"Where are you going?"
"To the pack house. Don't go anywhere till I come back." He orders and walks out.
"I'll come with you. Maybe I can help," I tell him. He looks me up and down and shakes his head.
"No. You are not going anywhere like that. Go back inside." Before I could argue he ran into the woods and within seconds he vanished. I didn't like the way he ordered me.
I went and sat back on the couch. I did not know where the pack house was situated. Or did I know? I had been having lunch in that place for many days now. People of all ages used to be there. Was that the pack house? I decided to go the lunch house.
I opened the door when a cool gust of wind blew. I felt cold and assessed my attire. I could not go around town wearing this. I could maybe silently slip into my house, change and then go. With that decision in mind I walked towards my house hoping not to get caught.
I need not have worried about getting caught. My parents were not at home. The house was eerily silent when I walked in. I quickly took a bath and changed without giving much thought as to where my parents were.
The lunch house or the pack house was empty. I was thinking that this was not the pack house after all when I heard some noise from beyond the dining hall. We used to have lunch and head back to office. I had never gone in that area.
I followed the noise. It lead me to a hallway where doors were lined on either sides. They were all closed except one which was slightly ajar. The sounds increased as I neared. I could also distinguish Adrian's scent.
"What do you mean you knew?" It was Adrian's voice. He was shouting at somebody.
"Like I said I was waiting for the right time to tell you." The other person stated. His voice had strength to control a room with a single word.
"You should have told me at least. I'm the Alpha now. I'm supposed to know such things. And most importantly because it concerns my mate." Adrian sounded defeated. They were talking about me. It was wrong of me to eavesdrop but I was rooted to my spot. I wanted them to continue talking.
"She is here." It was barely a whisper. I was sure that a normal human wouldn't have picked it up. They knew I was standing here. They wouldn't continue their conversation now. With a sigh I walked in without bothering to think if it was rude to interrupt.
I stopped in my tracks. Three men stood in a circle facing each other. What stopped me was all the three looked similar. I knew two of them and I could only guess who the third person was. All three looked up but I had my gaze on Adrian. We stared into each other for a full minute. His eyes which were angry visibly relaxed.
"I believe introductions are in order." It was Ronan who broke the silence.
"Dad, this is Alexandria, my employee and if she agrees my fiancee." I gasped and broke my gaze with Adrian and looked at Ronan. Adrian made a sound which was a growl and took a menacing step towards Ronan.
"Don't kill me. I was just kidding." Ronan laughed and took a step back. I walked and stood next to Adrian. He gave me the sweetest smile which warmed my heart and then looked at his father.
"Dad, this is Alexandria, my mate." When he said mate he started into my eyes. The way he said mate made my heart stop. It was just one word but I guess for werewolves it meant everything.
"Alex, this is my father Johan Black.." Adrian's father had aged well. He was lean and seemed to be very fit.
"Hello dear. Nice to be finally meeting you." He approached me and gave me a bear hug.
"Hello sir." As I hugged him back I realized that there were others in the room. Eric, Paul and two others whom I hadn't seen before were there. Eric gave a nod when he met my gaze. I smiled back.
"So, back to the matter at hand, how did Caleb escape?" Eric asked.
"The guard said Caleb sprayed some perfume which made the guards lose their hold on him. After that, he easily overpowered them and escaped." It was Paul who was reporting.
"Yes, he used some perfume on me as well." I tell them. But, he said it didn't work on me. Why did it not work on me? According to Paul it seemed to have worked; whatever it was supposed to do, on those guards.
"He said it did not work on me and that's why he hit me with a log and that knocked me unconscious." Adrian held my hand on seeing my confused expression. Others also had a similar expression as mine. They must also be wondering as to why it did not work on me.
"We'll sort it out." He promised me.
"So, we have no clue about his motives for kidnapping?" Ronan asked. Everybody nodded their heads. But, Mr.Black had a peculiar expression. Did he know something more that he was letting on?
"Continue patrolling the borders as usual and tell everyone to be on alert. Report unusual activity immediately." Adrian gave out these orders. And then he glanced at everybody like he was silently issuing some order. They nodded.
"See you guys later." Mr. Black made that statement and left the room. Ronan waved and left the room. Everybody followed out.
I was alone with him and it was a little awkward. He lead me to a couch and sat down. I was about to sit next to him when he pulled me and settled me on his lap.
"Tell me what happened?" He was asking about the kidnapping. I started telling from the way Caleb sprayed the perfume when Adrian asked how I knew him. So I started from the beginning. I told him everything. Whenever I didn't include details Adrian would ask questions and make me tell even the minute details. Once I was finished he put his face in the crook of my neck and took a deep breath.
"You smell different."
"Maybe because I took a bath and came." He chuckled at my response.
"No, I meant from before. You used to smell differently before. You used to smell like a human. But, not anymore." That was weird. What could have changed in one day that I started smelling differently?
"My senses also have enhanced. I can see, hear and smell things more clearly than before." I told him. I was wondering if my senses were actually enhanced or whether I was trying to fit everything that couldn't be explained into me being a werewolf puzzle. I sighed. I am a werewolf. Will I ever get used to being a werewolf?
