2 days had passed by very slowly at the hospital. Selena’s ribcage has fused back. Her neck compression still needs a day or two to get fully cured. The blood clot on her eye has subsided completely and the bruises are fading away. She got discharged today. For the last 2 days, Orion had gone missing. The other pack leaders, especially Zaden, had helped her a lot, kept her company. Zaden carried her home although she had repeatedly said that she is fine to walk. He insists, actually, the whole leader’s pack insists. At the entrance of the brick house, before they could step in, a growl stopped them. They turned around to see Orion zooming fast to them.
“I said, put her down!!!” he screamed and Zaden slowly, with caution, let Selena stand on her feet, just in time for Orion to bud in front of them. He threw a punch to Zaden’s face.
“You won, didn’t you?. You seduced her wolf” he threw another punch, hitting Zaden right in his face. Zaden staggered back and spat out a mouthful of blood. Orion grabbed his collar
“I love her, Zaden” his words echoed across the vicinity, effectively shutting down everyone who was yelling to stop them. Zaden looked into Orion’s eyes which is tearing up. He recalled the last time he saw him in tears, holding Sheila’s dead body in his hands. He couldn’t hit him back, he wouldn’t hit him back.
“You…You ravaged everything. Did you sleep with her too?” those words stirred anger in Zaden. He balled up his fist
“Stay away from her, you hear me. You are not allowed to touch her” now that statement is provoking his alpha wolf. He looked up, nose flared and eyes swirling between gold and chocolate
“Who are you to order me?” a whisper mixed with a growl erupted from his chest. Makeala who sensed his wolf, quickly stride and pulled Selena’s face to her chest, not allowing her to see an alpha wolf in rage.
Orion let go of Zaden’s shirt immediately. His face is now full of frustration, fighting the very nature of their being– submissive to their Alpha. He can choose to obey or fight the man in front of him, and he stood there with his chest up. Like it or not, that is a challenge to the Alpha and he has to respond. Zaden threw a punch at Orion, slamming him to the ground. He shifted into his wolf, a pitch-black wolf pacing step by step towards Orion.
“Put your alpha aura away and stand up to me like a man,” Orion said low, through gritted teeth and Zaden did so. Orion immediately shifted to his wolf. Now both wolves are at attack stance. Orion attacked first, biting Zaden’s arm and Zaden smashed his retracted claws on Orion’s face. It was horrible to look at, even for another werewolf, especially a sister, Makeala. She was sure one of them is going to get killed. She trembled while another hand hid Selena’s face, who is holding tight to Makeala’s arms. The sound of growling and snapping frightened her, as she flinched into Makeala chest.
All of a sudden, a weak hand held Selena’s arms, pulled her away from Makeala, and pushed her to the ground. A condition known as ‘Grandpa Kai’s interference’. When she turned around, 2 gigantic wolves, snapping at each other, fangs out, claws out and they are above her. She had fallen right in the middle of Zaden and Orion. She hid her face between her arms and pulled up her knees like a fetus.
Fear got her immobilized as she kept mumbling to herself something uninterpretable. Gasps trembled. Heartbeat thud against her ears. Muscles numbed. Cold sweat dripped down her forehead. Un intentionally, she shifted to her wolf. A silver wolf, standing right in between black and brown wolf. All the other werewolves at the surrounding go wide-eyed, including the she-wolfs and other patrol members out at the yard. Soon, the whole village will rush to them, sensing the alpha being challenged. She is showcased to a whole pack, one that they have been avoiding since day 1.
Zaden and Orion stopped at their position, growling at each other. Zaden tried to attack Orion and Selena snapped at him. Orion tried to fight and she snapped again. Soon, both of them toned down, gave up, and shifted back to their human form. The omega she-wolf rushed from inside the house with blankets and sweatpants. Zaden and Orion put on a pair of sweatpants. They refused to look at each other.
Sensing the change in the situation, the silver wolf turned around and walked into the house. She laid comfortably on the living room floor and shifted back to her human. Makeala rushed to her with a blanket. Selena is weak, trembling still, moaning softly in ache.
“Come, sweety…” She grabbed a chair and let Selena sit there. Behind Selena was a console table and further behind were couches.
Selena sat down with a hiss, her body is aching from the sudden shifting. Something struck in Makeala when she took in the fragile state of Selena. She walked out fiercely and dragged both Zaden and Orion by their hand. She took them to the couches behind and pushed them to sit.
“You two had gone too far. You know she is still recovering. Why can’t you take your rage somewhere else?” Makeala crossed her arm over her chest while Selena sat facing the opposite, away from them.
“Do you love her?” she pointed at Zaden and Zaden nodded with hesitation. She sighed out, somewhere deep inside her, she wants her brother to find true love again, live a normal life as werewolves would.
“And obviously, Orion loves her. You two could have torn each other apart when you don’t know who Selena actually loves. Does that make any sense? Do you guys ever use your brain?” Makeala frowned, effectively silencing both of them in guilt. She turned around and walked to Selena, bending down slightly and held her shoulders. With a calm composed tone, she asked her a question–THE question.
“Sweety, do you love anyone from our pack? Anyone at all?” she waited with anticipation. Selena searched herself as her eye flickered around the ground. Only one face popped up in her head. Selena nodded yes.
“Is he here?” she nodded again
“Is it Zaden or Orion?” Makeala’s eye focused on her lips and the boys had sharpened their wolf hearing. Their heartbeat is pounding in their ears. Breathing restrained. After a pause, she said almost inaudible
“Zaden…” Zaden who is bent forward with his elbow on his knees dropped his head down with a huff of relief. His happiness could not be explained with words. He bit his lower lips and smiled, eyes on the floor as flocks of butterflies invaded his inner system.
