I shift uncomfortably as I get hotter and hotter. I feel like I am lying in a furnace. I am sweaty, and my pajamas are sticking to my drenched skin.
We never let the house get this warm. Something must be wrong.
"Nate, something is wrong with the air coolant. It's hot," I mutter as I roll over.
When I open my eyes to see if Nathan heard me, I don't see my familiar bedroom or my awesome boyfriend. I see dirt and smoldering cinders where a fire was.
"Get up," someone says frantically, and I lift my head to see the wild female I forgot about from last night.
"You will burn yourself. Get up," she practically yells as my brain still can't catch up, and suddenly, I am in the air.
Thick muscular arms are wrapped around my torso so tightly that I feel like I might snap. The grip doesn't last long because, within half a second, I am standing on the other side of the room with a massive naked sexy God in front of me.
He doesn't even speak to me before lifting my arms and inspecting my face. But I don't really want him to because he looks like he might yell, and I would much rather stare at him.
He is the most beautiful man I have ever seen. His light brown hair and green eyes are too perfect for words. His shoulder muscles and thick neck make me want to touch him. He smells like musk and leather. I can't believe this is the Alpha. He is mouthwatering to look at.
"Ouch," I whisper as he brushes against a sore place on my arm.
He immediately reacts by inspecting the area closer, and when he does, I hear him curse under his breath.
"You are burned," he says before turning from me and facing my guard.
His skin is twitching, and for some reason, I know that he is mad. Furious...more furious than I have seen him in the past 24/hrs. I hear her whimper, and he finally growls, confirming what I already know. He is pissed.
"You allowed her to get hurt. She is burned. BURNED, ALESSIA! I entrusted you with her safety, and you failed," he shouts, and I lift my hand before I can stop myself.
Something inside of me is pushing me to comfort him. It's as if I need to touch him. No, part of my mind can say no, either. I place my hand on his back, and he goes still.
"I was sleeping. I move a lot in my sleep. She was trying to wake me. I should have known I laid down too close to the fire. Please,...it was an accident. It doesn't hurt," I whisper, and he turns his head to look back at me.
I give him a small smile and the light shifts in his eyes. Before I can utter another word, he is walking away. He leaves the area without so much as a backward glance, and my heart cracks. My entire body gets a numbing cold feeling, and my eyes fill with tears.
How could he just walk away like that? Why does it hurt that he did? I don't know him. Maybe I hate the way he is treating me because I haven't done anything wrong. I mean, he obviously hates me, but why?
"Thank you," Alessia whispers, and I peel my eyes off the entryway to look at her.
She sees my tears and instantly moves toward me.
"Is your wound becoming painful," she asks, and I realize I am actually crying.
"No. No, I am fine," I reply as I hurriedly wipe my face.
"Alpha was very clear when he ordered me to watch you. I should have never allowed you to be so close to the fire. I am sorry, Human. It will not happen again," she says, and I shake my head.
"That was not your fault, and my name is Taylor. Not human. I really am a wild sleeper. I should have kept my distance," I say, and she grins."Taylor. I like that name. It suits you," she says happily, and I chuckle before moving back to the other side of the room.
"I've never liked it. After my parents died, I thought about changing it, but I couldn't. They gave me my name. I couldn't disrespect them by getting rid of it," I say as I sit down a few feet from the warm ashes.
I hold my hands out, and she watches my actions curiously.
"I'm cold. That's probably why I rolled toward the warmth,' I explain, and her small eyes widen into saucers.
"I am sorry, hu...Taylor. I will build a new fire. But I will have to separate you from the flames. I cannot disobey my orders again," she says, and I nod while swallowing down the lump of pain at his memory.
What is it about him that makes me feel like this? Why do I react so strongly to his emotions? It is really starting to bother me.
She gathers wood from the corner and constructs a tight spiral by bending the thick logs like twigs. I watch in amazement, and before I know it, she has a fire going again.
"How did you lose your parents," she asks as she sits between me and the flames.
I look at her chiseled face and realize she looks much kinder now that I saved her from her Alpha.
"The bloodsuckers. We were about thirty thousand over the recommended population, and there was a breach. My family lived close to the wall, and well...They were lost. The city leaders changed their policy after that. They forbid anyone from having kids for ten years. It decreased the population. Nathan's parents died too...it brought us closer together," I explain quietly, and she nods.
"I recall that breach. Quite a few humans died, and we lost Aldo. He was swarmed near the bunker protecting the children. They pulled him apart," Alessia says, and my stomach turns.
"I was in the bunker. I am sorry for your pack's loss. He probably saved my life," I whisper, and she looks at me for a long moment.
