Chapter 21: Chapter 20

The night air is my friend, that much I will never doubt.

It never betrays me. It never turns a cold shoulder to me for it is always cool, except in the dead heat of summer. So then, the breeze from the mountains is invited to greet us for a midnight rendezvous.

But tonight the air is more than cold—almost icy as winter approaches. Yet my body and wolf keep me warm. The fact I am metabolising faster for my body to heal the bruises, I can handle the cold that much better. I make my way down shadowed paths, winding through the trees and never once shudder from the tendrils of night that brush across my bare arms and legs. This is my friend.

The shadows are secretive, but I feel as if I can see right through them. I see the rough tree trunks hiding camouflaged spiders, the cunning owls peering down at me from their perches; I smell the furry possums as they skitter away to hide from me. Even the bats that hiss and click don’t scare me. There is nothing malicious in this forest, in the natural order of the earthen biome.

I sit down on a large boulder overlooking a gully, the diamond specks of starlight giving me silent company, and finally feel calm. At peace. Home.

Until the throaty snarl reaches my ears.

It is dripping with power, and the dominance instantly has me leaping off the rock and shifting into my wolf. I shake out my fur, pound my paws to the ground, and face the wolf that interrupted so peaceful a night.

Through the trees I see his midnight black coat, his steps as quiet as death as he stalks closer.

This is the hideous beast I should be afraid of. The one with shadows swirling and exuding from every movement, every muscle. Even his breaths comes out in black clouds of mist, daring me to stand my ground.

His crystal blue eyes are bright in the pale light, shining even bluer than I remember. My mate takes a measured step forward, his entire posture alert and subtle, careful and calculated like the predator that he is.

My heart pounds. The Alpha male before me is so much larger and intimidating than I first thought. My wolf sings with appreciation while my heart shakes under the dominance my mate projects. I don’t want to submit, but when Malachi growls again, opening his jaws to reveal sharp white teeth, I shudder and turn instantly.

My feed skid forward, carrying me down the gully and up the other side before I even realise what I am doing.

Twigs snap behind me. His pants grow louder. Soon his hot breath is stirring the fur on my tail. His growls are meant to mean something to me, yet I continue to run. Continue to put one foot in front of the other, away from him, trying to put as much distance between this terrible and confusing Alpha and myself.

My dusty brown wolf surges forward, pouncing up a rock strewn hill, the trees thinning, the slope becoming steeper. My paws entangle in the roots but dig into the dirt, never once losing traction. I am nearly to the top—

But with a ferocious growl I am stopped short, my body slamming into a massive wall of soft fur and rigid muscle. Malachi stands in front of me, and I slip backwards. I hiss at him for cutting me off, and when he nudges me back I snap my teeth, daring to claim a small amount of equality with the Alpha male. I don’t know if it is wise or foolish, but I continue to glower at him.

He stares at me. His blue eyes soften and his growling quietens to something softer, something like a… whine?

His nose nudges my neck, his tongue flicking out to touch my mark and sparks shoot over my skin, making my fur stand on end as if a lightning bolt passed between us.

Because maybe it has.

With my entire body shuddering with aftershocks, I snap my eyes to his.

He looks at me hesitantly, his head tilting sideways to regard me, as if testing me. Wondering if I’ll run again.

I don’t.

Instead, I close the space between us and tentatively lick the side of his jaw. When he doesn’t back away, I grow more bold and trail my tongue from his jaw to his cheek, up to his ear and back down his nose. My tongue darts in and out, cleaning his face from the dust and twigs that we ran through. I am so lost in the intimate action between us that I don’t realise he is shaking his head, twitching side to side, until he pushes me back with a force to knock me off my feet.

I sprawl into the dirt, my paws grasping to remain steady but failing. I whine with an apology and lower my nose to the ground when he comes to stand over me. I just disrespected this Alpha, licking him all over the face like a mother wolf to her pup, and can feel the anger shaking in his bones. I shudder, pushing my head further down and showing my neck in submission.

Malachi’s hot breath ruffles the fur of my ears, dancing over my face, then he nudges me.

