Chapter 3

Neaera-

After stopping by the school office, for Stryker to inform them he was pulling me out of school for the rest of the day, he led me outside. I thought we were headed home until he took a detour that would take us in a different direction. Afraid to say anything because I could tell he was extremely pissed right now; I kept my mouth shut.

Letting him drag me away, I did my best to keep up with him. His long legs were no match for my legs, which made it challenging to keep pace with him. Practically running, my legs and lungs burned, proving I was out of shape.

By the time we reached a secluded area in the forest, I had no choice but to pull my wrist from his grasp. Bending over, I placed my palms on my knees so I could take a couple of deep breaths. Once I felt a little better, I stood up straight and saw Stryker looking at me with a frown on his face.

“You should have told me right away when they started messing with you.” Stryker directed his anger at me.

I wanted to calm him down, but I also didn’t care for the way he was getting angry with me right now. Taking a step back, I studied him for a moment to try to understand why he was this upset with me. Even if it was just because he was being protective of me, it didn’t explain why he suddenly looked as if he was about to lose control of his wolf.

“You can’t fight all my battles for me.” I reminded him, hoping that was enough of an explanation.

He started pacing the small clearing we were standing in. Watching him. I could see his muscles tightening with every movement. As many times as I have seen him shift, I knew he was on the verge of shifting into wolf form if he didn’t get control over himself.

Knowing his wolf was a nightmare to deal with, I closed the distance between us and placed my hand on his arm. He immediately stopped pacing, but he was facing away from me. His flesh burned under my hand, meaning he was teetering on the edge of shifting.

“Calm down. I know you worry about me, but it isn’t like I haven’t been dealing with this for a long time. It isn’t that bad, and I can handle it.” I did my best to reassure him.

Not long after I finished talking, Stryker grabbed my wrist and pulled me in front of him, turning me at the same time, then pushing me a couple of steps back until my back was pressed against a tree. Caged between him and the tree, I sucked in a quick breath and my heart started beating erratically.

“All I want to do is protect you! I never want you to have to deal with all of this on your own. Do you seriously not understand anything?” He sounded desperate as he spoke, but I didn’t understand what he was trying to say.

It was like there was something more behind his words, but I wasn’t able to comprehend it. All I could think about was how close he was to me right now and that every inch of my body was on fire. My throat had this burning sensation as if I was extremely thirsty.

Licking my suddenly dry lips, my eyes fell to the large vein that was visible on his neck. I didn’t know why, but I was in a trance as I watched the pulse on his neck. My attention didn’t last on his neck for much longer, as my eyes traveled up to his mouth.

What the hell was going on with me? Tearing my gaze from his lips, I placed my hands on his chest and attempted to push him away. He didn’t budge, which I didn’t expect him to.

With no other choice, I looked up into his eyes again. The moment I did, the entire world melted away and it was only me and him standing here. Something was different about him, which made me think it wasn’t me that was acting strangely.

Human or not, I could feel the Alpha power he held inside of him. That had to be the reason I was feeling funny when I was around him. Thinking that was the reason, I relaxed a little and decided that I wasn’t losing my mind after all.

“You really don’t have to worry about me. Even when you aren’t with me, you still protect me. It is because of you that I found the strength to stand up to her today. As your sister, I know I have to be stronger.”

I had hoped that my words would have curbed his temper a little, but it seemed to only make it worse when he punched the tree next to my head. A growl escaped him, and he tensed up. If I didn’t figure out a way to get him under control, his wolf was going to come out.

Ever since he turned eighteen, his wolf has been acting strange around me. I didn’t understand what I did to his wolf, but he seemed pissed off toward me. Stryker has warned me countless times that I am not allowed near him when he is in wolf form because he is afraid his wolf with hurt me.

I didn’t understand why, but I didn’t dare ask. After all, I was just a human and if Stryker told me, it was dangerous, I believed him. It wasn’t like wolves were known for attacking humans, but it is different for Alpha wolves.

Alphas needed to find their mates before they turned twenty-six or they would die. Since it has been two years already since Stryker turned eighteen, that is two fewer years he had to find his mate. It isn’t until after completing the mating ritual that a wolf will calm down.

The only thing I didn’t understand was why his wolf was only difficult to deal with when I was around. He goes on pack runs all the time and his wolf is fine. Perhaps it is because I am human, and he is just worried about me getting hurt.

Unsure of what to do to calm him down, I reached up to touch my hand to the side of his face. Surprisingly, that did the trick as he noticeably calmed down. His forehead came to rest on mine, while he took a couple of calming breaths.

“I hate this.” He whispered.

His eyes were closed as he spoke, his warm breath spreading across my face. I wanted to ask him what he meant but knew it would anger him again. Bringing my hand down, I wrapped my arms around him.

Moving my head to rest on his chest, I hugged him. “I am sorry.” I whispered.

I felt him tense up slightly, thinking he was about to lose control again, instead his arms came around me and he hugged me close. Doing my best not to think about why hugging him now felt different, I kept my mind clear. His hold on me was a little tight, but I didn’t mind at all.

We stood there in silence, just hugging each other until he pulled away. Grabbing my wrist again, I expected him to drag me again, but was surprised when he lifted me effortlessly onto his back. Despite how heavy I was, he carried me back in the direction of our house.

It wasn’t until we reached the front porch that he put me down. Our father was waiting in the living room, with a scowl on his face. Thinking he heard about the incident at school, I quickly rushed up the stairs to my bedroom.

After what happened with Stryker nearly losing control, I didn’t want to deal with my father right now. It wasn’t that I was scared of him, but I also knew I didn’t want to get between my father and my brother. Once I was in my room, I closed the door behind me and ran to my bed to throw myself on it.

Burying my face in my pillow, I was overcome with a feeling of exhaustion. My emotions have been all over the place so far and I still have this burning sensation in my throat. Grabbing my water bottle from the bedside table, I turned over on my side to drink the water.

When the water didn’t help the feeling in my throat, I wondered if I was getting sick. Setting the bottle back on the table, I closed my eyes and wrapped myself in my blanket. It didn’t take long for me to fall asleep.

When I woke up, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and looked at the time. It was six at night, which meant it was almost supper time. Crawling out of bed, I dragged my feet as I walked to the bathroom. I didn’t know why I wasn’t feeling good right now.

After using the toilet, I looked at my reflection in the mirror and realized that I never put on the makeup I planned to put on when I was at school. I looked pale and there were dark circles under my eyes. Maybe after eating I will feel better, considering I didn’t eat much for lunch.

Making my way downstairs, I felt like each step took a lot of effort. My body felt heavier than usual, and I felt like I was coming down with a fever. Unlike werewolves, I did get sick. Slowly making my way toward the kitchen, I stopped when I heard Stryker and my parents arguing.

“We can’t hide this from her forever. You know what she means to me!” Stryker yelled at our parents.

“She isn’t ready to find out the truth. Do you think she could survive the mating process? Her body isn’t built like ours. It is better for her if she doesn’t learn the truth yet. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to find someone else.” My father spoke.

Not sure what he was getting at, I watched the scene in front of me, doing my best not to alert them to my presence. I didn’t know if it was me, they were talking about or not. If it was me, what were they hiding from me?

“I will never accept anyone other than her!” Stryker yelled and I could tell he was losing control.

“She is important to us too. That is why we are concerned about her safety.” My mother spoke.

The more I listened, the less I understood what they were talking about. Then again, I didn't hear what they were talking about before. Hoping that the more I listened, I would be able to understand what was going on, I remained silent. 

“Nea deserves to know she is adopted!” Stryker lashed out, banging his fist on the counter.