THE STRANGER I WANT

  APRIL'S POV

   

  "I wonder what you were doing out there, alone in such a dangerous place." Someone said besides me.

  I stiffened.

  My eyes were closed, but I could tell that I was laying on a soft surface. It wasn't the wet grass of the forest, neither was it the hardness of the ground.

  It felt more like a bed.

  I held my breath for a moment, struggling to remember if any of the guards had caught up with me.

  I could barely remember anything, but I was aware of every sound around my immediate environment.

  My eyes fluttered open, just in time for me to see someone pull his hands away from my face.

  A man!

  He had a chiseled jaw and his brown hair fell over a part of his face. He seemed shocked to see me awake and he drew back a few inches.

  I shut my eyes again, wincing as a sharp pain seared through my head.

  My head thumped, but that didn't matter to me. I was supposed to be focused on where I was.

  Had I been caught by Alpha Winston's men?

  I tried to remember the last thing that happened when I attempted to escape from the guards earlier.

  Oh Shit.

  A big, brown wolf had popped out of nowhere and I passed out.

  "Don't act like you are asleep" A deep, husky voice said, causing me to flinch, even with my eyes closed.

  A lump formed in my throat.

  "The least you could do is thank me for saving you! What's the point of pretending to be asleep?" The voice asked.

   

  I gently chewed on the insides of my cheek. I had to be imagining this. Maybe it was a dream. Maybe, those guards had actually caught up with me, killed me and I was now existing in another person's body.

   

  "I don't have the luxury of time. Wake up" The voice said again, this time it sounded urgent.

   

  I focused on steadying my breathing, with my eyes firmly shut.

   

  That voice wasn't in my head. It was from...the man who sat besides me on the bed.

   

  I swallowed hard and my eyes slowly fluttered open.  

   

  I met his gaze on me.

   

  He had ocean blue eyes that seemed to pierce right through my soul. I blinked at him, confused.

   

  "Are you dumb?" He shot at me as his lips drew back in a snarl.

   

  I whispered, "No."

   

  "Oh, I was already assuming that you are. You've been staring at me like a moron for a now. It was begining to get suspicious"

   

  I cranked my head to the side, ignoring the stab of pain that I felt as I turned. "Where am I? Are you working with Sera?" I muttered, weakly.

   

  "Sera? Who's that?"

   

  I turned my attention to him, confused. "Did Sera ask you to keep me in here?"

   

  Fear clawed at my chest as I watched his face, waiting for a response.

   

  He bit hard on his lower lips. Then, he stood up from the bed and walked out of the room, leaving me behind. Why was he confused when I mentioned Sera's name? I remained still for a while, trying to link a name to the face of the man who had just left the room.

   

  It got clearer to me as I realized that  my attackers weren't from Thane, afterall. Perhaps, they had taken me captive.

   

  The door creaked open and I heard footsteps. I knew the handsome man was back again, but I kept my eyes closed. I didn't have the energy to question him again. I had to save up my strength in order to strategize how to escape from where I was.

   

  "Are you sure she opened her eyes?" A  male voice asked.

   

  " She did. She even spoke to me" A familiar voice replied.

   

  "Oh. What did she say?"

   

  "She asked about someone called Sera. She wanted to know if I was working with Sera's instructions"

   

  "That's strange." The other man responded. "If you are sure that she was awake, then I suggest that we let her be. Her body is still weak and she needs more time to get back to order again."

   

  I held my breath as a knot formed at the pit of my stomach. I had assumed that there were two other people in the room with me until a different person spoke.

   

  "Alpha Kayson, the more she stays here, the more you will risk the pack to an attack."

   

  Alpha Kayson?

   

  Was that the name of the man who was by my side earlier?

   

  "Never!" Someone I now assumed to be Kayson, countered, "We can't just send her away. She needs more time to heal"

   

  "She can heal outside Landside pack. She's a threat, Alpha. How best should I explain this to you?" The response came.

   

  Alpha Kayson cut in, "If she's a threat, I'll find a way to handle her, but right now, I will not let her die, just because of your fears."

   

  " What if she's a spy from the rogue pack?" The other person asked.

   

  I opened my eyes, "I will leave." I said, forcing myself to be heard over the noise of their argument.

   

  All three men whipped their head towards me, and my eyes widened in surprise.

   

  Two of the men where quite young, towering far above the other man who was much older with grey hair and a wrinkled face.

   

  "You don't have to argue over it." I said, feeling uncomfortable from the weight of their stares on me. "I will leave this place. Your pack."

   

  The man who was besides me at the time I woke up, strode over to where I was and folded his arms across his broad chest.

   

  "I'm glad you are awake now. News flash, you're not leaving. At least, not until the healer convinces me that you are in good condition."

   

  "No, Alpha Kayson. Healed or not, she's a threat to our pack. We can't let her stay" The other man approached the bed and stood besides Alpha Kayson.

   

  My eyes darted from one man to the other.

   

  "Threat?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

   

  Kayson seemed to have heard me and he cocked an eyebrow at me.

   

  "What's your name, and where are you from?" He asked.

   

  I looked away from his face, and focused on the elderly man who stood behind watching us in silence.

   

  The man besides Kayson chuckled, " She doesn't even want to reveal her identity."

   

  "Reese, will you fucking shut up?" Alpha Kayson growled.

   

  I cringed, glancing at him.

   

  "Who the hell are you and where are you from?" He asked me again

   

  "April" I mumbled.

   

  "April?" Kayson and the other man asked me at the same time.

   

  "April Matthews. That's my name. I am...no, I was a member of the rogue pack, and I  escaped."

   

  The other man squinted at me, his brows drawing close, "Why did you escape? Our Alpha found you at the red-zone. How did you get there?"

   

  I nodded. "I was running away from some men."

   

  "Why did you have to escape from your own pack? Did you do anything grievous?" Alpha Kayson asked.

   

  "You're making things worse by asking this woman irrelevant questions!" The man besides him said dryly.

   

  "Let her speak, Reese" The older man said as he joined them by the bed and smiled broadly at me. "The moon goddess definitely loves you. That explains why she let you live when you got into that dangerous forest."

   

  Tears welled up in my eyes as he spoke. I blinked them back.

   

  This wasn't a time to show my weakness.

   

  "I was no longer needed at the rogue pack. Actually, the Alpha's Luna asked some guards to finish me off, and I outran them." I said.

   

  I watched as Kayson recoiled in shock.

   

  "Alpha Kayson, don't tell me that you'll go ahead and believe the lies she's spewing!" The other man shouted, his jaw clenched.

   

  "Do I have any reason not to trust her, Reese?" Kayson asked, still pinning his eyes on me.

   

  "She's a rogue! That's more than enough reason." With that, he stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.