Alice and The Rogue Wolf

Chapter 33

Alice

The sound of mischievous giggling flew into my ears making my eyes flap uneasily trying to acclimatize to the sun's blinding beam. This felt nothing like reality and I thought to myself; where could this paradise be?" I looked around and realized I was in a garden so beautiful and lively with people, one that felt familiar, one that I had seen in one of my recurring dreams.

I tried pinching myself to make sure this was just a fantasy but I couldn't even feel my hands. It felt more like this had already happened before, and somehow like a film of my memories reeled before my eyes, except that I heard what was said and felt all the emotions. I was still figuring it out when a hand from behind tugged at my waist playfully.

*Stop it Brayden!" My 22-year-old self said, spinning around to face him.

He had one of the sweetest smiles on him as he finally stood before to announce that lunch was ready. His wet hair was combed to the back and he was looking as smart as ever in his denim shorts and tucked-in shirt which he kept the first three buttons open.

"You know being mates entails you being intimate with each other. Yet you keep acting insensitive to my moves," Brayden complained, the smile disappearing from his face.

On his mention of it, I recalled how three years ago our wolves had called out to each other as mates. We had spent the past two years keeping our feelings to ourselves and didn't get to date until Brayden finally mustered the courage to ask me out some months ago. It was so romantic and I could boast of it as the best day in my life, something I had withheld from telling Brayden as I couldn't stand his teasing.

"I'm not acting insensitive, or am I?" He nodded as I dug my mud-stained fingers into his collar and pulled him closer, whispering an apology.

His stiff frame crumbled at my touch. True to his complaint, I had always denied him the attention he needed from me even though he did all he could to earn it.

At first, when we crossed paths, we were sworn enemies, who wouldn't last a minute with each other without fighting or getting annoyed due to our numerous differences. He was the one who tried to initiate a friendship between us, always stalking me whenever I was alone and visiting the main house when I had returned from school or on the weekend in the cover of paying a visit to my mother, most frequently when my father wasn't around. However, whenever he arrived, I knew he would ask for me so I would go over to help Mrs. Polly's garden but he would still come over to meet me here.

"You know you are! Even my mother knows you behave like I'm your rival rather than your lover. Moreover, get your hands off, you're ruining my shirt," he replied, taking my hands off him.

"See? Anytime I try to be loving, you always find fault or push me away, " My younger self retorted.

"You call ruining my favorite shirt with mud loving?" He defended, wiping off the dirt with a towel. It looked like a mess and I almost immediately felt guilty.

"I'm sorry! Give me the scarf, let me help you, " I apologized, offering to help.

"Really?" He asked, handing me the scarf.

I was still trying to wipe off as much as the barely moist towel could let me when he covered the space between us and pressed his lips against me. Not anticipating the move, I almost lost my balance but his strong arms around me held me steady. Trying to calm my heaving chest, I realized his lips tasted the same as when he was older and he was the only one that held the power to give me this sort of pure reckless pleasure.

The sound of Mrs. Polly announcing lunch abruptly ended our kiss and made us turn to listen to what she had to say.

"Hey, you two! Quit the romance and get in here for lunch."

We had always loved to stay over but sometimes like this, Brayden would insist we go over to his place for lunch. When I was younger, the two packs; Rogues and Excelsis, always interacted with each other. Unlike what was common among other packs which lived at farther distances from each other, the Rogues' settlement was closer to ours. They were not that firm as a pack and were inferior in population when compared with us so we usually helped out when they needed help to defeat an enemy or required support financially, hence the proximity. This nearness also helped the two of us to visit each other and out of the two packs whenever we wished.

Brayden's father had passed away a few years back leaving the pack in the care of Brayden and his beloved wife, Mrs. Allen. Brayden was still young at the time of his passing away but he had no choice but to man up and familiarize himself with the running of the pack with the assistance of his mother, and they both did a good job keeping the Rogues alive and running.

"Your mind is always occupied with something," Brayden remarked, squishing my hand which was locked in his. "I hope what you're thinking isn't about me or the kiss we just shared."

"No! The kiss was more than beautiful. I'm just wondering who would win in a race between the two of us, from here to your house."

"A race? I hope you're not thinking of racing in your wolf form in broad daylight?" He asked, alarmed by the idea.

"Yeah I know I could get caught by humans, alright? But how many people do you think are around on this road which looks empty? Even if we come across any humans, we could scare the crap out of them, it would be fun."

"You know sometimes I wonder what my wolf saw in you that made it take you as a mate. How could you even think of such a thing?"

He wasn't buying the idea but I wasn't giving up either. I yelled a "go" at him before taking to my heels. Before he could protest that I was cheating, I was already a long way off leaving him no chance to get past me as he followed suit.

As I ran past the guards, I saluted them and they returned my greeting with their usual joviality. I had been visiting them for two months now, and everyone in the pack had already taken me as one of their own and would reply to my greetings with smiles whenever I visited the pack. Even my parents were unaware of my relationship with Brayden but half of the Rogues who were close to Mrs. Allen knew and were comfortable with it despite the no intermarriage policy between the Rogues and Excelsis pack. They knew the both of us were perfect for each other and deserved to be with each other.

Brayden was hotly in pursuit of me and I could hear him screaming for me to stop, and advice to which I paid no heed. The Allens' house was in the next few turns so I stomped on till I hopped on the porch, catching my breath. Brayden followed behind panting but before he could scold me for cheating, Mrs. Allen unlocked the front door and stepped out to see what was causing the commotion.

"Brayden, why would you let her run around in this scorching sun?" Mrs. Allen asked, watching as I wiped off the tiny crystals of sweat on my forehead.

"Mom, I tried to talk her out of it but she stormed off before I got home the chance to utter a word. She even suggested we chase each other as wolves."

She turned to me with a questioning glare but I couldn't think of a better excuse to give so I kept my head low. In any other situation, she would have defended me, but she just signed and told us to come in as she had prepared lunch, as she would every time we paid a visit with one complaint or another about each other.

She was more than a second mother to me. Every time I would visit her I was sure to be welcome with a waiting tray of freshly prepared cheese. Apart from caring for me, she was also a good advisor and I usually confided with her about matters involving Brayden, to which she would help me scold him or offer the best advice on how to deal with him. In all, she accepted that I was the perfect choice to be her son's mate and as such treated me as such.

As we were about to settle down to the steaming lunch, the giant reel switched to another memory and that was when I saw him.