0014
Neah
My stomach ties itself in knots at his comment.
He keeps facing the opposite way to me, but I feel his intent.
His patience was waning.
The others had probably slept with him on their first night here.
He said it himself, he had to hold Aero back.
He moves to the large bathtub and turns on the water, pouring some coloured liquids into the running water.
"You need a bath." He announces without looking at me. I sniff my armpits, he was right, I stank.
He fills the tub until bubbles are practically overflowing. "Get in."
"Um....I can... I can just shower." At least I could sort of hide myself from him.
He crosses the room towards me and rips the blanket from my body. With his eyes locked on mine, he lifts me off my feet and carries me to the bathtub, slowly lowering me into the hot water.
Not once do his eyes leave mine. They don't roam my face or the rest of me, like his brothers had. Almost like he was trying to prove a point.
"You bathe, I need to change the bedding." He walks back to the bed and starts ripping off the sheets. Something my brother would class as my job.
I don't move or speak, and just let my eyes follow him as he moves around the bed and to the closet to grab more sheets. He pays no attention to me. He doesn't ask me any questions, his eyes don't even flicker back in my direction. When he's finished, he moves back to the closet and rummages through the clothes he had ordered for me.
"I assume you feel the cold."
"Sometimes." I mutter.
He pulls out a pair of jeans and another sweatshirt and places them on the bed.
"I will be in the office when you are ready."
He didn't wait for my reply, slamming the bedroom door behind him as he stormed out. His sudden anger made me nervous and I was not looking forward to meeting him in the office.
Rather than taking my time. I quickly wash, dress and hurry down the stairs. Only to find Jenson blocking the hallway
Someone's feeling better." He grins
I nod my head, trying not to be disrespectful.
"How's the wound?"
"Better. I have to meet Alpha Dane." I murmur, trying to squeeze past his large frame.
"Dane won't mind us talking. I mean if you are to marry my brother, we should get to know each other. You will be family after all"
"I......" What was I supposed to say, Dane didn't want me to be alone with him. But it wasn't like I could escape.
"Hey, you don't need to panic." He drapes his arm over my shoulder and hugs me as my whole body tenses up.
"Seriously Jenson!" I hear Raven shriek down the hallway. "What is it with you and our brother's brides?!" She strides towards us, pulling me out of his grip.
"I'm just being friendly." He mutters in annoyance.
"A little too friendly. You are always like this!" She glares at him and growls as she guides me away.
"Where are you going?" She asks as we round the corner away from her twin.
"Alpha Dane wants to see me in the office."
"Funny, he asked to see me too." She gives me a small smile as we stop in front of the office door.
Beta Eric is with Alpha Dane.
They drop their conversation as Raven opens the door.
Alpha Dane's eyes go to my wet, tied up hair, but he doesn't say anything.
His look almost made me want to let it down.
"How are you feeling?" Beta Eric asks softly.
He always spoke to me with a kind voice and was never in my face like Jenson.
I nod my head.
"Raven, check her wound." Alpha Dane orders
I turn to Raven before she has a chance to say something and lift my top just high enough for her to inspect it.
Her fingers carefully press around the scar that was forming. She smiles at me. "It looks really good. I would say the blood tie is definitely broken."
"Good." Alpha Dane still sounds annoyed. What had I done? Did I say something when I was out of it?
"Neah, we will be returning to Moonshine tonight!"
shouldn't have accused him of stuff.
I feel my stomach drop. He was returning me. He finally realised that I was no good. My eyes close and I feel my breath catch in my throat. I should have been like the others Raven had told me about. I should have thrown myself at him. I should have tried harder. I I feel his rough fingers on my chin as he tips my face up. "Neah, open your eyes."
I keep them squeezed shut.
"Neah, I am not returning you."
Continuing to keep my eyes squeezed tight, I didn't believe him. I knew it was going to happen eventually.
"I will try harder." I plead. I may still not know what the future holds for me here, but it had to be better than going back to my brother.
"Neah, you are not listening. I am not returning you."
I peek through slits. "We," Alpha Dane points to Beta Eric and himself. "Are going back tonight."
