5

Aira Valerius.

I did not just end up getting married to a stranger I met for the first time today. Right?

The thought was kicked out by the marriage certificate I held in my hand, staring back at me, evidently, screaming that which I was trying to deny in my head.

Goodness gracious I did.

The cool air outside the registry kissed my skin, reminding of the impulsice decision I had made on a whim. After fleeing from the packhouse, I knew I had to find a solution sooner rather than later. My parents are understanding, or rather, my mother is. My father, not so much. I am unsure as to whether she has caught Rico and Lisa, and I did not stay to find out.

If she did, they were screwed. If she did not, I am screwed.

Point was, running away would not matter if my case was the latter, and so, I need a solution for the meantime. I did not even plan on marrying anyone. I had taken some money I had stashed aside with my phone, and I thought of lodging at a hotel in te human world for the meantime until I had figured a way out of this.

But then I crashed into his car--literally, and the moment our eyes clashed, that decision crossed my mind. I was pretty sure my wolf pushed me to it, but I cannot be sure. She has not exactly been expressive for the longest time, and it almost felt as though we were two different people rather than one.

Point was, it was all dawning on me, and I was not sure whether I should regret the impulsive decision, or be glad for it.

Not to mention, I married a stranger no less, a man whose idenitity I did not know or his background.

What if he is a rogue?

The thought had me instantly lifting my head up, my gaze set on him as he stood a few feet away from me. He was on a call, and if I was in my right senses I would have been able to eavesdrop and hear what he was on about, but I was too caught up in my thoughts to notice. A few feet behind him stood another man--the one that was in the front seat, and judging from how protective he seemed of him, he was his subordinate.

My gaze flicked to the car beside them, the sleek luxurious car screaming he was a person with authority. I could feel the power from him, but it felt dimmed, as though it was done intentionally but there was no mistaking it. He was a wolf, a powerful one.

But what if he is a powerful rogue? I could not scratch all the possiblities out.

But damn, could a rogue be that good looking and hot? I pride myself in being composed, but this man was a sight to behold. He easily put all the men to shame, and if he was indeed a criminal, he would be a fine one.

And then his eyes suddenly swayed in my direction, and when those intense dark eyes found mine--I shuddered, and not just from the cold, but from the intensity of his gaze, my hand clutching onto the marriage certficate in my hand.

His name played in my mind again--Alexander Edmund Thorne.

Sounds elegant alright, and familiar too. Though no matter how hard I tried to rack my brain, I could not remember where I heard the name before though I could swear I have heard it somewhere.

He ended his call then, and made his way over to me, and my heart rate spiked as he neared, mentally preparing myself for whatever he would do or say, though we have only spoken a few words to each other. We are still practically strangers.

Married strangers. Goodness I have made a decision I am starting to regret.

I do not know what I was expecting exactly, but it certainly was not what he did.

Reaching where I stood, he suddenly shrugged off his expensive, Italian clearly judging by the designer tag, suit jacket and draped it over my shoulders. But in the process, he was so close, our breaths were mixed, and I could only take in a sharp breath, the air between us electric but he was so calm about it.

He pulled the jacket to close me properly before his eyes found mine. "There." He said, his lips curving into a slght, faint smile. "You seem to be cold."

My mouth suddenly felt dry, and I felt out of words. I could only nod robotically, the words escaping my lips. "Thank you..."

He simply offered me a smile, and I wondered how he seemed too calm about this when I was seconds away from breaking apart. I was freaking out, and he seemed perfectly okay.

How?

I swallowed a lump, a shaky breath escaping my lips as I found myself speaking. "So...Uhm...this was quite unexpected." I offered him an uneasy smile, for that was all I could muster.

He hummed, nodding. "Unexpected, sure."

"Exactly." I breathed out lowly. "So, for now, I would get going and you..." I took a step back, glancing over his shoulder at the car waiting and the man that remained in his position, his expression steel like as he stared at me dead in the eyes--and was that hostility I saw in his eyes? My goodness. I then gestured behind him, and found his gaze again. "...you just carry on with what you were doing before and yeah..." I chuckled awkwardly, and in an attempt to escape the awkwardness, I turned around and tried to bolt.

Keyword, bolt.

His hand suddenly extended, taking a hold of my wrist, pulling me back to him and not expecting the action in the slightest, I ended up crashing into him so our chests were pressed. My eyes widened, my mouth falling open, and I feared with how our bodies were pressed, he could hear the thumping of my heart.

Not to mention, warmth flooded through my body where he touched me, and I could only swallow a thick lump as I lifted my head to find his gaze.

Why is he so damn tall? It should be illegal to be this tall really.

Not to mention, his scent was overwhelming--a mixture of sandalwood and forest, a weird combo but it was so distinctively him and I could feel my wolf restless at it. As always, she did not say anything though. But I could understand her feeling. I felt the same way.

This man, whoever he is, was not good for my fragile heart.

He stared down at me, those dark eyes holding me captive. When he parted his lips to speak, his voice was deep, dark and husky, making the butterflies in my tummy have a full blown circus. "Where do you think you are going?"

I swallowed down a lump. "...home?" It came out like a question, because where was I going?

Keep aside the fact that I have nowhere to go, I also have no idea where the hell we were. He simply told me to get in the car earlier and I did, eager to get as far away from the pack as I could and I was more than grateful when the car turned in another direction. But I did not pay heed, and I have absolutely no idea where we are.

Where would I even go from here?

I am sure he could tell as well, because he seemed amused, because he arched a brow as if to say 'really?'.

But instead of saying that, he simply said, "You were going the wrong way then."

"Huh?" I blinked.

"We are going home." He stated, his eyes holding onto mine. "My home." He leaned down as my eyes widened even more if possible, before he added in a low voice. "Our home."

Excuse me, he said what?