Chapter 2 : Meeting Her

Brian Bennet’s POV

 My head is throbbing as I try to drown out my mother’s voice but it is not easy. Not just because she is a part witch but because her voice is that powerful and she is also a Luna, the infamous Kiara Bennet. My father the alpha Alexander Bennet sits beside her agreeing to what she is saying. I was rolling my eyes inside my head. I tried to find reasons to get out of the conversation. I couldn’t even get up from the table until all of us had finished dinner. It was another one of the rules that my mother made us follow that no one gets up from the table until all of us finish dinner. My father and mother used meal times to bring up important conversations so that I could not try and slither away with an excuse before they could hear the answer that they wanted.

“She is such a lovely girl Brian. Take her to the dance tomorrow at least. I am not asking you to get married to her tomorrow” said my mother placing her palm on my hand which was on the dining table.

“Please Maa, you know that I am not attracted to her. Why can’t you just let me be?” I groan.

“Brian, give her a chance. Do you have any idea how much she adores you? She practically worships you. If you get married to her, I am sure she will do everything she can to ensure that your life will be smooth. Beta Gregory is growing increasingly displeased with your indifference to Natasha. Take her to the dance tomorrow. It is an order and I will have it no other way” said my father using his Alpha will.

I had no choice but to bow my head to his Alpha will and accept it “Fine father and mother. I will take her to the dance. I hope Beta Gregory and Natasha will be happy after that”

My parents smiled a contented smile at each other, even though the thought of taking Natasha to the dance tomorrow made me feel like putting a dagger through my heart.

“Well, that’s a start. I hope in time you will see what a wonderful girl she is and that she will make an ideal mate to you. It’s about time Brian. Most wolves find their mate by the time they are eighteen. You are twenty-one now and Natasha will be turning nineteen in a week. The choice seems obvious. Don’t forget that your father isn’t getting any younger. He needs to see that the seed is strong, we need to see you produce a strong pureblood heir. Who could be a more ideal mate to you than the daughter of our own Beta? Think about it, Brian. The time for fun and games is drawing to an end, you need to step up to your responsibilities soon” my mother continued in a soothing voice.

I knew that this wasn’t going to stop until I agreed to their wish. But I had no wish to get married to Natasha. Not if I can help it. Even though my father is the Alpha, he could command me to obey everything he says except choosing my mate. Even he could not overrule the destiny set by the moon Goddess. That was the thing I was banking on. My father and mother were hoping that by throwing Natasha and me together they could make me fall in love with her. But this was achieving exactly the opposite of what they were hoping for. I had come to detest her.

I silently nod my head and finish my meal. They seem to be appeased for now. They drop the topic of me marrying Natasha and move on to other topics that do not need my active participation. Thankfully the dinner is finished which means I am free to leave. The omega slaves in our home move in to clear the table and I excuse myself. I head outside the home and the cool breeze feels refreshing. The conversation during dinner made me feel suffocated. My wolf is craving for a run in the open fresh air. I start walking towards my friend Jack’s house. Jack is the son of the Theta Braxton. I open my mind link and holler at him.

“Hey, Jack. Up for a run in the forest?” I send him a message.

“Sure bro. Will be out in a sec”

I see his front door opening and out walks the handsome Jack. He is built like a rock. Broad shoulders, six-pack abs, and a height of six feet two inches. He has been my best mate since we were kids as he is the same age as mine. He found his mate when he turned eighteen and has been happily living with her since then. He even managed to get her pregnant. He walks towards me leisurely.

“What’s up, bro. What’s bothering you?” he asks as soon as he gets a closer look at me.

“Ah, the usual Jack. Natasha! My dad used his Alpha aura on me so now I have to take her to the dance tomorrow” I sigh.

“No shit!” he grunted “They seem pretty hung up on her. I can’t imagine, sorry bro”

I sigh loudly and kick a stone in my path “Common let’s go for a run in the forest. It’ll ease my mind”

“Sounds good” he agrees.

That’s one of the things I like about Jack. He doesn’t prod and poke further and knows when to put an end to the conversation. He has never been one to nag me and understands me well. I could say he is my bromate. We reach the edge of the forest and keep our clothes on an old tree. We shift into our wolves. Jack is a caramel brown wolf with grey on the edges while my wolf is white and grey with blue eyes and looks like a husky. Our wolves reach a height of five feet with massive bodies which will strike fear in the hearts of an onlooker. That was one of the main differences between a common wolf and a werewolf. We were huge and faster than the common wolf too. The night breeze felt amazing against my fur.

We both ran chasing each other across the stream and the open forest. It was a full moon tonight which made us feel even more energetic. No animals dared to come in our path as we ran. Jack was fast for a future theta and tried to catch up to me but I could easily outrun him even without breaking a sweat due to my alpha blood. We both stopped at the end of the stream almost outside of our pack’s perimeter. I could feel something else in the air tonight. I tried to sniff and place what it could be.

“Do you smell that Jack?” I mind linked.

“What do you mean? I don’t smell anything unusual” he replied.

But there was something unusual and I felt like it was beckoning me towards it. Why wasn’t Jack able to smell that? A hint of caramel and coffee mixed, my favorite smell in the world. Sweet, delicious scent with a hint of peony. It was a heady concoction and I was so drawn to it. I wanted more of it. My feet started carrying me towards the origin of the scent.

“Brian. Stop. Where are you going? You are straying outside the perimeter. We will be in trouble if your father finds out” he warns me.

“Common Jack, just a little further. I can’t ignore this scent. It is the most beautiful thing I have ever experienced” I tell him and head further picking up pace and almost breaking into a run.

“Fuck!” Jack swears and joins right behind me. I know he will always have my back.

The scent gets stronger and stronger and then I see her. I stop in my tracks. Who is she? Her skin is shining like porcelain in the moonlight. So pale. Her eyes and nose are swollen and red with tears streaking down her face. Her orange curly hair is strewn with dry leaves and some sticks that probably got stuck when she was walking in the forest. She has a backpack and is walking slowly trying to suppress her sobs. I feel a strong urge to hold her tight and hug her.

“Stop right now Brian. Don’t even think of approaching her” Jack says as if reading my mind.

“Jack, I can’t help it” I mindlink back.

I had to know who she was and what she was doing here at this hour. It cannot be safe in the forest for a girl like her. It was not just the wild animals but there were also magical creatures dwelling in the forest and not all of them were harmless.

I appear out of the shadows and reveal myself slowly in front of her. She gasps when she sees me. Her eyes and mouth are wide open. She probably wants to scream but is too scared to do so. It is normal for people to have this reaction when they see a werewolf for the first time. My wolf was almost the same height as her petite frame. She started to step back slowly at first and when she saw that I was approaching her she started retreating faster. I wanted to tell her to stop and not be scared of me, if only she would stop then I could change back to my human form and talk to her.

“Don’t change in front of her. Get back to the shadows” Jack said through our mindlink.

“Keep an eye on her. I don’t want to lose her” I said to him trying to step into the shadows.

Jack revealed himself to the girl and it terrified her even more. She turned around and started running. Shit! This was not good. She had not even taken ten steps when she slipped and fell, sliding down towards the slope of the stream, hitting her head on a rock, and losing consciousness.