Chapter Four

Kyra-

"Alexia?" I hadn't heard from my wolf since I woke up and it was a little weird. I could feel her presence, but she was unusually quiet. 

Deciding to go look around, I quietly opened the door to the room and peeked my head out. I didn't see anyone in the long hallway. I stepped out of the room and went towards the staircase and once again didn't see anyone.

Trying to be as quiet as possible I slowly made my way down the stairs and came into a large open foyer. Looking around I saw a couple of old antique chairs sitting against the wall under the staircase. In between the chairs was an identical small side table with a notepad and pen sitting on it.

There didn't seem to be any other furniture. There was just an open space covered in a light brown carpet. I could smell a hint of old blood on it, though it smelled as if they had used a lot of cleaners to get rid of the stain.

The walls were just plain off-white and didn't feel homey at all, just bland. To the far left of the room just across from the staircase was a door. It looked to be possibly the front door. To the left of that was an open arch that leads into what seemed like a living room. 

On the opposite was another door, after peaking in, it was just a coat closet. Next to it was another hallway but this one was wider than the one upstairs. A couple of doors lined the wall.

I went to go open the first door on the right and found myself in another closet, filled with cleaning supplies. The next-door leads into a large library and I decided to step in to browse around for a bit.

I loved reading and it had been difficult to come across any books. The last book I had, I had to burn to use as a fire starter. It had been a difficult choice. It had been nearly a year. I trailed my hands over one of the shelves, my fingertips brushing gently over the leather bindings of some old books.

I continued to look around the library and was amazed at how many books there were. Wall to wall, floor to ceiling bookshelves covered each wall and were filled. This was probably the only room that I've seen that felt welcoming and warm.

A large table with two lamps sat in the middle of the room, books sitting in a neat stack on it. Eight chairs surrounded the table, with enough space between each chair to not seem crowded. All the furniture seemed to be identical. They all were cherry oak. They looked old but well taken care of.

I decided to leave the room to check out the other rooms. Across the hall was another room, this one lead into a small-looking office. I felt like an intruder, so I quickly shut the door. 

I opened the last door at the end of the hall and froze. It was another office but this one much larger. It was absolutely beautiful. There were even a couple of portraits on the wall with some old-looking swords hanging on the walls.

A couch was positioned in front of an old cherry oak desk, in the middle of the room, that was covered with intricate designs carved into the oak. It looked to be one that has been around at least a hundred years or more.

The room was lovely, it was intimate and welcoming, yet not the reason I froze in place. No, it was the man that sat in the chair behind the desk. He leaned back in the chair the moment I entered. 

I was tempted to flee but decided to stand my ground. It was just a matter of time before I would have to face him. Better now than later. There was a slight urge to run away from this man, but oddly enough I was more curious than anything.

He was devilishly handsome. His features were hard and strong, yet there was a gentleness to him as he looked at me. His jawline was slightly squared, and his face was similarly oval to the girl Riley I met earlier.

It looked as if he hadn't shaved in a couple of days and he looked tired. Dark circles could be seen slightly under his deep blue eyes that remind me of the ocean darkened by the night sky with the moon and stars glistening over the waters. His complexion was slightly darker than my own, more of a bronze tan.

He seemed to be looking me over as well and I watched as his gaze appeared to darken briefly as he caught sight of the shirt I wore.

I still hadn't moved since opening the door and he didn't seem to be inclined to move either. Not sure if he was waiting for me to make the first move or not. I was just about to leave when he spoke.

"Hello, Kyra."

His voice sent a serenity over me and I seemed to relax slightly. My thoughts going back to when he claimed to be my mate. I still didn't feel the mate pull but something about him made me curious. 

"I... uhm... I..."

Perfect, I was at a loss for words. What was I going to say? Hi sorry for snooping around your house. That just sounded lame. I mean he did tell me to make myself at home. 

"Would you like to come sit and talk?"

I wasn't sure what it was about his voice, but it seemed to soothe me. It was deep and slightly raspy. I felt myself relax and walk into the room as if I were being pulled by an unknown influence.

"Sure."

I made my way towards the couch across from his desk and sat down. My hands fell into my lap and I inadvertently started to fidget with my thumbnails. I no longer felt afraid, but I was nervous. 

"Alexia?"

I tried once more to communicate with my wolf, wondering why I still haven't heard from her. 

"I'm here Kyra."

I felt relieved to hear her sweet voice in my head.

"Where were you?" 

"I've been talking with Hunter's wolf. I needed to make sure we were safe."

The thought had never occurred to me that she could communicate with other wolves. I hadn't realized that was possible. Though now I vaguely remember her mentioning something like that the other day. 

"How can you connect with his wolf?"

She didn't answer right away, and I was beginning to get worried. I didn't want to be alone when we confronted the Alpha. I wasn't even sure how much to tell him.

"I don't know, I've never been able to before. I'm thinking we can trust them for now. At least until we know more. We've only ever been told we can't trust anyone."

