Chapter Two

After cooling down a bit, I couldn't sleep. My wolf and I remained restless. Unconsciousness wouldn't take over, so I decided to go out for a run. My wolf needed to get let out. When I exited the house, I allowed the sweatpants to fall from my waist. I shivered slightly at the feeling of the cool air dancing across my bare skin. At the same time, I loved it.

Once I was ready, I allowed my wolf to take control of my body. The bones shifted and rearranged themselves as blond fur poked through the skin covering me. When I completely shifted, I broke off running in the direction of the beach a few miles away, towards the southern borders.

The cool breeze blew through my fur as I bolted. The moon lit the sky along with the millions of twinkling stars. The trees became fewer the closer I got to the coastal beach. I could faintly see the ocean off in the distance. A few minutes later, I reached the sandy coast line. The cool sand stuck to my paws as I trekked across it, nearing the water. The sound of waves filled my ears and I could practically taste the salt in the air.

Seagulls chirped to each other as they swooped by. I halted once I reached the edge of the water. I laid down on the sand and gazed off into the distance, watching the horizon where the sky met the water. 

Sometimes I wondered what it was like over there. Far away from everything. Just water and its inhabitants. A second world.

I always came to forget about everything. A nice place to think. Dusk and dawn were the best times to visit, because the area was abandoned. Peace and quiet. I never brought anyone here with me. I always came out alone. Not even with Darian.

Hours passed by. All I did was think and admire the beautiful stars and the calm water. Staring up at the sky, I watched it transition as dawn arrived. The dark sky changed to one of pinks, purples, and oranges. A beautiful sight. The stars soon vanished as the big ball of fire peaked above the horizon, forcing the moon to back away from its position. My surroundings began to awaken when the sunlight woke them up from their slumber.

A flock of seagulls zoomed by, talking to each other in a language I couldn't comprehend. Turtles slowly walked across the sandy beach, trying to reach the cool salty water, and crabs scurried around with their large shells on their backs. The cool air turned hotter by the second, but the wind picked up.

Standing up in my large wolf form, with one last look at the crashing waves, I turned around and took off. The running back was nice. The trees that surrounded me blocked out the light from the sun, keeping it from shining down on me and making it unbearably hot. Birds sang and squirrels scurried away when I passed by.

By the time I reached the house, the sun was fully set in the sky, the beautiful sunrise colors gone and replaced by a bright, cerulean blue.

When I entered, voices sounded from the sitting room. Walking through the entry hallway, I made my way into the room. The first thing I noticed when I came in was the person sitting on the black leather couch, chatting with Darian. 

It was a woman. 

Her auburn hair was pulled up into a tight bun and glasses perched on her pointed nose. She wore a white blouse, the two top buttons undone, and a grey pencil skirt. 

Both her and Darian looked over at me, stopping their conversation when they noticed my presence. 

'Who is this?' I asked Darian as I scrutinized the sophisticated woman, not enjoying the way she ogled at me. 'And why is she here?' 

'That is Sandra. She came here this morning saying she had something important to tell you,' Darian responded. 

I stared at him as if he was dumb. 'So you just let her in?'

'Well...yeah.'

'You are so dumb,' I groaned as I walked up to him and smacked the back of his head. 'She could be a murderer or something.' 

'How would I know that?' 

Breathing deeply, rolling my eyes in the process, I turned to face the suspicious woman. She stared at us in confusion. Oh right, she couldn't hear our side conversation. 

"Can I talk to you, Alpha Kaelith?" She asked, her voice laced with an unfamiliar accent. This made me feel slightly uneasy. What did she want? "Privately," she added, glaring at Darian. 

Darian scowled before turning and leaving. I was about to tell Darian not to leave, but Sandra interrupted me, "Can we go somewhere a little more private?" She asked, hopeful. 

Narrowing my eyes, I shook my head 'no'. She frowned, not expecting me to decline. She nodded before slowly scooting over on the couch and motioning me to come sit next to her. 

Cautiously, I walked over to where she sat, making sure I was as far away from her as the armrest allowed me. 

She didn't seem to notice the distance I wanted to maintain because she scooted a little closer so that her knee brushed against my leg. Her steely eyes stared at me through the lenses of her thin-rimmed glasses. 

What was her deal?

"I'm not from around here," she stated, "and I really need a place to stay." My eyes narrowed as I felt suspicious of her. Picking up the notepad and pen from the coffee table, I wrote:

'Why are you here?'

I didn't care how rude I sounded, but I didn't like this woman and I wanted her to leave. Immediately.

"I was hoping you'd let me stay here," she answered with confidence. 

Was she serious? I didn't even know her. 

'Nobody stays here but me,' I wrote. 

She frowned, dejection etched across her face. "Can you make an exception?" 

'I don't know who you are, but I'll give you an address to someone who'd let you rent a room.'

I stood up and scribbled down the address on the paper and ripped it out, handing it to her. She glared at the paper before looking up at me, forcing a tight-lip smile. 

"Thank you," she mumbled, standing up. We walked over to the door and I opened it, ushering her outside, slamming the door before she had the chance to protest. 

Okay...that was weird. 

"Kae!" Darian called out to me from the kitchen. I trudged down the main hallway towards the kitchen. Darian sat on the leather stool in front of the marble island counter, biting an apple. "What did she want?"

'She wanted to stay here,' I responded, 'I didn't trust her, so I sent her to Ruth.' 

"Did you see how hot she was?" Darian licked his lips as he probably imagined her in his mind, "Definitely wouldn't mind her staying at my place." I rolled my eyes at his hormonal behavior. How could he check out girls when his mate was out there, waiting to be found? 

"When are you getting ready for the party?" Darian asked, completely changing the subject. 

I shrugged, not really caring. "You should prepare now. The drive will take a while," Darian suggested. 

Rolling my eyes, I listened to him. Reluctantly, I ascended the stairs and entered my room, heading straight for the bathroom. Turning on the water in the shower, I took off my clothes and tossed them off over to the corner by the door. Then I climbed in the shower and allowed the warm water to embrace me. 

It took me a few minutes to shower. When I finished, I wrapped my towel around my waist and moved over to the sink to brush my teeth and shave. Then I picked up my comb and tamed my wet hair. Afterwards, I dropped the towel and changed into a black v-neck with a pair of dark jeans, not really caring about the clothes I was supposed to wear.

When I left the house, Darian waited outside with the car keys dangling between his fingers. He seemed more excited about this than me, and he wasn't even the one attending. Perhaps he liked the idea of taking over my position in my absence. 

He handed me the keys with a smile. "Have fun!" He exclaimed and blew me a fake kiss, "Don't miss me too much, babe." 

I rolled my eyes at him and climbed into the car, the leather seat cushioning me. Sticking the keys in the ignition and turning it, the car revved to life. I switched the radio on and some song by Sam Hunt came on. 

I heard a knock on the window. Darian motioned me to roll down the window. So I complied. 

"Don't forget to let loose and live a little," he reminded me. I nodded my head, not really paying attention to his words. He stepped back from the car. 

I put the car in drive, pushed the gas pedal, and allowed the car to drive forward. My house grew smaller the farther I drove away. 

This is going to be a long day...