TRIGGER WARNING: (self-harm)
Kalix is suspicious. I think he is going to do something outrageous again. The sparkle in his eyes is akin to mischief, and I don't want to be part of it. I was about to walk away when he held on to me with no room for escape.
"I'll go take a seat. Take your pictures." Nana told us and walked away with Dillion hot on her heels. Now I'm left with Atlas and Kalix both at my sides, and they're engaged in a stare-off. I tugged at Kalix's arm to let me go. He wouldn't.
"Alpha, would you please take a picture of us?" Kalix started, and Atlas's eyebrow raised in suspicion. See? Even Atlas finds Kalix suspicious. The latter gave his cellphone to Atlas. I glared at the two. Are they really going to do this?
"I don't want to take pictures." I groaned in annoyance. I don't exactly want to take pictures with my hand on the sling.
"Shut it, crybaby." Kalix sweetly mocked me and placed himself behind me with his jaw on my head. The dang idiot's heavy! I tried to wiggle his jaw out of my head, but it ended up hitting my head a little too hard. We both exclaimed in pain, glaring at each other.
"You're a violent woman! Stay still!" He spat at me, but I could clearly see the mischief in his eyes. I stick my tongue out at him. I know it's childish, but I can't help it.
"Do you want to take pictures or not?" Atlas's gruff voice broke me out of the glaring competition I had with Kalix. I turned to him and found his gloomy face staring at us. I looked away and stayed still. I don't want to anger Atlas anymore. Let's get this over with.
Kalix happily got his way and posed again. He stood beside me and leaned his heavy head atop mine.
"Make sure to get plenty of shots, Alpha," Kalix added as Atlas started to click away. He huffs his answer. Why the hell is Atlas here anyway? I did not see him among the throng and the ones who tag with us along the way.
After a few moments of posing, Kalix finally stops, "Wait, Alpha. You stay here." Kalix runs away abruptly towards the direction of the long table. Now, I'm left with Atlas with the awkward air between us. I'm sneaking looks at him while he's busy with Kalix's phone. I did not mind that one bit.
He's looking hot with just a t-shirt and black Hawaiian shorts, anyway. It shows his strong thighs and well-muscled legs. I blushed at my thoughts and avert my gaze. We remained silent as Kalix took his sweet time doing whatever he is doing.
"He's rather touchy with you. I don't like it."
My heart thudded in my ribs as I heard him say it. What is he on now? Is he going to accuse me of something like he did back in the woods? I waited for the hurtful words, but they didn't come. Atlas was done fiddling with Kalix's phone and is now looking at Evergreen behind me.
I lifted my head when I heard someone complaining and whipped my head back towards the sound. Kalix was dragging a blushing Dion in our direction. It was comical to watch since both of them are the same height and build. If the latter would only fight the former, then he could easily escape from Kalix's hold. Instead, the poor man's blushing to the roots again.
I glanced back at Atlas when I heard him mutter something under his breath, but I wasn't able to catch it. I ignored it and looked back at the duo. Kalix was grinning while Dion covered his red face. I feel bad for Dion. But, I find him adorable at the same time.
"There. Please, take the picture, Alpha," Kalix beamed after placing Dion right next to me and looked up at his blushing face. I smirked. This man would be a good target for teasing. It's not like I'm gonna add to his dilemma at the moment, but he's just a pure soul.
"Take it yourself," and a resounding thud. Atlas left the three of us after shoving the phone onto Kalix's chest. Kalix visibly winces and almost stagger on his feet. I could feel the pain of that shove just by watching it.
"Are you okay?" I worriedly asked, patting Kalix's chest. He tried to smile at me, but it came out as a grimace. He nodded silently and rubbed his chest. That was uncalled for. I glared at Atlas's retreating back. So, he could be childish too.
"Let's take the shot," Kalix sputtered out, and I nodded. He suffered for this, might as well go along with it.
I pulled a worried-face Dion next to me. The latter was trying to get away and I, also, glared at him. He stiffened and looked straight ahead.
With his hand still rubbing his chest, Luke gives the phone to the flushed Dion. The man looked shocked and struggled to catch the phone.
"Don't drop it!" Kalix's shout and Dion were quick to hold it in place, grasping it in his hands. All of us breathed a sigh of relief. After a few awkward moments, it was finally done. Kalix was nodding his head as he checked the shots. Dion was quick to run away after pictures were taken.
"This one is good," I heard Kalix mumble to himself. A while later, he was chortling loud. A frown formed on my forehead as he laugh at whatever's in his phone. He kept swiping and laughing altogether. I shook my head and moved in Nana's direction. She's currently sitting a little far from the group. Dillion's is surprisingly on the other side of the bank, gazing at the some stones.
When I reached Nana's picnic mat, she smiled at me and offered me and sandwich. I might have eaten twenty minutes ago, but when you're trekking and a werewolf at the same time, hunger is nothing new.
"Nana, can I ask you a question?" I slowly chewed the food while Nana kept rummaging on the picnic basket beside her. I heard splashes and turned to see that the pack members were already jumping in the pool. One of them is the couple earlier. My eyes unconsciously sought Arabella and found her walking away from the group towards the dense shrubbery. The shrubs lead into a dense forest, the perfect contrast of the bare trees. It's weird, and it worries me a little.
"What is it, child?" I turned back to Nana. She's already done rummaging her little basket. The knowing stare she's giving me is unsettling. It feels like she can see through me.
