Ryan’s POV:
I got out of that building as soon as I could, before people could start piling in. Parties. I hated parties. Best way to distract everyone in a single place, distract them with drinks and sneak up behind them.
I should’ve known Alice would pull something like this when I said yes to having a party. But bringing a human into the territory. It could put both her and the pack in danger. But you could only refuse the Pack beta female’s request for so long. If anything goes wrong, at least I would have all the chances in the world to say ‘I told you so’ to her.
I walked out through the backyard, acknowledging people’s greetings with a polite nod, into the woods.
It has been a long time since I have gone out for a run. It was always this meeting, that project. And it has been a very long time since I have let my wolf out.
I took the familiar path alongside the road and started with a slow jog. The cold air felt good against my warm skin. I slowly gained momentum with each push, I broke into a run.
I could see cars zooming past me, past the tree lines, on the road, probably to the party, as pack house was the only Inhabitation this deep in the wood.
I changed my path and ran deep into the woods. I ran and ran until I was pure adrenaline. I could feel my calves burning, blood coursing through my tiring limbs, my breath forming puffs of clouds in air.
My feet slapped against the grassy forest floor sending me jetting past the trees that blurred in my speed. A mystical, immense sense of euphoria hit me like a freight train, knocking the breath out of me as I came to an abrupt halt.
My wolf clawed at the back of my mind, bugging me let him out. I tried to shut him out, but it only made it difficult for me to breathe.
A thin layer of sweat coated my forehead as I stripped in the privacy of the moonless night and tied my shorts into a bundle.
A familiar sensation of pain coursed through my body as my bones snapped in different directions, elongating in various lengths, piercing my skin, which would later heal without a scar.
My large paws sunk into the wet soil underneath and gripped it as the grey claw came out, cutting open the skin. He shook his black fur which blended into the night, he stood tall at his full height, howling at the dark woods.
He was restless. I felt him pushing me to the back of his mind, refusing me the control, as he took my bundled up clothes in his mouth and bolted into the night. For a familiar path, he missed every fallen log, low lying branches and holes on the ground as he ran, not caring about anything.
I’ve never seen him this out of control since our first shift. He pounced, claws piercing the ground underneath, the cool air weaving through his thick fur.
He ran and ran and I let him.
I saw the pack house past the tree lines, glowing against the dark night. He was stunned to a stop when it hit us, the most enchanting smell. I knew right away what it was. Who it was. The realization hit me like a bucket of ice water on the coldest winter night.
He took a step forward, past the tree lines when I willed him to stop. I couldn’t go in like this. Not when I was sure that my wolf would tell me to kiss his furry ass and go out of control, once he got that certain someone in his sight. His mate. My mate.
He walked back into the woods and shifted, letting out a whine, now and then. And I could sympathize with him. It was exciting and nerve wrecking at the same time. I changed into my shorts and walked out. No one was outside except a few pack warriors, doing their security duties. They gave me a polite nod and opened the door for me.
My senses were highly alert and muffled at the same time. Every breath of that mind-numbing scent felt like a silver knife and the saving breath of a drowning man, in my throat at the same time.
The crowd parted ways when they saw me walk in, watching me and following me with curious eyes as I walked in the direction my feet took me.
I stopped dead on my tracks. I didn’t need someone to point me at her. I could find her in a crowd of million people even though I’ve never seen her. She stood there, with her back towards me, her dark hair tumbling down her shoulders and her back.
The last string of my restraints snapped when I saw him, Daniel, standing too close to her, snaking his hand on her back. She went rigid. That was my last fucking straw.
“Mine”, I growled, shaking. Numerous heads turned towards me and people scurried off further away from me.
“Taking your fucking hands off her, Daniel” , I took a threatening step forward. He removed his hand like he was electrocuted and stepped back.
And then, she turned around.
Nothing, and I mean nothing, could’ve prepared me for it. Call it cliché, I don’t care. Everything faded into the periphery and she stood in the center of my vision. Everything moved in a painstakingly slow pace and I loved every single second of it.
In that biting cold of the night, she smelled like summer. She smelled like vanilla and sandalwood.
If I was barely breathing before, it felt like a blow to the chest when she caught my eyes. It wasn’t more than a minute since I saw her, but she was already, hands down, the most beautiful woman I’ve set my eyes on.
She looked angelic, dark hair framing her heart shaped face. Her brows were furrowed, little lines forming on her forehead. And I could see the damn freckles on her nose, bless my werewolf genes. Her pink lips were parted, probably in surprise and her eyes, her electric blue eyes were wandering over my naked torso. I smirked. She was checking me out.
