Chapter Eleven

Regan’s POV

After what had happened in the training ground, I made sure to double my efforts in avoiding her, as well as Nana and Lena.

It should not have been a big deal.

And it wouldn’t have been if my major reason for avoiding her was simply because I felt guilty for hurting her, even though it was not intended.

However, I had gotten a more profound reason to avoid her. And that reason was because of the fact that I had felt her gaze on me.

It would not have been a problem if I had felt it in the way one could just feel someone watching or staring at you. That was not the case this time.

The case - and herein laid the problem- was that I could feel the movement of her gaze in particular as it trailed over my body almost as if she was physically touching me. And she had not been the only one watching me.

What had bothered me more was Rage’s reaction to the sensation she caused.

He immediately became distracted and restless, trying to take a little control and get me to turn around and look at her.

His interest in her unnerved me.

And when Luke had caught sight of her and given that smile before going to meet up with her and Lena, Rage had turned angry immediately.

He had begun growling and had started to try to get control. It did not seem to calm him down that despite the fact that she was talking to Luke, her eyes had never left us.

Fearing that Rage might somehow take control and hurt Luke in a way, I immediately left the training grounds and went for a run to help calm him down.

Since I had finally understood that she was the reason behind Rage’s abnormal behavior, the best thing to do for the good and safety of everyone was to avoid her.

Avoiding her was not easy.

It seemed as if every where I went, she was there.

So I began to hide out in my study most times.

I stopped taking my supper at the dining hall with everyone else but instead, had my meals either in my room or in my study.

Nana was becoming impossible to avoid with each day that passed.

Several times a day, I would hear her threatening my guards to allow her in but they knew better than to disobey the command of their Alpha.

She tried to convey messages to me through the she wolves that brought me my dinner but I never responded to any of them.

A part of me felt guilty for treating Nana that way.

After all, I knew she was just worried about me. She had raised me aver since I had lost my parents and was the only parental figure I had.

However, Nana had always had a way to get me to talk about things I didn’t want to.

She was very nosy and never took ‘No’ for an answer.

Unlike Luke who knew not to push me, I knew Nana would push me for answers until I snapped and that was what I was avoiding.

With the way Rage had been the past few days, the last thing I wanted was for him to sense my frustration and attack her.

That was a risk I could not even bear to think about, let alone take.

As per my new routine, I had hidden once more in my study to avoid breakfast at my house.

A few guards stood outside the door to keep any unwanted visitor out.

I had been going through papers and had just set them aside when one of the guards mind linked me to tell me that my breakfast had arrived.

I gave the order for them to let the she wolf that was to deliver my breakfast for the day through and leaned back to shut my eyes tiredly.

I heard as the she-wolf came in and moved closer to place the tray of food on my new desk.

As soon as she drew closer, I caught three different scents.

One was the smell of a strong salve, a sad attempt to mask the she-wolf’s true scent.

The second was the familiar scent of strawberries that I knew only belonged to one person.

The last was a hint of a scent of blueberries and vanilla that immediately caught Rage’s attention.

I opened my eyes to see warm brown eyes peaking at me from a face partially smeared with charcoal.

Lena.

I sighed.

She had hidden her red hair under a green scarf that was a shade lighter than the green dress she was wearing.

She had taken time to darken her naturally reddish-brown eye brows with black coal.

With how much effort she had put into her disguise, I could not blame the guards for not recognizing her.

“What are you doing here?” I asked as she began to pour orange juice from the jug into my cup.

“Following Nana’s orders to see if you were unhurt”, she said as if we were discussing the weather.

She pushed the tray closer to me and took a seat on one of tha chairs on the other side of the desk.

“She also said to tell you to stop being a grumpy pup and finish your meals”, she said with a bright smile, as if delivering the message gave her immense pleasure.

I felt my lips twitch on a smile.

Rather than respond, I reached for my food and began to eat heartily.

She watched me silently with a smile that reminded me similar occasions in our childhood.

She said nothing until I finished my meal.

As I gulped down another cup of orange juice and returned the empty cup to its place on the tray, she finally spoke.

“Nana is really worried”, she said, her smile gone. “If I am being honest, I am as well”, she said, the concern reflecting in her eyes.

I said nothing.

“What is wrong, Regan?” She asked, leaning forward a little. “We cannot help you if we don’t know what is wrong”, she said.

Even though I knew she meant well, Rage didn’t like the sound of us needing help.