When I don’t look up, shame coursing through my veins, he nudges me gently again. A soft murmur rumbles from his mouth. Then his noses pushes under mine, lifting it so he can begin licking my throat, and I finally meet his eyes. He is bowing his head before me. His eyes are wide with an open intensity, with an apology.

This Alpha is apologising to me?

He looks pained that he pushed me and made me fall. The blue irises set against the black fur of his face are a stunning hue, so vibrant I can read many emotions in them. He is sorry for startling me; saddened that I was frightened by him; angry with himself for making me run.

I run my nose along his neck, rubbing my head against his to show my acceptance, and he does the same. Malachi circles me, brushing his fur along me, his heat enveloping me as his body caresses mine. His scent drapes over me like a heavy coat, and the symbolism is not lost on me. He is claiming me as his.

Nudging my rear, he leads me up the hill slowly then halts by the crest, shifting into his human form and turning to me expectantly.

“Your Wolf is so beautiful,” Malachi murmurs in the silence of the night.

Shaking my head, I shift back also. I am just a dusty brown coloured wolf with mottled fur. Nothing majestic or even pretty.

Before I can turn to face him, his arms encircle me from behind, and he rests his chin on my shoulder. Despite his efforts to remain distant, it seems he can’t fight this attraction between us. I don’t complain, soaking up this contact though I still can’t read his intentions. He is just as confusing as a raincloud in a sunny sky.

The darkness around us pales as dawn approaches. The colours of the night sky seep away, leaving bright ombré patterns of peach and violet in the eastern horizon. I look out over the steep hill before us and realise what Malachi had done. When he stopped me abruptly and pushed me back down the hill, he had kept me from plunging over the edge in my blindness.

“You shouldn’t have gone out into the forest by yourself. It took me a while to track you, and I was beginning to think you’d gotten into trouble,” he murmurs against my ear, and I bristle. Maybe he is holding me close so I don’t run away while he delivers his lecture.

“I was fine. I was just getting some fresh air—“

“Maybe this time you were,” I hear his voice tighten. “Just don’t ever go for a walk like that again unless you are accompanied.”

Pulling away, I look him in the face, making sure he sees the frustration in mine. “But why? Is it not safe? You and Harlow made it very clear last night that there was nothing to worry about.”

“Yes, well… I didn’t know you were inclined to take a walk through the forest in the dead middle of night,” his shoulders lift as he takes a deep breath, expelling it roughly while running an agitated hand through his dark hair. It is midnight lingering over him, the shadows reluctant to give way to dawn.

I still don’t hear a reason why I can’t go out at night. “I love the forest at night. It’s so magical, don’t you think?” I say dreamily to avoid a defensive tone.

“Magical?” The Alpha gives a shaky laugh, burying his hands in the pockets of his hoodie after flexing his fingers, as if unsure what to do with them. “I can think of other words that describe it better.”

“Like haunted?” I might finally be getting somewhere, and can’t stop the thrill of my heart pounding faster. “You know, I’ve heard people say it is, but I don’t believe them. What do you think? This is your forest, after all,” I wave my hand over the trees behind us, still draped in shadows as the sun hasn’t yet peaked.

“If you mean haunted by ghosts or spirits, I wouldn’t believe any of that talk,” he instantly shakes his head, his eyes avoiding mine.

“But maybe by something else? A murderer, perhaps?”

Malachi finally turns his head to me and gives me a sharp look, one supposed to imply whatever he isn’t going to say. “Just don’t wander out alone anymore.”

I run my bottom lip between my teeth, biting back my frustration and curling my fingers into my palms. A part of me wants to scream at him, demand that he be honest with me. But another part insists on being patient, the heavy feeling blooming in my chest and displacing the angry words I would never say anyway. I’m not that type of confrontational person. “Alright,” I hesitantly agree with a huff, already planning who I might convince to go with me when I want to go for a trek at night. “You know, it was during one of my night walks through the forest around my home that I first saw you.”

