Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

*Rurac*

My jaws clenched and my hands fisted on their own accord. My gaze drifted from my parents to the Alpha of New Dawn pack. I bit down my anger, shaking my head disappointedly at his words. I was an asshole, but at least I wasn't such a dick to people that actually mattered to me. Not that they were that much. I could count them on one hand.

Even if I was trying to see reason with my parents for making such an annoyingly rash decision about my future, I could barely understand why the Alpha and Luna of New Dawn had agreed to it. Other than obviously forming an iron clad alliance.

I wasn't an idiot. I knew how people felt about me. I knew what they said. Most times I didn't care. I had my pack's best interest at heart and I've been trained that it was all that mattered. And after considering it, I realized that there was no reason for me to not agree with my parents' decision.

They had given me the room to refuse. They never imposed their decision on me and I respected them for that. But even I had agreed that it was a smart move. Making them an ally was definitely bound to come in handy at some point. More than that, we would be gaining easy access to more of what we already had if we really needed it. We could ask for help from their pack healers. Their warriors. Their seers.

It would be stupid to say no. At least on my part.

I couldn't for the life of me figure out why New Dawn were agreeing to it though. For all the pack's council knew, I was a monster. There was no saying what I was going to do after I'd mated with the Alpha's daughter. I'd heard something about them trying to avoid a war. There was no one to succeed the rulership of the pack if the Alpha died. It was bound to result in some type of crisis for a while, especially from neighbouring packs. It didn't matter if they had the pack's best interest at heart. They'd proved one thing by inviting us over.

They didn't give a shit about their own daughter.

I rose to my feet, excusing myself and walking out. It was better to leave than to lose my cool and punch someone. I let myself sympathize with whoever their daughter was for only a second. She was probably crying her eyes out somewhere at the thought of being my mate. It was a shame her parents were good leaders but shitty family members.

I leaned against the wall, staring ahead and taking inventory of my surroundings. Werewolves moved about, some standing in groups and no doubt talking about what was about to happen. Talking but doing nothing. I let out a scoff. They were almost pathetic. I was glad I had trained my pack members better than this.

Feeling the urge to take my wolf out on a run, I walked towards the forest. It was one of the good things about this pack, I reasoned. They had abundant land. More than they knew what to do with. I walked deeper into the forest, took off my clothes and quickly shifted.

It felt good. I could feel the breeze on my wolf's fur as I ran faster and faster, releasing all the tension I'd had tightened in my body. I slowed down and eventually stopped running after I heard a twig snap somewhere close. I turned my head in the direction of the noise, instantly on alert. Scanning the perimeter acutely, I immediately spotted a wolf to my left.

The wolf was female.

And she was gorgeous. Her fur was a neat shade of brown with fine streaks of white in a few places. The tip of her tail was white and her eyes were a striking shade of dark brown, almost black, with flecks of gold. She was just standing uprightly and looking at me but somehow she seemed to be doing it valiantly.

She locked gazes with my wolf for a few moments before lifting her head up in a challenge. Before I could comprehend what message she was trying to pass across, she had taken off. Never one to back down from a challenge, I instinctively sped after her. I sharpened my senses, making sure I could easily see and hear her.

She was fast. Faster than I'd expected.

I increased my pace, almost missing her when she took a sudden turn. She was trying to use the advantage of being familiar with the forest to get me off her tail. I was impressed. She turned back when she heard me behind her, running even faster after realizing her plan had clearly failed.

We ran for so long it felt like ages. She wasn't relenting and neither was I. She kept trying to lose me, turning and taking sudden bends. I made sure I kept up with her, letting her have her fun for a few minutes. She was strong, I had to give her that. She hadn't slowed down even once. When I was sure I'd let her take the lead for so long, I doubled my speed.

It didn't take long for me to outrun her. She immediately turned, wanting to run off In a different direction but I was in front of her in seconds. I watched as she looked around, finding another open spot to run off in. I intercepted her before she got far. She tried to see in what direction she could take off again but she didn't find any.

She couldn't.

There was nowhere to run to. I'd successfully caged her. She finally gave up, her wolf slumping slightly in defeat. She walked past me, heading for the water. I stared at her, watching as she took a few steps until she was almost submerged in the water and then shifted.

Piercing emerald green eyes stared at me.

Following her lead, I walked to the water, waiting until I was almost fully beneath it and then shifted to my human form. I came up just as she had, our heads peeking out of the water up to our shoulders.

If I had thought that her wolf was gorgeous then she was downright beautiful. Her hair was very dark, giving an almost black shade and I couldn't tell the exact colour because it was wet. Little drops of water trailed seemed to sparkle in the sunlight over her eyebrows. Her eyelids.

Her lips.

I was about ten feet away from her but it was enough for me to see that her lower lip was fuller than the other one. Pink and wet, I wondered briefly what it would be like to have them on mine. I let myself imagine only for a second what she would taste like. I found myself wishing that the water would go down past her shoulders. Reveal the colour of her nipples.

I wanted to see all of her.

My eyes locked back with hers. I realized then that If it was possible to fall in love with only a part of someone, then I was very much in love with her eyes. They seemed to be so vibrant, swirling wildly with untapped flames. I didn't know anything about her but I could already tell she was a fiesty headstrong werewolf. Not much caught and held my attention but she had somehow managed to do both.

I was intrigued.

"You're fast," I said, my voice a bit hoarse. She said nothing, simply looking at me. Her eyebrows creased like she was trying to understand something. She was probably wondering why she had never seen me before. I didn't think she had caught on to the fact that I was the enemy yet. At least that was what they all believed.

Her gaze drifted away from mine for a fleeting second before coming back. She frowned, obviously used to making eye contact and wondering why she couldn't hold my stare for that long. "It doesn't matter," She finally replied, shrugging her bare shoulders. "You're faster."

I was.

My senses and abilities were more enhanced than the average wolf as an Alpha. It was why I could hear the hitch in her breath which she was desperately trying to hide. "You seemed to want to let go of some steam," I noted. Her eyes narrowed just the slightest bit.

"I could say the same for you," She retorted. Her head tilted to the left as spoke. My gaze slowly trailed down the column of her neck. She was unmated, without a mark, but then I had already noticed that with the lack of a male scent. Her scent was too feminine for a mated female. She scented like lemons and grapes.

I arched an eyebrow at her tone. No one talked to me with anything less than respect. I reminded myself that she clearly had no idea who I was. Her expression turned apologetic, as though she just realized the tone she had used. Her shoulders rose and fell with her intake of a deep breath.

"I'm sorry," She apologized, her hands moving steadily beneath the water. She fixed her attention somewhere else, looking like she was struggling to say more. "I'm just so angry at my parents. Even though my sister had clearly said no to their selfish decision, they're still trying to force it on her."

Her head shook angrily and she even let out a frustrated groan. "They still invited them over and my sister is so pissed she locked herself up in her room and has refused to talk to me." She brought her gaze back to mine, her green eyes glistening with so much emotion.

"And even though she would never admit it, I know that she's also hurt. After everything she's done for my parents they're not even willing to regard her feelings or decisions on the matter. I feel so heartbroken that she has to get married to that beast. He's not even worthy to be called an Alpha." She wiped an angry tear from her face. "She would be so alone in Blue Moon pack."

Gears began turning in my head.

I felt my blood freeze when I realized who exactly I was speaking to. I'd been told Alpha Kayden had two daughters. The older one, who I was supposed to be mated to would make a good Luna for the pack, my parents had said. She was submissive and obedient and extremely soft hearted. The younger one on the other hand, was anything but. I stared at the woman in front of me, suddenly seeing her in a new light.

It was very clear which one I was talking to.