"What happened?" Adrian asked.
"One day I am a normal human and the next day I am a werewolf. I am trying my best not to freak out about the whole thing. There is so much I don't know. There are so many things which I don't have answers for. And, what exactly does being a mate constitute? Paul and Alexa are mates. You know, I thought you were behind Alexa's kidnapping and Alyxandrina's murder. I read the chat between you and Alyxandrina. Where is my phone by the way? And did you receive the live location which I sent you? Is that how you knew where to find us?" I would have continued ranting but Adrian choose that moment to kiss my neck. It was so sudden that I sat up straight.
"One question at a time. I can't even imagine what you must be going through. I knew I am a werewolf from the beginning. I grew up surrounded by them. There were no illusions." I got up and sat next to him. I wanted to see his face when he was talking. Well, who was I kidding. It got very distracting sitting on his lap.
"I know you suspected me. It hurt a lot that you would think of me in that way." He told in a very sad voice. He looked vulnerable talking about his feelings.
"I'm sorry." I apologized again.
"It's okay." He forgave so easily. "Your phone is with me." He said that and pretended to be angry at me. I raised my brows silently asking him to explain.
"Why the fake anger?" I asked when he didn't continue.
"You saved my name as AdiRay? What kind of a name is that?" I could tell that he was not actually offended. I giggled.
"I thought it was cute at that time. Give me my phone back." I extended my hand palm upward. He took out two phones from his pocket. He promptly placed mine in my hand.
"Your gender does all sorts of weird things and call it cute." Before I could take offense to that he continued. "And yes I received a message with a live location being shared." He showed me the message which I had sent. The number from which the message was received was nagging me. I had seen that phone number before.
"You okay?" He asked noticing the change in my expression.
"Yes, I'm okay. A little tired. I need some food and sleep." I did not want to tell him about the phone number because I just remembered where I had seen it. It was in my dad's research papers. How did this number end up in his paper?
"Have you heard of a place called Deathfalls?" I asked Adrian. He seemed shocked that I even knew about it's existence.
"How do you know about it?" I couldn't answer him without putting my father in the spot.
"I think Caleb is from there." I told him instead. He had a faraway look.
"Hey, what's with that look? I have seen you both with the same look." He broke from his trance.
"Who both?" He was amused now. Adrian and my pet wolf were the one and the same.
"You both are the same person. I should have realized it earlier. All those times when I told my embarrassing secrets to you. At least on that day when you were ordering food on my behalf. Talking about food, I need to eat something before I collapse." I couldn't remember the last meal I had.
"Wait here." He walked out of the room and came back with a plate full of food. I ate like it was my last meal.
"Do you want more?" I shook my head. I had eaten enough to feed an army. I kept my plate aside. Now, he looked like he wanted to talk. If we started talking then Deathfalls would be broached again.
"I want to go home. I am really tired today." Thankfully he didn't argue. I stood up and walked towards the door. He also stood up and went out before me. By the time I went outside he had shifted and was in his wolf form.
"I need to get used to the fact that both of you are the same person." I told him and both of us started walking like the many times we did before. He stopped at our usual spot when we reached my house. I hesitantly hugged him while he showed no such thing when he licked my face.
"See you later." I tell him and walked inside. I had successfully avoided telling about how I came across Deathfalls. He also hadn't answered about those faraway looks which he had from time to time. The difference was mine was intentional. We still had a lot to discuss - about mates, about us and many other things.
The TV was on indicating that my parents were back home. I walked in as normally as possible.
"Hey girl. Busy week huh?" My father asked.
"Yeah dad. I'll just go sleep for sometime." I went to my room and crashed for the rest of the day. I only got up when mom woke me up for dinner. We had finished dinner and I was drinking my green potion when my phone vibrated.
AdiRay: How you now?
Me: Better.
AdiRay: Can we meet?
Me: What? Now?
AdiRay: Yes
Me: Not possible.
AdiRay: I'm outside your house. Sneak out.
"I'll go out for a small walk. I need some fresh air." I tell my parents and go out. Adrian was in our usual spot in his human form. We moved behind the trees to avoid being seen by my parents.
"What are you doing here?" I asked him.
"I missed you."
"I was with you the whole time."
"Not enough." With that he pulled me into a hug. Immediately he went back like I burnt him. He wore a confused expression.
"You smell different." He told before I could ask what was wrong.
"What do you mean?" I asked him. I had a feeling about where this was going.
"You smell like before. I mean like a human. What changed?" He was asking me.
"I don't know. I was at home the whole time." His brows were furrowed and he seemed to be deep in thought. Finally he looked up and asked, "What did you eat?" I told him what I ate for dinner.
"Oh and my green potion or tonic. Whatever you want to call it." I add on.
"What green potion?" He questions which made me also question it. Why were my parents insisting on me taking the green potion everyday? It was apparently to keep my health in check. From the time I could remember I had never missed a day without it except when I was kidnapped.
My parents assumed that I was in office. They must have assumed that I had taken the potion that day as well like other days. I had gotten so used to drinking it everyday that it had become a habit. I had never questioned the true purpose of taking that potion before.
"I don't know. But, I have a green potion theory to verify." I told Adrian.