Zaira's POV
We've been on the road non-stop for three days now, the only rest we took was when we decided -correction, if he decided- that we could lie down to sleep.
I tried to keep up with him and try not to stop him as best I could, but my wounds made it harder by the hour. They were inflamed and partially tore open due to the constant movement. My feet had countless blisters because I wasn't used to running for so long and I was about to fall over from exhaustion.
My companion wasn't exactly in a peaceful mood either, not a single sound came out of his seductive mouth, he quietly walked ahead without looking around at me or acknowledging me a glance. When night fell, he set about building a fireplace and then disappeared briefly to serve us supper, which we also ate in silence.
His black battle gear nestled perfectly against his muscular body, which automatically drew my gaze again and again without me being able to do anything about it. He moved as lithely as only a wolf could, merging with nature were it not for the flash of multiple daggers tucked into his hips, never letting me forget just how dangerous he really was.
I hadn't forgotten his terrible words from back then, they kept floating around in my head and felt like lashes.
He wanted to give me away, like one would give away a useless object one was tired of. That thought made me sad as well as angry.
You are worthless Omega! Nobody will ever love you!
Words that were forever branded on my soul. To all appearances, Alpha Blake was right after all. Nobody loved me, not even my mate. Why should he? I wasn't worth anything. I grimaced, disgusted with myself.
Tears stung my eyes and I bit my lip to hold them back. I wouldn't feel sorry for myself, not since it was my first time outside since my captivity. Free.
The forest, however, tore me out of my hole again and again. I think that was also the reason why I went with him at all.
I inhaled the refreshing scent of the forest -trying to bury that very specific addictive scent of wildness and masculinity- smelled its earthy notes and instantly felt a little better. I stretched out my arm and ran my hand over every leaf, bush and bark that came my way.
My she-wolf came out from inside me and pranced happily. Delighted by her emergence, I smiled slightly and continued to admire the beautiful nature. My wolf didn't show up very much anyway, unlike other more dominant wolves, because she was an omega. Yet she had marked the time in the Darkmoon pack, we had been caged for years and like any other wolf, it had driven her mad. She had become more and more withdrawn until I felt like I had lost her. But now, in the forest, between trees and bushes, she came out and was happy.
Although our mate had hurt us deeply, we still rejoiced in the long-awaited freedom, because why should we give him the opportunity to take it away from us as well? No, it wouldn't come to that.
A quick movement caught my attention, but to no avail. The small, nimble bird was too fast for me and already disappeared from my field of vision. Eager to catch another glimpse of him, I scanned the sky.
I frowned, slightly confused. I was sure that I used to always meet animals in the forest, smell them and hear their movements, no matter how quiet they were, from afar. But now when I looked spellbound for them in every possible way, there was nothing. Of course it's always been easier for me to get close to animals because they don't feel quite as threatened in the presence of a female omega wolf, but there were occasional strays to be found with alphas as well.
My mate didn't seem to notice my discovery and continued walking at a fast pace, undisturbed. The only reason for this phenomenon stood before me. Now I consciously concentrated on his scent, I made sure to filter his different scent nuances. His already familiar smell of forest, wildness and masculinity was there, while his own personal scent was still missing, but there was something else. Something rough, dangerous. Something that showed you unmistakably how much strength and power he possessed. And something very beguiling for female wolves. It was the smell that showed you where that wolf was in the hierarchy.
And holy moon goddess , Aramis stood high. Very, very, very high in the hierarchy! There was nothing I could do about the rising heat inside me, it came from my deepest instincts.
All wolves want a strong partner who can protect them above all else, this is in their nature, but this need is much more pronounced in low-ranking wolves. We omega wolves like to feel protected and safe, we need and want to know that our mate was able to take care of us and our children. The male wolves are also subject to their instincts, because the more pronounced the dominance and strength of a wolf, the greater the need to protect and care for his mate.
Aramis turned abruptly and his glowing green eyes locked on me, eyes of a wolf.
A deep growl echoed through the forest. I froze.
Aramis POV:
My nostrils flared as I inhaled her aroused scent.
I hissed in the air.
My member instantly hardened and an unbelievably intense desire gripped me. I wanted to brand them, own them. Every cell in me was screaming at me, telling me to do this.
MATE! MATE! MATE! my wolf raged and I felt my eyes turn into those of a wolf.
My breath caught and the rising feelings threatened to overwhelm me.
I gritted my teeth and tried to suppress all feelings. My nerves were stretched to the breaking point and I controlled my wolf with difficulty. He was stronger than he had been in a long time and it was all because of that one person. My body shook with the tension.
That's why she has to go, as soon as possible
Grrrr! my wolf clearly didn't agree with me.
How could he, he didn't understand my reasons, he didn't realize that this mate tape wasn't real. And the longer she was with us, the danger increased that I would ignore this fact myself and then we would finally be screwed. Maybe she would even lure him to us.
That's why I had to leave her behind. That's why I hurt her. That is, if I had hurt her at all. Surely she had just played the whole thing.
Determined not to dwell on the subject, I turned and continued on my way without inhaling her deadly intoxicating scent again.
Zaira's POV:
A few last rays of sunshine covered my skin and as the sun slowly set, the whole area shone in sparkling gold and orange. For the first time in a long time I stopped and lifted my face towards her. I missed that feeling.
After what felt like an eternity of restless wandering and dusk falling, I felt we were slowly approaching another territory.
Sheer fear shot through my blood. We would get there in less than a couple of hours, I was sure of that. I had completely forgotten, or rather repressed, the fact that I was joining a new pack. My hands started shaking and I tripped over my own feet.
How could I go into a new pack? Nothing repelled me more than that. They would definitely hurt me again, would make me their personal slave.
But what choice did I have?
No wolf would stand to live alone in the forest, I would turn into a rouge. Werewolves who lived too long without a pack gradually let their animal take control and eventually they couldn't transform back, forgot their human side and became rabid animals entirely.
But was it really that bad?
I had finally given up my desire for life from the moment my mate rejected me. So why shouldn't I surrender to my wolf? It would be so much easier. Just worrying about eating and sleeping.
My wolf made a low, protesting sound.
I was wrong. She harbored far more than just these thoughts. She too had a mate and mourned for him. I couldn't find salvation anywhere.
Dejected, I dabbled on after Aramis and nearly crashed into him when he promptly stopped.
It was only then that I realized that we were standing on the edge of new territory and in front of us was a big, strong man. Scattered gray strands appeared in his blond, shoulder-length hair, which automatically gave him a likeable look. But I wasn't influenced by this picture, nevertheless with a small movement of his hand he could break my neck and kill me.
I wiped my sweaty hands on my pants and then clenched my fists to hide her shaking while staring into a pair of gray eyes that will be my downfall. Or so I thought at least.