6

    I shift uncomfortably as I get hotter and hotter. I feel like I am lying in a furnace. I am sweaty, and my pajamas are sticking to my drenched skin.

  We never let the house get this warm. Something must be wrong. 

  "Nate, something is wrong with the air coolant. It's hot," I mutter as I roll over. 

  When I open my eyes to see if Nathan heard me, I don't see my familiar bedroom or my awesome boyfriend. I see dirt and smoldering cinders where a fire was. 

   "Get up," someone says frantically, and I lift my head to see the wild female I forgot about from last night. 

  "You will burn yourself. Get up," she practically yells as my brain still can't catch up, and suddenly, I am in the air. 

  Thick muscular arms are wrapped around my torso so tightly that I feel like I might snap. The grip doesn't last long because, within half a second, I am standing on the other side of the room with a massive naked sexy God in front of me.

He doesn't even speak to me before lifting my arms and inspecting my face. But I don't really want him to because he looks like he might yell, and I would much rather stare at him. 

  He is the most beautiful man I have ever seen. His light brown hair and green eyes are too perfect for words. His shoulder muscles and thick neck make me want to touch him. He smells like musk and leather. I can't believe this is the Alpha. He is mouthwatering to look at. 

  "Ouch," I whisper as he brushes against a sore place on my arm. 

  He immediately reacts by inspecting the area closer, and when he does, I hear him curse under his breath. 

  "You are burned," he says before turning from me and facing my guard. 

    

  His skin is twitching, and for some reason, I know that he is mad. Furious...more furious than I have seen him in the past 24/hrs. I hear her whimper, and he finally growls, confirming what I already know. He is pissed. 

  "You allowed her to get hurt. She is burned. BURNED, ALESSIA! I entrusted you with her safety, and you failed," he shouts, and I lift my hand before I can stop myself. 

Something inside of me is pushing me to comfort him. It's as if I need to touch him. No, part of my mind can say no, either. I place my hand on his back, and he goes still. 

  "I was sleeping. I move a lot in my sleep. She was trying to wake me. I should have known I laid down too close to the fire. Please,...it was an accident. It doesn't hurt," I whisper, and he turns his head to look back at me.

  I give him a small smile and the light shifts in his eyes. Before I can utter another word, he is walking away. He leaves the area without so much as a backward glance, and my heart cracks. My entire body gets a numbing cold feeling, and my eyes fill with tears. 

How could he just walk away like that? Why does it hurt that he did? I don't know him. Maybe I hate the way he is treating me because I haven't done anything wrong. I mean, he obviously hates me, but why?

  "Thank you," Alessia whispers, and I peel my eyes off the entryway to look at her. 

  She sees my tears and instantly moves toward me. 

  "Is your wound becoming painful," she asks, and I realize I am actually crying. 

  "No. No, I am fine," I reply as I hurriedly wipe my face. 

  "Alpha was very clear when he ordered me to watch you. I should have never allowed you to be so close to the fire. I am sorry, Human. It will not happen again," she says, and I shake my head. 

  

  "That was not your fault, and my name is Taylor. Not human. I really am a wild sleeper. I should have kept my distance," I say, and she grins. 

  "Taylor. I like that name. It suits you," she says happily, and I chuckle before moving back to the other side of the room. 

  "I've never liked it. After my parents died, I thought about changing it, but I couldn't. They gave me my name. I couldn't disrespect them by getting rid of it," I say as I sit down a few feet from the warm ashes. 

   I hold my hands out, and she watches my actions curiously. 

  "I'm cold. That's probably why I rolled toward the warmth,' I explain, and her small eyes widen into saucers. 

  "I am sorry, hu...Taylor. I will build a new fire. But I will have to separate you from the flames. I cannot disobey my orders again," she says, and I nod while swallowing down the lump of pain at his memory. 

   What is it about him that makes me feel like this? Why do I react so strongly to his emotions? It is really starting to bother me. 

  She gathers wood from the corner and constructs a tight spiral by bending the thick logs like twigs. I watch in amazement, and before I know it, she has a fire going again. 

  "How did you lose your parents," she asks as she sits between me and the flames. 

  I look at her chiseled face and realize she looks much kinder now that I saved her from her Alpha. 

  "The bloodsuckers. We were about thirty thousand over the recommended population, and there was a breach. My family lived close to the wall, and well...They were lost. The city leaders changed their policy after that. They forbid anyone from having kids for ten years. It decreased the population. Nathan's parents died too...it brought us closer together," I explain quietly, and she nods. 

  "I recall that breach. Quite a few humans died, and we lost Aldo. He was swarmed near the bunker protecting the children. They pulled him apart," Alessia says, and my stomach turns. 

   "I was in the bunker. I am sorry for your pack's loss. He probably saved my life," I whisper, and she looks at me for a long moment. 

  When her gaze drops from my face, I spot a single tear on her cheek. 

  "He was a loud soul. He was always singing loud songs in our heads. He liked jokes also. I am proud he died defending such young lives," she whispers, and I grow curious at her wording. 

    "Singing loud songs in your heads? What do you mean," I ask, and she looks at me again. 

  "When in our stronger form, we like to communicate telepathically since normal speech is difficult. We are always linked by our bond with the Alpha so we can link at anytime. If our Alpha were to die, our bond would be broken and we would be unable to speak that way until we received a new Alpha," she explains, and my mouth hangs open in shock. 

  They can communicate with their minds!!!

  "Seriously," I ask, and she nods while watching my reaction with humor in her eyes. 

  "It allows us to coordinate quickly. We are able to protect one another within seconds. In Aldo's case, the Alpha got to him a second too late. He was our last loss. Alpha was furious with the New Human leaders for not listening. Each generation thinks they know what is best, but they should listen. We have been alive a long time," Alessia says, and I get curious once more. 

  "How old are you," I ask, and she shrugs. 

  "Around 700, give or take a few decades. We lose track of time often around here. Our lives aren't short, so we don't monitor the years as humans do," she says, and I try to look as if she didn't just blow my mind again. 

  "How many Lycans live here," I ask as I try to work out when she was born in my head. 

  "Twenty-three. We are a smaller pack now. We used to be double this size, but the years haven't been kind. I myself lost my parents. My father was killed fighting, and my mother died a few years later. She had lost her will to fight and grew sloppy. They were one of the few mated couples this pack has," she says, and without a single thought, I grab her hand. 

  "I am sorry. Losing your parents is hard. I know that from experience," I say softly, and she looks shocked before squeezing my hand back. 

  "Thank you. You are the first human I have spoken to in a long time, and you are different than I thought you would be," she says hesitantly, and I shrug before pulling my hand back. 

  "Humans are all different. And depending on the day, we might act differently than the day before. We are moody creatures, I guess," I say with a forced chuckle, and she laughs. 

  "Lycans are the same. Especially when we are hungry...Speaking of, are you hungry," she asks, and I nod. 

   She stands up and moves toward the wall of hanging bunnies. My stomach summersaults a little out of fear of having to eat one of them, but she grabs a bowl instead. She walks back over and sits down with her back to the fire. 

  "I ate while you were sleeping. Here are some berries and nuts," she says, and I take the bowl excitedly. 

  "Thank you," I whisper before throwing a wild strawberry into my mouth. 

  She nods and watches me eat in silence. I like Alessia. She and Giulia are sweet.