Hidden Shadows
1326 Words
Liam
After a long cold shower, he felt a mild sense of normalcy. It wasn't like his life was ever normal, but since he met Ira in that battle, the life that he had known was falling apart.
He changed into cutoffs and headed off to their IT centre. His wolf was still distressed. He could pick up the feeling of hurt and dejection from Ira.
The fur-ball was whining to be let free. He wanted to be with his mate and comfort her.
That would be the worst idea.
Going to Monike was also not a viable option. Since the time he had held Ira in his arms, all feelings of attraction towards any other person were lost.
It was as if she had put him on chemical castration regimen. His bon*r was responding to only Ira and everything about Ira.
He ran his hand through his hair in frustration as the image of Ira lying on the couch in his library floated in his head. Her soft sun kissed skin was so inviting!
His wolf huffed. You want to f*ck that Monike? Our mate is angry now!
With the way Liam’s hand constantly ran through his hair, he gave up trying to comb the crop. Rolling his eyes mentally, he responded to his wolf. I wasn’t planning to do anything with Monike. She is our future wife! I can't be rude to her. And I want Ira to be happy.
His wolf whined. Then why be nice to Monike? Send her back! Marriage is a stupid tradition of humans. It guarantees no faithfulness. Ira is our mate!
Shut up! I can’t. Liam felt his wolf recede in anger as he hastened towards the IT unit. He had decided to take the scenic forest route to the unit instead of the secret passage from his chamber.
He needed to feel the fresh breeze against his body.
His land was very interesting. As rogues, they had occupied the No man’s land near the Blood Moon clan. The topography was filled with scattered caves that he had explored during his younger years.
Now the caves were converted into living quarters and housed other important structures like their infirmary, dining hall, IT unit and detention cells for lawbreakers.
It had helped them avoid building expenses and provided them with a natural camouflage that could not be attacked easily.
His chamber wasn’t very far from the cave that housed the IT unit. He had assigned the task only to Eric, a geek wolf without a rank. Eric was the best! Although only one person working on this job meant more time, it also meant a less possibility of the information falling into the wrong hands.
As he followed the trail, the alluring scent of frangipani hit his nose, captivating his senses. It brought his sulking wolf to the surface as both of them wondered what Ira was doing in that area after sunset. She was supposed to head towards the dining hall as it was almost dinner time.
These areas were unsafe. He had kept Ira’s identity and job under wraps, so very few wolves knew about her being on the property. These were rogues, after all. Although they accepted him as Alpha, they still could be very dangerous for a human wandering on their lands without an escort.
As he changed his direction and followed his favourite fragrance, he opened his mind link and reached out to Bella. ‘Where are you and why is Ira roaming around alone?’
‘I am waiting for her at my chambers. I had given her instructions, but I guess she must have gone in the opposite direction. She is quite capable of that!’ Bella sighed.
‘What kind of delta are you?’ He responded angrily, ‘leaving a vulnerable guest wandering around all alone!’
‘She is on our land, boss! What could go wrong?’
‘You have a zero sense of safety. Good, I did not make you my Gamma!’
Bella scowled. ‘I will send Gamma Ron over. He had seen her head out of your chambers.’
‘That won’t be necessary. I am here. I will get her to the dining hall.’
‘She was supposed to come over to my place!’
‘Alright. I will get her to you.’
By now, he had reached where Ira was. In the waning moonlight, her silhouette looked ethereal as she stood on a rock, peering into the darkness. A stream gurgled softly around her feet and the white, short summer dress billowed, exposing her smooth shapely legs.
His hands itched to caress her hair that danced wildly in the wind.
She continued to stare ahead, oblivious to his presence, and he watched silently drinking the scene in. If he had been an artist, this would have been his masterpiece.
“I know you are here,” her mellow voice teased his ears.
“What are you doing here alone? This place isn’t safe.” Being a human, if she could feel his presence, their bond was getting stronger.
His wolf danced in glee at the thought while he ignored the happiness and tried to focus on the here and the now.
“I lost my way and came here. This place is so beautiful! I feel calm here.” She stated, making him grimace as he remembered Monike’s visit earlier that evening.
He bunched his hands into a fist, wanting to punch someone as his frustration built up. He was going to lose it.
“I can feel your emotions, you know! You don’t need to stress yourself. I promise I will stay out of your and Monike’s way.”
It took all his control to stop his wolf from taking over. He did not trust himself with any words at that time, so he merely responded by saying, “I am not worried about that. Come, Bella is waiting for you”.
She sighed and turned around to walk towards him with a yearning on her face. Her eyes slowly travelled his body from the toes towards his face and locked on his eyes.
She shuddered as if hit by lightning and slipped. He jumped towards her with an agility that his wolf gave and snaked his hand around her waist, avoiding her fall.
“What happened?”
“I don’t know! Just felt light headed”.
“When did you eat last?”
“I had a heavy breakfast.”
He rolled his eyes. “What about lunch?”
“I was reading.” As if that sentence answered everything.
He shook his head, thinking about how careless she was about herself.
As they hit the trail, she distanced herself from him. He did not like her breaking their touch, but he had no claim over her, so he shoved his hands in his pockets and walked silently beside her.
“You know! Monike won’t like it if she knows you are walking with me instead of meeting her right now. She must be waiting for you.” She alluded to their evening conversation.
He did not want to be reminded of that. He wanted to relish these moments of togetherness with her. What he wouldn’t do to keep her by his side forever! Yet there was nothing that he could do right now.
His heart picked up pace as the fear of losing her clouded his mind. He brooded over their situation as they walked silently. They reached Bella’s chamber.
He looked at her sun kissed face. The contrasting blue eyes and the perfect full bodied lips glittered in the moonlight drawing him in.
He sucked in a breath, gave her a quick peck on her lips, and bolted before he could lose his control.
Both Ira and Liam, dealing with their own demons, moved towards their respective destinations, unaware that someone was watching from the shadows of the trees and seething with anger.
****
- Writer