"Is that a good idea?" Raven mutters. She glances at me and sighs. "What if that's what they want?"
"Raven, I can handle myself and the pack has barely a hundred members. I could kill that many in my sleep."
"Are you taking Jenson?" Raven asks
"I wasn't planning on it." Alpha Danes' gaze shifts back to me. "But now I think it is a good idea."
"And what if they aren't there, like last time?"
"Then we will burn it to the ground." He shrugs his shoulders, "Or I might just do that anyway."
I see how he watches me, waiting for some kind of reaction.
"If you see Beta Kyle, rip his insides out through his throat."
Raven's jaw drops open as she looks at me. Beta Eric was staring at me too but Alpha
Dane, he had a smile creeping over his lips. "Gladly." He muses.
He shifts his gaze to Beta Eric. "We leave at nightfall."
Beta Eric responds with a simple nod and leaves the office. He pulls a protesting Raven with him, leaving Alpha Dane and I alone. "You've thought about his death?" He asks, curiously
"Beta Kyle......"
"Don't call him Beta. Twat, prick, spunk bubble, you can call him anything but Beta. I told you he doesn't deserve the title."
"Okay."
"I have more questions about him, but tell me why I can smell my brother on you. Does it have something to do with why Raven asked me if I was taking him with me?"
"He said something about getting to know me." I didn't want to cause problems between them.
"Let me guess. Because you will be family one day."
I nod and see how he frowns. I really wanted to curl up in a small ball and pretend that none of this was happening. I didn't need to be causing more problems.
His head suddenly turns to the window. "Neah, stay here. Lock the door behind me."
Alpha Dane doesn't give me a chance to ask any questions as rushes out the door. I see Jenson, Eric and some other men catapult themselves out the door, some already mid shift.
Quickly closing the door, I slide the lock across.
I had no idea what was happening.
They could obviously sense something that I couldn't. In my panic, I shove the chairs in front of the doors and sit under the window, hugging my legs to my chest. Moonshine had never been attacked and the pack had never attacked anyone, I had no idea what to do.
Peering over the window frame, a huge beast was being dragged out of the trees by the Wolves.
It was tall and muscular with strange tufts of dark fur.
A body like a human, but its head was just like a Wolf only much larger.
I had never seen anything like it.
It digs its back feet into the ground as the Wolves try to drag it into the clearing.
Large claws swing at the Wolves as it tries to break free until someone grabbed hold of its neck ripping it from it's shoulders
I duck back down. What the hell was it?
I couldn't bring myself to look again and when there is a knock on the door, I jump.
"Neah. It's me, you can let me in." Alpha Dane's voice comes from the other side
Sitting in silence, I stare at the door as the handle is fumbled with. I didn't want to move, I didn't want to leave my safe spot and I was grateful for the bolt on the door.
"Neah, I know you saw. The beast has been dealt with. It's dead. You don't need to be afraid."
Pushing myself off the ground, I look out the window. All the Wolves had disappeared from sight along with the monster. I start to move some of the chairs out of the way and slowly slide the lock back.
Alpha Dane pushes his way in through the small gap, easily forcing the rest of the chairs back.
His crimson eyes look around the office, but he doesn't mention the chairs and I was starting to realise that the stack of chairs wouldn't have really made a difference.
He had pushed them back like thay were nothing more than a stack of pillows.
Between shifting back to his human form and coming back to the office, he had found a pair of grey shorts.
They hung low on his hips, showing off all his muscles.
I find myself looking away, almost embarrassed about the thoughts racing through my mind.
"What.....What was it?" I mutter, trying to force my thoughts elsewhere.
"We don't know."
"Y...you don't?" It shocked me that someone like Alpha Dane didn't know what the beast was.
He shakes his head. "I have seen a lot of things, but nothing like that."
"You killed it?"
"It was trying to attack some of the pack. It was the only option."
"It had a head, like a Wolf." I mumble
"I know."
"But the rest.... it looked like...it looked almost human apart from the tufts of hair and the size."
"I know. But now the beast is dead. You don't need to worry about it."
Not worry about it? It would be all I could think about until the beast had a name. Though I could see that he was done with the conversation.