When her gaze drops from my face, I spot a single tear on her cheek.
"He was a loud soul. He was always singing loud songs in our heads. He liked jokes also. I am proud he died defending such young lives," she whispers, and I grow curious at her wording.
"Singing loud songs in your heads? What do you mean," I ask, and she looks at me again.
"When in our stronger form, we like to communicate telepathically since normal speech is difficult. We are always linked by our bond with the Alpha so we can link at anytime. If our Alpha were to die, our bond would be broken and we would be unable to speak that way until we received a new Alpha," she explains, and my mouth hangs open in shock.
They can communicate with their minds!!!
"Seriously," I ask, and she nods while watching my reaction with humor in her eyes.
"It allows us to coordinate quickly. We are able to protect one another within seconds. In Aldo's case, the Alpha got to him a second too late. He was our last loss. Alpha was furious with the New Human leaders for not listening. Each generation thinks they know what is best, but they should listen. We have been alive a long time," Alessia says, and I get curious once more.
"How old are you," I ask, and she shrugs.
"Around 700, give or take a few decades. We lose track of time often around here. Our lives aren't short, so we don't monitor the years as humans do," she says, and I try to look as if she didn't just blow my mind again.
"How many Lycans live here," I ask as I try to work out when she was born in my head.
"Twenty-three. We are a smaller pack now. We used to be double this size, but the years haven't been kind. I myself lost my parents. My father was killed fighting, and my mother died a few years later. She had lost her will to fight and grew sloppy. They were one of the few mated couples this pack has," she says, and without a single thought, I grab her hand.
"I am sorry. Losing your parents is hard. I know that from experience," I say softly, and she looks shocked before squeezing my hand back.
"Thank you. You are the first human I have spoken to in a long time, and you are different than I thought you would be," she says hesitantly, and I shrug before pulling my hand back.
"Humans are all different. And depending on the day, we might act differently than the day before. We are moody creatures, I guess," I say with a forced chuckle, and she laughs.
"Lycans are the same. Especially when we are hungry...Speaking of, are you hungry," she asks, and I nod.
She stands up and moves toward the wall of hanging bunnies. My stomach summersaults a little out of fear of having to eat one of them, but she grabs a bowl instead. She walks back over and sits down with her back to the fire.
"I ate while you were sleeping. Here are some berries and nuts," she says, and I take the bowl excitedly.
"Thank you," I whisper before throwing a wild strawberry into my mouth.
She nods and watches me eat in silence. I like Alessia. She and Giulia are sweet.
My day has been so boring. Alessia and I spoke a bit, but for the most part, she has been interacting with other Lycans who come into the room. None of them paid me any attention, so I just watched them communicate while remaining silent. I figure there is a reason they aren't acknowledging me, and I don't want to make anyone upset.The Alpha hasn't come by, which is bothering me. Every time I hear someone come in, I look over in hopes that it is him, but it never is. I don't know why I want to see him again so badly. He hasn't been nice to me once since carrying me to this underground prison. Maybe I am just curious about the Lycan leader. When I am not searching for the Alpha, I daydream about Nathan and what I could have done differently to save him. But even in most of my fantasies, I fail to save him from his fate. There was just nothing I could do. I am only human, and the bloodsuckers are stronger than me.Leaving the walls was a terrible idea. I don't know why I had to see
On the way back, his strides are slower, and I know he is purposely walking beside me to protect me. He seems more nervous than he is letting on.His eyes keep looking at the sun, scanning our surroundings, and judging my pace. I feel anxious every time I sense his eyes on my legs. It's as if my pace is insulting him. I don't want him to be angry at me, so I swallow and pick up my pace. "I am sorry I walk slow," I whisper, and he grunts a little. "All humans are slow. I am only worried about your pace currently because the sun sets soon," he replies after a moment, and I take a risk by looking up at him. He meets my curious gaze, and I quickly look back down. I don't want to offend him or ogle him like I did earlier. He saved my life. I need to respect him. He has given me a clear timeline of when I will be going home. He hasn't been the most hospitable, but he is a beast, or I guess Lycan. "Why do they teach us to call you beasts? I mean, it's clear that offends you. Have
