3. A Disturbing Presence

Angel

His lips caressed mine, his hands sliding down my naked waist and settling on my hips.

“Finally,” he muttered, a smile of relief on his lips. His face was blurry, pretty much covered by the shadow of the night. Not even my wolf vision could catch much more than his delicious fleshy lips and stubble. I didn’t know who this man was, but I wanted him more than anything now.

The smile on my face was bright and clear as he pulled me closer to his arms.

“I missed you, Lil, even before our first meeting, I missed you every day. I knew that one day I would finally find the woman, the force of nature, that would light up my heart.” His sweet words echoed into my mind and made me moan as much as the way his hands were running up and down my spine.

A jolt of electricity consumed my body. Were those the damn butterflies in the stomach all the teen wolf magazines talk about? My butterflies seemed to be either lost or drunk cause they were everywhere. Every inch of my body he touched felt good and came to life.

“I missed you even more!” I flashed him a huge smile, nibbling his bottom lip and making him chuckle. Goddess, the sound of his chuckle did things to me!

Suddenly, my body felt heavy, as if I was pulled away from him.

I could feel how his body tensed as he realised I was about to go away. His hands held mine, his touch firm but gentle. “I will see you again very soon. Come back to me, Lil. I will find you,” he murmured in my ear before I woke up with a startle.

A sigh left my lips, it wasn’t real.

Holy damn, I didn’t know who that sexy piece of a man was since I could hardly see his face. But one thing I knew for sure: he wasn’t Aaron. He wasn’t my mate. So, why did I want to sleep again only to dream about him?

The way he called me — Lil — it sounded special, good. No one had ever called me like that; everybody just called me Angel or Angeline. Goddess, even this nickname had me swooning, I needed a fan! I was so hot and bothered, and my heart was beating faster than the wings of a garden fairy.

“It’s just a dream, Angel! A silly dream and I guarantee that the reality – our Alpha — is much better!” Sia told me, barking and yawning into my mind.

She was right: it was only a dream, and Alpha Aaron was my reality, my future.

Blinking twice, I looked at the possessive hand on my belly as Aaron pulled me towards his chest and pressed his erection against my almost naked butt. Frankly, I didn’t understand how the man could keep it up all the time. It must be an Alpha thing.

Exhaling deeply, I went back to sleep. Tomorrow was my big day, and I had to be well rested; Aaron told me more than once that after he started with me, he wouldn’t take his hands off me for days in a row. The Alpha was hungry and Sia loved the idea of being his prey. I, on the other hand, was trying to roll with it until the mate bond could make me feel less numb to put the broken pieces of my heart back together.

~ *

The next morning, I was getting ready with the Beta female and a dozen Omega ladies. Soon the guests would arrive, and the Mating Ceremony would start. Aaron made it a big party and invited all Alphas and Lunas within the Realm, even the King and Queen, but they had to decline the invitation due to some family issues. Their daughter was in some kind of mess with her mate — rumour said that they hated each other.

Looking at the clock on the wall, I sighed deeply. Neither Julia nor little Stella were here yet, and I really wanted to get ready with them. I missed my little Buttercup more than anything. Before Dad’s death, I never let Stella go to sleep without reading her a story. Now she has had many nights without her fairytales – yes, she seemed to be obsessed with Fae people stories.

“Cindy, do you happen to know when my friend Julia is coming?” I asked the Beta female and she shook her head.

“I don’t know, Dear. But now you have more important things to think about. What lipstick do you prefer? Mauve or hot lilac? The one you picked originally doesn’t match the eye shadow. It’s hard to find colours that fit your bright ginger hair, ” she told me, showing a box of lipsticks. It wasn’t the first time we talked about lipsticks and all things hair and make-up today. The whole thing was exhausting, and I swear, if Cindy spends two more minutes talking about different shades of whatever, I will lose my sh*t!

“Just choose it, Cindy. You seem to know a lot about this stuff!” I told her, trying to conceal my impatience. We would have to work together from now on, so it would be good if we stayed on good terms.

“Sure, but remember Dear, a Luna should always look impeccable; otherwise, people might think that her Alpha can’t take care of her and if he can’t take care of his woman, what can he do for the whole pack?” she asked with a smile, and I only nodded, hardly registering her nonsense.

“Julia, are you and Stella coming?” I decided to mind-link my friend. It would be easier this way. Sia was still a very young wolf, so mind-linking wasn’t very easy and it brought me a headache.

