The Chase Begins

Ruby calls me at Oh Crap No AM.

"The sun's not up so why are you?" I ask growling into the phone.

"Making sure you are ready... all the boys just left to train. I mean they could take this as a vacation but no they have to be "prepared for the future." What ever! Anyway we were gonna do breakfast thought you might want to join... I'm making baccon!" She says.

"Fine! I'll be over soon." I tell her.

I get up, shower and get dressed. On my way to Ruby's I hear people fighting.

"Come on Ryan leave me alone!" A boy yells.

"You started it Francis... come on pup don't start that with me... I don't have time for this! GO HOME!" I felt the command.

I see the little 8 year old boy from last night run away crying, one of Ruby's cousins. When I turn the corner I see a boy about 20 and am hit with an overpowering smell something like fresh cut wood and autumn leaves. It is amazing. I see the guy turn towards me and duck behind the house I am standing by before he sees me. Nope! Not him! Not happening! I hear footsteps coming towards me and run.

Into the woods I find a pine tree. Perfect! Pine trees are great hiding places. The branches hide you visually and the smell masks your scent. I climb up as quickly as I can and watch the guy approaching. He circles my tree looking around but eventually gives up and goes back towards the houses.

"Mate!" My wolf happily purs.

"Not him!" I respond.

"Denial." She says.

"Refusal." I counter and she growls at me.

"You will NOT reject him!" She orders.

"He is a bully!"

"He is mate!"

"He commanded that kid when he could have just talked to him! He is a bully with no patience!"

"He is an Alpha!" She purrs with pride at his rank. I don't care!

"I don't want him!"

"The one you want isn't mate. He isn't yours. He isn't interested... I want mate!"

"No."

I block her out and climb down the tree.

"Where have you been!" Ruby yells as I enter.

"Took the long way around." I tell her. No way I am going to tell her what happened.

"Looks like you were rolling around in the woods." She says picking a pine needle out of my hair.

"I'm here now so can you just drop it!" I say.

"Yea I'm hungry!" One of the girls says. Ruby rolls her eyes but relents and we sit down to breakfast.

"Hi I'm Rachel and I'm 17 my little sister is Raelynn and she's 15. We have an older brother Ryan but he's off with Alic and Uncle Clay training." Ryan... that's what the little boy called the guy.

"Mate!" My wolf corrects.

"I'm not calling him that."

"But he is mate... our Alpha Mate!"

"Markie... Markie!" The girl yells waving a hand in front of my face.

"Sorry... my wolf is overly active this morning." I tell her.

"No problem I was just inviting you to dinner tonight. I figured now that you've met us the boys might not be so bad." Rachel says.

Nope not happening! I know how Alphas are with their mates. Possessive! If he finds me I will never escape. I will have no choice. I don't have a strong family name to protect me. He will take me and I will be his mate. Not happening!

"I wouldn't mind!"

"I would, now shut up!"

"Markie... we lost you again... dinner what do you think?" Rachel asks.

"I think it was nice to meet you but I need to get to get to work." I need an excuse to leave. I can't stay here too long. As it sits he will know I was here and if he asks them about my scent he will know who I am and it is game over. I just need to avoid him until after the ceremony then he will leave and I can think!

"No you don't! I got you off remember?" Ruby says.

"Yea... I know it's just there's an electrical emergency in the banquet hall that I need to fix before friday... I'll see you girls later." I jump up and run out the back door. I just lied to my best friend. Good job Markie!

As I exit I can hear voices coming my way. Not again! I run into the woods and watch. Sure enough Ryan comes up with Alpha Rhydian. When he reaches the door he stops and looks around. Please don't come this way. Please don't come this way! Crap! He pats his father on the shoulder and once the Alpha is inside Ryan runs straight for me. I am no match for Alpha speed so once again I take to my tree. Not the same one but same kind. Safely hidden in its branches I wait.

"Who are you?" He yells after walking around my tree walking away and coming back. "Why are you running?" Good question why are you chasing? "Come on I know you can't be far!... come out and talk to me at least!" Nope just walk away pup! "Fine... but know, I will find you eventually... you can't hide forever!" With that he walks away. I wait a few minutes to make sure he is truly gone before descending my tree.

I can feel my wolf whining. She wants me to go to him. It's not going to happen but that's what she wants. Well as to not be a complete liar I go to work.

"Have anything I can do?" I ask Marcus as I enter the garage.

