Chapter Two

Liam’s P.O.V

Lunch was uneventful, I spent most of it looking at my plate trying not to look at her and not missing the death glares Alpha James sent me across the table while he sipped his beer. Luna Elizabeth always served amazing food today was no exception. She had the kitchen do up a full roast dinner and a wide assortment of desserts, I noticed Lucy selecting all the chocolate ones. The dining hall was full with our pack members, wanting to welcome the other Alpha and his family. Lucy was receiving unimpressed looks from the unmated females, and winks and smiles from the unmated male wolves, upsetting me more than it should have I mean she is gorgeous I can’t blame them. But I didn’t want them looking at her. When it was over, and everyone started to leave I let out a short breath of relief.

“Do you need me the rest of the afternoon?” Lucy asked her parents

“No sweetheart, me and Elizabeth will just be catching up and your father will be talking business with Joseph, why what are your plans?” her mother asked while taking sips of her tea.

“I was just wanting to explore the pack territory a little, take my camera and see what I can capture, I remember the swimming hole from when I visited when I was little and the ancient oak forest, I would love to photograph them, is that alright?” she sounded like a little kid on Christmas morning, her photography was important to her and she clearly loved any chance to use her camera, that seemed important to remember.

“Okay sweetheart off you go but take Liam with you in case something happens” as soon as the word left her mouth, I unintentionally looked at her father who did not look impressed at the suggestion.

“You remember what I said boy” he threatened again

“Yes sir” I nodded and followed Lucy out the patio doors leading towards the forest, not daring to look behind me half expecting his wolf to chase me down.

We walked in silence for a while, making our way to the surrounding forest in silence but it wasn’t uncomfortable, it felt familiar. The sun was still high in the sky peering through the overhead canopy and warming little patches of the earth beneath our feet, and sounds of the wildlife surrounded was carried on the wind. The pack lands were really beautiful, I hadn’t taking the time to appreciate it lately, to caught up in women and partying with Isaac and Leo. This was nice, still and peaceful, being here with her made it better, she kept stopping along the way to take pictures of plants, birds, a ray of sunshine, whatever she found beautiful or unique. She bounced on the balls of her feet in excitement when she took a picture she liked and showed me the result, she really was talented.

“Stop, right there” she said and I froze, thinking something was wrong, but she just pointed the camera towards me and started taking pictures I just rolled my eyes and kept walking “hey” she protested and it was the cutest thing ever she almost stomped her foot.

“You are not taking my picture” I said walking past her

“Why not, I already have like 10 of you what is a few more?”

Wait what, she had been taking my picture? “Sorry you what?” I asked confused when had that happened

“Here look” she showed me all the pictures she had taken of me, they were good, I hadn’t even noticed she had taken them, that must mean she seen something in me that she wanted to capture the thought had me and my inner wolf puffing our chests in pride. “See they are good, so why are you being such a baby about it” she nudged my shoulder

“I am not a baby” I said folding my arms, actually acting very much like a baby, when she rolled her beautiful eyes and giggled, I never wanted anything else but to hear that sound forever. Giving up she shrugged and kept walking in the direction of the water hole after a while she broke the silence.

“So, Liam of the Blood River Pack, future Gemma to the Alpha, tell me about yourself?” she asked.    

“You pretty much just summed me up, not much else to know” honestly that was all I really associated with myself.

“Really? What about you, you know all your likes, your dislikes, your ambitions and dreams, things that make you, well you, not just your title and which pack you belong to” no one has ever really taken an interest in me before, I wasn’t the Alpha or even Beta. Sure I was what she wolves called attractive and had no issue getting them into bed but none of them actually wanted to get to know me I couldn’t give them the title or status, it was always about Isaac or Leo, this was new for me, “ well I am an orphan, only given the Gamma title because my parents were top warriors who died protecting the Alpha and Luna in a rouge attack about 15 years ago and they took me in and raise me as gratitude for their sacrifice. Me and Isaac were raised like brothers, which is why he picked me to be his Gamma. Leo his Beta is the son of the current Beta, born into the title. We are all like family they are my best friends” my openness with this girl had me stunned I didn’t really open up to anyone.

