Chapter 4: 4: Chapter 4

LEAH

I get out of the car and march right up the stairs to the front door. I knock loudly, with no answer. Frustrated, I knock again. I feel Ares approaching behind me, the energy around me shifts the closer he gets. I glance to my left and catch a glimpse of John and Zeke standing at a reasonable distance. I knock once more and to my surprise, the door suddenly opens.

“Lea…ehrm, Your Majesty?” Alpha Jason greets me hoarsely. He looks worn out, with dark circles under his eyes.

“Alpha Jason! I received a letter from my mother informing me of what you have had to put up with. Is she here?” I try to look past him into the house.

Alpha Jason moves and lets us into the house that is full of people, all of them looking as if they have not slept in days.

“Yes, she’s here,” he replies as he looks around the room. “Clara, can you fetch Mrs. Hartley?”

A little girl nods and runs up the stairs. Not long after, my mother comes running down toward us. We embrace each other as a sob escapes me.

“Leah!” my mother exclaims as she holds me tightly. I glance quickly at Ares because she used my first name and I see how he clenches his jaw but remains standing in silence.

“Mom, what has happened? Tell me everything,” I say as my mother leads us toward the packhouse kitchen. Everyone else follows behind us.

“Rogues have attacked us fiercely, we have lost many lives…” Mom sobs.

We sit down around the large dining table while she puts on a pot of coffee. “The fighting has calmed down now for a few days, but you never know when they’ll be back.”

“Mom, you have to come back with us. We can protect you behind the castle walls, you are not safe here,” I plead. Alpha Jason and Luna Isabelle have joined us and are seated at the table. John and Zeke are standing in front of the door. I can feel both John and Zeke watching me.

“My Goddess…are we supposed to just leave our homes?” Mom says with a slight tremble in her voice as she carries coffee cups to everyone. I thank her as I take my warm cup. She sits down next to me, and I immediately take her hand in mine.

Alpha Jason, Luna Isabelle, and Ares begin to discuss whether they should come back with us or stay here. My gaze goes across the room and lands on Zeke and John. I catch John staring at me and he immediately looks away.

Suddenly, I notice Zeke’s body language change; he starts sniffing the air, his stare more frantically searching around him. He meets my gaze and I instantly understand that he smells the scent of his mate. He gives me a pleading look and I nod at him to leave the room. He gives me a faint smile before leaving the room. John looks at me with a questioning stare, and I answer him via our mind-link that I let Zeke go look for his mate who seems to be nearby.

I am thrown back to reality when Alpha Jason declares that they are coming back with us, they need two days to get all their affairs in order before they can leave. Relieved, I squeeze my mother’s hand and smile at her.

“Let me show you to your rooms,” Luna Isabelle insists and we get up to leave the kitchen. “It’s not as big as the castle of course…but I have a room that should fit the two of you,” she continues, smiling timidly at me and Ares.

“I can sleep in a separate room,” I answer harshly, walking past Ares. He growls quietly, but I ignore him as I go after Isabelle. Luckily, she doesn’t ask any questions but instead gives me an understanding look.

We follow her up the stairs to the second floor and she shows everyone to their rooms. I got the room that is furthest away in the hallway, opposite the room that Ares will sleep in. Without looking at him, I enter the room and close the door. I lean against the wall and sigh. Outside, I hear John and Ares talking.

“Zeke has been granted permission to find his mate, she’s here in this pack,” Ares says.

“Got it. I’ll take the whole night shift myself,” John replies, and I hear Ares go into his room.

I have a knot in my stomach; I hate to be at odds with Ares. Every fiber in my body wants me to go to him and Sia is whimpering inside me. But I am stubborn, I refuse to yield! I don’t like the way he is pressuring me into talking about something I’m not ready for.

Angrily, I change into one of Ares’s T-shirts that I’ve packed as my pajamas. Before I crawl into bed, I look out the window. The forest outside is dark and frightening. I put my hands on the cold windowsill and squint out into the night. Far in the forest, something shines, and I hold my breath as a white glow slowly moves between the trees, causing chills to spread up my back.

“What the fuck…,” I whisper as the white glow approaches the house only to stop a few feet into the forest, still behind thick tree trunks. I find it difficult to discern what it is until it suddenly changes shape and a woman steps forward from behind the trees. She has chalky white hair and a wicked smile on her face.

I scream out loud and seconds after, I hear John, who has just kicked the door open and is running up to me. Ares is in the room in no time, and I point out to the window, panicking over what I just saw.

“It’s the witch! Camille! She’s out there!” I pull desperately on Ares’s arm, but when I turn back to the window, she’s gone. All that is visible outside is dark forest and no trace of the white-haired woman.

“I’ll take a couple of men and head out to investigate,” John informs us, leaving us quickly.

“Ares, I promise! She was out there!” I say desperately as he pulls me into his embrace. I place my arms around his waist and drill my face into his chest. My body is shaking, affected by seeing my abuser so close yet again.

“I believe you, Leah…,” he whispers, stroking my back. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you now.”

I turn my face up to him. He gently wipes away tears that have started to fall down my cheeks without my knowledge.

“I was so scared when I saw her,” I say uncertainly, looking up at him. His eyes are filled with love and care, for a second, I no longer remember what we were arguing about.

“Nothing will happen to you,” he replies, gripping me tighter.

I immediately regret that we have shared rooms, so I swallow my pride and ask if I can sleep with him tonight. Ares responds by lifting me up into his arms before carrying me bridal style into his room. He places me gently down on the bed and crawls in next to me.

“You’re wearing my shirt,” he says, smirking as he pulls me into his arms.

“Yeah, I can’t sleep without your scent near me, so I figured this was the next best thing.” I blush and lay my head against his chest. His heartbeat is pounding hard under my ear.

~"We found no trace of the witch.”~ We both hear John’s voice say through mind-link.

I bite my lower lip nervously. Have I imagined it? No, I’m sure I saw her… or did I?

With an uneasy feeling in my body, I fall asleep next to my mate, safe in his warm embrace.

~As I fall deeper asleep, I am swept away from Ares and the bed, floating away until I end up on a large grass field. The sun’s rays are warm against my skin, I look down at my body and realize that I am wearing armor. Beautiful poppy flowers are coloring the field red with bumblebees buzzing all around me. Suddenly a twig breaks behind me. I turn around instantly searching my surroundings for the reason for the sound.~

~“Leah…,” whispers a dreamlike voice from the dense forest.~

~Hesitantly, I take a step toward the voice.~

~“Leah…”~

~It’s like the wind is carrying the voice with it. I’m about to enter the woods when I’m stopped by a scream behind me. Quickly, I turn back toward the poppy field. I hold my breath when I see that the red flowers have been replaced, and instead, the field is covered in blood. My body begins to shake. I raise my hands to my face but stop when I see that they are dripping with fresh blood. The contents of my stomach turn, and I vomit.~

~My tearful gaze scans across the field, looking for the person who just screamed. Farther on, I see a hand raised above the tall grass. My legs wobble as I run toward the injured person, and just as I approach…~

“Leah! Wake up!” he shouts, shaking my body.

I open my eyes; my body is soaked with sweat.

“You had a nightmare,” he whispers, wiping the tears from my cheeks.