He turned his face toward me with a swift movement.
“How old are you?”
The question caught me off guard.
“What?”
“Tell me,” he insisted, slowing his steps for a second.
“Twenty–two,” I answered, speaking the truth. It didn’t make sense to lie about that.
A vein throbbed in his neck, and a crease appeared on his forehead as he seemed to grow even more irritated.
“I’m three hundred and thirty–eight,” he said, raising an eyebrow. I opened my mouth, stunned.
“I’ve been around many omegas in heat, so many that I lost count. And never, absolutely never, have I lost control with any of them. So don’t try to fool me, because I’ll find out the truth.”
Fenrir was much older than I had imagined, though he appeared to be in his thirties physically. Wolves typically lived up to five hundred years. The oldest I knew was Alpha Bason, who should be reaching the maximum age by now.
Our aging process was slow and delayed until about four hundred and seventy years, then age advanced, marking the features with signs of old age until death.
There was also a legend about supreme alphas, said to be powerful wolves who lived up to seven hundred years, but I had never met one or heard of anyone who had, so they were treated merely as myths.
I stayed silent, not having an answer to give. He wouldn’t believe me, no matter what truth came out of my mouth.
When he started walking again, tightening his grip on my arm, I didn’t resist. Fighting him would be ridiculous; he would always win. He was older, stronger, and an alpha.
We moved away from the main part of the village. I recognized this by the silence that stretched away from the houses, where the presence of people could no longer be felt or heard.
Soon, we approached a house further from the others, away from the heart of the village. Huge tree trunks rose like sentinels around the building, with their canopies nearly touching the dark sky. The golden reflection of the house’s interior lights illuminated the wooden porch and the large stones that formed the facade. There were massive glass windows, offering views of every angle of the forest.
It was a beautiful, rustic, and powerful house,
Fenrir pulled me toward it, along the stone path.
There was a brazier in the middle of the path, with chairs around it. Smoke emanated from it, showing that there had been a fire burning not too long ago.
We climbed the three steps to the porch before Fenrir pushed the wooden door open forcefully and threw me inside.
The place smelled of him.
I gripped the strap of my backpack tightly, spinning on my heels and getting lost in the house’s lush beauty.
The downstairs was one large room. A kitchen with old, rustic wooden furniture, with a marble stone island in the center. Brown leather sofas, a fireplace, a television, and a huge glass window giving a view of the back, showing the forest. A dining table with a chandelier above it. I noticed a door on the right side, behind the sofa, followed by a staircase leading to the second floor. It was probably a bathroom.
I tilted my head, peeking out the kitchen windows on the left wall, and spotted a garage with cars.
If I knew how to drive, it would be easy to escape from Fenrir.
I wanted to go to the bathroom, take a shower, and get rid of some of his scent that was as ingrained in the environment as it was on me. It wasn’t bad, but at the moment, it was overwhelming.
Fenrir walked stiffly to the dining table and picked up a cell phone before starting to type quickly.
6
“I… um… can I go to the bathroom?” I asked, shrugging.
He didn’t even bother to lift his eyes to me as he replied,
“Shut up and sit at the table. Don’t you dare come near my sofa, dirty as you are.” His fingers slid across the phone screen.
I knew what a cell phone was and a little about how they worked because some people in my old pack had them, like my father. But I never got close to one, as it was strictly forbidden for me and my sister. Our father said that God hadn’t given wings to snakes for a reason, and he followed that legacy.
I stared at Fenrir, standing on the other side of the table, his torn t–shirt stained with both my blood and his. My mark on his neck was red, with dried blood around it.
He was an idiot, but he managed to be handsome, even when he was a chaotic mess.
I huffed.
I took a deep breath and focused on the beats of my heart, trying to calm myself before I flew at his neck and ended up dying in the process. Then again… if I were to die, I would end up killing both of us, and at that moment, that didn’t seem like a bad idea.
Three pairs of eyes were fixed on me. They said nothing, just stared at me with… curiosity.
Alexandra, a tall and strong female with dark brown skin and black hair tied in a braid draped over her shoulder, watched me with a furrowed brow. She was stunning. Full, outlined lips, a straight nose, and a slender jaw. I wasn’t sure yet if she was an omega or a beta, though I would lean toward the latter. It didn’t matter what her type was, it was clear to me that she was a brave female.
She wore a midi dress that framed the pronounced curves of her slim body.
“This is a problem,” she commented, looking at me.
Beside her stood a male very similar to her. His name was Andrei. He was taller than Alexandra, with dark skin. His hair was thin, his face marked, and he was clean–shaven. His arms were crossed, the movement accentuating his muscles.