“What do you mean? I don’t remember—“

“No, you didn’t see me or my two friends. We stayed on our side of the boundary. I wasn’t going to test your Beta again,” I chuckle, and Malachi nods, knowing when I am referring to the time Hamilton had chased me off the land. “But you were standing up here, just staring up at the night. You looked so...forlorn. Desolate. Lonely.”

The darkness in Malachi’s scowl grows.

I realise those aren’t exactly the type of adjectives an Alpha would want to be described with. “I could tell right away, though I never saw your eyes or smelt your scent, that there was something significant about you. That you meant something to me. I couldn’t get you out of my head for the entire month I was grounded after that night.” I walk towards the edge to study the sloping rocks below, but Malachi swiftly moves to grab my hand, tugging me back against him.

“You were grounded?”

“My parents caught me sneaking back into my room after my friends ditched me. They were angry I’d wandered out again after the last time turned out so badly. And rightly so. I never seem to learn what’s right for me.” I can’t believe how freely I am speaking to him. But his manner has eased, the tight lines around his eyes have relaxed, and I feel as if he wants to hear me speak my mind.

“Or maybe you’re braver than you think.”

I wave off his words, not daring to believe they’re a compliment. “Or foolish. One of these days, my curiosity is going to get me killed. That’s what everyone says, anyway.”

“I’d like to have a word with this everyone. Nothing is going to kill you if I have any say about it,” Malachi’s voice held a threatening growl, and his fingers tighten around mine.

“You’ll protect me from everyone who says I’m crazy?” An image of Max and his sick joke flashes across my mind.

“Of course. I will personally give them a sound discipline and punishment for even so much as talking behind your back. No one can criticise my mate and get away with it.”

I lean into his arms. “But what if it’s true? What if I am crazy and I see and feel things that aren’t really there?” I don’t tell him the full truth, just get him used to the idea before he learns more about me or flips through my art journals. They show the full extent of my fantasy and imagination. He would either appreciate the art, or shake his head in amusement like everyone else.

“There’s nothing crazy about you. Believe me. I know crazy, and it’s not you, Ariella.”

My face widens in a goofy grin, and I cough to smother the laugh that bubbles up in my chest. To hear that he doesn’t see me as crazy—even after wandering through the forest in the middle of the night before startling and running from him, my own mate—is the sweetest assurance I have felt for a long time.

After a few minutes of standing together in silence, watching the clouds on the horizon become gilded with golden sunlight, I tug on my hair elastic and pull it out, raking a hand through my hair to loosen the strands. When it falls over my shoulder, the breeze lifts the scent of coconut. Last night, I’d used Malachi’s shampoo, and it has now become my favourite hair product. My lips lift into a lazy smile, as the scent reminds me of visiting the Alphas’ family during the holidays at their beach house. The sunscreen and surfboard wax we used were always tropical coconut scented, and it smelled sweet enough to eat.

“Why are you smiling?”

Malachi’s question snaps me from my happy memories.

“Your coconut shampoo. It smells so good,” I hold a few strands under my nose and inhale deeply.

“I never noticed…” Malachi leans in and presses his nose to my hair, his arm winding around my waist to pull me closer. My entire body tingles from his touch. “You’re right, it’s nice.”

When he looks down at me, the sunlight catches his irises, making the hues shine with a most vibrant oceanic blue. His warm breath fans my face, and I became lost in his closeness, in this electricity that sparks between us. Where his body is pressed against mine, his hand tightly on my hip, I feel it so keenly.

I think I forget what it means to breathe when he presses a kiss to my forehead.

Then he pulls back, almost regretfully. “Hamilton said you want to go home and collect your things. He offered to drive you there today.”

I am taken aback by Malachi’s words. “Sure, okay. When does he want to leave? Like, after breakfast?”

With a shrug, Malachi lets me go and rubs the back of his neck. “Sure. Anytime you’re ready, I guess. I had wanted to show you around today, but it’s probably for the best. There’s a few things I need to sort out first.”

I nod, wondering if he’s even happy with my idea of collecting my things to move into his house.

“Do you even want me to stay here?” I regard him with careful eyes, noting the way his attention drifts until I speak.

He then looks at me with a sudden frown of confusion, as if I’d asked a ridiculous question. “Of course, I do,” he breathes, the faint murmur brushing across my face and warming me.