"Thought Alpha had you on special assignment." He says.

"He does but I got a break and want to do something with my hands." I tell him.

"Honda needs new breaks and the jeeps got a busted radiator. Some pup took on a deer and lost. Lucky it was just the radiator and AC maybe a fan too." He says.

"Thanks Marcus I needed this." I smile.

"No problem pup... just don't get me in trouble with the Alpha... well if you're doin' this I'm gonna take the day." He pats my shoulder and walks toward the door. "What ever is bothering you... hiding out here won't fix it Markie... just something to think on."

"Thanks Marcus." I say as he walks out the door.

An hour later the Honda is done and I have the jeep jacked up. I'm rolled under it getting ready to detach the hoses.

"This doesn't look like the banquet hall!"

She startled me making me jump I rip off a hose and am coated in the antifreeze. Of course I forgot to drain it first! I roll out from under the car.

"Hi Ruby." I say wiping my face with a towel.

"Don't "hi Ruby" me! You lied to me. Do you want to tell me why or should I guess?" She asks.

"I'm just stressed out... some things have happened that are making my life more difficult and I needed to work to clear my head." Its the truth if a little vague.

"So I can bring my cousin Ryan here so you two can finally meet then? You know since you've had some time to de-stress working on your cars." She says smiling.

"No please!" I yell stopping her.

"I knew it!" She says grinning at me. "I want to hear you say it Markie."

"Say what?" I ask.

"Say it or I'll tell him who you are and where you are... you are avoiding Ryan because he is..." she starts.

"A bully." I respond.

"Fine I'm telling him!" She turns to walk out.

"My mate!" I yell stopping her. "I am avoiding Ryan because he is my mate happy!"

"Ecstatic!" she turns to me grinning. "Why are you avoiding him?" I sit down on a milk crate.

"He's a jerk!" I say.

"Nope you haven't even met him so you can't say that... after you meet him sure but not before. Try again." She says.

"He's a bully." I offer as another reason.

"Proof?" She asks.

"I saw him use an Alpha comand your little cousin the boy that looks about 8." I explain.

"Francis... doesn't count it's a family thing... next!" She is searching for another explanation.

"I... I don't want him." I tell her.

"Because?" This girl is pushing too much!

"I don't know! I just don't! He's not what I imagined. I thought my mate would be nice, sweet, kind, smart, funny, hot" well I do find Ryan unbelievably attractive I don't see the other characteristics in him.

"You mean Alic." She says.

"No... Alic is not my mate... but someone like him maybe. Ryan is demanding, rough, power hungry I mean who commands a little kid!? He's just not my type." I explain.

"I won't tell him... but you need to get over Alic... Ryan is not as bad as you think you should give him a chance he deserves that much... I don't think it will help if I force him on you and that's the only reason I'm not telling him but please try to give him a chance. Someone out there thinks you two are a perfect match so maybe you can smooth his rough edges and he can strengthen you through your insecurities... just think about it you are mates." She lectures me and leaves.

I breath a sigh of relief as Ruby leaves and I inhale fumes. Aww why didn't I put on cover alls? I take off my soaking clothes and put on the cover alls. Not cute but they are at least not soaked.

By the time I finish the jeep it is nearly dark. I kept getting distracted but at least I am alone. Half way home the scent of leaves hits my nose. No! I can't deal with this now! Take three! I run into the woods. This time I'm barely up the tree when he gets here.

"Every time woman!" He yells looking up the tree trying to find me. "It masks your scent but when you do the same thing every time its pretty obvious where you are!" He circles the tree looking up and down it. "Come out come out wherever you are!" I hear him growl and the power of it almost makes me lose my grip. Stupid Alpha! "Fine I'll leave!" He turns and walks away. Add impatient to his list of flaws.

After about five minutes I slip down the tree and walk out of my hiding place. I make it about two steps before I am caught up in ferm arms that pin me to near by tree. My skin is tingling. If he wasn't holding on to me so tightly I'm not sure I'd be standing... but then again if he wasn't touching me I wouldn't feel faint so no points either way.

"Hello mate... I've been looking for you!" Ryan says.

"Hello Ryan... I'm gonna go now." I try to slip out of his grasp but he holds on tight.

"No. We are going to talk. You are not going to run." I can tell he is trying hard to control himself. He is mad I can see it in his eyes.

"Let me go." I whisper.

