It's been two days since Skylar got discharged, it was a relief to me to again see her back to her enthusiastic self. But out of all, Jake was the happiest person, he couldn't stop himself from smiling, adoring his lovely mate as she went around meeting her pack mates.
But her smile grew even wider when she saw me. I was so excited to meet her again when I heard about her arrival. I remembered how tightly we hugged as if we had been away from each other for years. Well, we weren't simply regarded as soul best friends. Since she was so busy with her pack mates and her mate, we didn't really get enough time.
And that's why we decided to walk around the pack roads today, only the two of us.
"Once they know about who you actually are and what position you hold in this pack, they won't let you live in peace," Skylar said, sipping on her orange juice from the can.
"What if I hide my identity forever?"
"Impossible. They still wouldn't leave you, they will demand to know the reason for your stay."
I nodded a bit scared as I took sips from my juice. "It can't be helped, I guess," I muttered to myself.
"So anything between you and him?"
I choked on my drink, coughs escaping furiously. Skylar chuckled but helped by hitting me on my back. "Something did happen between you two."
I could sense my cheeks slightly tinting. "Nothing happened, nothing really."
"Aw, C'mon you can't possibly hide things from me." Skylar pulled me back by my shoulder.
"We kind of stared at each other a few times, nothing more or nothing less."
Skylar poked my cheek and mocked a smirk. "Even that comes under something. You have no idea how much eye-contacts can help you to develop something romantic in your relationship, it's already showing on your cheeks."
"Shut up, I don't like him," I denied and faced the other side to hide my nearly blush coloured face.
"Ayeee you can't hide it, I can see your cheeks flushing like crazy," her voice shrill.
"Please, stop! I'm blushing because you are forcing it in your way."
"Okay, okay. My fault." Skylar laughed before suddenly asking, "Oh-oh right! I heard that Alpha Lucas offered you to take up the Luna job?"
I seized my steps, realizing something—that something being the fact that today was the day I was supposed to give my answer to Alpha Lucas. "Ah crap! I forgot."
"What? What did you forget?" Skylar asked, worry lacing her tone.
I huffed a breath in frustration, running a hand through my hair. "Today, I'm supposed to give my answer."
"About the job?"
I nodded.
Skylar chuckled in relief. "Crazy bitch, you scared me for no reason. He won't mind it even if you take ten extra days."
"Still. I should give him my answer within the expected time."
Skylar whirled the can around in her fingers. "What is your answer then?"
I stared at her blankly. To be honest, I didn't know if I chose the correct decision or not. But I needed to survive too. Why should I go around hurting my feet in search of a darn job when a high-ranked himself was ready to offer me a promised job.
If I don't take this, it would be more embarrassing than not having one. I couldn't stay here like a doll and expect money to rain on me. I needed to survive, provide for my body.
"I've decided to take up the job," I declared.
"That's good." Skylar smiled as we continued walking. Just like all other days, the air around us was very cool, but the happy news was that the sun this time decided to warm us up with its heat. It was yet another beautiful afternoon.
Skylar nudged my arm, gesturing with her eyebrows to look at my other side. I obliged and turned my head to see a huge ground with many youngsters in their practice uniform learning how to attack, dodge, sense their opponent's weak point and knock them out at the right point. Basically we ended up near the pack grounds. I smiled. I observed people putting their heart and soul into what they were doing and suddenly caught sight of the one who was the reason for their intense concentration. He wore a simple army coloured three fourth short along with a white t-shirt, hugging the outline of his body comfortably.
As if feeling my eyes on him, he wheeled around catching my sight as he blinked at me in slight shock. He didn't attempt to come to me nor he attempted to continue his training with his students, he just stared at me. The tips of his lips curving up in a greeting smile, his facial reactions glowing brightly as he took in my form.
I didn't realize my own lips were curled up although it wasn't enough for him to notice, I awkwardly raised my hand, waving at him when I noticed teenagers around him looking at me with a confused expression. I dropped my hand, feeling my cheeks tinting red. Very unexpected from me.
"Rather than standing here and ogling him, why don't you just go and talk to him," Skylar suggested.
I turned to look at her in disbelief. "What? What did you just say? Og-ogling? I wasn't ogling him!"
She nodded sarcastically. "Of course, you weren't."
She began walking again as I followed her, defence yelling at her, but not before glancing at Alpha Lucas with a smile while he politely returned me with his cheery grin.
"Skylar! Wait you bitch!"
Skylar rushed her pace in an attempt to lose me. I rolled my eyes, sipping my orange juice before following her at a relaxed pace.
After the incident near the pack grounds, she ran over to a random building and hid somewhere. Looking for her during such situations was a tough task so I decided to take her lite and planned a new determination to explore the packhouse. This building was different from the one I was living in and looked more lively.
I whistled to myself, ambling down one of the corridors of the packhouse. I easily get bored so even this time I thought of stopping my tedious exploring and making a beeline to my room, but staying in one room and having nothing to do was annoying, the loneliness reminded me of my phone which also reminded me that I had to purchase a new one.
"We can do that once I grasp the atmosphere here," I muttered to myself, looking at each and every closed door.
