Silver Fate

Blue Glow

As she strolled through Grawr, she couldn't help but love the beautiful weather. The familiar stretches of land before her felt like old friends. She often came to this part of no-man's-land and enjoyed every single wolf and shifter that lived there. Despite being far away from the safety of her pack's territory, there was an adventurous appeal to not knowing who she might meet.

The small town of Grawr was primarily inhabited by people in important professions who were eager to offer help in any way they could. Doctors, physicians, and dentists were among the residents. Even wolves needed their teeth cleaned and checked every now and then. No-man's-land was a piece of neutral territory that had not been claimed by any Alpha for as long as anyone could remember. It was an unwritten rule to help lone wolves find trade or a healer without starting a turf war.

Not every pack had skilled healers, or wolf specialists. The Sullivan pack had some, yes, but none of them were as good at brewing potions at their beloved Pearl. For a wolf to go to university, they need a lot of passion and strength to convince their Alpha to let them go for the years needed.

The bell chimed as she entered the -always busy- spice shop. There were three other people waiting, and none of them even bothered looking back at her as she entered the room. Pearl was standing behind the counter, wearing colourful cloths per usual, supporting her dreadlocks atop her head. She was a true eyecatcher, for sure. Always had been. Her unique character and even more unique appearance made her intriguing to any stranger, and that’s what Rue loved about her.

Pearl had been a family friend for as long as Rue lived. She did not know differently. She believed Pearl and her mother went to High School together, but she was not sure if that was the actual background story.

Rue noticed her mother’s childhood friend was wearing a large hoop in her left earlobe, while a small decorative skull dangled from the right. Pearl winked slyly from under her big lashes at the young wolfgirl entering her shop, before gesturing that she would help the three customers first. Rue decided to explore the shelves, seeing if she could find any of the potions, brew or powders that her mother had requested per handwritten grocery list.

‘What’s up in house Sullivan,’ Pearl asked as she came from behind the counter, when the customers had been helped. ‘I was wondering how you’re doing, now you’re eighteen.’ She looked at the girl expectantly, to shrug after the girl shook her head- answering unanswered questions. ‘You’re young,’ she quickly added, in case Rue would be disappointed. ‘Why the hurry?’

Her sudden change of heart made Rue smile from ear to ear.

‘Here’s mum’s list,’ she handed over the handwritten list to the friendly woman in front of her. Pearl accepted it, read it, and nodded three times.

‘I’ve got it all, hold on a sec.’

In no-time she collected the drinks, powders and potions, and put them in a brown paper bag. Then they continued their chit-chat for a little while, until two new customers entered the shop.

‘You’re always welcome in the Sully packhouse, you know that right, Pearl?’ Rue asked her, friendly. She thought it was a shame that her and Pearl did not have more time to catch up. The only moment they had plenty of time to chat, was when Pearl visited Sullivan territory. Otherwise she was incredibly busy in the shop, or brewing in the back.

Pearl pushed a dreadlock behind her ear. ‘I know, Hun. You go on home, and give my best to your mother.’

Rue smiled, turned around, and left the shop.

Instantly, she felt her heart jump. It raced wildly as a captivating aroma filled her lungs. The sun’s rays pierced the air, flooding her with light and paralyzing her in place. She was overcome by him. His presence made every muscle in her body tense up and she felt like she could not breathe. Air momentarily suspended from her lungs, as her throat went dry.

Mate, she heard Naya call out enthusiastically.

The contrast between his dark locks and tanned face was made even more alluring by the bright blue of his captivating eyes. His simple black shirt clung to his muscular physique, revealing a beauty that made her heart race. He was simply the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes on, but she knew that her new-found mate bond might be affecting her ability to think objectively.

He was standing mere inches away from her. She could hear his breath, and even his heartbeat, going fast. Just like her own. He pulled up a corner of his mouth, resulting his face to smirk. ‘Hey,’ he said with a voice that made a chill run down her spine.