"Do you promise not to run?" He asks "because I will catch you little mouse."

"Not like I could get away anyway at this point." I tell him.

"True." He lets me go. "Come on we can take a walk." He begins to walk further into the woods. "Come along little mouse don't make me chase you."

I roll my eyes and follow.

"So little mouse? Really? I'm not a mouse!" I start the conversation.

"No you're not... but I feel like the cat in Tom and Jerry. Always too late. Too slow... never getting what he wants. So that makes you the mouse. Plus I don't know your name." He explains.

"You know they were both boys right?" I tell him. He rolls his eyes.

"You know you still haven't told me your name right?" He parallels my sentence structure. He thinks he's so cute!

"He is!"

"Shut up!"

"My name is Markie Sue Bliss." I tell him.

"Markie Sue... beautiful... so why are you dodging me Markie Sue?" He asks

"Just Markie... because I don't want to do this." I say.

"Do what? Be my mate?" He asks.

"I don't want to have this conversation!" I yell.

"Too late little mouse." He smiles at me and sits on a fallen tree. "We are talking now so why don't you want to talk to me?"

"Stop calling me that! Because you are not what I expected... you are a bully." I tell him plainly.

"Says who?" He asks.

"I saw you command a little pup! commands hurt and you throw them around like they are going out of style!" I yell.

"You saw me send my little cousin home because he is too stubborn to listen otherwise and he's too little to follow me around all day, he will get hurt. I'm not a bad guy... mostly." He says.

"You are an arrogant entitled Alpha pup." I say.

"Arrogant, sometimes. Entitled, maybe. But let's get one thing straight little mate. I am no pup!" He growls the last bit.

"And there you go being a bully! Trying to scare me! You are a pup playing with your power like a toy!" I look him in the eye challenging him.

"I am NOT a pup!" He grabs me and pulls me into a kiss. I claw his face to make him let go. His hand goes to his cheek where he is bleeding. "Dang it woman! Why are you fighting me?! If you don't want me reject me now! But at least tell me why you don't want me and the truth! You know Alphas get a little hot headed and push me to it just to have a reason to hate me but that's not the real reason. So tell me the truth and I'll back off!"

I think about what Ruby said and I think she is right. I'm still hung up on Alic. Ryan is not all bad. It's not fair to him that I love someone else so maybe I should just tell him the truth.

"I'm in love." I say... I never say it out loud and it feels wrong. It is wrong and I know it.

"You love another wolf?... and he's just gonna reject his mate for you? That's low! I mean taking someone else's mate!" He fumes. Ryan is ticked but not at me now.

"Its not like that he is good, kind, smart, sweet. He has a good heart!" I defend Alic even tho Ryan has no idea who I'm talking about.

"No he's not! If he had rejected his mate you'd be with him now. So let me guess he hasn't found her yet and you are here hanging on his every word. He's stringing you along and is going to throw you away as soon as he finds her! Think little mate! Has he made any attempt to mark you as his own? No?... he's using you... wait! Are you sleeping with him!?" He jumps up staring at me. He's more than mad now! I don't know what he is going to do!

"Calm him"

"I can't!"

"Hug him!"

"No!"

"Take his hand then!"

"Fine!"

I take his hand in mine and I see him jump. He wasn't expecting that. He calms a little but I can still see the anger brewing in his eyes.

"No... I've never slept with anyone. He's not stringing me along and he hasn't tried to mark me." I tell him

"Reject me... you want him then reject me. Free me because I can't do it. I care about you too much. If he will make you happy I'll stand aside. It will kill me but I'll do it. I can find some power hungry bimbo to mate and give me an heir. I won't love her but..." my wolf growls cutting him off. She doesn't like the idea of him having pups with someone else.

"No! You don't get to do that! You can't say you want someone else then growl when I talk about moving on it isn't fair!" He scolds me. I look away.

"None of this is fair... it's not fair that I can't love my mate... it's not fair that you have to deal with me... it's not fair that he doesn't... he..." I stop. I don't want to finish that thought.

"You called me mate... he doesn't even know how you feel does he?" Ryan asks.

"No." I answer.

"Are you going to reject me?"

"I can't" no way my wolf will let that happen. She would probably take over and mark him if I tried.

"Then tell him... if he accepts you I will leave. I will let you have a happy life... but until you do I'm not going anywhere... Goodnight little mouse." He kisses my hand and leaves me sitting in the forest alone and confused.