I pushed my hands into the pockets of my white cotton sweater as I stopped in front of the one particular maroon door which had caught my attention.
"Arts," I read the word written stylishly on the silver plaque. My fingers softly inching forward towards the silver-coloured knob, curiosity occupying my senses as I opened the door.
"Wow," I said in awe. Walking in I looked around at the beautiful different paintings lined up against the chocolate walls. I didn't understand the meaning, but they were surely a sight to watch.
My eyes caught a painting, framed in gold a mother held a small infant in her arms, smiling down at the baby who was completely snuggled up in his or her mother's chest.
I moved forward, my fingers softly tracing the lines of the painting passing gently from the mother to the baby.
"I painted it."
I looked behind and watched Alpha Lucas walk to me with a relaxed pace, stopping to stand beside me. He assessed his art of beauty and I assessed him, it wasn't a shock that he found me without any direction, obviously, the werewolves have a great sense in finding their mate's scent.
"You done with your pack training?"
He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his shorts. "I had someone take over."
I nodded and sighed looking at the painting.
"It's beautiful. You must have a deep connection with your mother," I softly stated.
He kindly smiled at me. "Who doesn't?"
My smile faltered at that and my hand dropped down to my side when my brain ran back to the past memories, pictures flooding in one by one as I glanced at the painting. Who doesn't have a deep connection with their mother? I don't remember when I last guffawed with my mom, when we last spent the gold time together or when we last voiced out about our deep thoughts. Her face was detailed in my brain but I don't remember when my family happily spent time together. I don't even have an idea if she was still.... breathing.
Tears brimmed on their own in my eyes as I took a deep breath, forcing the memory away. I gritted my teeth pushing a sob back in my throat and tried to stabilize my fast-paced heart.
"Heaven? Are you alright?"
Hands wrapped around my shoulder after I staggered back a step in a weak attempt to rush away from the pang. Warmness spilt over my skin at the contact and my eyes glanced into his worried ones. A frown etched on his sharp features as he pulled me in a hug.
"Did I say something wrong?" He asked. "Sorry."
"Heaven?"
"I'm fine, I'm alright," I muttered, closing my eyelids for a moment to calm myself down. I shook the memories—nightmares away.
"It's nothing, I'll be fine." I weakly smiled at him, observing the emotion in his scorching honeys exposing slight distress and alert. He ran his tongue over his lips pulling away from me unconfident about my state.
"I was worried," he admitted, breathing in relief.
I looked down at my fingers. "Actually, I'm sorry. I'm yet to overcome my problems. I can't control my body when it reacts to my past memories. I'm.... still very weak."
"You don't have to be sorry, I'm sure many people out there struggle with the problems too when they fight their nightmares. Time will resolve everything, you do not have to worry about it."
"I hope this fixes soon," I muttered under my breath.
He nodded at me with a gentle look on his face, encouraging me wordlessly and giving me a heart-warming message of firm promise to stay with me. "I'll be there to hold you if you need me. Just don't suffer alone, I won't like it."
My heart thumped again, but this time it wasn't in pain.
What am I going to do? How am I going to fight him if he keeps giving me those looks of pure warmth?
***
I snuggled under the warm blankets on the bed, hugging the spare pillow tightly to my chest. The night was cooler than yesterday's temperature, at this rate we can soon expect snow to flourish with its amount.
I opened my eyes, unable to fall asleep as I thought about what Alpha Lucas might be doing at this hour. An unknown smile greeted my lips when I thought back about the time he touched my shoulders, his grip was homely but firm. HIs concerned eyes had me nestled against the pillow even more while I held my blanket in a solid grip, my cheeks dangerously tinting at the image of him hugging me.
My smile vanished suddenly, snapping out of my daze and shoved the covers off me.
"What was I thinking right now? D-did I just blush." I touched my cheeks, feeling it more than warm, I got off my cosy place and chuckled, slapping my cheeks in a wake-up fashion. "What's happening to me? I shouldn't be doing this, wasn't I supposed to dislike him? I mean how can my feelings change within a day."
I gasped at the arrival of another thought. "Did he put some spell on me? That senseless bastard!"
The extra smartphone that Jace gave me for the temporary use vibrated at the same exact moment as I turned my head to glance at my temporary phone, unlocking it. I frowned at the unknown message and pressed it curiously.
Are you alright?
I hope you are.
I narrowed my eyes waiting for another message when I saw the three dots at the corner of the message bar. If I wasn't wrong, it was him, that dude had a knack to surprise a person.
I guess you got me. Skylar told me that you were using this number for now.
Please don't kill her.
I was waiting for your answer.
Thought to ask you in the art gallery but then the situation wasn't in favour.
My cheeks flushed again and a smile began to ascend on my lips when I read the 'your answer' thing. I abruptly snapped out of it again bringing my fist to punch my cheek, not so hard obviously. I had no idea why I was behaving like a fangirl who just saw her favourite actor shirtless, it was so unexpected of me. It was so sudden, it actually had me thinking that he surely must've put a spell on me.
What have you thought about it?
I stared at the last message and typed the 'answer' he was waiting for.
I'll take it.