Alpha Rising

Chapter Seventeen

Alvira's P.O.V.

Nikolai straightened where he stood, withdrawing from the faint touch he’d allowed to graze my shoulder once his mother joined us in the kitchen. He felt tense as she wheeled to the far side of the room, where there was an open space made for her chair. “Any word?” He asked her, those beautifully complex eyes of his locked in a concern that I’d seen before- when I was reporting on the rogue attack on my campsite.

Irena shook her head, shoulders dropping slightly as a breath puffed out of her small and frail chest. “On the contrary,” she said. “There’s not been one check-in from Evan’s team.”

From behind me, I could hear a skillet clatter to the floor, followed by Sheena’s softly muttered apology. I stepped closer, stooping with a hastily snatched-up tea towel to pick up the hot skillet from the floor. “Eggs can always be replaced,” I reminded her softly, setting the pan in the sink and moving to grip her shoulder gently. “Come on,” I said with a forced smile. “Why don’t you show me around the pack house while they talk.”

I could feel the subtle roll of approval from Irena and Nikolai and offered my new friend an easy way out to a very clearly uncomfortable situation. Even as we ducked out of the kitchen, a young man was coming into the room in our stead to start cleaning up the mess of half-cooked eggs on the floor. Sheena’s hand trembled in mine when I grabbed for it, and I gave it as reassuring a squeeze as I could muster.

My steps slowed once we were out in the main hall, and I let Sheena overtake me and lead the way. She seemed to calm as we put more space between us and the kitchen, and looked at me with a somber and apologetic stare. “You didn’t have to do that for me, Vira,” she said. I could tell that she appreciated it, even though propriety dictated that she apologize.

“I did,” I reassured her, keeping our pace slow and leisurely. She led me through the halls, pausing to occasionally adjust a framed photo on the wall that had gone askew. The house itself was beautiful; older in style, with what looked like hand-carved woodwork adorning the walls and entryway. There was some history of the building in the conversation, but I honestly couldn’t have been bothered to remember it at that point. My mind was spinning with more information than any one she-wolf should ever have to process.

But it truly was beautiful here. The view wasn’t too dissimilar to the one from my home, but I could see the mountains from a different angle here. I wondered briefly if Alban was looking out at them right now too.

Finally, when we were near the top floor of the house and looking out the large bay windows to the thickly forested yard, I turned again to Sheena before asking “Who’s Evan?”

She tightened up beside me, one hand clasped to the stained apron tied at her hip. “My older brother,” she finally said. “One of them, at least. Evan and Avery.” Her gaze fell to the trees below, and a soft whine seemed to coil in her throat. “I didn’t have what it took to be a fighter alongside them,” she said with a sigh. “So I trained under mother to be a cook for the pack.”

She looked over at me with what I could only assume was a blend of fear and wonder. It wasn’t the first time another she-wolf had looked at me like that. Not everyone could fight as I did; it took a level of ferocity that often led to a bloodlust that was hard to control. “Are they out there now?” I asked her, stepping closer to the window and brushing my fingertips over the cold glass. There was an uncharacteristic chill to the summer mountain air, and I longed to feel it rushing through my fur on a run.

Sheena’s soft hum and a nod were her only replies to me, and without ceremony, I turned and quickly took her into my arms. I knew what it was like to be separated from your siblings like that, unknowing and in the dark, with only your faith in the Goddess to guide them back to you safely. She crumpled slightly, one of her hands curling into my hair as she buried her face in my neck with soft and concerned sobs.

Silken black hair fell through my fingers as I tried to comfort her in her time of worry, and my free hand rubbed gentle circles over her back. “Don’t overwork yourself,” I whispered to her. “Your pup needs your strength right now.”

There was a sniffle and a faint nod against my shoulder, and when Sheena finally pulled back she was wiping the tears away with her knuckles. “These damned hormones,” she laughed out softly.

Both of our ears pricked up when we heard a clatter from the stairs to our right. When there was nothing there but an overturned picture frame caught on the billowing window curtain, we both let out a deep and hearty laugh. It had broken the tension and the mood in just the right way that had helped ground Sheena to the present.

Maybe I wasn’t going to be too bad at this whole ‘leadership’ thing after all.

By the time we’d gotten back downstairs, it seemed that breakfast was in full swing. Irena made eye contact with me and let the slight incline of her chin show her pleasure at how I’d handled the situation at hand, something that had the unexpected effect of filling me with intense pride.

The day had followed much in the same manner. Nikolai was shuffled off to handle the intel that his sentinels had brought back, and I was left to unpack and make myself comfortable in the house. When it started to get dark, I’d gone to change into a loose night dress and then started to head towards the large glass doors that opened up into the back yard.

I hadn’t seen or felt him near me all day, but he’d manage to find me on my way out to the back yard, and had caught me by the wrist. “Where are you going?” he asked with an undertone of worry that I don’t think he meant to reveal. The curious tilt of my head caught him off guard and made him withdraw.

“I wanted to get some air,” I finally said. “Maybe even go for a run.”

Nikolai’s eyes narrowed on mine as he seemed to almost weigh my idea against some unseen force. In one movement he let go of my wrist and pulled his phone from his pocket. I could hear the tapping of keys before the sent message chimed and he looked back to me directly. “Very well,” he said with a smirk. “Where would you like to run to?”