“Then, why does it seem… seem like you don’t really want me here? I mean, last night—“

“Forget last night.” He releases a long sigh, and pushes back his fringe with one hand. “Honestly, I didn’t know what to think after...after you had your heat the other night. I didn’t trust myself.”

His words spike a passionate flare that sears through me though my heat is long gone. To hear him say that he still wants me in that way makes me nervous but relieved.

“I’ve always wanted a mate, of course,” he goes on, slipping his hands back in his pockets. “I just didn’t expect to find you so soon. I’m still young. And I’ve only been Alpha for a couple of years.”

“How long?” I interrupt, wanting to know a bit more history about this pack and my mate.

“Nearly three years. I was only seventeen when my dad died and I took over the position. I’ve tried to do my best, but there are still lots of my pack members that don’t recognise me as their Alpha.”

I curl my arm through his and rest my head on his shoulder, letting him know that I’m here for him. I can’t believe how young he was to be given the responsibility of Alpha. He’s obviously had a rough couple of years, and I sense that I am extra responsibility weighing on his shoulders. But I want to ease his burden, not add to it. That’s what a mate is supposed to do, right? “Maybe they just don’t see in you what I see,” I say, my eyes meeting his.

“And what’s that?” He lifts an eyebrow, his frown turning to a small, slightly amused smile.

“A strong wolf, brave and worthy to be a leader. Mature and firm, yet gentle and caring. I don’t know you very well yet, but I reckon anyone would be honoured to call you their Alpha.”

I feel his chest tighten then relax, and I only hope he believes my words. With a shake of his head, he scuffs his toe in the dirt and laughs quietly, “Yeah, you don’t know me well.”

“Well, you can’t be more of a coward than me. I just seem to keep running all the time, especially from you,” I lightly tap his arm with the back of my hand.

“Maybe you should run from me.”

The serious way he says it, and the twinkle that disappears from his eyes, makes my heart clench like a cold fist is squeezing around it. “If you….” I swallow hard and begin again. “Even if you gave me one good reason why I should, I still probably wouldn’t. You’re my mate, Malachi,” I face him to look him in the eyes, not letting him drift away. “The other half of my soul. I know there are differences between us, and it’s hard for us to open up to someone we just met. But I need you to know that I’m here for you. You can tell me anything.”

“Thank you, Ariella. But I can’t—“

“Don’t say no just yet. I can understand that you won’t be able to trust me straight away. But give me a chance. At least give me the chance to earn your trust.”

His eyes hold mine, keeping me spellbound, unable to look away. His gaze is a deep enchantment that I’m liable to lose myself in. But I want to be lost in him, don’t I? He’s my mate.

The one who will protect me from everyone else.

His eyes scrunch in deep thought, as if he is wrestling inside with himself. Then he exhales. “Alright. I can give you that. But you’ll need to be patient with me. You’ll soon discover I’m a real piece of work.”

My smile rivals the brightness of the risen sun. “Artwork? That’s what I like best.”

Malachi laughs, a warm sound that lodges in my heart and unwinds the tendrils of nervousness. I’m feeling more and more at ease in his company, and I don’t think I will ever want to run from him again. His darkness seeks the light inside me, calling for it and wanting to be displaced. I will do that for him. I will be his calm place where he can lay aside his stress and just relax.

That’s what mates do for each other. Protect, respect, care, and nurture.

I suddenly want to be his everything when he leans closer, his face only inches from mine. I see his eyes darken as they flutter down to my lips then back up.

His body crowds mine. We share breath for a moment that I didn’t even know could exist. Here, right now, I see him. I see the beauty inside, the pure goodness that hangs about him like the white wings of an angel.

His lips are a centimetre from mine—

The loud cry of a bird has Malachi pulling back. He turns to the trees as we both jump apart, his body instantly tensing with alertness.

Then we both let out a chuckle as all we see is a kookaburra, it’s head thrown back and laughing at us.

Even nature laughs at our awkward innocence.

“I guess we should be getting back,” Malachi takes my hand and tugs me down along the forested path.

