Chapter 6 - Sage #2
Finally, it was Noah who spoke again. He didn't move, but it still felt like he came closer with every breath.
I could smell him, and the scent made my insides melt.
"It was fate that brought us back together, Sage, and I simply didn't have time to court you gently.
I'd just been attacked, nearly killed, really, and I needed to get back to my pack.
If I'd had the luxury, I would have taken my time, but I didn't."
"So now you just plan to keep me here against my will? What kind of Alpha does that make you? It's...it's...something your father would do."
His lip curled in disgust, and he reared back. Clearly, the rejection stung. For a second, I wanted to pull him back to me, bury my face in his neck, and drink in his caramel-spiced scent, but I resisted.
"That's low, and you know it. I'm giving you a choice, Sage. You can step up and be my Luna, or you can hide out here in the house forever. No matter what you choose, though, you are still my wife. The marriage is done."
Every time he reminded me that I was his wife, it felt like the walls were closing in.
Restless and nearing hysteria, I shot up from the chair and pointed an accusatory finger at him.
"I don't know if those injuries scrambled your brain or what, but the Noah I used to know would never do this.
Nothing genuine can ever exist between us now that you've made me your prisoner. "
"Sage," Noah reached for me, but I stumbled back, avoiding him.
'No. No. Just leave me alone. I need to get some air.
" I couldn't breathe in that house, in his presence, anymore.
I turned and nearly fled to the front door, yanking it open and wiping the tears from my eyes as I sucked in lungfuls of pine-scented forest air.
I thought I could erase the scent of him, of Noah, my mate, from my lungs and heart.
..but there was a lot more waiting for me on the other side of the door than just the trees.
With my eyes clear of tears, I could see the crowd of wolves that had gathered around the house. The late afternoon sun made it easy to make out just how many of them there were,
a few dozen at least, and I froze. I'd forgotten how big my old pack was, and apparently, they weren't afraid to speak up if they had doubts about their Alpha, because the energy rolling off the crowd was anything but celebratory.
Something told me they weren't there to congratulate us on our surprise nuptials.
It was clear they had expected to see Noah, not me, because the murmuring quieted when they saw me. There were a few utterances of, "Is that her?" and "She looks different," before they started to move forward.
I braced myself on the open door frame, drowning in the flashbacks of the years I had spent trying to hide who I was from all of these people.
My magic hadn't manifested until I was eighteen, but they'd been more than happy to treat me like garbage just for being weak and female.
I'd had to watch my back at all times and pray to go unnoticed.
It had worked until I'd proven to be a witch, but Noah's rejection had prompted me to escape the pack before I could fall victim to the torment they would have laid on me for my magic.
But now there was no running, and the fear was rising in me like a wave, and I was drowning in it.
There was no running. No hiding. These wolves were here for me and Noah, and there was no way out. I took another step back and ran into a solid wall of muscle. Noah moved behind me, and his hand landed on the small of my back.
"What are you doing here?" he said, voice loud and commanding.
The crowd seemed to part, and an older man, with dark, silver-streaked hair and a thick mustache, pushed forward and sneered at the two of us.
"We're here to see the witch," the man said, "We thought the Council might have been lying about you taking her as your mate."
My mouth went dry, and the anxiety rose. Noah's grip tightened, and I could sense him bristling at the comment.
"Sage is my mate. She is also a witch, a healer, and your Luna. You will address her with the respect she deserves."
A few of the people in the crowd shifted nervously, but the man only crossed his arms. "I was under the impression we didn't welcome magic users around here."
"If you are talking about my father," Noah replied, his voice still loud and steady, "then he had no place speaking on behalf of the pack.
You should have asked me. But since you're all here now, everyone can listen up.
Sage was a member of this pack, and she returned.
She is not a criminal or an outsider, and she is now your Luna. "
"Where did she go after she left the pack before?" another voice called out, and Noah shifted himself in front of me fully, giving me a slight push back towards the house. The message was clear—go back inside, and he'd deal with the crowd and their questions.
For the first time that day, I agreed with him.
While Noah continued to deal with his agitated pack, I slipped back inside the house and closed the door behind me, exhaling in relief.
Noah and the draw I felt towards him was hell on my psyche, but I'd rather deal with him a thousand times over than face the entirety of the Silvervine pack on my own.
He might have been the one to force me into this situation, but for the moment, he was going to be my only refuge, my only point of safety, too.
It was a thought I'd have to get used to, sooner rather than later.
I'd have to let things calm down before I could even consider running away and making it back to the Brokenclaw pack.
The residents of the town would need to be used to me before I could slip away, and for the moment, it looked like I was going to be the center of attention for a few days at least.
That was okay, I told myself over and over, it won't last forever. I just had to hold out, resist Noah's charms, and wait for the pack to lose interest in me. Then I could make my grand escape. And once I made it home, I'd never let my guard down again.