I stopped short of the door, my hand still resting on the knob as I looked back at him in surprise. He wasn’t trying to stop me? The beat of my heart rose steadily as he stood there and slowly let go of my wrist. His knuckles brushed my cheek and I allowed my eyes to close. “This is your land,” I said to him, turning slightly and pushing open the door. The air was cool, and a breeze had caught my hair and pushed some of it over my face. “Show me what you love about it.”

The question and invitation rose a fire in Nikolai’s eyes. He hesitated in the doorway for a moment, reaching up to run a thumb over the pendant that hung from his neck in the same stone that gave his pack its name. I wanted to know what he was thinking, more than anything. Once we were fully mated, we would have that same bond that all pairs had, and I would be able to know. But until then, he was just as much a mystery to me as anyone else here would be.

I turned my back to him with a sly grin, and as I picked up to a running speed near the treeline I quickly pulled the dress up over my shoulders. I could feel his eyes on my back, even with most of my body obscured by the shadow of the trees. And once the night air hit my bare skin, I let my wolf take over. There was a growl in my throat as my bones cracked and shifted. And with a deep bellowing breath in my chest I loosed a howl to the moon.

Paws struck the packed earth beneath me and my ears twitched at the sounds of another set rapidly approaching me from behind. Nikolai quickly overtook me and cast his eyes back in my direction. The silvery blonde of his fur glistened in the light, and I could see that he was a creature built for speed and agility, rather than brute strength.

I doubt he expected me to be able to keep up with him. But my wolf barked and yipped in glee as I was able to put on a sudden burst of speed and snap my teeth at the tip of his tail ahead of me. Moonlight streamed through the canopy above, and dimly lit the path ahead. Nikolai darted up and over a fallen tree, his claws scraping and scratching the bark with every step. I moved left instead, ducking through the fallen branches of the tree.

I came out mostly unscathed and still on the same path as Nikolai when a break in the trees opened up ahead of us. He started to slow before I did, and dropped to the ground just as I dove for him. I leaped high over him and through the break, into the clearing. A frustrated growl left me when I turned on my heels to snap and snarl at him, but I was caught almost completely off guard by the beauty of the clearing he’d lead me to.

The wide circular clearing was rimmed almost completely in strong pine trees. Soft moss covered the forest floor leading up to a deep rock-lined pool against the base of a cliff. The remains of a small stream trickled down the rock face into the waiting pool and the sounds of owls and other animal nightlife provided the perfect complement to the natural serenity of the moment.

It was a serenity that only lasted about as long as I looked up at the water because as soon as I turned my muzzle back towards Nikolai, I felt his paws hit my shoulders. The both of us tumbled into the pool, and the shock of cold water only made me shift back that much quicker. I sputtered and coughed and wiped the water from my eyes when I broke the surface of the water to find a now-human Nikolai treading water in the deeper end of the pool and laughing. His hair was slicked back by the water, leaving his face completely clear of obstructions for the first time, and I caught myself staring.

The light from the moon hit his shoulders and gave him an almost ethereal glow, and as I righted myself and swam closer to him, he seemed to pause and look for longer in my direction. It was that unspoken draw again, the gravity between us that was stronger than even the mightiest fighter. And as the space between us lessened, the beat of my heart sounded louder and louder until I was right up against his chest.

But my face was raised up, barely. Nikolai’s fingers ghosted over my jawline and lightly turned my chin so that I caught the darkened and desire-fueled stare he was barely trying to hide. The hand at my side raised reflexively as he leaned in, touch ghosting over the side of his neck as I let Nikolai slowly close what little space was left between us. I could feel the heat of his breath over my lips and couldn't help but dart my tongue out briefly to wet my lower lip. All of a sudden, my mouth seemed so very dry.

Between the closeness and the draw of the moonlight, I found myself growing lost in that half-lidded stare. "Your eyes," I said, lips barely brushing over his. They seemed like liquid gold, rich and warm with flecks of brighter yellow speckled throughout the circle of color. But what seemed to dazzle me the most was the vibrant ring of bright blue that circled the edge and filtered in, making them look like sunbursts in a clear blue sky. "They're beautiful."

On the side of Nikolai's neck, my fingers pressed firmly. My chest rose and fell faster with a heated and contemplative breath. He was so close that I could just... "Pardon," I whispered. "I..." A blend of curiosity and thrill had compelled me to lightly tug on him, drawing him that hair's width closer as I pressed my lips to his with a firmness that belied my own hunger.

Nikolai froze for an instant, seeming to need to process my advances before the hesitation melted away and he let his hand find my lower back and press me closer to him. Somehow in the shifting, we had ended up in the shallows with my back coming to rest on one of the smooth rocks along the edge of the pool.

His touch drifted lower, his hands grazing the curve of my sides, gripping my hips firmly and lifting me up so that my legs could wrap around his waist. When he broke from me to catch his breath, he let himself hover just centimeters from my face. “Vira,” he said through a rasping breath. “If you don’t-”

I managed to cut him off with another firm and wanting kiss to his lips before pulling back and offering the most sincere smile I’d ever felt. “I want you, Nikolai,” I said low. “I want to know you.”

That seemed to be the confirmation he needed. Because as he descended upon me once again, he held this strength and this vigor that dared to test my will and my stamina. Never before had I felt this intense of a rush of pleasure and desire flow through me. And I would find myself chasing this high for the rest of my foreseeable future. Every dip, curve, and muscle would be worshipped and mapped by my touch. Each breath and sigh from his lips would be mine to behold and to cherish. Nikolai was mine, gifted to me by the Goddess above. My other half, my completion.

My mate.