“I do not need help”, I told her, if only to calm him down.

“But you do”, Lena insisted, unaware of the effect her words were having on my wolf. “It is so clear to see that something is wrong with you and you keep trying to handle it yourself”,she said as I struggled to calm Rage.

It did not help that he could still detect that scent of blueberries and vanilla.

“You do not have to handle everything by yourself, that is why we are here”, she continued. “If you would just tell us what is wrong rather than avoid us, we can help you overcome it. But we cannot help you if we do not know what is wrong!” She said, her voice raising at the end and causing Rage to snap.

“Lena!!!” He roared, causing her to move backwards and trip over the chair in shock and fear.

I immediately pulled him back with all my strength, panting as I quickly rose and made my way around the table to where she laid on the floor.

As I made a move to help her, she shrunk away from me with a whimper of fright.

The action shot a bolt of hurt through me and I turned away from her and stormed out.

With each step I took out of the pack house and towards the neared woods, her terrified face flashed before my eyes.

It hurt me in a way I didn’t expect.

Lena had always been like a sister to me. We had grown up together and I had even been there the day she had been born. I had carried her, even though I was a pup myself.

Luke and I would always let her play with us and fought off anyone who made her cry.

The thought that I had become someone that could cause Lena to look that terrified hurt me and angered me the same time.

I turned that anger to the one who deserved it.

‘What is wrong with you?’ I asked Rage, angry.

‘I do not know’ he growled.

‘Well you had better find out what it is and deal with it!’ I snapped at him. ‘I will not have you snapping at Nana or Lena like that ever again!” I told him. ‘What if you had harm them?’ I asked angrily, aware that I had never spoken to him like that before.

“I would never harm them!’ He snapped back at me.

‘I do not believe that!’ I snapped. “Know that I will never forgive you if you harm them in any way,’ I told him.

He growled angrily before I gave him control to shift and we broke into a run.

Even as we ran, the images kept floating around my head.

Lena’s frightened face.

Nana’s shocked expression.

Jasmine’s scream of pain and her drifting into unconsciousness from pain.

I would never forget it.

And I didn’t want Rage to forget it either.

The images spurred him to run faster, howling once in a while as he did so.

We came to our usual clearing and I let him lay down for a while.

However, I could not let us stay our until dark like we used to since I still had a lot of pack work to finish for the day. So, after a short while where I was sure he had completely calmed down, I announced that we were to head back.

Reluctantly, he stood and led us back to the pack.

As we caught sight of the pack house, Rage suddenly tensed and came to an abrupt stop.

‘What is it?’ I asked him, noting how alert he had become as if he sensed danger.

Rather than respond, he kept very still before soundlessly making his way forward little by little.

I immediately became alert, finally noticing the quiet humming sound and the hint of blueberries and vanilla scent.

We crept closer, staying partly hidden in the shadows from the trees around us, until the source finally came into view.

Somehow, I was not surprised when the source turned out to be Jasmine.

That scent of blueberries and vanilla was a dead give away.

She was busy picking herbs and humming quietly, unaware of the possible danger that lurked nearby.

Remembering that there was nothing possibly more dangerous than my wolf, I immediately warned.

‘Do not think of harming her’, I told him firmly. ‘Or so help me, I will send you back to the Moon Goddess’, I threatened.

He growled at the threat, alerting the innocent she-wolf that she was not alone.

She turned around and looked in the direction the noise had come from -our direction.

Since we were hidden in the shadows and she didn’t have the better eyesight that having a wolf would have provided, she could not see us.

“Who is there?” She asked, cautiously moving backwards. “You can come out”, she said, trying to hide the fear I could detect in her voice. “I will not harm you”, she said causing Rage to scoff at the absurd notion.

It amused me as well.

Seeing how she tried to hide the fear from showing on her face impressed me for some reason. But I knew that she would not have the power to continue to do so if she caught sight of Rage.

Like I said, Rage was terrifying.

Rage began to move out of the shadows.

‘Rage, no!’ I called.

He ignored me and made his way out of the shadows and to her line of sight.

As soon as she caught sight of him, she froze.

As expected, fear took over her expression and she turned pale.

However, she did not begin trembling as she usually did with me.

I waited for her to scream in terror and run for her dear life the way everyone else usually did at the sight of Rage.

Instead, she did something completely unexpected.

She slowly dropped her basket of herbs to the floor.

Then she took a step forward.