‘She chooses me’ his inner wolf screaming loud.
He turned to look at Orion, not arrogant but with a wave of sympathy to him. He lost his love, again. Orion stood up and rushed out of the house. Makeala followed behind him. Zaden stood up and slowly paced to Selena and leaned his elbow on the console behind her. Goosebumps lined Selena’s spine as she sensed his presence behind her–the man she just confessed to being in love with– he is standing right behind her.
‘Please just be quiet for once’
“Did you say Zaden?” he whispered to her back. A sudden clench felt at her mid-chest. She nodded. He cleared his throat.
“Why?” Selena frowned at Zaden’s question. She turned around to face him
“I mean, why do you love me?” Zaden whispered still, fixated at her eyes.
“What sort of question is that? You want me to lay down reasons to love you?” he nodded before continuing
“Is it because of my face… or body…” he held her hand gently, rubbing across her knuckles with his thumb.
“Or my kiss… or because I am an alpha…” Selena’s eye widened with her mouth and stayed so for a moment
“You know what, forget I said that. MAKEALA!!!” she screamed ‘Makeala’ as she turned around and walked limply to the door. Zaden stifled his laughter before running after her, grabbed her arms to turn her around.
“What are you doing?” Zaden asked through his laughter
“I’m switching. MAKEALA!!!!” she yelled again, peeping her head out to the door with a serious expression
“No, wait…” Zaden still laughing
“No, you wait for another 50 years before your mate comes, and then you can show off your alpha head to her and–” Zaden pulled her and smashed his lips to hers. He unmasked his scent, tranquilizing Selena, seizing her at once. Muscles clenched, from her core, radiating to her entire body. Her knee felt weak and slight dizziness stirred through her. They both are visible from the brick house entrance.
“You are my mate… why should I wait another 50 years?” he whispered as he gave another kiss to her, slowly sucking her lips, paying great attention not to hurt her neck. His words felt like a hallucination to her, as she blinked in disbelief a few times. A need for his lips magnetized her towards him. She laid her hands on his chest, closing the little gap between them.
“You smell… wonderful…” Selena said as she pulled his lips apart with her finger, playing with desires.
“Why didn’t you tell me before?” she whispered before swallowing her saliva. His scent and touch are stirring prohibited feelings in her right now.
“Well… first I found you at the mountain foot and came to, basically claim you. You had a… moment of weakness, let’s say… and the smell of your arousal drove me crazy. I was afraid I’m going to pounce and possibly rape you, so I ran away…” he is caressing her cheeks
“Then I saw you at the waterfall, almost, so close to taking over my pack of wolves and I got pissed off… then again at the village, where you called us primitive. I thought you would never want to be with me in this ‘primitive village’, so I never told you. Then of course the Samrat issue and so on…” she nodded and he nodded in return
“Orion…” she almost swallowed the word
“I will talk to him… don’t worry” he ran his finger through her hairline.
“So now what?” Selena asked with eyes on his lips, wanting a little bit more.
“We wait… for 15days to be over. All though it looks like you won’t need 15 days, you are already calling your wolf out, just haven’t connected with her. Then, if you like… we can mark each other and solidify the bond… and… you know after that…” he whispered as he licked his lips and have her embraced him.
“You can’t mark me now?” she asked in the most innocent way with a frown. Zaden turned her around, hugged her from behind, and placed his chin on her shoulder
“I’m afraid you can’t heal as quickly as it requires to seal the mark wound. Might be detrimental for a human. I need a little wolf for that, not a baby girl… and just in case you are wondering…” he licked her neck at one particular spot, sending zaps of electricity through her body as she closed her eye with a gasp.
“That is where I will mark you…” he said whispering close to her ears. His warm breath hitting her ears like a wave of eroticism. She is consumed by lust. She removed his hands from her stomach and turned around
“I’m going to clean up… bye,” she said before walking upstairs in rush. She took only a few steps before she heard Zaden
“Selena… I’m a wolf… I can smell you…” he had a smirk on his lips. Selena slowly turned around. An omega she-wolf came running to them, bowing in front of him. He must have mind-linked her.
“Please take all of Ms. Selena’s items and arrange them in my room before she finishes bathing” she blinked awkwardly before nodded and went rushing upstairs.
“You want me to move?” Selena asked and he nodded as he started walking slowly towards her
“There is no need to rush. I… I… I don’t mind staying in that room” Selena said and Zaden walked out of the house.
“But I do mind, baby girl…” his voice echoed from outside.
Zaden tracked through the forest, following his alpha’s sense to track a member of the pack. Finally, he saw Makeala and Orion, on top of a huge rock. Makeala moved away once she saw Zaden and Zaden sat in her place. They are backed to each other and remained silent for a long time. Makeala walked away from them, giving them some space
“I’m sorry you have to go through this, again…” Zaden broke the silence
“What can you do when she doesn’t love me?” Orion threw a stone into the trees, not far from them.
“She is my mate, Orion…” Orion’s head snapped to Zaden in shock
“She is your luna… I wasn’t sure she would want me, so I never told anyone. If only I had told at least you, you wouldn’t have fallen for her” he said low.
A drop of tear rolled down Orion’s cheek. His heart felt weak, his whole body burning with agony. He finally gave up, there is no way he could have won her, she was never his.
“I need some time Zaden…” Orion said low. Zaden gripped his thighs before walking away. He will be fine, he always does.