She blinked repeatedly and groaned as she became conscious. Her whole body felt heavy, the light was making her eyes waterwater so she had to squint, and her tongue was so dry.
“Hey, are you okay?” Hayden asked and moved close to where she lay on the bed. She had been out for a whole day, and he hadn’t left her for even a minute. His wolf was so restless seeing their mate in such a state and not being able to do anything but watch while Margaret healed her as much as she could. Mate… he had a mate… he still couldn’t believe it, but he felt it. And it was stronger than his previous mate bond had been, way stronger.
She tried to sit up and he helped her.
“Does it hurt anywhere? Are you okay? Do you need anything?” He asked and she tried to speak, but her voice was hoarse.
“Water, you need water.” He said and she nodded. He moved to get her a cup of water with a straw in it so she could sip slowly.
“To answer your questions…” she spoke after a few minutes.
“My wrists are sore, and my ribs ache a little. No, I am not okay. And what I need right now, is an explanation because we can’t possibly be mates.”
“I’ve been thinking the same thing, but I feel the bond. Can’t you feel it?” He asked.
“What I feel, is the need to kill someone in particular. And, I think that this is just a trick, so I don’t do what I feel like doing.”
“Does this feel like a trick?” He held her hand, and she gasped as awareness of him skittered up her hands from the place he touched to her whole body. She felt the heat of his skin, the blood flowing through his veins, his heartbeat that was racing just like hers. And holding all that together, there was an invisible thread that seemed to join them both. She felt the bond, but she didn’t know if she could really believe that it was real.
“I had a mate, he died. This can’t possibly be real.” She withdrew her hand from his like his skin was on fire.
“My mate died too. I’m just as confused as you are. But, no matter how we try to deny it, it is real.” She turned away from him because she knew he was telling the truth, but accepting it felt like a betrayal to her dead mate.
“Can we please just start from somewhere? Let’s just give it a try, at least, get to know each other first and continue from there.” He said as he held her hand again.
“Why do you have to sound so reasonable?” She mumbled and turned back to him.
“You make it sound like it’s a bad thing.” He grinned.
“I’m Silvora. It’s the name of a flower my mum found.” She said.
“I’ve never heard a name like that before, it’s unique, and beautiful.”
“Yeah, it’s one of a kind, but, I kind of hate it. My mum loved flowers so much, why couldn’t she have named me after something poisonous and dangerous?” She said and he laughed.
“Well, no one really calls me that. Everyone calls me silver.” She added.
“Ouch. Now that’s something poisonous and dangerous.”
“My kind of thing.” She winked at him.
“Is it because of your immunity to silver?” He asked. “Your scars from the burn weren’t as severe as they should have been with the level of silver you had on you, and they’re almost healed now, which should be impossible.”
“Well, i’m not really immune to it, i’m just more resistant to it than other wolves.” She shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal.
“That’s an awesome super power you know.”
“I don’t think so, but I guess you’re right. So, what’s your name?” She asked.
“Hayden.” He smiled.
“You’re an Alpha wolf, I can smell it on you.” She said to him.
“Yes, I am, and so are you.” He replied to her.
“Won’t that be a problem? Two Alpha wolves mated? Who will submit to whom?” She quirked her brow.
“Who says one has to submit to the other?” He tilted his head.
“We’ll see I guess.” She smirked.
“I’m the Alpha of the dark moon pack.”
“Not just an Alpha wolf, but one that can hold a pack together. Impressive.”
Wolves could be Alphas, but each Alpha had their own trait. There were Alphas like Silvora who had the warrior capacity, Alphas like Hayden that had the capacity to hold a pack’s bonds together, and regular Alphas that were just members of the pack but very protective of the others. The Betas wolves were usually second in command, and more managerial. Gamma Wolves were better guards and sentries, and Omegas were the pack’s nurturers. Lunas were the Alpha’s mates, could be any of the wolves -Alpha, Beta, Gamma, or Omega- and were ranked the same as the Alpha.
“So, do you have any awesome super power?” She asked.
“No, but I do have a name I kind of hate too.” He replied to her.
“What is it?” She asked and he sighed.
“Cherry.” He said and she laughed.
“Your mum must have loved the fruit.”
“Surprisingly, it was my father’s idea, but he never admitted to that. My mum told me he said I was red like a cherry when I was born so he named me after it.”
“Tomatoes are red too. Why didn’t he name you that?” She giggled.
“He loved cherries I guess.” He shrugged, ecatatic to see the smile on her face. His wolf purred within him, equally happy that they had pleased her in a way.
There was a knock on the door and Thomas asked if they could all come in.
“Good to see you awake, and calm. How are you feeling Silver?” Thomas asked her and she frowned. Hayden almost growled at him for taking her beautiful smile away.
“I feel like I have a score to settle with you. Don’t be deceived, this is just the calm before the storm.”