The noises coming from the halls are loud and have been that way for a while. I haven't seen much furniture in any of the rooms I have been taken to, but the Lycans are definitely packing. "We are almost ready," Giulia says as she finally returns. When I got back to Alessia last night, Giulia was gone. Alessia told me Alpha sent her and a few others out to ensure those eleven were the only thirsty ones in the area. The rest of the night had been quiet, and I had fallen asleep against Alessia's leg. She had sung a beautiful Italian song, and I had drifted off. "What about the Oracle? I thought she was going to be here this morning," I ask as I dust off my bottom. Giulia nods as Alessia grabs the only things in the room and puts them in a bag. "She is. She is going to meet us there. She will most likely beat us, in fact, since we will be carrying so much," Giulia says, and my curiosity spikes. I bite my lip, and she tilts her head before smirking. "What else wou
The dark canopy above us zooms past as Giulia sprints through the thick trees. Worry and dread keep me from relaxing while we travel through the forest, making it impossible for me to stop staring at the trees. I want to trust the lycans, and I honestly do trust them, but the thirsty ones have made a lasting impression on me. The trees are no longer a symbol of freedom for me. They are a sign of danger. After a few minutes of tense silence filled with the sound of running feet, we reach daylight again, and I sigh in relief. The lycans around me shift into their smaller selves, and Giulia places me on my feet. "The ruins are over the hill. Wait until you see. Our home here used to belong to a king. We each have our own room. The place is so big," Giulia says excitedly, and I look toward the bare hill curiously. "So it's a huge place," I ask, and she nods as we begin to walk forward at my pace. "The King called it a castle," one of the other Lycans says, and I look toward him. "A c
DOMENICO POV (DUH] [MEN] [I] [KOH]Luigi- Two humans in the forest, Alpha.Dom- Have they been detected?Luigi- They are about to walk under a group of about twelve who are sleeping.Dom- I'm coming.Luigi- Si Capo My muscles tighten as agitation ripples through my body. The all too familiar feelings of anger and sadness flood my veins.I shake the dust from my fur as I exit our den. I stretch my legs for a second before taking off.Why can't humans listen to us? We do not make these rules to control them. We want to aid them. We are their only protection against the Thirsty Ones, yet they disrespect us.Dom- Rapporto di pattuglia alla foresta (Patrol report to the forest)Patrol- Si Capo Monitoring another human slaughter wasn't on my to-do list today, but reporting their death to the officials is important. Especially if the idiots have a family. I don't particularly like to witness death, but there is a 99% chance these humans won't make it for another five minutes.The forest
"You mean the creator is going to speak with us directly," the Alpha asks, and his sister peels her gorgeous eyes off me to nod at him. "For the second time in our history, the Creator wishes to relay information directly. I have been preparing my body since you contacted me, and the Creator informed me there would be a merging again," the Oracle says as she takes a seat on a velvet-looking couch. The Alpha gets a concerned look on his face, and my thoughts immediately center on his worried expression. Anything that gets him concerned must be big. His gorgeous mouth drops into a deep frown, and my fingers twitch. Seeing him upset makes my entire body uncomfortable. I step forward unconsciously, but when his eyes snap to me, I freeze. I want to touch him so badly. My body is practically screaming for contact, but my brain fears upsetting him. It's as if some weird instinct is telling me my touch will help him, but my rational human brain remembers all the times I accidentall
DOMENICO POVGiulia walks off with my human quickly, and my feet follow behind her. I ignore the pack members looking at me questioningly. I need to go to the bathing stream and wash before I get a headache from the vomit smell on my pelt.I have no explanation at the moment to explain why we went against my own rule. I also can't explain why I brought her back here instead of taking her back to the city.Giulia turns toward the main room, and I pick up my pace. Anger is beginning to blanket my insides. How or why the Creator has chosen to punish me to this extreme is eating away at my brain now that the human is out of my arms.After all the death and pain from losing pack members, I am now supposed to suffer through the death of my mate. Her rapid aging and short life will be tortious for me.I snarl as I step into my personal area of the shared den. Anger and fear have entirely replaced my joy. Everything about my mate is small and weak. Pair that with the fact she won't make it pa
As the sky grows darker, I see Alpha Dom grow more and more anxious. His beautiful green eyes are constantly flicking between the window and his resting sister. After telling us all she knew, The Oracle decided to take a nap to prepare. I sat down near the door, and my mate remained kneeling by her side. As I have watched him, I have grown worried about him. He hasn't shifted his knees once to make himself more comfortable, and his muscles have remained tight. His cheek has been steadily moving due to the pressure he is applying on his jaw, and I am concerned he might blow. I want to speak words of encouragement to him, but I know absolutely nothing about what is to come. If I say, "don't worry, she will be fine," he will look at me like I am just a dumb human. "The sun will set within seconds, Human Taylor and my sister will merge with the creator. If...if the worst happens, do not come near me. I will transform into my Lycan form to release my anger and grief. I do not w