"Moonshine will have to wait too." He tells me as he begins putting the chairs back in their correct places. "Did you really think the chairs would stop someone from getting in?"
I shrug my shoulders because at the time, yes, I did believe that.
"I think it might be time to enrol you into our training classes."
"Training?"
"Most kids would have learned a great deal at school, but you didn't go. And I would feel a little better knowing that you could protect yourself on some level."
"You want me to train with the pack?"
He straightens up and turns to face me.
"Maybe not with the pack just yet. They have a stronger sense of smell, hearing, and they are quicker. Even the kids would have an upper hand over you. That would be putting you at a disadvantage. No, you can train with me." "Y...you?" I stutter. He was a strong Alpha. I didn't stand a chance.
"I can control myself far better than any of the others that are sparring. And if you land a hit on me, I won't feel the need to attack you back."
My stomach was tying itself up again. I had spent years closing my eyes whenever a fist came at me. How on earth did he think he was going to successfully train me?
"Now?" I ask.
"A couple more days. I want to wait until that scar has completely formed. It is not my plan to put you back in the hospital."
My hand goes to my stomach, feeling the bumps of the scar through the sweatshirt.
"Is it hurting?" He was staring directly at me.
"No."
"Don't lie to me. The last time you held it like that, you collapsed."
"It doesn't hurt, I swear."
"Then why are you holding it?"
"It's....It's nothing." I didn't want to tell him that the scar was a reminder of how weak I was. It was going to be a permanent reminder of my weakness. Bruises fade, smaller wounds heal, but this would be there forever. A constant reminder that even though the blood tie was broken, I was still mated to Beta Kyle. Yet even when he dies, it will still be there. A reminder of the horrible life I had.
His crimson eyes narrow as his brow creases into a frown. He leans back in his chair, studying me when I don't explain myself.
"Scars will fade over time. It won't always be so prominent."
How could he know what I was thinking? Or was it that obvious?
"You should look at it as a survivor's wound." He continues.
"A survivor's wound?" It wasn't something that was on my radar at all.
He nods at me. "It caused you a great deal of pain and suffering. But look at you, standing in front of me, probably looking the healthiest you have in years. You survived, Neah. You may not think it, but deep down, you are a fighter."
He had such high hopes and time will show him just how wrong he is. The only person I've ever really wanted to kill is Beta Kyle. Other than that, I wasn't a fighter.
When there was no news of any more beasts in the forest, Alpha Dane told me I didn't need to stay in the office any longer and that I was free to explore.
Standing at the open front door, I watch the snow start to fall, little white wispy flakes blow around and there were already children running around trying to catch the flakes on their tongues.
I take a step outside and immediately step backwards across the threshold. I had never been outside alone.
"Are you going to do that all night?" I turn to see Raven sitting on the bottom of the stairs. Her elbows propped on her knees, her chin resting on her hands as she watches me with a smile. I hated that I couldn't scent them
"It's snow. You've seen snow right? I mean Moonshine is not that far."
"I've seen snow." I mutter, looking out at the falling flakes. The snow was getting heavier now and starting to settle on the grass too.
"Then what's wrong? I've been watching you for a good twenty minutes and I can't figure out what the problem is. Is it because of that beast, because we have the all clear. It's dead."
I didn't even realise I had been standing here for so long.
I hear her footsteps as she moves towards me. She stops still and links her arm with mine. "You are not alone here. There is always someone to help or talk to." She freezes and rips her arm away. "You're not thinking of running are you?" "No. I've just..... I've never been outside on my own."
She grabs my arm again, beaming at me. "It's like I said, Neah, we are never alone here." She pulls me out into the snow, completely unphased by the cold as she spins around in jeans and a vest.
She stops and smiles at me. "Everyone thinks that we are this horrible, raging pack that just wants to kill everyone. But what we believe in is loyalty. Here, everyone will protect each other. If you are outside and someone was to attack, you can guarantee that everyone will come to your side."
"Because I am Alpha Dane's bride?" I ask quietly.
"Partly, but mostly because that is who we are, we protect our own."
But technically, I still wasn't part of this pack.