5

Russell

For Eva, who meant more to me than life itself, I was prepared to give up everything. But after I killed the alpha, I began to feel like I was dead for real. Since she was my true mate, I will never feel bad about saving her from the alpha's clutches, but I never in a million years thought I'd turn into a rogue or a killer! In all my years, the thought of committing murder or serious bodily harm to another person has never even crossed my mind.

I was not created for battle; rather, my destiny is to serve others with kindness and vigilance.

I will never forget the alpha's last gasps of air, nor will I ever forget the sight of blood pooling around him.

Getting my head around it was a challenge.

Not to mention, I was forced to keep a low profile for fear of being discovered, just like a real-life criminal. The rest of the pack would never believe me. I need to spill the beans on everything that went down if I want them to take me seriously, but I worry that doing so will damage Eva's reputation. No one in the pack would ever think that Eva's brother sold her to the Alpha, and even if they did, the Alpha's luna wouldn't let Eva and me stay alive for more than a few days. Due to this, I had no choice but to leave quickly.

It was the worst possible thing that could have happened to me, but she was too fragile to handle life in yet another foreign land. Leaving her behind was the worst possible outcome, given that I had no idea of my fate or where I was going.

Even though I didn't know for sure that her f***ing brother wouldn't sell her body again, I had to stop her from following me. However, I did help my uncle out financially so that he could support her in her independent living arrangements until we could all be together again.

My plan was to travel through the woods to reach the next nearest pack, given that our house was so close to the territory boundary.

Given the pack's stellar reputation in the winemaking industry, they were always on the lookout for new farmers and laborers. I had heard a lot of good things about this pack. It was the world's most renowned vintage, and the green warrior's Pack was so massive that it would be next to impossible to track me down.

As I was about to get into my car, however, I heard Eva call out my name, "Russell! Stop. If you could wait for me, that would be great."

In my head, it was all an optical illusion, and she couldn't possibly follow me. I asked my uncle to close and lock the door behind her so she wouldn't escape. And I knew he would do whatever he could to keep her from me, knowing it was for her own good.

As I cocked my head, I saw her crying while running full speed towards me in the growing darkness of near midnight. Her voice was rising in volume once more, and she was closing the distance between us.

“Eva! Is it possible that it's you?"  An exclamation of shock came from me. I felt my heart pounding uncomfortably in my chest. Even though it was my instinct to wrap my arms around her and take her with me, I knew that it was my duty as her mate to keep her from harm. Both of those were temptations I had to resist.

As tears threatened to spill over my face, I remained still and commanded, "I told you to stay in the pack. What makes you think I'm someone you should follow?

She was my soulmate from the start; she could understand me completely. I wanted to act angry so badly, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.

She threw herself against me, sobbing as she clung to my shirt. "You love me, and I love you," she whispered. " Obviously, I can't just send you off on your own. Wherever you go, I will be there with you."

My heart felt like it was being hammered out of my chest with every enchanting word that came from her lips. Taking a deep breath, I met her already bloodshot eyes. However, I begged, "Please see what I mean. I swear on my honor that I will save you."

Her voice was high-pitched as she said, "no.  I don't believe you. The truth is, I can't let you go. To what extent are you paying attention to what I'm saying?"

I tried to pull away, but she cupped my cheeks and said, "If you left me now, I would kill myself." She still had a strong attachment to me no matter what I did.

Her words seemed earnest, and I was cognizant of the depth of my own and her mutual fixation.

Deep breaths later, I gave in and said, "okay. So then, shall we go ahead and do it together?"

I kissed her passionately, and then pulled away to check on her, relieved to see that she seemed to have found a relaxing position. When she was ready, I waited for her by the car door and then opened it for her before saying, "All right, let's get in then."

Thankfully, she came to my aid and, after a brief assessment, she informed me, "No, we cannot use your car.  The traces can then be found more easily.  We'll have to make our way through the woods regardless, so we might as well hide our tracks."

I puzzledly looked at her, knowing that the only way to alter the odor of our bodies was to have sex. The reason we had never done it before was because I had promised her that we wouldn't until after the official mating ceremony.

She gave me a long, intense stare during which I was still deliberating. "what? Russell? We're already sure that we're meant to be together, and we've made a pact to live together for the rest of our lives. We should, therefore, because there's no good reason not to. Since we are in the woods, it is possible for us to do this. However, further delay is unacceptable at this time."

I was at a loss for words and could only manage, "Are you sure?"

My biggest fear was that after everything we'd been through together, she'd turn her life into a shambles.

She nodded, locked the door of the car, dragged me far into the woods, and stopped behind a tree, saying, "I am very sure.  Unless you've reconsidered your relationship with me and decided to go your separate way. To show my gratitude for your sacrifice to ensure my own happiness, here is the best I can do for you."

I sighed; there was no time; I looked around; my vision was so sharp; and I found a tiny cottage in the woods and said, "We can do it there.  But we cannot afford to waste any more time here. Allow me to rephrase my question: Are you sure?  You can still catch up to the rest of the pack and go on with your life."

Then, in the pauses between her shallow breaths, she pressed her lips to mine in a sweet, tender kiss that brought us closer together emotionally. "No matter what happens, you are mine and I am yours."