Chapter 3: Little One

Celeste's POV

The word rang out around the forest, vibrating off tree trunks and rattling branches. Despite being a terrifying volume, I felt my ears perk up as if trying to take in every ounce of sound possible. The rain and coconut smell got stronger and, despite the pain, I found my head moving up to find the source.

My eyes widened. The most handsome man I'd ever seen was standing not twenty feet away from me. I felt my eyes widening as I took in his tall, tan, and muscular frame. He was shirtless, letting me take in a jaw dropping six pack and a v-line leading down to his basketball shorts. He had a mop of brown, slightly curly hair that reminded me of a stuffed animal I faintly remember from my childhood. The strong muscles in his chest and shoulders were tense as he took in the sight of the clearing with the other man, the wolves, and I. It seemed as if I were invisible at first, his eyes not quite seeing me behind these much larger figures. Then, his eyes land on me. Oh Goddess, his eyes. . . They were a forest green, reminding me of summer time. With his eyes on me, I noticed his muscles visibly relax. There was a power around him, stronger than the other man. I knew this power. He's an Alpha. I saw the other man and the wolves nod their heads in respect. I knew I should do the same but I couldn't tear my eyes away from him. His power was intimidating and. . . scary. I'm scared. This man. . . The most beautiful man I've ever seen. . . He's going to kill me. I wandered on to his territory and now I was going to pay the ultimate price.

"Alpha," the other man acknowledged him, confirming what I already knew. The Alpha's eyes flickered to the other man before quickly going back to me. His gaze was so intense, my stomach started to churn. I was pretty good at reading people; in his gaze I could make out curiosity, worry, frustration, and. . . Damn, there was something else swimming in his forest gaze but I couldn't quite figure it out. If I wasn't more concerned with my inevitable death I'd be annoyed that I couldn't figure it out. Just as he started walking closer, another wave of pain decided to ripple through my body. I found myself involuntarily letting out another loud howl. The pain went on for what felt like forever, by the time it passed my throat was sore from the howling. The concern in the Alpha's gaze grew.

"Jared," the Alpha's eyes once again briefly flickered to the other man, Jared I suppose. I too looked to Jared, a slight fear had entered his eyes. Why? A growl left the Alpha's mouth. That's why. "What's wrong with her," his words vibrated with his continuing growl.

"I don't know. She's been like this since we found her." The Alpha growled again. "We smelled her maybe twenty minutes ago? Once we located her, I tried to get her to shift. I thought she was faking it. . ." The Alpha's gaze was too intense. I tried scooting back despite knowing it was futile. I accepted the pain with a loud whimper. "Xavier, she's your. . . I'm sorry, we didn't know I swear." What were they talking about? I lost track. In fact, all I really caught was. . . Xavier. A hot name for a hot man. I looked him up and down again. The name fit him. "Maybe we should get one of the healers over here?" A healer? They were going to help me. . . I was just some rogue. I didn't. . . Why would they. . .

Alpha Xavier took in a deep breath, his tensing shoulders relaxing ever so slightly. "She's mine," he growled lowly. What the fuck was that suppose to mean? Jared and the wolves got up, backing away from me. Oh Goddess, they're handing me over to him. They're not getting a healer. I'm fucking dead. I cower in fear.

"I know, Alpha. That's why we need to get Zay or someone. I know your mind is very clouded right now but she's hurt. We've been here long enough for her to be at least partially healed but she still looks. . . Xavier, we-"

"I know!" Jared  and I both flinched. "Don't say another word. I'm deciding how to handle this. Leave, all of you. I'll mindlink you if I need you. For now, let Zay know we'll be on our way." Who was this Zay they kept mentioning? Was he a healer? Was I actually going to get out of here alive? Or maybe Zay is some kind of brutal torturer and this was all a front. I feel my head spin with all the possibilities. Jared and the two wolves left, leaving me with Alpha Xavier.