“So where are they today” she asked casually looking around for something she could take pictures of.

“On the Gold Coast, Isaacs is being announced as the Alpha and he needed to meet with the high council, he and Leo took advantage of being away and decided to spend the next two weeks partying enjoying his freedom before taking over” I said

“So why are you here instead of with them if you are all so close?” how do I tell her the only reason I am here is I lost a coin toss were the loser had to stay behind and look after her, which I am kind of glad for now. It must have been too long before I answered because she caught on “oh I see you had to stay because of me, right?” I just nodded “I’m sorry, if you like I can tell the Alpha and Luna I don’t need a babysitter and you can go meet them” the thought made me sad I didn’t want to go now, I wanted to stay here with her.

“No, it’s alright I don’t mind, its not really my thing” my first lie, it had been my thing, but I didn’t know what else to say I could really just come out and say it hurts me to think of being away from you. I had only known this girl for a few hours but me and my inner wolf were completely drawn to her. My answer seemed to please her as she gave me one of her heart stopping smiles I smiled back.  

“So, what else is there to know about Liam?” she asked 

“Um, not sure what you want to know” I really didn’t know what else to say I wasn’t use to this.  

“Okay let’s try a different approach I will ask you questions and you answer” I nodded at her suggestion “what’s your favourite type of food?”

“Seriously that’s your first question?” I asked amused

“What! it’s an important question I like to eat and if we are going to be spending so much time together, I need to know” 

“Well, I love Italian, any kind of pasta, oh and fresh bread, and chocolate mousse, okay now I am hungry” she seemed to find this funny because she giggled, which had me laugh with her “what about you?”

“I agree about the pasta and the bread, and I love anything chocolate, and coffee, I love coffee, great now I’m hungry,” she pouted which made me laugh more, it made me happy that we had things in common, maybe I could make her pasta one day, and something with lots of chocolate. Shaking the though out of my mind I had to let that go, she has a mate somewhere who would get to make her food.    

“Next question?” I asked a little annoyed that someone else was meant to be hers 

“If you had to pick between going to the beach or going to the mountains which, would you pick?” she asked

“that’s a hard one I like both? Can I pick both?” I asked 

“Nope you have to pick one” she smirked 

“Okay the mountains, you?” it was a hard one I enjoyed both so I just said the first one that came to me

“I always loved the beach, there is nothing like sand and saltwater to heal the soul and lift your spirit, my wolf loves the ocean, she gains power from water, but the peace and serenity we feel surrounded by the mountain air calms us too, so I pick both” she giggled

“You said you couldn’t pick both” I nudged her shoulder with mine gently just wanting an excuse to touch her.

“No, I said you couldn’t pick both I didn’t say I couldn’t” she poked me with her finger and stuck out her cute little pink tongue I couldn’t protest I could only stare at her and smile. “Umm, favourite colour?” she asked after a moment of silence.

“gold” it wasn’t until this morning and she looked at me with those golden eyes of hers, now no other colour matter. “Yours?”

“Purple, light purple like lavender” instantly I knew what she needed to see, and before I knew it, I was leading her off the track “umm where are we going?” she asked a little breathless

“I have something to show you” lucky we were close, we talked about likes and dislikes, just as she was finished telling me how she wanted to put her picture in an art exhibition and have someone buy her photos, we approached a small field entirely of lavender, the sun hit it at the right angle at this time in the afternoon that it seemed to glow of purple. Turning to look at her she was standing there stunned her mouth open, just taking it all in.  

“Oh goddess, this is so beautiful” she had tears in her eye, clearly moved by the beauty of this place, which touched my heart. My mother would bring me here when I was little, we would have picnics, she would read to me chase me around and tickle me when she caught me. Knowing Lucy was moved by this place drew me to her more. As a single tear streaked down her face and she threw her arms around my neck and hugged me “this place is perfect thank you for showing me” before I knew it she was taking picture from different angles, clearly in her element, silently observing the space lost in her own little world. I just sat at the edge of the field and watched her flutter around, chasing the bugs and butterflies, surprised and envious of her joy in every little aspect of life, she saw beauty and wonder in everything she sees and wanted to capture it to share with the world. Everything I though she would be, a spoilt brat princess sheltered from the world and self-involved, was the opposite to what she was.

