Sarah Everson had a dark childhood inside the Clear Lake Pack, but has finally reached a perfect life and feels stronger than she ever has. She works at the pack's bakery doing what she loves and is surrounded by her hand-chosen family. She doesn't...
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My mate, without scars ^
The first thing I'm aware of is quiet and stillness, and the beats of two hearts. I feel a warm hand holding onto mine, a thumb brushing back and forth. The faint heavenly scent I remember hangs in the air, but is diluted with other familiar scents. Iris! Kristy!
My eyes pop open, and I sit up with supernatural speed, also alerting me that my wolf is back. I internally reach for her presence, while looking desperately around the room for the two people I care about most in the world.
I know they're here, by their sudden shrieks. No doubt caused by my abrupt awakening back into the world. They are both on me instantly, one on each side. Wrapping me so tightly in a hug. There's no pain, so I know I'm miraculously fully healed.
My wolf surfaces with me, and lives through the moments she missed. Deep grief rips through us and immediately tears are streaming silently down my face. A flood of emotions wash through us.
Almost instantaneously to my waking and my friends screaming, the door to the room I'm in bursts open. I look over at the noise.
A man stands at the threshold. His eyes immediately go to mine. They are hard and alert, and amber. His wolf must be near the surface. Before I can take in any more of him, I gasp softly. His fresh heavenly scent hits me at that moment.
MATE!!
I feel an incredibly strong pull towards him, and my wolf is desperate to go to him.
He's here!
I get a quick second to take him in. He takes up most of the doorway. He's at least 6 inches taller than me. Tan skin and muscled like he benches 18 wheelers for a living. Even more muscled than Reg. He has short dark hair and trimmed beard. His face is sharp and chiseled, and he gives off an air of fierceness, but what stands out the most to me are his scars. This in itself is uncommon for a werewolf, because our wolves can heal our bodies. Scars can only be caused by silver or wolfsbane, which some particularly wild rogues have been known to coat their claws with. From what I can see, he has a few scars on his arms, and one on his face that runs from the top right side of his forehead, down across to the middle of his opposite cheek. Instead of marring him, all I can think of is how hot it makes him look. He must be a warrior. I find that the idea excites me.
I shake myself mentally, and tear my eyes from him. I'm sure he saw my wolf emerge at those last lusty thoughts. Ugh. I feel Iris look over at him and nod, and he exits.
WHY? We need him!
"We don't...just...give me a minute! I have to figure out what's going on!"
I feel her impatience, satisfaction, joy, and lust. At that, I feel a strong pulsating on my neck. I gasp again, and touch the spot. I pull back from Iris and Kristy and ask, "What happened?"
Kristy answers immediately, tears in her eyes. "You almost died." She takes a big sniff. Iris grabs both our hands.
Iris begins to explain. "After the rogue attacked you, it looks like you crawled away from the area a bit. Almost a mile from the attack site. Your mate is with one of the visiting packs and scented you. His pack decided to arrive early. Thank the goddess." She pauses, closing her eyes, as if debating something in her mind. She continues. "He saw you, dying, and marked you, knowing that the connection would help your healing. That it could save you." She stops again, trying to keep her composure. "You weren't healing like you should have been and your injuries were too extensive for your wolf to heal on her own. He picked you up and ran to the clinic. He stayed with you the whole time, knowing the nearness would help.
"The only reason he isn't here now, is that I told him that it might be better if we spoke to you first," she finishes.
I'm overwhelmed. They think a rogue attacked us, because that's exactly what Alex and Kale set up. Word for word how they said it would happen. Where are they?
Kiara is dead. Because of me. My mate is here. He already marked me. Without me even knowing. I'm full of hate, relief, fear, sorrow, longing, and it's too much to bear.
"I can't," I manage to breathe out, through tears, as I push myself out of the bed.
They call out to me.
"Sare-bear!"
"Sarah, wait!"
I feel my mate's presence and ignore it, as I flee down the hallway, keeping my head down. I'm out the door and at the edge of the forest in less than a minute. I don't bother removing the hospital gown as I shift midair and sprint away.
I move to the back of my wolf's mind. I can't deal with everything that's happened in the last 24 hours. I hear a presence running behind me, and whip around, snarling fiercely, ready to kill. Then, I feel the pull. My mate. My snarl ends in a whine. The wolf in front of me is the biggest wolf I've ever seen. He's brindled with black and brown. Magnificent.
My wolf and I come to the same realization. He's not a warrior - he's an Alpha.
All of the ramifications of that fact topple me off of the edge. I push forward past him, warring with my wolf. I want to give her control, because I can't handle the onslaught of everything, but I know all she wants to do is go to her mate, which I just don't have the capacity to mentally work through right now.
My mate stays with me, on my flank - the beta's position, ironically. I run and run, until I'm on the path by my old apartment. The challenging path brings me enough familiarity and distraction to calm me down.
I slide to an abrupt halt at the end of my trail. The waterfall. I stand and stare at it for just a moment, then turn around.
My mate is just standing on all fours, watching me. I lock eyes with him, and feel the pull. Since marking me, he is now my Alpha, so I can communicate with him right now, through our mind link. But what would I even say? He doesn't say anything either. I realize I haven't heard his voice. I have no idea what he thinks of me. He marked me - tying himself to me forever. I don't know what pack he has. I don't even know his name.