Alpha Xavier came closer to me. I flinched. While he's admittedly the hottest man I've ever seen, he's also an Alpha. I didn't want him to come any closer. I was terrified of him. His power. His stature. What he could do. "Can you shift?" His voice was notably softer. I was grateful for it. As best as I could, I shook my head. The lingering dizziness rang through my head again. With another step forward, I let out my millionth whimper of the day. Goddess, I was like a boring yet concerning recording. From my personal experience, anytime someone with more power than you steps towards you, you should run. You should run far, far away as fast as you can. Chances were, they're going to hurt you. They're going to beat the shit out of you and that's honestly the best you should really hope for. He stopped his movements, seeming to give me the time I so desperately need. He sighs. I'm probably annoying him. There was less than five feet between us now. He took another cautious step. I bit my cheek as best I could. "It's okay, little one." He took the final step towards me before crouching down. Even crouched down, I still felt so tiny in his presence; especially while I was in my wolf form. He reached his hand out towards me agonizingly slowly. I begged my fears to go away, putting my head down. Maybe if I can't see him, I won't be too scared. I could feel his hand hovering over me, a static-like feeling I'd never felt before letting me know. Finally, his hand touched my back. The static exploded into tingles. I jumped a little at first, the unknown worrying me. But. . . It feels so good. I'd never experienced this before but I never want it to stop. I relax under his touch. He picked up my small form and held me close, the tingles expanding. There was pain as he picked me up but the tingles were distracting me a good amount. "What's happened to you, little one?"

Alpha Xavier stood up. As we reached full height, another agonizing wave of pain swept through me. My leg felt almost numb at this point, the dizzy feeling increased to where the world was starting to spin around us, I felt like there were knives in my head and along my spine. The tingles couldn't distract from this. These waves of pain seem to get worse every time. It was reaching a point where I didn't know if I could handle it. Alpha Xavier cradled me, his other hand unnecessarily helping to hold me to him. The tingles expanded and although I know it didn't actually get any better, the pain felt a bit better. More manageable. How did he do that? What is it about this handsome Alpha that managed to make me feel this way? I let myself be engulfed by him, practically snuggling into the comfort and tingles he seems able to provide. This was unlike me. What was I doing? The world around me was blurry but as I looked up, I could still make out his forest green eyes. Close up, I could see a few shades of that forest green swirling around. Goddess, he's handsome. He stared back at me, an almost adoration-like expression locked on to me. He started walking.

Every step created a jostle that irked some part of my body. I tried to distract myself by looking at the scenery but the blurriness that had taken hold of most of my gaze made my stomach churn further. Oh Goddess, I hope I don't throw up on this handsome ass Alpha. The trees, rocks, and other foliage started to lessen before we came to a clearing. I could make out wolves in both their wolf and human forms. They growled at first until they saw Alpha Xavier, heads immediately bowing in respect and growls ceasing. He took us to a very large, what I'm sure was a beautiful, house. It was wood, that much I could tell. Lights shone through windows, they blurred together in my eyes. I closed my eyes and laid fully against Alpha Xavier's chest. "I'm going to take you to Zay. She's one of our top healers and a very good friend of mine. While I trust all my healers, I'd happily have my life lay in her hands. You're going to be okay. We'll make sure of it." I opened my eyes to stare into his. I was still scared but something told me I can trust him. He walked further into the house, pushing open a door with his shoulder. The blur was less now. I could make out a white bed and blue walls covered in artwork. Landscapes? I think. I could make out a mountain in the one closest to us. There was a girl in here too, Zay probably. What I could make out of her was beautiful. Blonde hair, slim figure, blue eyes. She's shorter than Alpha Xavier but taller than me. Then again, who isn't taller than me? She's so beautiful. Alpha Xavier said she's his 'good friend' but I had suspicions that they're probably more than that. It would make sense, two beautiful people together. The thought brought a strange sense of pain. Alpha Xavier began talking to her as he set me on the white bed, explaining what he did know. He kept one hand on my back. I was relieved as I held onto the tingles.

She walked towards me, giving me a smile. "Can you shift for me?" No, definitely not. If I could shift, I would have by now. "Please? Just try?" I looked to Alpha Xavier. He took his hand off my back. Before I could even try, another wave hit. Full force, all of it came back and so much worse. So much worse. I howled, actively begging my body to not throw up. Alpha Xavier put his hand back on my back. The pain lessened but it didn't stop. As the wave stopped, I was heaving. Alpha Xavier was tense, I could feel it. "Alpha, I know you're worried. I'll figure it out but I need you to take a step back. Just for a minute." Alpha Xavier hesitated but eventually, his hand left my back. Zay came close again. She started prodding at me. My stomach, my spine, she felt my throat. Everything hurt but when she reached my leg, I lurched away from her touch.