On our way back to the estate, the question tugs at my mind and slips past my lips before I can stop it. “Were you about to kiss me?”

His hand tightens around mine with an involuntary squeeze. “Why? Were you hoping I would?” He asks after a moment of birds twittering and leaves rustling around us.

I can only sputter. “I don’t know, I just—“

He turns and smiles at me, showing he didn’t really want an answer. “Don’t worry. When I’m about to kiss you, you’ll know.”

My heart can’t thud any faster it seems. But he still didn’t answer my question. Was he hoping to kiss me? I am totally overthinking this and just try to enjoy the warm of his fingers around my own and the fine image of his broad back as he leads to his home.

We reach the large mansion and I go upstairs to shower and prepare for the day. I’m excited to see my parents again and collect my most important things. Obviously I won’t be able to pack up everything I own and transport it here, so I make a list of exactly what I want.

As I head back down, I hear Malachi and Hamilton talking together in the kitchen, munching on the cereal I laid out the night before. I will have to cook them breakfast another day, to prove that we don’t need a certain other shewolf making them hot and unhealthy food all the time.

Malachi gives me a secretive smile that makes my stomach fill with butterflies. Before he leaves the room, he lays a hand on my arm gently.

“I’ll be seeing you later, right?”

“Of course! I’m just going to collect a few things..” I can’t figure out what prompted his question.

He shrugs casually, looking at the door. “Your family might convince you to stay. I didn’t exactly make a good impression. I would understand if you wanted a few days—“

“Malachi, I’ll see you tonight,” I say firmly, sensing the faint throb of insecurity in his eyes that finally meet mine. He is trying to play it off, but I can sense that under his shield of masculine pride and dominance, a fragile heart beats. It startles me for a moment and I give him my best look of assurance.

Then he is gone, leaving me alone with his Beta.

Hamilton just stares at me with his usual calculating scowl in his face. “ So, the Alpha wants me to take you home to get some stuff. You ready to go?”

“I thought you offered—never mind,” I change tack when his frown deepens. So he didn’t really volunteer to take me. He’s just following orders, and I am an annoying chore in his busy day.

“Let’s go.”

I follow him to his pickup that’s parked out front, and the start of the drive is quiet as I keep to myself and he keeps checking his phone.

Biting my tongue, I don’t say anything about how he is driving. Until the car drifts into the middle lane as he looks down, and I can no longer keep quiet. “Could you please only check your phone once we have stopped? I’d rather you give your full attention to driving,” I say politely but feel like saying- What’s more important than getting there in one piece?

I’ve never liked cars.

He shoots me a dark look that I can feel bristling my skin, but he complies and tosses the phone to the console. “My sister,” he mutters, as if in explanation. “I didn’t see her this morning, and now I can’t get onto her.”

My eyebrows lift in surprise. “You have a sister?”

Hamilton looks at me with a touch of incredulity. “Harlow,” he states simply, as if I should’ve known this earlier.

But with my mouth hanging open, I feel the pieces click into place. The same blonde hair, the same facial structure and hazel green eyes. Even the same dominance that they wear like a badge of honour. They both have Beta blood, so of course Harlow thinks she can dominate me in everything.

And they’re both close to the Alpha.

“Alright, well…” I gather my thoughts. “Harlow normally works in the Alpha’s estate every morning, right? Last night, I said she could have the day off as I could look after things. She mentioned having some other places she’d like--”

I jump when Hamilton pounds his fist on the steering wheel. “What a clever thing to do.”

I feel small and stupid in the wake of his expletives. And here I was hoping to get on the good side of the Beta, but I guess I will need to work harder. But how was I to know that Harlow was his sister and I shouldn’t get involved in her work routine? Seeing as the Alpha’s estate would be my home for probably the rest of my life, and the fact that I am the Alpha’s mate, I thought I had some say in who worked where and when. I didn’t know Hamilton would get so upset over the situation. “I guess you’re still mad at me for crossing onto your territory all those weeks ago. I never got the chance to apologise. So,” I twist in my seat to face him, and watch the tense muscle in his jaw working hard. “I’m sorry for crossing the border. I got carried away in my own thoughts and never realised I had crossed it. I never intended--”

“It’s not that. Just save your breath.”