“Oh, Angel. I am so sorry. We can’t make it, but we will meet at your Ceremony. I am sure it will be beautiful and full of happiness,” she replied. Weird, it really sounded like she was leaving something out.

Anyway, I would see her in two hours or so, and when we could talk more, I would get to the bottom of it. Before the official ceremony, Aaron wanted to introduce me to what he called everyone important in the Realm — Alphas, Lunas and Betas.

My eyes roamed to the absurdly shining golden dress Cindy picked for me. The skirt was so big that I felt like I was in a mediaeval movie. Surely, a Pixie family could live under this damn thing.

As soon as I was ready, I headed to the balcony and took a long inhale of fresh air. Goddess! How I missed being alone, being in nature and breathing without being suffocated by make-up, hairdressers, and so many people after me thinking that a damn dress is the most critical thing in the universe.

“Angel, don’t be grumpy! This is the best day of our lives! Be happy, smile!” Sia told me, shaking her head in my mind.

“I am happy to be with Aaron, to be his mate and to officialise our union, our love. I just wish I could do it more my way and have my girls with me.” I replied.

“Focus on the love and magic of this day. Today we, Aaron, and his handsome wolf will be one!” Sia let out a dreaming howl. She had only met Aaron’s big, and according to her, virile and sexy wolf once. Still she was always drooling for him.

She was right. I should breathe deeply and focus on my destiny.

Wait, something seemed off. My gaze roamed around, inspecting my surroundings.

“I feel it too. Someone is watching us.” Sia told me, and I swallowed deeply. I couldn’t even attempt to fight whilst wearing such a dress, not even if I had trained as I wanted to.

“Little one, you are here,” I heard Aaron’s voice and turned around, a breath of relief leaving my nostrils, “Let’s come inside, the elite of the Realm is waiting for us.”

“Aaron, I think someone was watching me,” I told him as we walked towards the dining hall where the ranked wolves were.

“That’s impossible. You are safe. There are no intruders in the pack, only the guests. Besides, no one would be crazy to approach my pack house and dare to touch my future Luna,” he reassured me, squeezing my hand.

“How about the people that attacked the pack a few days ago when my dad-I heard that they were different, powerful and nothing like anyone here had seen before?” I asked.

“Sweetheart, don’t think about those things! Focus on the party, on us. You know how wolves exaggerate, and how lazy Omegas like to gossip,” he told me. What? That couldn’t be farther from the truth! I was about to reply that Omegas were very hard working, much more than many ranked wolves when we entered the dining hall.

“Good afternoon, Alphas, Lunas, Betas. I am officially introducing you to my Luna-to-be: Angeline,” Aaron addressed the people. Among them I could see Luna Clair and Alpha Hunter, and I smiled at them. They were amazing people and very close to my cousin Bea. I was glad they were here and I wasn’t only surrounded by uptied strangers.

Looking behind my shoulder, I saw someone entering the room. By his structure and the way he held himself, he could only be another Alpha.

“I am sorry for the delay,” he told Aaron, and my mate nodded formally.

“Don’t worry, Alpha Blake” he said and the man walked in. His stare was fixed on me even after he joined the others; it was more than weird and made me feel uncomfortable. Yet, my mate didn’t seem to notice anything. Was it all in my head? No, that couldn’t be. What could this Blake Alpha guy possibly want to do with me? I’d never seen him before.

As Omega ladies came to the room carrying flutes of Fairy Wine, Aaron and I walked around the room to greet all the ranked wolves. That was when my gaze met a pair of hazel eyes and I felt my birthmark tingle. Who was this man? For his aura he felt like an Alpha.

As soon as I could move my eyes away from his beautiful eyes, I noticed how handsome he was with a straight nose, and fleshy lips surrounded by a growing beard. His chin was chiselled to perfection as well. But my feasting eyes refused to stop there and roamed down to his large shoulders and muscular frame. I could even see the ripples of his abdomen outlined on his tight shirt.

Sia’s bark in my mind broke the magnetic spell and made me pull my gaze away. What was wrong with me! I’d never eye-stripped anyone before.

Stop it Angel, you have a mate!

It wasn’t about desire or lust. No, it was something else, an odd feeling I had never experienced before. Intense, beautiful and disturbing.

Weirdly enough, I also felt a tingle in my heart and something stirred inside my soul; I felt as if I was waking up from a long slumber. I’ve never seen this man before, I didn’t even know his name. So, why did he feel so familiar? Why did I feel as if I have been looking for him my whole life without even knowing it?