Chapter 4: werewolves?

Troy

I have been watching my mate from a distance ever since I found her 2 years ago. Deciding to wait till she was 18 to approach her, I thought it would make it easier on her to transition. When I found her, I was out on a walk to clear my head after a rival pack killed my father. I head to my favorite spot, which is a hidden clearing in the woods overlooking the city.

As I come to the opening, I see her. Sitting on the bench looking over the city, her long curly red hair lies around her shoulders. She looks lost in thought, so I stay hidden in the trees watching her. Suddenly, she starts looking around. Did she hear me? Her eyes, a beautiful shade of dark blue, scan the tree line. But she doesn’t notice me. I take in her scent; it's a sweet smell of honey and lavender. I could feel my wolf getting excited. He wanted to meet her, but not yet. For now, I have to keep my distance.

Kate

When I wake, my vision is blurry, my head pounding in pain. I sit up quickly as I realize what happened. I grab my head at the sudden movement. I need to take it easy. As I look around the strange room, I wonder where I am.

“Sleep well, princess?” a husky voice says from the corner of the room.

I jump, not realizing someone else was in the room. I turn to see Troy sitting on a chair by the window, watching me.

“Where am I?” I start to question.

“I know you have a lot of questions, and I promise to answer them soon. For now, let’s get you some food.” He says with a smile.

“No, I’m not going anywhere with you,” I yell and dart for the first door I see.

Running out the door and down the hall. When I look back to see if he is following me, I run into someone, knocking me to the ground.

“Are you okay?” A strange man says.

“No, you have to help me,” I explain.

“Alpha…” he says, taking his gaze to the floo.r

I feel someone grab my forearm, and I turn to see Troy. His grip tightens on my arm as I try to break free.

“I got it from here Jake,” Troy says as Jake walks away, leaving us alone.

“Why are you doing this? What do you want?” I snark.

“Kate, I’ll explain everything at breakfast, I promise,” Troy says softly.

Without releasing my arm, he leads me down the long hallway. We come to a set of stairs that open up to a luxurious living room with a big chandelier hanging in the middle of the room. It’s beautiful. He leads me into the dining room. Where Jake and a young woman sit. He motions for me to have a seat. I sit down slowly, waiting for the right moment to try to escape. He sits next to me and starts putting food on my plate. Bacon, a slice of toast, some eggs, and more. He can’t be serious. There is no way I can eat this much food. He must have noticed the look on my face.

“Just eat what you want.” He sighs, adding food to his plate.

We sit there in silence eating for what feels like forever before I decide to speak, “You said you would explain, start talking.” I say bluntly, not wasting any more time.

“I need you to keep an open mind. Can you do that?” He starts.

“Sure,” I say, shortly crossing my arms.

“I am the leader of the North Moon wolf pack. Jake is my beta, second in command. This is his mate, Molly.” He gestures towards the young woman. “We are werewolves. You were kidnapped by our rival pack because you are my mate and the future Luna of our pack. I’ve been watching you from a distance, waiting for you to turn 18. I thought it might make everything easier on you. Yesterday I went looking for you, but it was too late. Sam got to you first. I’m sorry I should have come for you sooner.”

“Your werewolves?” I laugh, “Is this some kind of prank?”

“No, it's not a joke!” He says sternly, “You need to understand your situation and everything that is going to happen.”

“What do you mean? What is going to happen?” I question him.

“We are mates, which means I have to mark you. Since you are human, the transition is going to be harder for you. Then there will be a mating ceremony where you will be introduced to the pack as their new Luna.”

“Marking? Mating ceremony? What the hell are you talking about?” I start to panic, standing up from the table.

“Calm down, I know it’s a lot to take in. We will take things slow, it's okay,” he says, trying to comfort me.

“No, I have to get out of here,” I bolt.

Running back to the living room and out the front door to see that there is nothing but trees. I start running through the woods, waiting to be anywhere but here. My lungs start to burn, and my legs are going weak. I'm not in the best shape, I don’t run or exercise, so I didn’t make it far before having to stop and catch my breath. As I take in my surroundings, I start to wonder if he could be telling the truth. I sit on a nearby stump to rest my legs. As it starts to rain, I notice how beautiful it is. The trees dancing in the wind and the sounds of birds singing. I take a deep breath, filling my lungs with the fresh air. For a moment, I let my mind wander. I could stay here forever; it feels so free and relaxing. I’m startled by the sound of footsteps walking towards me.