that-useful things while some others needed it badly.

            The warmth of the water was reheating my frozen body, a welcomed sensation of calmness taking me in, lessening the pain left in my head and my bones. I closed my eyes and drifted in my thoughts, trying to understand what had happened recently. I remembered the water, the black, ice-cold sea drawing me down, but then… nothing. I had ended up in the infirmary of an unknown pack after an atrocious nightmare, with no wolf and a ferocious Alpha claiming to be my mate. Just thinking about it accentuated my tiredness and I sighed, realizing I could really use a glass of wine and a cigarette. I hadn’t seen any when I arrived here but maybe I could ask some before going to sleep later. I definitely wanted to think about something else than the brute and his oversized ego, who had the nerve to try and force me down on accepting him as his mate! Who the hell did he think he were, for f**k’s sake?

            The rules of the mating process were quite simple: you can’t force it. If your mate rejects you, you have to accept it no matter how hard it is, and you cannot mark another one’s wolf without its consent. Yet, those rules seemed to be hard to follow for some people… I sighed again, calming down before getting angry. I didn’t want a mate. I never had. The sole concept of having one’s life tied to yours was out of my understanding. Of course, as an Alpha, I had to protect a lot of people and sometimes, risk my life for them. But this was completely different: you choose your pack, not your mate.

            Most mates were couples, the attraction caused by the bounding link being stronger than any human emotion. But some had remained friends, marrying who they had chosen while still having a deep relation. I had always thought that the day I met mine, I would either reject it or keep it as a friend too, for I never considered marriage or kids. It didn’t seem to be the case of Serk though. I could admit he was a beautiful man, of course, or I would be lying, but that didn’t mean anything. I didn’t feel anything special when I had seen him or when he had touched me and I wondered if it could be caused by my wolf’s absence, or simply because he wasn’t my mate after all. I was unpleased by the lack of presence of the beast in my mind, making me uneasy all of a sudden.

            I decided I had soaked long enough in the now slightly murky water, and got up grabbing a towel that I wrapped around me. I wringed out my hair as best as I could and I started to inspect the wooden bathroom cabinet for a pair of scissors to cut them to a reasonable length. I searched in the drawers until I found one with thin and long silver blades and beautiful engravings on it. I gathered the wet lock and cut them at a hips length, then washed the scissors and put the remains of my coma in a trash can.

            I dried myself up and went to the bedroom to get some clean clothes to wear to find a large and short sleeved t-shirt and boxer shorts on the bed. Were there here when I arrived? I couldn’t recall and guessed that someone might have brought them for me. I put them on: they were way too big for me and I liked it, sure that I would be comfortable in them. They smelled freshly washed laundry, and a slight touch of man scent that belonged to Serk. Hm. So theses were his clothes huh? Never mind, I was too eager to sleep to even bother, so I climbed on the king sized bed and crawled under the sheets, my hair still a bit humid, not that I cared. I suddenly realized how strained I was when my muscles relaxed little by little, allowing me to fall dead asleep while the sun was at its peak.

--

            I gradually woke up to the sound of a sweet and low voice, emerging from a dream made of old flashbacks. I could see trough my eyelids that there was light. I turned back in the bed groaning, grabbing the sheets that weren’t on me anymore to cover myself and wrapped my arms around a pillow, burying my head in it.

            “Hey, I think you slept enough.”

            That was Serk’s voice. I lifted my head towards him, frowning because of the bright light the morning sun was casting in the room through the windows and I opened an eye to find him sitting on the bed next to me, a leg out of the mattress.

            “Mhhh.” I groaned again. “What’you doin’ here?” I asked with a hoarse morning voice.

            “I knocked several times on the door but you didn’t hear me, so I let myself in. I had to call out your name many times to wake you up.” He grinned, looking at me softly and satisfied from his apparent victory.

            “Mh. What time is it? Feels like I’ve been sleeping all day.” I grumbled sitting and rubbing my face.

            “You’ve been asleep for two days. I started to worry so I came to check up on you”

            Two days? Man, I had really needed sleep then.

            “You should get dressed. Breakfast’s ready.” He stated, smirking.

            “Do you have coffee?” I enquired, craving for my morning cup of coffee and a cigarette.

            “If I say yes, do you promise to come down and let me take one with you?” His smile had gotten wider and his eyes were glowing with mischief.

            “I might, yeah” I revealed as I narrowed my eyes at his suspicious demand.

            He got up, seemingly satisfied with my answer, and walked out of the room.

            “Hey,” I called out before he could cross the doorway. He stopped to face me, an eyebrow raised in question.”Black and no sugar please.” I informed.

