SWNOVELS Chapter Can We Be Friends, Again
I awoke when the sweet smell of blueberries wafted under my bedroom door and just like a cartoon character following the smell I hopped out of bed, throwing on a shirt and shorts, and let my body float downstairs. Once I reached the bottom I could hear the chatter from all the other wolves and almost turned around to go back and change into something more appropriate, when I heard my Aunt's voice.
"I should have known pancakes would wake you up!" Then she chuckled and grabbed my hand pulling me into the dining room.
I let her drag me inside while doing my best to cover my chest since I was in too much of a hurry to put a bra on. When we entered the room no one looked up from their conversations so I was relieved but kept myself concealed as best as I could. Don't get me wrong, being naked never bothered me but when you're surrounded by several unmated males, having erect nipples and giving off the wrong signals is totally embarrassing.
I took a seat next to Kam and Mik, who were currently arguing about Cole when Chase strolled in and everyone stopped eating and stood in their spots. We did the same, out of respect and once he sat we all did too. Soon the kitchen staff was walking in with trays of short stacks, ham, bacon, sausage, eggs, and fruit. We were all served then waited for the Alpha's permission to eat.
After breakfast I was still fighting my wolf's pleas to go back into the woods so instead I walked out to the training field to watch some of the young warriors. They were surprisingly very well coached and had great form but their strategy was off. It was like they weren't using their full animal ability to train, instead, relying too heavily on their human side. I know my cousin had a reason for it and I would be lying if I said I wasn't a bit curious about it, so I strolled up to their captain and asked him to explain it to me.
"Em, quite pestering my warrior with your silly questions!"
"I'm just trying to find out why you train your newbies in such restricted ways!" I replied with a smug remark.
"Because we don't like to use our wolf unless it is absolutely necessary. We don't always have to let our animals take control. You know you catch more flies with honey than vinegar." Chase barked back.
I laughed at his answer. "You telling me you going soft there Alpha? I remember when we were kids and you couldn't keep your little wolf in check when a squirrel ran by and now your telling me that's what you're teaching your warriors not to do?"
He jabbed me in the ribs earning a yelp from me and said "We were just kids Em, we didn't know how to control our wolves yet, and ruling with a hot head hasn't proved useful. So yes I try to keep my composure at all times."
I looked into his eyes and couldn't help but think how much we've both changed, as if we had somehow switched roles in the years we were apart. I used to be the reasonable one but here lately all I've done is make rash decisions, that didn't just affect my life anymore, but my entire packs lives and for what?
He must have noticed the change in my demeanor because he threw his arm around my shoulders and said "Let's take a walk like old times"
I nodded my head hoping my feelings of inadequacy would somehow disappear and I would quit worrying about what was going on at home but I couldn't forget Alpha Anderson's words before he left, prepare for a hostile takeover. I shivered at the memory and earned a squeeze from Chase causing me to return back to reality.
We walked along a trail that we had taken millions of times as kids when he spotted a huge dogwood tree and ran up to it smiling ear to ear.
"Do you remember when we tricked Beta Drue at this very tree?" He burst out laughing but my eyes grew wide.
"He was so mad at us, I thought he was going to send me home but you convinced him that your dad would strip him of his title if he did."
"You know to this day, he never did speak a word of it. Even when Cole took over the position and he had nothing to worry about." He shook his head and smiled. "We used to have such a good time together, then you just stopped coming around. Mom told me it was because you were becoming a young lady and needed proper training but I knew it was something more. What happened Em?"
"Honestly Chase, I don't know. I got home that night and my mother was on the phone screaming at someone on the other end. She slammed it down when I walked through the door and told me I wasn't allowed to go back to your pack ever again. I was devastated and didn't talk to her for weeks but eventually she gave me some lame ass excuse about me hanging out with too many boys and that I needed to learn how to be a future Luna." I turned away as tears threatened to spill from my eyes.
He walked up behind me and said "I never blamed you. But I was so mad that I started acting out. Dad had to send me to another pack to get myself under control and it was there that I began my warrior training. Everything changed from that day on and honestly, it made me a better person. I only hope that with you being back here, we can be friends again."
"Of course Chase! I never would have called you if I didn't want to come around. Truth is, I don't know what's going to happen back home and I'm scared to death."
"Tell me what happened."
We spent the next three hours discussing my predicament and how I didn't know what to do next, how I never wanted to be Alpha but now that I was propositioned I could almost taste the title on my tongue. He sat their quietly as I ranted and cried about everything from what my father said to how I acted irrationally but he never interrupted. Once I quit talking I sat there waiting for him to say something when all of a sudden there was a loud growl behind us.
He jumped up, throwing me behind him as the grey wolf from the night before sat there, snarling at us with spit dripping down his canines and onto the ground in front of him. His eyes were trained on Chase and never wavered until I snuck out from around his back. I took one look at his demonic face and suddenly everything around me stood still. I started walking towards him as if in slow motion, while Chase screamed my name, but my feet kept propelling my body towards the scary animal in front of me. He cocked his head to the side the closer I got to him and I could feel his power radiating from him, hitting me with such force that it could have blown me away, but instead it was only fueling me further.
My wolf barked in my head, trying to scratch her way out, raising her tail in the air like a love-sick puppy, while my body felt like a furnace, burning from within. He shook his head, turned around and ran like his life depended on it back into the woods, letting out a distressful howl, snapping me out of my trance.
"EM! EM!" Chase shook me until I looked at him. "Are you all right? Do you know who that was?" He asked with concern written all over his face.
I shook my head slowly and said "If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was my mate."
Who can relate to being embarrassed without a bra on????
Will Chase and Em ever find out the secret that their mother's are keeping?
EMBER FOUND HER MATE? WHAT THE ACTUAL F*CK???