We stayed at the lavender field for about an hour before making our way to the swimming hole. The small stream that filtered into it from the rocks above was flowing slightly, however the silence made the sound of the water echo through the trees. Assuming she would start clicking away with her camera again, I sat at the base of a nearby tree ready to watch as she flittered around the waters edge trying to find the right angle. When she approached me and placed her camera down, I was confused until she walked towards the edge of the water and pulled her dress off over her head. Standing there in her simple white cotton underwear I couldn’t help but stare at the flawless milky white skin leading down to small dimples at the base of her back. Reaching up to tie her hair in a messy bun on top of her head I watched the muscles of her back contract and move, feeling myself growing harder by the seconds.  Nudity in the wolf world was not a big deal we always shifted together and seeing your pack members naked was nothing exciting. This was different. This was not what I was expecting, she jumped in disappearing beneath the water, only to emerge seconds later with the look of calm satisfaction on her face. Watching in admiration as she floated on the water, eyes closed and peaceful. My inner wolf purred at the sight of her wanting nothing more than to remove the rest of her clothes. This is dangerous ground Alpha James would remove any part of me that touched her he made a promise of that and he didn’t strike me as someone who wouldn’t follow through on a threat. “Are you just going to stand there and watch me all afternoon or join me, the water is cool and soothing and that walk was long” she asked casually with her eye still closed. The water had made her underwear slightly translucent and if I wasn’t painfully hard before I was now. Unsure of what to do, if I strip down to my boxers I reveal her effect on me, but a swim did sound nice, so I quickly removed everything except my boxers and drove in before she could see my growing reaction to her. She squealed in surprise at my splash which starting a water fight of splashing and ducking. Us wolves are playful creatures and this excited me more that she wanted to play with me I wonder what it would be like to chase her through the forest in wolf form. We played for a while before floating and making pictures out of the clouds. Our hand brushed against each other in the water, I expected her to either pull away or ignore it, I wasn’t expecting what she did which was link her fingers with mine. I never wanted to leave here I hadn’t felt this way since I lost my parents. Sure, the Alpha and Luna have been amazing to me, but it was never the same as when mum and dad were alive. As if she could sense my pain, she spoke so softly I almost missed it “your pain won’t last forever” squeezing my hand slightly before letting go. She swam back to the edge laying out over a large rock and enjoying the sun. After a while of sitting next to her curiosity got the best of me. 

“How did you know I was sad?” I asked softly

“Not sure I could just feel it” her voice growing lazy with sleep, followed by a yawn, “probably our que to leave”, I didn’t want to go I wanted to stay here with her, but I nodded. We had dried off in the sun and retrieved our clothes, after throwing mine back on I turned and caught her pulling her dress back on and looking at me through her long eye lashes, I couldn’t help reaching out and tucking her hair behind her ear. She didn’t move away, she just smiled and said “you can kiss me if you want to”. I wasn’t expecting her to be that bold, and I wanted nothing more then to kiss her. But her dad’s warning came to me and I stepped back.

“Um that wouldn’t be a good idea, I think your dad might remove my head if I kissed you”.

“Yeah, he can be a little over protective some times, but I won’t tell if you don’t” stepping closer to me. All my restraint left and I found myself moving towards her without thought. Slowly running my fingers through her hair and settling on the back of her neck pulling her up to meet me. Our lips gently touched, at first and then it grew more passionate as I deepened the kiss, and her hands laced together behind my neck. Never had I tasted anything more perfect in my life, if I died right now, I would die a happy man. Before to long it was over, and she looked a little dazed as my breaths come in short shallow pants, I wanted more I needed more. But not now, I would wait, she was worth that, I would do this properly, I knew the moment we kissed she was mine, mate or not, she would be mine. Looking into those golden eyes, it took every little bit of strength I had to step back.