"Zay, I'm going to lose it. You need to do something. Now." She nodded.

"Her leg is at least sprained, it doesn't look broken but she's a runt so she's pretty small; it's a little hard to fully assess her in this state. If she shifts back, her leg might break. It could also heal as she shifts but I wouldn't be too hopeful." She walked away, going to a large cabinet on the other side of the room. I watched her anxiously. She shuffled around in the cabinet for a minute before she pulled out two items. Sitting down, she ripped open some wrapper. Oh Goddess, it was a needle. She put it into a little container, very concentrated as she extracted some sort of yellowish liquid. She got up and came back to me. I desperately tried to back away from her. From the needle. "I do need her to shift, this should hopefully help that happen. Alpha, can you please hold her?" Alpha Xavier didn't hesitate. He picked me up, sitting back down as he held me to his chest once more. I nuzzled him, loving the tingles he gave off. I felt Zay pinch the fur on my neck. I closed my eyes as she inserted the needle. That wasn't too bad. Another wave of pain ran through me, different this time. It felt like I was shifting for the first time ever. I crumpled into Alpha Xavier, a howl leaving my lips. I felt my bones vibrating. My fur retracted, my bones snapped, my tails and nails retracting, and then my howl turned into a scream. I felt my fingers clinging to Alpha Xavier. My brain was too occupied to even care that I was naked in front of these two strangers. Zay quickly placed a blanket over me, saving me from having time to think about the nakedness. I was panting. I was exhausted. Zay folded the blanket away from my leg. "I don't think her leg is broken so that's good. I'm going to wrap it up for now." She left for another minute. As she wrapped up my leg, I tried to get control of my breathing. Alpha Xavier's comforting smell helped. "Maybe we should let her rest before we continue? The serum I gave her isn't pretty stuff, it's going to have taken a toll on her. Don't worry, it's very common." I looked at Zay. She gave me a smile.

My eyes drooped on their own accord, one hand moving from Alpha Xavier to grasp the blanket to myself. Xavier said nothing but I felt his now awkward hold on me switch to a bridal hold. We walked for a good minute, I felt us going up stairs. I breathed in the coconut and rain. He opened another door and the smell got stronger. I was placed on a soft, plush surface. A bed. When was the last time I was in a bed? This must be Alpha Xavier's room. I opened my eyes, Alpha Xavier was staring at me, his eyes flashing between black and green. I looked down, scared initially, only to realize that the blanket had shifted. My bare chest was visible. Embarrassed, I pulled the blanket back up. Alpha Xavier stiffly walked into a door in the room, reemerging with a black shirt. He pulled it over my head and I carefully moved my sore arms through the proper holes. Ignoring the pain, I pulled my knees, still wrapped in the blanket, to my chest. I looked back to Xavier, his eyes staying on their beautiful green. "I don't even know your name, little one." He gave a small smile, sitting on the edge of the bed.

My throat was sore but I still croaked out, "Celeste." He got up again, going to a nightstand to pour some water into a cup. He sat back down and handed it to me. I shakily took it, taking a small sip at first before greedily chugging the rest. I handed it back to him, he set it on the floor. "My name is Celeste."

"That's beautiful," he said. I blushed. "As are you." I looked down and shook my head. My eyelids desperately wanted to close. He laid down next to me. For some reason, I didn't protest as he pulled me on top of his chest.

"And you're Alpha Xavier?" He nodded. I laid my head on his chest. I didn't have the energy to be shy or overly embarrassed right now.

"You can just call me Xavier though." I scrunch my eyes. I couldn't. That would be disrespectful. "You're so small," he chuckled lightly. "I never imagined you would be runt." What was that supposed to mean? I just met him. He brushed his hands through my hair and I gasped at the intense sparks dancing around my aching head.

"What is that? How do you do it?" I looked at him to see him staring back in confusion. "The sparkles?" He let out a decent laugh as he worked to undo a tangle.

"That, little one, is because we're mates."