NATALIE“ For what? ” Ryker hums and stills over me, staring at me with interest shining in his eyes.My heart races in my chest. I continue tracing his lower lip with my forefinger, going back and forth slowly.“ I know you said I shouldn’t play the brat role with pack members. ” I sigh and pull my hand to myself.Ryker nods his heads and pushes himself away from over me. I suck in a sharp breath and watch him.“ It will be fine. ” He is lenient. Too fucking soft.“ Really? ” I sit up on the couch as my eyes trail down his tattooed back.Fucking first time that I am seeing his back with so much curiosity. There is a wolf tattooed on his back. Its head starts from the back of his shoulder and the tail ends at the start of his hip.“ Consider this the last chance. ” Ryker picks his pants from the floor and turns to face me.“ I was…not feeling well. ” I blurt out.My hands reach out to my tattered bra when I realise I have been shamelessly sitting exposed in front of him. Oh My fucking
NATALIEMy head is beginning to hurt again. It’s like something is rattling against my brain, shaking everything up.My thoughts are all over the place. One moment I am thinking about one thing and then this headache strikes and it’s like another entity tries to take over me, leaving me with split opinions, different thoughts.“ Don’t take stress. Take rest. Go to sleep. Don’t think about it. ” He has the same things to say in the same fucking breath.The burning sensation returns in my eyes, making me feel like fire is about to spill out of them.“Ryker. Don’t tell me to rest. Don’t tell me to not think about this. ” I sigh, my shoulders slumping.“ I can’t sit here and wait…for—for I don’t even know what! ” My voice rises when a wave of pain hits me hard in the head.“ Trust me. Just stay put. I will figure it out. ” He assures me.A pair of hands land on my forearms. The pain subsides and a struggled breath leaves my lips. I close my eyes, relishing in the feel of the tremors of cu
NATALIEWhen Ryker said he had to be somewhere, I thought he was going on some secret mission.I fucking didn’t expect he would go to patrol the border on his own. Which Alpha in the werewolf community does this?I shoot him another glare as he continues to walk beside me leisurely. I don’t know how much time has passed but my legs are killing me. He is a werewolf, so he doesn’t feel it but I am just a human right now.“ Stop glaring at me. You wanted to know what I do. ” He chuckles, and glances at me from the corner of his eyes.“ Why are we patrolling the border when the patrol guards are supposed to do that? ” I whine and stomp my feet on the ground.To be honest, I went to shower and cried like a fucking cry-baby in the bathroom. It stung and hurt me like nothing else to know that I finally have my mate, I am marked yet my man still belongs to another woman at heart.But, there is nothing I can do about it besides giving him the time he needs to get over her. Maybe, he will move
RYKERUnbelievable.I told her what I am and she thought I was joking. Seriously.What is she? A small girl messing with my mind, that’s so fucking weird.How did I end up telling her about myself so easily? I have never told anyone about it before, not even my own sister or Britney.The name echoes in my mind and makes me sigh to myself. I drop my head in my hands and stare at the floor.Natalie is hurting. When something hurts her, it makes my heart hurt too. No matter how hard she tries to act unbothered about me not being able to get over Britney, I know it pains her deeply.But what am I supposed to do?I didn’t think I will get another mate after Britney’s death, so I lived with her memories. She has lived with me for years…How am I supposed to get rid of her right away?No doubt, I do have a fucking soft spot for little miss pesky. She is my mate but…there is just something which keeps coming between us.It’s not her fault. It’s mine. And it’s eating away at my guts.“ What ar
ANNE “ Spar? ” A girl rushes off to me when she sees me standing by the tree near the training ground. I look back at her and shake my head. I have been watching the young girls and boys training in the ground for a while and by the looks of it, no one here is of high status. Everyone is the son or daughter of Patrol guards or lower ranked warriors. I shouldn’t be wasting my time with them. “ Haven’t seen you around before. Who are you by the way? ” She asks curiously instead of leaving me here. “ Did you come with our new Luna? ” She adds, her honey eyes sparkling with excitement. At least, the pack is happy with getting the Luna. The news travelled too fast around the pack though. I bet it’s Ryker or Zio’s doing. “ I am your Luna’s friend. ” I shrug my shoulders and look behind her. A new girl has come in the training ground. The amateur fighters give her way. There is reluctance in everyone’s stance and the aura of respect can not be ignored. “ Really? ” She steps closer to
ANNE “ Our pack doesn’t have such weird… ” She can’t find the right words as she tries to sympathise with me. She goes silent and helps me to her house. It’s a huge villa, close to Zio’s house. Her parents are not home. She tells me that they live in the city and look after Ryker’s business along with his sister. I didn’t know he had a sister. Wow. After sitting me down on one of the couches in her living room, she goes to the kitchen to fetch a glass of water. I take the time to look around her tidy living room. There are pictures hanged everywhere, so out of place yet oddly fitting in with the blue and white theme. “ Here. ” She comes back and hands me the glass of water. I take the glass and gulp down the water in one go before placing the glass down on the centre table. “ Are you living alone for the time being? ” I inquire. I have to get to the part now. “ Yes. ” She replies curtly and plops down on the couch beside me. I stay silent, giving her the chance to start blurt
NATALIEI am burning. That’s all I feel and sense.But it’s not the usual kind of I—am—feeling—hot burning sensation. It’s more like My—body—is—kept—on—an—ice—block kind of burning sensation.I am itching to get off this block or control this sensation somehow.Lost in the abyss of my own battling conscious, I see the silhouette in the dark. A raven haired woman stands in the distance, her back facing me. As I watch her, fire starts licking her long fingers, spreading to her palms, engulfing the sleeves of her gown.I gasp but find myself unable to move, to talk, to reach out.The fire brightens everything, the darkness hides away like a scared child. She turns around, her soft features coming into my view. Gradually, the corner of her lips turn up. The gesture makes me uneasy unlike the expectation.The icy burn becomes worse. The surroundings become suffocating. I suck in huge breaths, trying my best to keep myself alive, less suffocated.But it all disappears. I break out of whate
NATALIE “ W—Who? ” I stammer. My eyes land on my face in the mirror. The Amber in my eyes is burning brightly. I touch my cheeks, trailing my finger up to my eye to open it wide. I lean in to the mirror to be sure if my eyes are actually shining or not. “ Natalie! Are you fine in there? ” Anne knocks on the door, startling me. My head snaps to the door. The normal rhythm of my heart gets distorted. Gulping, I glance in the mirror. My eyes are back to normal. The dull look, the useless Amber colour. I shake my head and open the bathroom’s door. It’s all in my mind. When I step out, Anne comes to me. “ Can you walk? ” She questions, lifting her hands to support me. “ Yes. Yes, I can walk. ” I reply in a confused tone and stroll back to the bed before plopping over it. My hands start aching again, the icy burning sensation returns gradually. Anne hands me a glass of water and I gulp it down mindlessly. My eye stay focused on my hands. Something comes to life underneath my skin,