“Come on it is getting late, and it gets cold out here at night, we should head back” she smiled up at me and nodded. We interlocked our fingers and walked back, slowly neither wanting to get there in a hurry, I had one more question I was dying to ask “you just turned 18, right?” she nodded, “how come you didn’t have a coming out ceremony, normally being the daughter of an Alpha would make it a big deal, every unmated wolf would have come to see if you were their mate” the thought made me angry, I had to cough to cover up the growl in my chest.

“You have met my dad, he is crazy overprotective of me he hardly let me out of his sight when I was little and wouldn’t let me leave the pack territory at all, when other packs visited, he would keep me up on our floor of the pack house away from all male wolves, all the wolves in our pack wouldn’t dare step out of line or try anything with me, out of fear for their life. He thinks 18 is too young to find a mate and make that kind of commitment, mum had to convinced him to let me come on this trip and he only agreed because it was 2 weeks of me alone at our packhouse . Another reason he let me come this time was he is so close to Alpha Joseph and trust the members of his pack, that’s why I am here with you, if he didn’t trust you he wouldn’t of let me come out here alone” she said, great he doesn’t trust anyone with his daughter and the one time he trust me to take her out on pack land here I was making out with her and fantasising about doing things to her that would make a porn star blush. “I don’t really care about meeting my mate just yet” she finished.

“Wait really?” I was confused didn’t everyone want to find their mate.

“I mean if I found them great but its not the only thing on my mind, I have had a very sheltered life, not a lot of friends, and forget about boyfriends, I wasn’t allowed to date and have fun like others my age, I am just starting to be allowed to explore a little, I don’t really want to be trapped in another house by a mate who is over protective and possessive” it must have been lonely for her, here everyone spoke about her like she was a spoilt princess keep up in the tower because no one was good enough for her, but that wasn’t her doing at all it was her fathers, she just wanted to live. “I know my parents have seen a lot of pain and suffering and they just want what is best for me, when Callum died, they didn’t want to take chances of losing another child” I heard about that, Callum was her older brother the pride and joy of her parents, the first-born son and future Alpha. He was killed in a freak swimming accident when he was only 5, he hit his head on a rock passed out his foot got tangled in undergrowth tree roots and he drown. “I guess that’s why I take pictures all the time, the rare moments I get to see the beauty this world has to offer I want to remember it, take part of it back with me and share what I can with others”. From that moment I made it my mission to show her as much as I could in the time I had with her. The pack house neared and I squeezed her hand one last time before I let go knowing that her dad would skin me alive if I walking in holding her hand. Before I knew what was happening, she pulled me behind a large tree and pressed her lips to mine, I couldn’t stop myself from pulling her close to me. Her perfect little frame fit against mine, the heat from her body warmed my soul and I never wanted this moment to end. Her lips were soft and warm. My tongue licked along her bottom lip pulling it into my mouth sucking at it slightly. The feeling of her fingers running through my hair and against my neck had goosebumps growing all over my body. The rise and fall of her chest from heavy breath, were matched by my own, followed by a soft moan that escaped her, setting alarm bells off in the back of my mind. Stepping back and holding both her shoulders, I had to catch my breath “if I don’t stop now, I’m not going to want to”, was all I managed to say. If she kissed me again, I wouldn’t have to self-control to stop what I really wanted to do which was pin her against this tree and not stop till she was mine. She nodded and stepped back running her hand through her hair, also catching her breath, I’m glad I affect her as much as she affected me. Reluctantly we headed back towards the pack house making sure we weren’t touching we knew they would smell our scent all over each other so we decided to have a shower. Leaving her at the stairs, was harder than I cared to admit, I wanted to shower with her. Damn this sucks if she was my mate, we would be able to be together always no one would question it. But she isn’t my mate, sure I felt a pull towards her I couldn’t explain but I didn’t get that immediate powerful mate pull and sparks you feel with your mate. Maybe I could convince her to choose me as her mate then we could mark each other and our ties to our mates would be broken and I could make her mine forever. The thought satisfied me for the time being, I better shower I needed her scent off me before dinner, and I desperately needed to relieve some of this built-up sexual tension before I explode. The thought of Lucy in her underwear, laying on the rock all wet in the afternoon sun was just the image that would be playing through my mind while I did.