I thought the same thing, but I couldn't begin to comprehend. All I knew is if my wolf felt safe, I did too. I trusted her impeccably.

Hunter- 

I studied her meticulously. I didn't want to frighten her and send her fleeing from my office. I have been going out of my mind trying to figure out how to persuade her to stay. 

My wolf had been trying to talk to her wolf all day. Hopefully, he managed to do so and sway them to hear us out at the very least. As fated mates, wolves had a link to each other to allow them to connect without their human counterparts. 

It was to keep the wolves’ content and have a continual connection. Their need for each other was just as strong as the human counterpart parts need to be connected. They could experience alone time and not feel jealous that their human counterpart was the only one being available to be around their mate.

I watched as Kyra's gaze went hazy, undoubtingly collaborating with her wolf. She seemed to relax noticeably, and I knew immediately that Ace got through to her wolf. I waited until her emerald eyes returned to normal. 

She had the most distinctive eyes I've ever seen. Typically, a wolf and its human counterpart had different eyes when they shifted. Yet hers remained the same as her wolf's eyes. Both had emerald green eyes that glowed. I've observed the glowing wasn't as vivid when she was in human form.

When Ace tried to take control of my human form, my eyes became black. His eyes were burnt orange and mine was a deep dark blue.

My little mate was a conundrum. My main concern was her safety though. It was apparent that others saw her as a threat. Even I wondered how safe it really would be to have her in the pack.

"Okay. Let's talk." Kyra spoke quietly. 

I could hear the slight strain as if she were still nervous. Yet she was talking so I was going to overlook it.

"I am sorry that we hadn't met under different circumstances, though I hope you are feeling better." 

"I'm fine." She answered abruptly, apparently resigned to not give much away.

"I am not sure what your past was like and I hope in time you'll trust me enough to tell me. So, for now, I only have a couple of questions. One being, why do you carry wolfsbane?"

That was the one thing I was most concerned about. Did she use it to hurt others or did she hurt herself? My question seemed to get her attention though. She started biting on her bottom lip. Almost as if she were contemplating how much to divulge. 

"I have been taking it for the past couple of years to build a tolerance for it."

I listened to her heart rate carefully to see if she was telling me the truth. She was. It actually stunned me. Not only did she speak the truth, but she admitted to ingesting wolfsbane.

"Why do you need to build a tolerance?" I asked her, careful not to raise my voice.

She seemed to mull over that briefly, "Because it has been used against me in my past and I never want to go through that kind of misery again."

I didn't like it, but I did understand her need to protect herself. As a show of faith. I pulled it out of my pocket and placed it on the desk. She didn't immediately reach for it, but the look of disbelief was evident on her. With only a slight hesitancy, she reached over to seize it.

"T-thank you..." she spoke softly. 

I simply nodded my head and decided to move onto my next question. Hoping that I didn't push too hard.

"How long have you been on the run?"

"My entire life." This time she didn't seem to hesitate, but I could hear the pain in her voice.

"My last question, for now, is, how long until you turn eighteen?" I asked her, trying not to seem too eager.

"On the next full moon." She seemed confused by this question.

"Thank you for answering my questions. All I ask of you now is to stay here until at least you turn eighteen. If by then you still wish to leave, I will permit it." I hoped she would agree to it. It would give me time to prove to her that once she turns eighteen, she will see that I am her fated mate.

Her gaze became hazy again, probably to talk it over with her wolf. I waited patiently. With each passing moment, I felt nervous she would decline. I wouldn't keep her against her will but if she refuses, I was not going to let her leave by herself. After what seemed like ten long grueling minutes, her focus fell back onto me.

"Am I a prisoner here?" She asked the question as if she was uninterested.

"Of course not. You may come and go as you please. My only request is you stay within the borders and if you feel the need to cross the borders to go for a run, you at least take myself or my Beta with you."

At my last statement, her eyes narrowed into slits nearly. 

"I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself." She spoke each word with venom. 

"I don't disbelieve that for a moment, I am only saying it as a suggestion for the safety of my pack." I tried to cover my ass. I fully meant it as a way to keep her safe but now I realize that was a mistake. It was as if I was walking on eggshells. 

"Fine." The one word sounded as if she wanted to gouge my eyes out, but to me, it was as if a weight was lifted off my chest. I didn't care about anything other than she was staying. 

She didn't bother to say anything more, just left the office and as soon as the door slammed shut, I let out a groan and ran my hands through my black short hair.

Shaking my head, I tried to focus back on the paperwork in front of me. I was just about to mind link Caleb when he opted at that moment to poke his head in. 

"So, is she staying?" He asked enthusiastically. 

I nodded my head and a genuine smile spread across his lips. Without saying anything else, he shut the door. I tried to focus back on my work, but my thoughts kept drifting back to my gorgeous mate. Whose scent still lingered in my office.