Bella’s POV:
Blue eyes met blue ones and my breath got knocked out of my body.
Amongst the sea of people in dashing suits and glittering evening gowns, he was there, just in his running shorts. But it was the latter party, who caught my eyes and took my breath away.
He stood there, like he owned this place, which he probably did, in a sweaty mess with just a black running shorts covering his lower half. Hard slabs of muscles in his abdomen were carved into a perfect six pack. He had tattooed a dragon on his veiny right arm that went all the way to his right pectoral.
Damn! I knew he wasn’t a human at first sight because that physique would be a sin in the human world.
God took his time with this one.
With a straight nose, strong chin and a 5 o’clock shadow over it, he looked effortlessly good. But the one thing that stood out, caught my eyes that were roaming shamelessly all over his body was his ocean blue eyes.
They were so blue, so deep and so deep that I could spend my forever looking at them unveiling its mysteries. A faint healed scar on his left eyebrow added extra allure to his appeal. His curly black hair was in a wet mess atop his head, and yet somehow he managed to look like a runway model. And those perfect supple lips which I – I shook my head to throw those thoughts out which put an arrogant smirk on his face.
With a few long strides , he filled the distance between us, his warm breath almost fanning my forehead. He was towering over me, very well over 6’2″, give or take, that I had to take a step back to meet his eyes.
I was so caught up in the moment that I barely noticed him leaning forward, his blue eyes fixed on my lips.
What the fuck!
I pushed him back by his chest with my small hands, making him stumble and I too, fell a few steps back as a recoil. His hooded eyes were now wide, full of anger.
I knew I did something wrong to provoke him but what was he thinking, trying to kiss a girl he just met a few seconds ago.
That was a total arse-hole move.
It all happened in seconds. His jaw ticked and he took an intimidating step towards me when Alice jumped between us.
God bless you, Alice.
“Move”, he said, barely above a whisper, but it held so much anger this time directed towards her, without moving his intense gaze from me.
“Alpha, She is a human”.
That did the job. He removed his eyes from me and looked at her. He was tense, I could see that from the strained cords in his neck and clenched fist.
“I think we should call Madam May”, she whispered, bowing down and not looking him in the eyes, trying to de-escalate the situation.
He nodded at her and took a step back.
“Everyone. Party’s over. Dismiss”, he yelled at no one in particular. Everyone except a few left the place without a word, without a sound.
“John, call Madam May right now”, he barked out his orders and without another look in my way, we went upstairs leaving behind a quiet crowd. It was silent. The hall that was loud with a party at a full swing just a few minutes ago, was dead silent. Nobody looked anyone in the eye.
“What the hell was that?”, I whispered, turning heads in my direction. Alice sighed.
“Bella. I-I’m sorry”, she pleaded, her face full of worry, “He is our Alpha, Ryan and he thinks you are his mate”, she said.
“What?”, I scoffed.
“That’s not possible. Is that even possible? I mean I’m a human”, I looked at everyone for help and from the looks of it, they were equally as confused as me.
“That’s why we are calling the elder”, she squeezed my hand and gave me a smile and didn’t reach her eyes like it always did.
Ryan’s POV:
I slammed the door shut as hard as I could.
Of course, she was a human. She didn’t feel the pull. She didn’t feel my scent like I did her’s. She never went through thousands of emotions that I went through in that one second.
I slammed my fist on the table and watched, deriving a little satisfaction, as the table lamp crashed on to the floor.
I sighed and looked up, catching my eyes in the mirror. I felt a torrent of emotions. I was angry, that she didn’t get to feel anything of this bond between us. I was annoyed at myself that I scared her with my antics downstairs, sad that I had to be this way but mostly I was scared. I was scared for her. Her being mated to a werewolf, to an Alpha at that, just painted a very big and bright target on her back. Anyone could come after her.
I shook my head and willed myself to not open that door. I threw those thoughts out of my head and straightened.
I didn’t have a single grasp about what was happening and what was about to happen. But in the middle of the chaos, that was this fucked up situation, I knew one thing, clear as sky. It was real. What I felt was real. The pull was real.
I took a quick shower and changed into a clean shirt and jeans.
I couldn’t help but to think about what was most likely to happen. She would reject me. And had I to accept that. I had to face the music one way or another.
I took a deep breath, closed the door behind me and went down.