And beside him was another male, whom I had heard them call Anton. He had short blond hair, green eyes, pale skin, and a delicate face. He was a few inches shorter than Andrei, about the same height as Alexandra. He hadn’t spoken a single word yet. He was analytical, observing me, trying to understand the situation.
“Oh, you think so?” Andrei mocked, looking me up and down.
I ignored the shame I felt.
I was covered in blood, dirt, and leaves. Not to mention that Fenrir’s semen was dried between my legs, and there were bite marks on my neck. Even if I wanted to disguise what we had done, it would be impossible.
The bastard hadn’t let me go to the bathroom. He hadn’t let me leave my spot since we arrived. Always keeping an eye on me, as if I could vanish in front of him with a wave of his hand.
He was leaning against the kitchen counter, a little further from his friends, bringing a bottle of whiskey to his lips, drinking straight from the neck. And I couldn’t say who looked worse between the two of us.
“So how did this happen, exactly? Anton asked, speaking for the first time.
Fenrir sighed and looked at me.
I was sitting in the backyard by the fire when I sensed a smell… a presence. I realized it wasn’t someone from the village, but they were too close to the territory, so I went to check and…” He fell silent, seeming embarrassed. ‘Everything happened.”
That explained the smoke rising from the fire when we arrived.
Have you told the others? Alexandra asked.
He shook his head, taking another sip of whiskey.
I wait for the meeting with the elders to tell them… the news.”
Elders? Others? Who were they talking about?
274
“You mated with her,” Anton remarked. It wasn’t a question. “I can smell your scent on her, just like I can smell hers on you.”
“As I said, a huge problem, Alexandra added.
“Which pack are you from? What were you doing in our territory?” Andrei asked.
I stayed silent, not making a sound. I wouldn’t give them any answers. If they found out about me, they’d find Hunter. And I preferred death to going back to him. Besides, if that happened, they’d also find Selena. I would never let them lay hands on my sister.
“Does she speak?” Anton asked.
Fenrir growled.
“Oh, she most definitely speaks,” he spat.
Alexandra turned to him, and something stirred inside me. It was hot, pulsing, intense. I watched every movement of hers.
“You couldn’t identify which pack she belongs to, from the blood taste?” She tilted her head toward me and flared her nostrils. “I can’t smell her, because yours is mixed in.” She stepped closer to him. My muscles stiffened, as if I were preparing to act.
“She doesn’t belong to any pack in the region,” he replied.
Anton walked around the table and approached me with determined steps. I turned my head to fixate on him, ready to attack if he touched me. But before he could do anything, Fenrir growled loudly, making all three of them flinch. Anton froze in his tracks, eyes wide, slowly turning toward the alpha.
“But… what?” he gurgled, confused.
The alpha stared at him, baring his teeth without blinking. His movements were sharp, like in the forest. And the golden hue in his eyes began to come alive.
“Stay away from her, Anton, Alexandra ordered, motionless. He did nothing, as if terrified by Fenrir’s attitude and paralyzed by the fear he felt from the alpha. Fenrir looked like an animal, ready to pounce.
“Now!” the wolf insisted, stern.
Anton blinked, snapping out of his stupor, and took a step to the side, then another, and another, until he was back at the end of the table, eight chairs away from me. Fenrir followed every move with his narrowed eyes.
“What the hell is going on here?” Anton whispered.
“I have a hunch, Alexandra commented.
“And what is it?” Andrei objected.
Alexandra looked at me and then turned to Fenrir. She extended her arm and placed her hand on his shoulder.
I don’t know when I got so fast.
One moment, I was sitting at the end of the table, ignoring them while they talked about me. The next, the chair crashed to the floor, and I was in front of her, baring my teeth and growling like an animal.
She smiled and pulled her hand back, stepping away from Fenrir, who was now staring at me with a furrowed brow, just like everyone else.
“They’re in mating frenzy,” she said, as if it were obvious. “It’s normal in the first hours when a couple mates. It’s a possessive feeling since they’re marked and claimed.”
“Thanks a lot for only remembering that after Fenrir almost ripped my head off.”
“I didn’t even move, the alpha retorted.
“Dude…” Anton ran a hand through his blonde hair. “You were exuding pheromones. That was the first time you did that for me. I almost passed out from fear, he confessed.
“For everyone’s safety, I suggest you stay far away from these two, at least for now,” Alexandra responded, staring at me with a sly smile. And for your information, I have no interest in Fenrir. It’s more likely for him to be jealous of me.” She winked.
“And she has a girlfriend, Andrei added, pointing to his sister. “So no one’s gonna be tearing anyone’s head off.”
6