With his fingers, he unexpectedly brushed her cheek. The gentle, and sudden, touch felt like it electrified her body, and she saw that he started bending towards her- this close to kissing her. His bright, blue eyes were staring at her lips, unabashedly. Is this what the mate bond does to you? Does it remove all social barriers?

She felt torn. On one hand, the urge to kiss him and wrap her legs around him- and on the other hand, hearing Heath’s words inside of her mind. Images flashed by. Glowing red eyes, and the stranger, ripped to pieces on the floor.

Rue turned on her heel and sprinted away, her feet pounding against the pavement. She didn't have any destination in mind, but all she knew was that she had to get away from the handsome stranger. Naya's voice trailed after her, but she didn't stop to listen. Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest that it felt like it was about to burst.

That’s when she took a wrong turn, into an alleyway that was unknown to her. She pressed her back to the cold stone wall behind her with a fear-tinged breath. Every sense was on alert, while she prayed to the Moon Goddess that he would not follow her. Fear took over… She did not want the stranger to be in any danger. The intense love she already felt for him, without even knowing his name, made her terrified of losing him.

And his scent… She just could not lose his scent… She growled inwardly, as she shook her head, trying to lose it. It was so incredibly good… and … strong? It was almost like he was still near her, and-

‘Why did you run away from me?’

His voice jolted her out of her thoughts.

Instinctively, she tried to run again. But he did not let her. He grabbed her wrist lightning fast and twisted her arm painfully behind her pain, pushing her with her chest against the wall. He pressed his body into hers from behind, and all the strength seemed to seep out of her. His touch made her knees weaker than they’d ever been before.

‘’Nah,’ he said- most likely answering to her second attempt at escape. ‘I deserve an explanation first.’

He was upset. And Rue knew it. There was a lot she knew about him, without knowing how.

‘Let go of me,’ she hissed, hopeful to escape her situation. He didn’t move an inch. He was much stronger than her, and did not give her the tightest bit of space to wrestle out from under his grasp. And without Naya’s help, she knew she did not stand a chance any way. The only thing Naya was doing, was howling from within, begging Rue to turn around and jump the guy. Or well… wolf.

‘I do not want to hurt you,’ she then added to his surprise. His grip untightened a little bit, as she heard him scoff.

‘You… hurt me?’ he said. His voice made her entire body sensitive, even though the sarcasm made her feel almost insulted.

She tried to wrestle out from under him and this time, he let her. She turned around angrily and looked him straight in the eyes. ‘I’m not making any jokes,’ she defended herself.

‘Fine,’ he finally took her seriously. ‘Let’s pretend it wasn’t a joke.’ He took three seconds to choose his words wisely. ‘How would you hurt me? The only way you could hurt me right now, is by running away from me again- or, of course, officially rejecting me. And do you feel like rejecting me?’

She saw in his eyes that he was making a joke, and she heard the sarcasm in his voice… Yet, the idea was not half bad. The thought had just not crossed her mind.

It could be her way of protecting him. And she would be able to tell Heath that she found her mate, rejecting him, and making her his forever. The stranger would be able to walk away with his life, right?

‘I…’ she said hesitantly.

‘Oh-no, wait,’ the stranger lifted his hands up defensively and took a step away from her. ‘You are not genuinely thinking about rejecting me right now, are you?’

She did not know what to say. Her silence clearly discomforted him.

‘At least tell me your name first,’ he practically begged of her.

‘Rue,’ she answered, hoping for him to reply with his.

He merely nodded gratefully. ‘Nice to meet you Rue. Now, listen up. I have waited seven years to find my fated mate. I have travelled all across the world, for all that matters, and right up until last night I thought I would never find you. That the Moon Goddess was cruel when she made me, and had decided to keep me single for the rest of my life- but when I saw you at the lake last night, I knew I had finally met the one. And you are not going to take the chance to get to know you, away from me by rejecting me.’

He had a serious and stern look on his face.

