2.

SOREN

The little control I had snapped, and I was unable to stop the fist from coming down on Koa when Amira stepped in front of my fist at the last minute.

My fist stopped an inch from her face and my heart clenched painfully in my chest, even though I didn’t hit her.

Not once had my body ever allowed me to lay a hand on Amira. It was the reason she was the only one who was allowed to come close to me when I got like this.

My body recognized her, even in its mad rage. Her presence held the almost impossible ability to stop me when I couldn’t stop myself. It didn’t matter how angry I got; my body always recognized her.

The torment followed, drawing me out of the red haze as realization set in. My wolf clawed at the back of my mind painfully. He was in such great turmoil that we were so close to hurting our…

I flinched back in horror.

Our what? I wanted to ask but it would be futile because I haven’t shifted yet so I couldn’t speak directly to my wolf, but I had always felt him at the back of my mind.

My wolf. More like a curse. He was the reason I got out of hand with every little combat.

Aggression, anger and competition fueled the bastard and the only reason I was able to control him sometimes was because I wasn’t fully shifted yet, but I worried about what would happen when I did and he would be able to take control over my body.

The amount of rage and anger my wolf possessed scared me. My parents had done everything they could to help me control it, but it was as though every solution only made him worse.

I hated how he controlled my emotions, even when I wasn’t fully turned.

My chest heaved up and down harshly as I tried to control my breathing and escape the familiar red haze. I could feel my eyes burn, telling me they were still the bloody red colour that belonged to my wolf.

"Disperse!” Rune yelled and the pack members left as quickly as they could. They knew better than to hang around when an order was given.

Amira panted softly but she kept her eyes on me as the hall emptied until we were alone with our friends.

Her soft black hair strands fell over her face, and I felt a strong urge to reach out and brush them away. Amira had auburn highlights in her hair, something that I had never seen before and I loved that her highlights colour was the same as my eyes, almost as though she were…

“Breath, Soren” she commanded softly.

My hands shook but they didn’t unclench or drop from her face so she wrapped her small hands around my large ones and pushed my hand down so I could see her clearly.

Blue orbs that reminded me of the sea after a heavy downpour stared back at me. The calm after a storm. That was who she was to me.

I felt my burning eyes cool down, alternating between red and green. Amira’s eyes furrowed as she watched me. She hated it when my eyes turned red but not as much as I hated them.

"Come on, breathe for me," she urged again, and I could feel my wolf purr in delight as her soothing tone washed over me, drowning the anger immediately.

The red finally faded away and she became clearer. Amira sighed in relief and gave me a smile that made my heart skip against my will. “That’s better. Are you okay?”

I looked around the hall and my gaze fell on Ruelle as she fussed over a grumbling Koa. There was no hiding the guilt in my eyes and my body tensed. I couldn’t believe I almost hurt my friend again.

"Hey," Amira called softly to get my attention and I turned to her because it was impossible to resist her. She had an understanding look on her face as she placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Koa is fine. You didn't hurt him." She tried to assure me because she could always tell what I was thinking.

It didn’t matter how hard I tried to block her out of my head, Amira always knew what I was thinking. It was almost as though we were one sometimes.

If mates hadn’t been out of existence for the past three hundred years now, I would solidly believe that she was my fated mate but that wasn’t the case. No matter how I tried, I just couldn’t find the reason for this bond we shared.

Destined mates no longer existed after the moon goddess almost wiped out the entire werewolf race over three centuries ago because of the greed and the ugliness that became a part of our ancestors.

She forgave us after countless rituals but took away the joy of finding your other half as a punishment and cruel reminder of what our ancestors did. Now, wolves chose their mates for themselves.

“Soren” Amira whispered, bringing me out of my thoughts.

“I’m here with you” I responded with a crooked smile, which she returned.

I usually had blackouts when my wolf’s rage took over and I can’t remember what happened during that time. I couldn’t help but look at Koa again, but Amira caught my face and turned it again until I stared into an abyss of blue.

“Koa is fine,” she said again, her tone harder and I nodded absentmindedly as I got lost in her eyes, but the feeling did not last as I remembered how she ran into my fist.

My body burned with not only guilt but fear and anger. Before I could control myself, my hand gripped her around her arm.

"What were you thinking while running into my fist, Amira? What if I had hurt you?" I growled and felt my eyes tingle with that familiar feeling before my eyes turned red.

"You are hurting me now." she moaned, and my eyes followed her gaze until they landed on my fingers wrapped tightly around her arm where a bruise was forming on her pale skin.

I jerked back in horror, taking my hands off her like her skin burnt me. Disgust filled my core at what I had just done.

I stepped back as my hand made its wave through my hair and I could feel my wolf clawing against my mind’s defence.

He wanted to get out and check if she was fine, but he couldn’t because that border was still closed and would remain closed until I shifted.

I didn’t understand the feelings that coursed through my body whenever she was involved. I didn’t feel the same towards the others in the pack. Why was she the only one?

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I was just worried. You can't keep jumping in between my blows like that, Ami. One day I'm not going to be able to hold back," I snapped.

"I trust you with my life, Soren. You are my best friend, and I know you'll never hurt me." She insisted and I growled in frustration.

She never made it easy for me when she said things like that “You shouldn’t. One day, I won’t be able to hold my wolf back” I hissed.

I turned my back on her so I could walk away, but her fingers wrapped around my hand, stopping me. “Soren, you can’t be mad at me every time I try to stop you when you are losing control. We both know that I am the only one who can stop you. Your body would never let you hurt me.”

If only she knew how much I hated it. I hated that she had to risk her life for the rest of our lives to stop me whenever I got out of control.

I haven’t shifted yet, but my wolf was already ridiculously strong, and it was hard to control him. It scared me to think about what would happen when I finally shifted. Would Amira still be able to control my rage like she did today?

"I don't want to ever hurt you, Ami. It would kill me if I did." There was so much sorrow and worry in my voice as I spoke. I can tell it affected her because I could see her heart break as she watched me.

"You won't hurt me. Ever" she declared confidently and stubbornly.

I opened my arms, and she stepped into them immediately. My wolf calmed down and purred in contentment as I wrapped my arms around her. She fitted perfectly in my arms like she was made just for me.

The familiar buzz I always felt whenever we touched travelled down my spine and she sighed as she relaxed in my arms.

I wonder if she felt the same way or if this buzz I felt whenever we touched was just me making things up in my head.

I pressed a kiss on her forehead before I stepped back “Thank you.”

“Alpha Soren!!!” Someone yelled and we turned to see Nevan, a teen wolf like us, racing towards us with panic in his eyes.

“There are rogues sighting at the pack borders." He yelled again and came to a stop in front of us.

“They snatched a pup too,” he quickly added when he caught his breath.

“Shit” I cussed before I took off with my friends behind me.