"Do not do it, child. Do not meddle if you're not here to stay and make a stand for it." the gentle reminder causes a series of thoughts to topple inside me. Nana has a point. I should really not concern myself about the pack members. I looked in the direction Arabella disappeared to and back at the couple in the pool.
An uncomfortable silence.
"To ease your curiosity, yes, Arabella is mated to Derrick. That same Derrick you're currently looking at right now," the revelation leaves me slack-jawed. What? That caught me off-guard.
"Bella is mated, but Derrick did not complete the bond. He marked Bella and wouldn't let her mark him." Nana stares at the couple currently enjoying the crystal water. The other pack members around them were sharing a laugh with them too. The pack was okay with what was happening?
"The nerve of that male wolf," if I shapeshift to my wolf right now, everyone would see my bristling furs. I'm just so mad with the man. How can he be so cruel to Arabella?
"Derrick would have let Arabella mark him years ago, but he fell in love with that girl he rescued back then. Looking at them, you can see with certainty that a bond is not enough for someone with a restless heart." those words sound simple, but when you examine it again, you know it's more than that.
"That stranger girl who got lost in our territory captures Derrick's heart which Arabella has been working to have, while they cemented their bond. It would have been possible, but someone beat Arabella to it." Nana added with a solemn tone.
"But-- why did he mark her in the first place?" my thoughts are in shambles.
"He wants the whole thing. The love the fate bestowed him and the love he found himself. He wanted both. Derrick is bound to face a dark path ahead. Fate might be kind, but the choice isn't.
I scoff in disbelief, "Did he even love the Arabella?" my voice is full of sarcasm, and Nana smiles gently. She's still gazing at the pair frolicking in the pool.
"He does, child. He surely does. It is just the nature of the man to seek something he hadn't tried before. It's the nature of the man to rebel, break free from the norms, but the wolf in him opposes that. For us wolves, breaking a bond is an eternal pain that would often lead to death if not stopped in time. The choice is all we have."
When Nana said those words, goosebumps peppered my skin as her eyes glowed in sorrow. Is this why Nana tag along when she hates the crowd and its noise? I jumped from my seat, nimble in my movements. My vision went straight to the shrubbery.
I cannot shift with my hand injured. I beeline to the forest where Arabella disappeared into and sprinted. I did not mind my sling and bolted as fast as I could. Pain bubbled on my wrist, but I ignored it.
A black shadow zips past me, and my instinct tells me to follow it. I heard Kalix in my mind, asking me what was happening, but I told him to make sure no one would follow me and block the link.
The forest was still thriving with life despite the winter cast over them. The green shrubs make up for the bare tree branches and the thick blanket of leaves all over the ground. My feet were starting to hurt from the twigs and rocks along the way. My shoes were not exactly geared for running.
I keep the black shadow in my sight. I squinted my eyes and finally recognized the lustrous black fur of a wolf. Right away, I know it's Atlas. I have no time to admire his wolf as I remove the sling and throw it away. I can run better without it.
Atlas sharply swerved to the right. I copied him doing my best to keep up with his speed. Another shadow zipped by me, it was a rich brown wolf. He is hot on the Alpha's trail. The crunch of the twigs vibrated through the rather silent forest.
I did not smell any rogues around. Maybe it's one of the pack members. The run is getting longer, and it's slowly getting me exhausted. I would like to take a break. But first, I need to make sure she is okay. I carry on.
Another yards and Atlas made an abrupt halt. The brown wolf leaps next to him and shifts back into its human form midway.
Derrick.
There was terror written all over his face as he looked in front of him. A pungent smell of copper invaded my nose as I saw a figure lying still on the ground. The dried leaves were painted with crimson color as blood trickled down from a pair of pale wrists. It wouldn't stop bleeding.
I fix my gaze on Atlas and find his eyes glossy. He also shifted to his human form. Derrick, on the other side, was gaping at the figure, horrified. I grabbed Arabella's white swimming cover-up and tried my best to tear some fabric.
"Atlas, help!" my almost panicked voice snapped him out from linking someone. I forgot to call him Alpha, but who gives a damn? He helped me tear the cover-up, and I quickly wrapped Arabella's still bleeding wrist. Why is it not stopping? The wounds should have already stop-seconds ago.
After securing the improvised bandages, I tapped Arabella's face to wake her. My heart hurts seeing her pained face with her lashes still wet from her tears. This is not the woman who confidently asked about my relationship with Kalix last night. She is a broken shell.
"Arabella, wake up," I tapped her pale face one more time. The tiny movement of her eyes brings out hope. "Alpha, is the pack doctor coming?" I looked up at Atlas and found his grim face nodding.
"Bella?" that trembling voice caught my attention.
"Shut up." I spat at Derrick.
I tapped Arabella's face one last time. Her eyes flutters open this time. The joy that erupted inside me was so overwhelming that tears streamed down my face. I propped her head on my shoulder and kissed her forehead tenderly.
She looks at me, and tears leak from those haunted eyes, once again. Pale lips quiver as a heartbreaking wail fills the air. "You should have let me go," were all the words I could hear. Those words hurt me more than seeing her cry.
Atlas grasped my shoulders, and I leaned into him as my heart crumbled for the tormented woman in my arms. The bright sky continues to glimmer as haunting cries permeate through the forest. It resonated through the bare trees and dimmed the vibrant undergrowth.