‘Not only are you so beautiful, that I do not think I will ever meet anyone like you ever again,’ he continued, making her hot inside. ‘But also… well, my pack needs you. I need to mate. So before you reject me, at least give me a proper reason.’

‘Your pack needs me?’ she asked him, incredulously. ‘You are not an Alpha, do not speak any nonsense.’ If he were an Alpha, she would have known. Alphas have this.. this scent. This roughness and natural dominance. An acute strength that you just can not miss. Ever from the moment the Moon Goddess decided to need them for a pack, their entire physique changes. And this guy? He does not appear to have it. Despite his many… many attractive features…

He lifted up one finger, and corrected her. ‘Yet.’

His correction made her roll her eyes. ‘You can’t expect to be an Alpha, before surviving the challenge first,’ she said. ‘What if the Moon Goddess doesn’t even want you to be a leader?’

She did not know why she was randomly so harsh on the stranger. Did it have to do with the former Alpha family- the Sullivan’s?

The guy took his time to think carefully. He chewed slightly on the inside of his cheek while investigating the girl that was standing right in front of him. His gaze, staring up and down her entire physique, constantly. His eyes were bright, and Rue tried not to look at them too much, realising it made her knees weak and she had to stand firm, with a straightened back, in the hope of convincing him to let her go.

Then, he clacked with his tongue. She noticed by the look on his face that he had made a decision. ‘Maybe I should introduce myself,’ he said with a sudden overly friendly look on his face.

Rue shook her head firmly. ‘No, don’t.’ She warned him. ‘And also do not tell me what pack you’re from- if you’re even from a pack. The less I know, the better.’

He snorted displeased. ‘Oh, come on,’ he cried out. ‘Would you stop doing that? Do you have that little faith in me, woman? Did I really just find my mate, just for her to tell me that I look weak and unable to protect myself?’

‘No… I,’ she started, but she did not get to finish. He pushed her back against the wall with one hand, wrapping his other around her waist. Then, he pulled her closer to him, making her mind go numb from intensity. She felt her body yearn for him and her heart skipped a beat as he pressed his lips onto hers. Making everything go blurry.

With a strange power, he forced his tongue inside of her, overpowering her senses, as he searched for some unreachable terminus near her uvula; a lust filled moan escaped her mouth, as she grabbed his hair with her fingers, pulling him even closer towards her. He pushed one leg in-between hers, causing her to moan yet again, while her body was screaming for him.

‘No… no…’ she whispered in-between moans, without genuinely noticing she was even saying anything. It still made him pull back and laugh. His laugh pulled her back to reality, making her realize what had happened.

‘You see,’ he stated contently. ‘You want me too.’

‘No… you don’t get it,’ she groaned while she tried to push him away ever so gently. ‘You’re sealing your own death.’

That’s when he had enough. The smile and joy left his face, as he growled angrily. ‘For Goddess’ sake, tell me what’s going on, before you piss me off completely,’ he belted. ‘And do not beat around the bush, or play any games with me. Tell me the truth.’

‘My Alpha…’ she could barely manage to get the words out.

‘What’s with your Alpha?’ The unnamed boy crossed his arms in front of his chest, while observing his mate with newfound impatience.

‘He’s planning to claim me…’

‘So?’ the guy asked logically. ‘You’re obviously not mated to him, so he will just have to change his plans. Find his own mate.’

‘He wants to sort of have us both,’ she explained. ‘He needs me, until he finds his fated mate.’

That’s when the realization set in, making him growl with anger. A blue glow appeared in his eyes, making the already bright colour even shinier. Rue recoiled at the sight of the colour. She had never seen a person’s eyes glow blue. Alphas eyes turn red… Beta’s eyes turn yellow. But blue? She knew only one bloodline had eyes that could shine blue, like the sky. The Moon Goddess’ bloodline.

‘Who are you,’ she gasped- but she did not need to know his answer. She already knew.

‘Caleb,’ he said. ‘Caleb Thorell.’