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
DOM POV I pace back and forth near the hole we made for holding thirsty ones. We have never had a human inside the den before. All talks with humans have been at the mansion or within the human territory.I feel oddly exposed having her inside our rudimentary home. I know humans prefer certain accommodations, but our wild side yearns for this way of living. The freedom and connection to the earth satisfy the inner animal we all are. "This is the hole. Alpha will decide what to do next. You will wait here until that decision is made," Giulia says, and I force my brain to focus on my sense of hearing. I hear my mate's heart rate accelerate, and I instantly feel regret about my decision to house her in such a place, but the pack must not find out who she is. She might mean something to me, but to the pack, she is a liability."It's pitch black. I can't see," my human mate says, and the undeniable fear in her voice makes me step forward."I cannot assist you with that problem. Hu