Casper
“Anna!” I yelled at the top of my voice, racing downstairs.
“Alpha, what happened? Are we under an attack?!” she gasped, fear dripping from her voice as her hands were wrapped over her body as if protecting herself.
I could sense that she was still traumatized from the previous attack.
“No. Lilith is missing, and I have to find her,” I explained, watching her heave a sigh of relief. Her tensed shoulders were relaxed, and a frown sat on her face.
“Has she been kidnapped?! Have you checked everywhere?” Her voice shot up in panic as her eyes almost bulged out.
Her breathing turned shaky, and her hands trembled beside her.
“I don’t know. Her room is empty, but I’m trying to track her scent. Maybe I can get to her. But don’t panic. I will find her,” I stated confidently.
“Should I call Beta Raphael in case something happens?”
I paused, shooting her a displeased look. “So Raphael can handle the situation, and I can’t?”
Annoyed, I walked past her, walking towards the door and tucking the gun properly behind the band of my trousers.
Ignoring her apologies, I slammed the door, switching on my keen sense of hearing and smell in search of Lilith.
I trailed the faint scent of vanilla, tracking it across the road.
“What the fuck was she doing here?” I whispered to myself, turning in the direction of the woods.
Why would she come to the woods?
Was she secretly seeing someone?
Were they making out in the woods? Or had she been kidnapped like Anna said?
30 minutes passed and I was still trying to track her.
Sweat covered my body and doubt started creeping into me.
Was I on the right path?
Pushing the doubt away, I continued walking using my super speed until I found myself in the middle of the woods.
The heavy scent of vanilla hit me, catching my attention.
My heart almost jumped out of my body when I saw a wolf laying on the floor lifeless.
I backed away, still in search of Lilith as I wasn’t convinced that Lilith had her wolf.
Could it be that she shifted and passed out due to exhaustion?
Halting in my tracks, I walked over to the wolf, leaning to inhale the scent.
Freezing in shock as reality dawned on me, I scooped the wolf in my hands, brushing her torn clothes away as I made my way into the estate.
Max wouldn’t stop howling in happiness. It was like he was intoxicated by Lilith’s scent.
His unusual excitement started to bother me as it became suspicious.
Since he returned to me after 10 years, nothing excites him this much.
“Is there something I should know?” I asked, pushing the door of my room open as I went to grab a towel from the bathroom.
“Yes. It’s concerning Lilith. I need hee wolf to wake up so that I can confirm it,” he stated. I could sense the roller coaster of feelings crashing on him.
Anxiety got the best of him, making him pace about my head.
“Give me a hint.”
“No. You will know sooner,” he said dismissively before going quiet.
Turning the door knob, I froze in shock, leaning against the door as the wolf on the bed was gone…. replaced by Lilith.
Taking a few steps to examine her, she was still unconscious.
Her body was red and scratched and I could feel her exhaustion.
Dipping the towel in a bowl of hot water, I started massaging her body gently, allowing the heat to penetrate deep into her skin to heal her.
But then, in the nick of time, the scars and scratches on her body were gone. The swelling disappeared and her skin was radiant like that of an infant.
How did she heal so fast?!
Is there something the moon goddess is trying to communicate to me?
*****
Lilith
I woke up feeling refreshed and energized compared to how I collapsed.
I toss, enjoying the feeling of the soft object beneath me.
My breath hitched and my eyes flung open as I met myself in a familiar room.
How did I get here?
Who brought me back to my room?
I sprang up, my eyes darting around as panic seized me.
I lowered my head to see that I was clad in a white shirt and a black shorts that reeked of chocolate and honey scent.
“You’ve been unconscious for 3 days. We thought we lost you.”
I titled my head to meet Alpha Casper who sat beside me, enveloping my hand in his.
“We?” I asked, cocking my brow.
“Max and I,” I replied sharply, flashing a small smile. “How are you feeling?”
“Great!” I blurted, confused why his scent descended on me heavily.
While I had gained my strength, Liz was still weak.
“You can rest for as long as you want. Whatever you need, don’t hesitate to tell me. And congratulations on your first shift. Your wolf was a big one,” he said sweetly, planting a kiss on my forehead before squeezing my hand.
“Thank you. And thanks for saving my life.” I mouthed, fixing my eyes on him, waiting for him to leave.
We remained in an awkward position for a few minutes and I started to feel uncomfortable.
If I had passed out for 3 days, I had a lot to catch up on.
I had to dance in order to start saving for an apartment.
His presence was slowing down things.
I had to get to work
“Is there a problem?” He asked, concern evident in his voice as he lowered his head to meet mine.
“I want to be alone,” I replied coldly, tearing my eyes away from his before guilt attacked me.
“You just woke up after 3 days of unconsciousness and you want to be alone again?”
“I’m fine, trust me.”
“No, you are not. I know what you are doing. You are pushing me away just like you did before this happened,” he sighed, clenching his jaws as he swallowed.
I could feel anger forming inside him, but he was struggling to control himself.
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” I looked away, as my voice dropped.
“You don’t want me anymore. It’s obvious. You’ve become secretive and distant. You are engaged in something that you are hiding from me,” he confronted, walking towards the tripod stand that I sneaked in.
My sound almost left my body as the fear of getting caught struck me.
Fuck!
Luckily, after every performance, I hid my costumes.
There was no way he would have found it, except he dug deep into my closet.
“What are you doing with this? Film yourself?”
My heart dropped at his questions. I almost found myself blurting out the truth as fear gripped me.
How would he feel if he knew I was the stripper online?
“I got bored so I…decided to learn photography online…to add more to my skill.”
I heaved a sigh of relief after observing that he believed me.
“How did we become so cold? You chose photography over me?” he fired in an accusatory tone, making me drown in guilt.
“I want us back, Lilith. I miss us. I had plans for us that I would love us to achieve.”
“What are you so afraid of? Be mine.”
*****
Days passed and the relationship between Alpha Casper and I blossomed.
But I wasn’t comfortable with it.
Dancing was hard with him hovering around me and clinging to me like a second skin.
My savings dropped and my fans started to nag at my inconsistency.
I hope they didn’t rate me low else, I was done.
Untangling from Alpha Casper’s body, I sneaked into my room, showering quickly.
Setting up my camera on the tripod stand, I opened my wardrobe in search of a nice costume.
I was about to pull it out of my bag when the door burst open, making me hurriedly push it inside and close my bag.
I could feel Liz’s springing on her feet as she paced about my head in anxiety.
“What’s going on, Liz?” I asked boredly, resting my eyes on Alpha Casper who was shirtless, save for the pair of shorts.
“I think it’s him. I think we found him!” she chanted excitedly, almost jumping.
“What are you talking about?”
“I think it’s him! It’s Alpha Casper!”
My confused eyes landed on Alpha Casper as I thought of Liz’s words.
It didn’t make sense.
“Hy,” I waved shyly, standing on my feet.
The heavy scent of honey and chocolate invaded my nostrils, almost making my wolf go insane.
A shocked expression was plastered on Alpha Casper’s face as he froze, staring at me like I had grown 4 heads.
“It’s you,” he whispered, a smile broke on his face as he raced towards me, sweeping me off my feet and spinning slowly while holding me up in his strong arms.
“It’s been you all along. How could I not know?” a shrill of excitement ran down his spine as he embraced me tightly, almost suffocating me.
“What are you talking about?” I asked, pulling away as he acted weird.
What was up with him and Liz?
Why were they acting strange?
“You are my second-chance mate!” He spilled, making me freeze like a statue as my heart thumped heavily in my chest.
“He is not lying, Lilith. Alpha Casper is our mate.”