Chapter Seven

Achilles looked at Mel with a confused expression, but nonetheless, let the subject go. They had a long car ride tomorrow and needed to be well-rested so they could get going early in the morning.

"It's getting late. We should sleep."

Mel adhered to the suggestion and was about to change when she realized she had nothing. Not even so much as a toothbrush. She felt odd asking Achilles for things when she barely knew him. She could wait until tomorrow. Maybe then she could use the limited money she had always hidden in her shoe and get some necessities.

Achilles grabbed some things from his duffle bag and glided into the bathroom in three short strides. Mel watched as he shut the door, his frame nearly fitting through the door.

Mel looked around the room. It was hard to control her compulsion to make it spotless before she was punished. She shook her head and focused her attention on taking off her shoes. She pulled off the ratty sneakers that somebody brought to the hospital for her. The money flutter down the floor and Mel immediately grabbed it.

The bedside table looked like a good place to hide the money. It was only a hundred dollars, but it was Mel had managed to scrounge up. She opened the bedside table and hid the money under the bible.

Just as Mel had closed the drawer, Achilles step out of the bathroom. He had on a black shirt and basketball shorts. Rubbing her fingers over the knuckles on the opposite hand Mel looked away.

The bathroom door complained as she shut it and walked to the skink. Mel quickly washed her dirt-streaked face. She looked over to the shower and her stomach dropped. It still didn't feel safe to shower. Maybe when she was sure that she was truly safe. Mel then used the toilet and washed her hands. Opening the door Mel saw Achilles looking at her confused.

Mel ignored his gaze and walked over to her small bed. She took off her sock and got in the bed with the rest of her clothes on. It was uncomfortable, but it would have to do.

Achilles felt the burning desire to interject and ask her if she wanted to borrow his clothes, but he felt like he had already overstepped today. And with all that Mel was going through, Achilles went with leaving her alone for tonight.

He pulled off his shirt and got into bed. His feet nearly hung off of the bed, but he ignored it and turned to look at Mel. Seeing her hair reminded him that she was safe and that was all Achilles needed to fall into a deep, dreamless for the first time in nearly four years.

Mel on the other hand-tossed and turned. She couldn't seem to tune out her racing thoughts. She couldn't stop thinking about the fact that nobody had stopped her from leaving her old pack. That wasn't normal. Something was going on. What isn't going on, Mel thought.

She flipped over to her right side and studied Achilles' sleeping face. Her overwhelmed feeling seemed to dissipate as she let her senses take over. His eyelashes fluttered over his high cheeks bones. Tendrils of dark hair flowed from his scalps going every which way. Mel could help but think his bed head looked endearing.

Mel bit the inside of her cheek as she looked at his plump, pink lips. She wasn't used to the feelings she was having. She wanted to kiss him right now. Mel shook her head. Now certainly wasn't the time.

She bit her cheek harder, now wasn't the time to think about anything. Now was the time to sleep and get well-rested for the day to come. Something told her it wouldn't be easy, but there was nothing she could do about it right this second.

Mel smiled at Achilles' peaceful face. I'll be fine tomorrow, she thought to herself. And with that, her eyes closed. She didn't sleep right away, but as time passed she grew weary. Then sleep finally acquitted its journey to her, and with that Mel slept.

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Consciousness was slowly filtered back into Mel at the sound of the shuffling around her. She begrudged opened her eyes to be met with Achilles zipping up his duffle bag. He had on a red button-up shirt and black dress pants. Mel felt the breath catch in her throat as she tried to force herself to tear her gaze from him.

"You're awake. Good. You should get ready. We have to go in ten minutes to be there at noontime."

Mel's eyes widened and she shot out of bed and into the bathroom. She was no alien to getting ready fast, but ten minutes to meet a new pack was reprehensible.

Throwing hot water onto her face and scrubbing with the soap provided, made Mel look almost human. She groaned as she saw her tornado looking hair in the mirror. Mel dragged her fingers through her hair, biting her cheek when she ripped pieces out. After quite a few combs through her hair, it looked decent.

"Come one, we have to leave," Achilles called.

Mel checked over her clothes for stains and was satisfied when she saw none. She then flew out of the bathroom and shoved her feet into her sneakers.

"You look good," Achilles commented.

Mel scoffed, "I look like a gremlin, don't lie."

Achilles didn't respond, instead, he grabbed the last of his things and walked out the door. He held the door for Mel which surprised her greatly. She hadn't expected an Alpha to hold the door for her, even when she was a Gamma.

"Ah, I, need to find, um, my room key," she stuttered out.

Achilles was rather sure they only had one, but either way, he complied. Mel was still a puzzle to him, one he was dying to solve.

The hotel door shut and Mel rushed to the dresser. She pulled her money out of its hiding spot and rammed it into her shoe.

She looked around the room for anything else they forgot. Mel's eyes settled on a golden watch. She couldn't remember seeing Achilles wearing it, but it did entice her. She picked it up and put it in the pocket of her jeans. Maybe she could sell it. Then she would have some more money to spend until she got a job.

Despite her inner disagreement, Mel walked out of the hotel room with the watch in her pocket. She silently pulled herself into the Achilles' truck and put on her seatbelt.

Achilles tilted his head slightly. Something was off. He could smell something coming off of Mel. Not her usual scent of fresh air and apple pie. He couldn't get him to mind off of it as he started the car. Maybe it was just the hotel rubbing off on her. No need to get so worked up.

Mel looked out the window to see the trees passing by in a blur. Achilles' stopped momentarily to check out and didn't ask her for a room card. She slammed her head against the seat; he knew.

"Are you mad?"

Achilles looked at Mel and noticed her ridged demeanor. Sure, he wasn't elated that she had lied to him, but he wasn't about to scold her about it. He was sure at one point or another he would lie to her too.

