Blaze

Five

Two weeks.

​It had been two weeks since the encounter with my mate, and he had been on my mind ever since, refusing to leave even for a second. Even my dreams were full of him- wet, erotic dreams that left me panting like a dog when I woke up in the morning, my panties drenched with my wetness.

​It was ridiculous how I hadn't even seen his human face yet, but I was already this infatuated with him. But that was the mate bond for you. My infatuation for him would only grow until I finally mated with him.

​"Alpha," small hands tugged on my sweatpants. I looked down to see Kate. He was the small boy who had lost his parents that day. I smiled and squatted down on my knees so I was looking directly into his eyes. His cheeks tinted red when I smiled at him, and I chuckled lowly at his cuteness.

​"Yes?" I asked softly as I played with his hair. It looked so soft that I couldn't resist the temptation to touch it.

​"Can I go for a run with Kenny?" He looked up at me with puppy-dog eyes I couldn't resist. Ever since the attack, I had ordered all the children to stay near the packhouse; they weren't allowed to wander into the woods.

​"Go ahead," I sighed and agreed. At least he wasn't going alone, and he was trusting Kenny way faster than I expected. Kenny was a middle-aged lady; she had felt her own mate die when she was twenty but had never dated anyone else. She had been alone since then, and after the attack, she took the initiative to adopt Kate. I immediately did the paperwork and let her imprint on him as her child. I was more than happy to hand Kate over to someone like Kenny.

​I knew Kenny was a good woman and that she would take excellent care of him. Kenny smiled brightly along with Kate when they got my permission.

​"Just don't go near the borders," I warned, and they took off after nodding in agreement.

​Tying my hair back with a band, I made my way to the training grounds. I motioned for Josh to spar with me. Beta Isaac growled at Josh when Josh flipped him over like the rat he was. I stifled a laugh as I watched Beta Isaac scowl. I straightened my shoulders and got into position when Josh approached me. I trained with him for an hour before heading back up to my room.

​Removing my dirty sweats and t-shirt, I got into the shower. Cold water washed over my heated body. A sigh escaped past my lips. I was exhausted- not because of the training, but because I was thinking about my mate all the time. Just as his image entered my mind once again, I turned the shower off and got out.

​I pulled out a black lacy bra and matching panties, and chose a jumpsuit to wear for the day. After drying my hair, I pulled it into a high ponytail, applied natural makeup, put on simple dangling earrings, and strapped on a wristwatch. I finished my look with black pumps.

​To distract myself, I decided to bury myself in tons of work. I pulled out all the tasks that would take time and keep me busy. I piled file after file onto the desk and dug in. My eyes roamed over the words, but I wasn't actually reading. My mind was entirely on my mate.

​My feelings for him were complicated. I wanted to know how he looked. How his touch would feel. Would he treat me like a normal mate, or would he reject me? On the other hand, I hated him. I hated him for harming my pack, and I hated him for making everything so agonizingly complex.

​I sighed and closed my eyes for a second before reopening them. I managed to keep myself busy until nightfall, but he still managed to keep crawling into my mind from time to time. I closed the final file and leaned back in my chair, exhausted both physically and mentally.

​Mate. Please, let's go to our mate, my wolf whimpered painfully. My heart fell at her words. How could I tell her that we couldn't meet him? That he was the enemy I had to protect our pack against?

​We can't, I whispered, but there was heavy hesitation in my voice. Part of me didn't see a problem with meeting our mate, but then again, he was the cause of death for so many of my pack members.

​My wolf whined and clawed at the mental barrier as I blocked her out. I didn't have the heart to see her so upset. My legs started to bounce with anxiety as I contemplated whether I should go or stay. I had already told my wolf no, and my mind was screaming no to me, but my heart was aching to meet him.

​Finally giving in to my heart, I left the packhouse and made my way toward the woods. I shredded my clothes and stood stark naked in the middle of the forest, letting my wolf come to the forefront of my mind.

​A beautiful coat of platinum-blonde fur sprouted from my pores, prickling my skin as it grew. My canines lengthened, poking past my lower lip. My nails turned into sharp claws, and my hands and feet converted into paws. My facial structure readjusted as my nose turned into a snout, my head transforming into that of a wolf. From my lower back, the fur grew longer, shaping into a tail. Finally, my spine crunched, my bones breaking and readjusting until I was standing firmly on all fours.

​I rotated my jaw a few times to loosen the muscles. In case I got hungry and had to hunt, I wanted my jaw to be fully relaxed so I could strike easily. I let out a low growl instead of a howl, as I couldn't afford to alert the pack of my departure.

​My wolf took a sharp whiff of the air, trying to track our mate's scent. She wiggled her tail the moment we caught his mouthwatering aroma. He smelled like black coffee- dark and exquisite. My mouth instantly salivated as my mind wandered.

​Before my arousal could fully manifest, I pushed the dirty thoughts aside. This was not the time to think about how he would taste, or how it would feel to run my tongue from the base of his neck to the base of his c**k. I shook my head once more to clear my thoughts.

​We followed the scent to the border of the pack territory before pausing for a second. After taking a deep breath, I crossed over, following the trail that would lead me straight to where my mate was. It wasn't like I wouldn't be coming back to my pack; I would return right after I met him- for a few seconds, maybe? I wasn't sure. I wanted to spend every second of my life with my mate, but I knew it wasn't possible.

​Instead of pondering those confusing thoughts, I ran at full speed for three hours before stopping abruptly. His scent was suddenly overpowering, and I could feel his presence nearby. It was dark out, which wasn't much of an issue for me since I could see perfectly in the dark, but he was incredibly good at hiding. Even with my advanced vision, I couldn't make out where he was concealing himself.

​His aura- dark, dangerous, and matching him perfectly- surrounded me in a vice grip. It wasn't suffocating, though; it was entirely intoxicating.

​"Hello, little mate," a velvety voice whispered right against my ear, making me shudder with sheer pleasure. I nearly closed my eyes and moaned out loud from the raw sexiness of his tone. Just like his smell and his aura, his voice was dark, dangerous, deeper, and a lot huskier than I had imagined it to be. It was entirely masculine.

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