FATED ALPHA

JjjI look around at the unfamiliar setting I'd been dropped into. I was never fond of teleporting, but I'd done it enough to not puke upon landing like my dad still did.

I grip my chest tightly, the pain taking me by force but not by surprise. Aunt Katty had warned me that her power could only extend so far, and the middle of the woods, outside our generous pack lands, was far.

I immediately start moving forward, not wanting to waste a second of the limited time I was given to spend with my mate.

Pushing myself beyond the torturous ache in my body, I move hastily in the direction I knew he laid.

It was as if there was a string between us- a tight, thin line that wasn't visible to the naked eye, and the closer I got to the person on the opposite end, the looser it became.

When the pain lessened and the sound of heavy steps which echoed through my sensitive ears, I couldn't help the large smile that spread across my face.

He wants to see me too.

My heart skipped more than a couple of beats as I begin running. My body vibrating with an overwhelming yearning to see him again, feel his skin on mine, smell his wild scent.

It was scary how much I needed someone I didn't know, but it was also exhilarating. The rush so unbelievably strong that just catching a glimpse of his night-sky fur between the trees could make me feel so. … alive.

My body crashes into his and the force that passes through me makes the deepest parts of my being shiver with joy. The pain, like a distant nightmare, is completely vanquished with his presence. Not a trace left as I melt into his fur, my arms gripping his nape tightly.

I rub my bare skin against his fur, sniffing him greedily to engulf myself with his scent, accompanied by the intent to completely submerge myself in his warmth.

He releases small sounds of satisfaction as he bathes in my scent as well. I pull back enough to look him in those dark orbs. The happiness that radiated in them was enough to elate the darkest parts of me.

He licks at my scar lines gently, lapping them over with his wet tongue as his eyes cloud with anger. I'm relieved of the task of distracting him when his bones begin to crack and a growl rips past his jaws.

I step back as his wolf gradually collapses to the earth with every snapping bone. He sends me a sharp look through his grunts that makes me turn around- he didn't seem to like me seeing him in pain.

Or was it that he didn't like me seeing him at his lowest?

The sound of breaking bones fill the woods, the growls and mute whimpers cutting deep inside me and I pray to Goddess for his pain to stop.

She takes her time with a response, and when it finally stops, I release a small breath of relief.

I turn quickly, freezing momentarily as my mate rises to his feet. His body bare and just as beautiful as I remembered it to be, though plump, with pinkish lines highlighting new scars thay weren't there previously. But besides the fresh signs of injury I'd be sure to investigate later on, he was just like I remembered him to be.

I didn't get to stare for too long. He was pressed against me in the blink of an eye, his eyes trained on me as he looked at me. My lips part to suck in the air that lingered between us as the electricity buzzes through me at the contact, my mind numb to anything that was not my mate.

His eyes hold mine as he raises his jagged fingers to my cheek. I release an embarrassing whine as I lean into him. I wrap my arms around him, desperately trying to fill any gaps between us. He grunts at the action but doesn't move away and instead, he caresses my cheek. I whimper at the attention, leaning into his touch as much as I could.

I close my eyes, taking it all in for a moment. Having my mate this close, having him touch me and comfort me- I still thought it was a dream but if it was, I prayed to never be woken up.

"I missed you." I say peeking one eye open to look at him. His usual frown was a little softer, but still there nevertheless.

He doesn't reply, of course, but I don't mind. I smile up to him causing his eyes to drift down to my lips. It was useless to wish he'd kiss me- we'd only just met and if he couldn't talk, I had my doubts on what else he could actually do. Or at least, what he knew how to do.

I release a small yelp when he grabs my hand and intertwines our fingers like I did last time. He stares at them for a moment before raising them to his eyes like an inspector with a magnifying glass.

"Your hand is bigger than mine." I say more to myself than to him. My palm seemed to be swallowed by his, but it was comforting rather than intimidating.

I tug at his hand to lead him to a nearby ledge. When he almost falls on his face, I'm immediately bombarded by the fact that he also didn't know how to walk. This only raised a million more questions to the billion that lingered in my mind before.

After a lot of little slips and placing most of his weight on me, we made it to our destination.

I rest him on the edge first, exhaling my relief as I look to him. He doesn't give me a chance to go anywhere, pulling me down to him immediately.

My confusion shows clearly on my face but I don't say anything. He pulls me into his lap making my heart all but burst as I lean against his chest.

His arms circle my chest awkwardly at first before settling into a position of comfort and tenderness that makes my heart leap. I remain stiff for a moment too long before I sink into his supportive hold and drown myself in my mate's warmth.

He tucks his head into my shoulder and exhales.

I had so many things to say to him, so many questions to ask him. But at this moment, not one came to mind.

After spending days in pure misery from being apart, now that I was so close to him, I wanted nothing more than to just soak it all in.

He seemed to feel the same.

Barely moving or making a sound, he just breathed me in as I did him, blending in with nature's products as we rest against each other in an aiery bliss.

***

"We're mates." I say as my fingers trail his skin. "Do you know what you are?" I question as I turn my head slightly to look at him.

He doesn't answer.

He just rubs his forehead against mine, an action of affection and fondness similar to that of a puppy.

"Well, it means we belong together." I continue as I curl into him even more. "The Moon Goddess made one soul and split it between two bodies, your's and mine. When we complete the mating bond, the soul will be rejoined and our bond will be eternal."

And I'll finally be happy …

"T-That's if you want to complete the bond." I stutter out nervously as I look to our fingers, a blush creeping its way up my cheeks.

He doesn't let me hide from my embarrassment or him. He pushes my chin up and tilts my head to face him, his dark eyes darting around my face curiously. A light finger traced my cheeks causing the color to intensify, so I look away.

When I finally stem to courage to meet his eyes again, I go rigid. Small wrinkles collect at the corners of his eyes, his cheeks round and exposed to the midday light. His eyes a little bright, lips thinner, with few of his teeth on display for me as he smiled. He was smiling at me.

The sight blasts a thousand newly formed sunrays throughout my body as I stare at the rare sight. Such a beautiful sight I never knew I craved to see, a blessing I'd cherish forever.

"You're smiling …" I whisper absentmindly, raising a hand to his face. I twist a little more so that I'm facing him entirely, still positioned between his legs as I studied him. His smile falters at my narrowed eyes and my heart sinks. "No, no please. Please don't stop." I beg raising my hands to his face.

He freezes his smile in the position of slow decay and holds it. The action forces a cheerful laugh up my throat and out between my lips as I look at him. He holds the face despite my continuous laughter, unaware of the adorable expression he wore.

My laughter stopped short when it finally registered in my mind that he was holding the smile- the smile I asked him to hold.

"You understood me there!" I exclaim making his smile completely fade as his eyebrows crinkle in aggravation. My mate wasn't fond of loud, sudden noises. "Sorry." I say quickly.

He doesn't make a move to smile again, but I can't help but nourish the bud of possibility which grew inside me

If he understood, even just a little, for even just a moment, then maybe one day he'd understand it all. Maybe one day he'd talk too.

"I'm so happy that you're my mate."jp