"No," he said.

Mel was surprised but didn't let it show.

"Okay."

More scenery passed by as Mel stared out the window. She couldn't quite remember where Achilles' pack was located. But she could remember that it was somewhere in the center of the United States. She wasn't sure how it looked there. She was used the extensive forests and farms, maybe it would look like that there too?

"What does it look like where you live?"

Achilles looked startled by Mel's question, but he quickly recovered.

"Well, there are a lot of mountains and tons of grass. There is an abundance of jack-rabbits too. My favorite part is the waterfalls though. If we get you a new pair of tennis shoes we can go to one of the nice hikes I know."

Mel looked at Achilles oddly. Everything he had said made sense except for one odd sentence.

"Tennis shoes?" she asked.

"Um, yeah," Achilles said. "The things you're wearing on your feet."

"You mean sneakers?"

Achilles looked at Mel like she had just murdered his firstborn son, "We certainly do not say sneakers. What else are you going to say? 'Hey Achilles I think you're wicked cool?'"

"No, no," Mel chided. "I would say something more like, 'Achilles what you call sneakers is wicked weird. I think you need a drink from the bubbler at Havard.'"

Mel purposely dropped the r's in her speech to fit the stereotypical accent of where she as from. She couldn't help but laugh as she did it.

"Goddess," Achilles' laughed. "Next you're going to tell me you like the Red Sox."

"Well," Mel dragged out.

Achilles raked his hand over his face, "I don't think this is going to work out."

Mel smiled and broke out in laughter, "You better get used to it because I love baseball."

A smile took over Achilles' face as Mel watched him drive. If this was what was being with her mate was like she was sure she could do it, possibly.

The two talked for a while. Achilles learns that Mel loved the colors orange and yellow. And that she had a special talent for making friendship bracelets that she had learned long ago.

Mel learned that Achilles made a habit of reading when his parents would fight and it had stuck. She also found out that he hated when people said 'no problem' instead of 'you're welcome'.

The happy mood was shattered when Achilles went ridged. Mel noticed that they were close to his pack. She remembered her father talked about the large rock the came right before a long road that led to the pack. The enormous rock passed Mel's eyes and she stiffened too.

"Mel, what do you want to do?"

To anybody else, it would have seemed like an innocent question, but to Mel and Achilles, it would determine their future. Mel knew this, but she just wasn't ready.

"I think I need- I need to adjust. I want to be able to make friends without them having to be nice to me, you know? All of this is overwhelming to me."

Achilles eyes glassed over, "You want to hide that we're mates."

"I'm sorry Achilles it's just- no, you know what, I'm not sorry.  I'm so sick of apologizing for how I feel. I need time. It's as if you've forgotten you hurt me. I'm just starting to remember trauma from years ago, my old pack was massacred, and my recent pack just abandoned me. I deserve to have time to figure things out and begin to heal."

Achilles didn't know how to respond. Mel didn't want his pack to know that they were mates. Was she ashamed of him? Was she going to leave him? Achilles wolf growled at the thought and Achilles stiffened.

"Okay," Achilles said with no emotion in his demeanor.

He had shut down just as he had all those years ago when his parents left. His face turned to stone and he was rather sure that part of his heart did too.

Within the minute they were pulling up to the borders. Mel watched as multiple guards came up to the car and Achilles rolled done the window.

"Welcome back Alpha. Who is this with you?"

The man looked at Mel and she felt a bit uncomfortable, but luckily Achilles answered for her.

"A new pack member, Dan."

The man nodded and let the car drive through. Mel felt terrible as she watched Achilles' solemn face. But this time she needed to do what was right for her, not everybody else. Right?

The cart stopped in front of a mammoth red building with people buzzing around it. Mel recognized this as the packhouse.

Achilles stopped the car without a word and hurled himself out of it. He needed to go for a run. He needed desperately to think.

Mel couldn't stand the silence as she stumbled out of the truck.

"Achilles," she said. "I'm not leaving you if that's what you think. I just need time to figure out some stuff."

"I thought we were going to do this together."

Mel bit her cheek hard, "you're right. I keep contradicting myself and that's because I'm scared and-and I'm confused."

Achilles' eyes softened, "Please let me help you."

Mel took a deep breath, "How about a deal?"

Achilles smirked. It only fits that Mel would want to make a deal.

"Okay, make your offer, Sars."

"For a week you let me settle in. We can hang out, but no kissing, touching, or anything. We focus on finding out about my past. You can tell your Beta, and Gamma that we're mates but that's it. I want the pack to like me for me."

Achilles thought for a moment, "Counteroffer. All of that works except the no touching. Also, all of this is off if anybody gets an idea that you are on the dating market, got it?"

Mel rolled her eyes, "Fine. If you feel threatened you can tell everybody we're mates."

Achilles laughed, "What if I told you I feel threatened right now?"

"That tree is awfully good-looking," Mel deadpanned.

Achilles feigned a growl, "Eyes off my girl tree trunk arms."

Mel smiled. She hesitated slightly but soon she enveloped Achilles in a hug.

"I'm trying," Mel whispered.

Achilles wrapped his arms around his mate. He knew she was trying. All he needed to do was last a week and she was his. He wasn't going to make this an easy week for her. Achilles was determined to win her over.

Achilles pulled away from the hug, "We haven't shaken hands."

Mel smiled and held her hand out, "You have yourself a deal, Alpha Gray."

"As do you Melody Sars."

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What's up? I hope you crazy creatures are doing amazing!

Reading questions:

-What do you think of Achilles' and Mel's relationship so far?

-Do you think their deal makes sense?

-Are Mel's actions justified?

Random Question:

Do you have chickens? I love my beautiful hens lol.