            He nodded and left after closing the door, leaving me to wake up in this immense room. I took a look around: the walls were the color of light sand, reflecting the sweet golden light coming from the half-opened bay window. I got up and noticed it was leading to a balcony the size of a small room. It had stone on the ground as opposed to the one of the room, which had beautiful rosewood parquet. A large TV screen was hanging on the wall facing the bed and some hi-fi stuff were sitting on a broad piece of furniture made of dark metal and clear oak.  The bed and most of the furniture was made of this charmingly crafted material. Around the bed were two little tables with a drawer, one at each side, and they both had metallic lamps on them. Facing the balcony and on the right of the bed was the “main” door, the one that opened on the corridor, but there were two others: the one to the bathroom on the left of the TV screen, and another one right next to it, leading God knew where.

            I went for it, gently turning the handle, and ended up in a huge walk-in closet with full length mirrors and enough place to store five or six persons entire wardrobes. If a fashion lover were here, they would have thought of this place as Heaven, but for me it was too much. I spotted a pile of clothes, probably for me to wear, and decided to examine it. There was a sky-blue long sleeved shirt and a black tank top with blue jeans and black sports undergarments. Along with that I found my boots, cleaned, and a few pairs of shoes. I dressed up, rolling up the sleeves of the shirt I was wearing open on the thank top, and put on white shoes. I walked to the bathroom to brush my hair, and tied them up in a basic braid. I left after splashing my face a couple times with cold water, ignoring the make-up box next to me.

            As I arrived down the stairs I followed the smell of toasted bread, cooked eggs and the most delightful of them all: coffee. The kitchen was big, just like any room in this house apparently. Four people were eating, sitting on stools around a central island made of grey and white marble. The same material was used for all the furniture here and it looked stunning. I recognized Serk and Jace, seated on the right, but not the two others, who, by the way, looked older than the first two. I had stopped at the entrance and they had all stared at me one by one, ending their chattering, as soon as Serk had noticed me.

            “Hey.” He started, a pleased smile illuminating his face. “Don’t stay there, come and eat. There’s coffee…” he smirked pleased with himself, proud that he had fulfilled my request.

            I pressed my lips together and nodded to the others as I stepped in to the coffee machine, saluting them silently. I poured myself a full cup of the black steamy beverage, inhaling deeply this smell I loved so dearly.

            “Helyo, this is Sera, my mom, and Edgar, my father.” He announced, showing them with his hand. “Mom, dad, this is Helyo.” He hadn’t mentioned the ‘mate’ part and I wondered if they knew about the infirmary drama.

            That was weird. I mean, not the fact he had parents or that they resided in the main house, but the fact that I felt like a girlfriend being introduced to her future step-parents on the morning of her first sleepover at her boyfriend’s.

            “Hi, hello. Nice to meet you” I stuttered, taken aback by how things stack up. Hell, I hated those situations where you had to be cordial to be well seen.

            “It’s a pleasure.” Answered the woman with a broad smile. She had gracious features and looked younger than she probably was, like her husband, because even if they were looking older than me I would have never guessed they could be the parents of a guy in his twenties.

            The man nodded in response with a soft smile and grey eyes looking at me with tenderness. They seemed to be nice people I concluded, and I went to sit at the end of the table, Sera at my left and Jace at my right, while everyone came back at its food. I took the first sip of my cup and closed my eyes a second to savor it.

            “You should eat you know.” Interrupted Jace while he finished engulfing a spoonful of scrambled eggs.

            I glanced at the different plates set before me: scrambled eggs, hot bacon, a dozen of toasts, marmalade, butter, a bowl of grapes and one of strawberries, a jar of orange juice and finally, biscuits. I took one, dipped it in my coffee and hate it whole. I heard a snort coming from Jace and I raised an eyebrow at him.

            “What?”

            “It’s just, you have the right to eat more than that you know.” He giggled, Serk mimicking him.

            “Yeah, I just… don’t really eat breakfast usually” I answered with a faint smile.

            There was no sign of anger on Serk’s face, which was weird considering how possessive he had acted the first time we had meet.

            “And how do you plan to go through the day with an empty stomach?” He asked.

            “Mh, probably like any other, eating at lunch when I’ll be hungry.” I explained, my tone being a bit dryer than I intended.

            I was still pissed at him for his behavior and I was waiting for an apology, even a small one. The way his expression changed, he had probably understood what I was thinking about, and he said nothing more, going back at its toasts.

            “Does anyone know where I could find cigarettes?” I enquired, breaking the silence, as they all looked at me with interest. The now silent Alpha got up and turned to open a closet above the sink, took out a pack and a lighter, and gave them to me, all without a glance.

            “Thank you.” I said while standing up

            I took my cup and the cigs and walked to the immense bay window, opening it and closing it right after I had gone through it. I was facing a magnificent garden, full of plants and colorful flowers: some were exotic, others more common but everything altogether was breathtaking in the morning sunlight. I decided to sit, back to the wall next to the window and took a cigarette. I lit it up, taking a deep, long breath, inhaling this familiar taste while closing my eyes and letting my head rest back, then exhaled slowly, playing with the white thick smoke coming out of my lips. That’s gonna be a loooong day, I thought to myself.