Chapter 02 Reunions

Hanna

He’s matured since the last time I saw him. Legs like lumber strain against washed out jeans as he walks down the steps of the porch and stalks over to us in confident steps. His navy shirt stretches across his broad chest, a pair of shades clipped on the collared neck.

A strange yet pleasant sensation stirs under my skin like when we first knew our fate. His narrow gaze consumes my entirety within seconds, and the very pattern of his breathing becomes audible to me. Deep. Measured. This highly invasive yet welcome reaction starts without warning, tuning in all of my senses to pay attention to his presence.

I’d be overjoyed right now had we been like any other fated couple. Given the bittersweet history between us though, we shouldn’t have been a pair from the start. The memory of his cold rejection flips a switch in my brain, and I find myself suppressing the surging waves of emotions welling up within my chest.

“It’s been five years,” he says with those soft pink lips that have known every inch of my skin. His deep voice sounds like heaven, and it was the same that sent me to the bowels of hell. “You look—”

He clears his throat briefly. “—well.”

The scent of lavender and musk embraces me like a cloud, making the sensations erratically scatter. All over my stomach. All over my skin.

I manage to reply in a form of a whisper. “Yeah.”

One word, and no more. Nothing to elaborate. Nothing to give back.

Five years apart and that’s all he had to say to me … as expected. Then and now, we’re nothing more than leader and subordinate.

I dare raise my eyes to meet his, and my knees almost give out on the spot. They’re exactly like how I remember them—the same clear, vivid green like the evergreen trees that surround the entire territory. I have gazed into those eyes as he took the gift a hopeless fool of a woman saves for her fated. Softly they looked at me then like I was the most precious being they’ve ever beholden. And like the fool that I was, I believed it would always be that way.

How reality disappoints. It took him one night to change his mind. He loved me the whole night only to stare me down with disgust on the morning that followed.

“But you’re back,” he adds, a hint of disbelief in his voice.

“Temporarily,” I say sternly. “I missed my dad.”

His beautiful jaw tightens.

That ticks me off a little.

What did he expect? That I’d come running back to him when he’s clearly been living well while I burned in hell?

Dean steps in beside me and wounds his arm around my waist. “You must be Alpha Logan.”

Logan stares at his arm. His eyes narrow. Following Dean’s lead, I place my arm around his waist and smile up at him, doing my best to give him a happy one despite the mixed emotions squeezing my heart.

Dean meets my gaze with a mischievous smile. The only person who knows my story and the pain I’ve been through is once again placing himself in a position to protect me.

“It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Dean Chanler from the Blackwood Pack.”

“Chanler?” Logan asks.

“My dad’s the Beta of the pack. I’m the second son. You must’ve met him occasionally.”

 “On occasions,” he replies before returning his gaze to me. “Which reminds me … there was a rumor of a ranked wolf defecting from the pack six years ago. Last I heard, they lifted his ban. You wouldn’t happen to know if that were true, would you?”

My hand clutches Dean’s side. More than anything, he hated talking about his family. Even I don’t know the entire story since he refused to talk about it.

Our situations weren’t that far apart—we left our packs on our own accord under different circumstances. Together, as rogues in a melting pot of supernatural creatures, we supported each other in order to survive.

Dean merely smiles more and rubs my side. “Rumors don’t reach the city, Alpha. You mustn’t be aware because you’ve never lived there.”

Leaning towards me, he adds, “My fiancé wanted to keep our engagement a surprise, but since you’re here, it’d be an honor if you could at least grace our farewell party. It’s a small get-together before we return for the official wedding.”

As if to prove his case, he places a quick kiss on my forehead.

My eyes widen in surprise. I know we’re just acting and this is most definitely an impromptu, but isn’t an engagement too much?

A thought then crosses my mind. A rash and risky thought, but one that can resolve one of the biggest pains in my life.

Since I’m here, I might as well get Logan’s rejection in order to be freed from him. I’d be lying if I said I never thought of how to break our bond. It scared me to confront him—scared of what he might demand. But in this moment, like a blessing in disguise, Dean has shown me a way out.

I giggle as I reach for Dean’s collar and pull him down so I can kiss his cheek.

“Cheeky,” I tease, to which he chuckles.

My dad clears his throat, looking a little conflicted at what’s happening.

Sorry, dad. I swear I’ll explain later.

I turn to address my so-called mate again, this time with my head resting on Dean’s firm chest and my arms wrapped around his side. “We wanted to share the news to dad together. But it’s nice to see you again, Alpha.”

Logan doesn’t say a word immediately. It’s a little awkward because he’s still staring at me, but Dean is fully enjoying himself by running his fingers through my hair, gently untangling where knots have formed.

Meanwhile, in this thickening tension, I’m racking my brains on how to get him to leave. Then an all too chirpy voice joins the conversation.

--CC_GN--