I shut up quickly, turning back straight in my chair and staring out the front window without really seeing a thing.

When we cross back onto ForgedHearts territory, I feel the link re-establish with my family. Hey Mom, guess who’s coming over for lunch! I mindlink my parents.

I can feel her excitement through the bond.

When our car drives along the familiar dirt road that leads up the hill to my childhood home, I grin and clutch the seatbelt tightly, immediately unbuckling it as soon as we stop.

I jump out and run towards the front garden where my mom is waving. Flinging myself into her arms, I realise just how much I have missed her though I’ve only been away for two days. I hastily introduce Beta Hamilton, and he curtly yet politely greets my parents then moves off to talk what I assume is Beta talk with my dad.

Mom takes my hands and pulls me upstairs. “So tell me everything! What’s it like in DoubleEdge? Is Alpha Malachi treating you right? Has everyone accepted you?”

I suddenly don’t know how to answer her. “Well, Malachi is nice. He respects me.” I choose my words carefully.

She gives me a strange look, her lips pressed together as she seems to look me over with a careful inspection. “So you’re not mated yet?”

I choke on the apple I am eating. “No, uhh... Um, no, but how come everyone can tell?”

“Your scent. It would have changed if you had. Once you and your mate fully complete the bond, not only are your souls and bodies melded together, but your scents also combine to create something unique only you share.”

“Oh,” I nod my head. “Well, it was sort of sweet actually, the way things turned out on the night of the full moon when we left here in an embarrassing rush,” I turn to my closet and begin pulling out clothes, my face starting to heat up as I speak to my mom about such personal things. “Malachi said he didn’t want us to do anything we’d regret later. Honestly, I went pretty crazy that night. Felt things I never have before. But he managed to keep a level head.”

As she puts my folded clothes in a big bag, my mom smiles, “Wow. He must have a lot of self-control, that Alpha.”

A response catches in my throat, but I say it anyway. “Or...he just doesn’t really want me as Luna. I mean, I know he wants me, but maybe not really just yet. He’s not sure…” I ramble, realising my words don’t make much sense.

“Oh, baby, is it that bad?” My mom pulls me into a hug and strokes my hair, hiding the fact that tears prick my eyes. Despite what Malachi and I talked about this morning, I still get the feeling I’m on a trial run, and he will only decide later if he truly wants to accept me as mate and Luna to his pack. “What’s happened that makes you think that? Surely--”

“Nothing I can’t handle,” I put on composure like you would a cardigan, and smile bravely. I am getting good at hiding my true emotions. “We’ll work it out. We’re both young, and his pack is a lot different to ours. We haven’t really spent much time together yet, but he’s promised to get to know me.” I leaf through my favourite sketch books and wrap them in a protective satchel before putting them and my pencils in my large tote bag.

“Of course,” Mom agrees, “Some relationships catch on fire straight away, like your father and I. Others are slow starters. But their brightness can be the same one day. You just have to work harder at it.”

“Yeah, and some don’t shine at all…”

She sighs at my melancholy attitude, and shakes her head. “If you’re going to be negative about it, then yes, it won’t happen. You of all people know how to be positive, Ariella. It is no different when it comes to your mate. So just be there for him. Soon enough, he’ll be there for you too.”

My brown eyes collide with her own, glistening with a thousand emotions she’s going to read anyway. Her arms envelope me again and I swallow a sob before pulling back. “I think I’ll spend a moment in the garden out back, maybe collect some seeds to take with me. Then I’ll see Dad for a bit before we have to head back.”

Mom nods and lets me slip down through the back door and out into the garden. Only a few different flowers are in bloom at this time of year, yet I can still compare their bright beauty to the stark grey of Malachi’s estate. Besides a few scraggly hedges, he has nothing beautiful growing there.

I want to change that.

I am bending down to pick a sprig of lavender when a prickling sensation runs down my back. I straighten immediately, and turn towards the forest’s edge, my heart leaping to my throat.

And see two eyes staring back at me.