REGINA

26. People

I woke up early, five in the morning to be exact. Marce had  insisted to stay with me last night and he made sure I didn't thrash around at night. Honestly it felt good to sleep with his warm body pressed against my back. His soft snores felt like music to my ears, his rhythmic breath tickled my neck yet it was soothing. I smiled as I turned my body towards him. His face was glowing in the morning sun that has just rose up. His mouth was slightly parted and his hair was in a mess, a beautiful mess. His eyebrows were knitted and I guess it was because of the sun falling on his face. I shifted to cover him from the sun and ran one of my fingers over his knitted eyebrows in a gentle manner. He looked so heavenly and so calm that I sighed. He didn't kill someone and he can sleep peacefully yet I am here who cannot sleep and needed him to calm me down. I wondered if he would do good without me.
And the answer came, yes definitely.
He has been doing great even before I came and I was actually in a mess before I came here. Life has been hard for me and before I came here I was nothing but a poor girl who had nothing, just Laila and her mom who took care of me. But I killed her here.
When Marce yesterday told me that my dad was going to fight too, I felt like I should just die somewhere. It's my mess yet I was sleeping and mourning in my room when people out there who didn't do anything were getting ready for a war that might even kill them. I was being a coward, I was being selfish and this is not how a person should act. A person should clean up their own mess and I will do mine. This is going to be hard. Maybe I'll refrain from getting my wolf out but I'll have to fight. My people doesn't deserve an Alpha who cannot control her wolf. I will make sure my wolf listens to me. It might be stronger but it's me who controls both of my kinds. I should have that control over it.
All these thoughts were running in my mind and I didn't realise that Marce had started stirring. I gently patted his head as he woke up from his sleep, yawning he looked at me and flashed his adorable dimple smile.
"Good morning" he said in a childlike tone, stretching his arms above his head.
"Good morning" I smiled gently. He reached and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.
"Why are you up so early?" He asked as he flopped himself up on his elbows. The blanket slipped down his torso revealing his carved body. He had a shirt on when he slept but he threw that off in the middle of the night, still in his sleep and I found it cute and terrifying at the same time but I didn't say anything thinking that he might wake up. I had turned my face away from him and that's when he hugged me from behind.
But now I am not shy anymore as I trailed my eyes down his body but not very far as his burning gaze caught me.
I cleared my throat.
"Well I was thinking of going for a walk or a run maybe." I shrugged.
He nodded and got off the bed, bending down he took the shirt off from the floor and wore it before extending his hand to me.
I raised my eyebrows, asking what it was but he just smiled and made me get out of the bed.
"Let's go running together." He said softly and I nodded. He let me get ready with my shoes and waited outside so that I can get my workout clothes on. After a good half an hour we were off. I ran slowly, my body was weak and achy because of all those days I spend on my bed. I trotted my way along with Marce who was just saying things about his family.
"Oh you know when Zack and I was born people used to call us the ice and the storm twins."
I laughed at that.
"How do you know what people called you when you were just born?" I asked him with amusement.
"Well my mother had told us when we got older."
"Oh and why would people call you that??" I asked.
"Well for our hair colour and eye colours. I have black hair and grey eyes, just like how storms are seen and he has blue eyes and his almost white hair which is like ice."
I laughed at that. Sure the personification was good but still it sounded as if he just made it.
"And what do they call Andrea?" I laughed. But Marce looked distant. He stopped all of a sudden and stared straight in front of him, his stormy grey eyes were wet. I stopped in my tracks and looked at him, taking his hands in mine I looked up into his eyes.
"Marce? Is everything okay?"
He didn't respond, instead he sighed.
"When Andrea was born, we were at war. So my parents died after one year of her birth. People called her a misfortune."
He looked at me.
"But it wasn't her fault." I tried to sooth him.
"Andrea was never the reason for our parents death. They died to save the pack yet the pack members said that Andrea was bad luck. That's why we sent her to a distant boarding school. She would have got hurt listening to all those taunts."
"You did the right thing Marce. I have always seen our pack people as good people. I didn't know some were like this." I gritted my teeth. How dare they curse a small child who was just one year old.
"She proved that she wasn't a misfortune. Our pack flourished after the war and soon she was welcomed by the pack members. Things did go a bit bad at first for her but now people here love her. Still for her mental well being Zack and I decided to keep her away from the pack."
"That's sensible and a good decision you took." I smiled and kissed his knuckles. He loves his family and he can do anything for them. The fondness in his eyes makes my heart flutter and I fall in love with him all over again.
He returned my smile and we went back to our running when we saw an old lady with two kids walking on the cobbled road.
"Suzy!" Marce called out and immediately the small girl's head whipped towards us. She smiled widely and waved at him.
"Let's go." Marce took my hand and trotted his way up to them, me trailing behind.
"Hello honey. How are you today?" Marce asked the girl sweetly who just giggled.
"I am good. How are you?"
"Oh I am doing great." Marce said in a happy tone.
The old lady took a moment to look at my face and then immediately bowed towards me.
"Alpha! How have you been?" She asked softly like a grandmother would ask her grandchild.
"I am good. Thanks to the pack people's well wishes." I smiled and made her stand up. " You don't have to bow ma'am, I am so much younger than you. It's me who should show you respect."
"Oh that's sweet of you honey." She smiled and turned to Marce.
"Marce darling, it's been a while since I last met you." She smiled, her eyes disappearing with her smile.
"Yes grandma. Well where are you all coming from??"
"Oh went to harvest the strawberries. They have grown to be such beautiful plump ones. Wait I'll hand you some." The lady who's name was Maria pulled out a bag of strawberries out of her bigger bag and handed it to me.
"These are fresh from the farm. Eat them you'll love it." She patted my hand. I smiled and then I realised there was a boy standing beside. I crouched down to his level and smiled at him.
"Hello there darling. What's your name?"
"Hi Alpha. My name is Ronn. I am eight years old and Suzy is twelve.  It's nice to meet you." I shook his tiny hands.
"You are cute." I pinched his cheeks and so did Suzy's and they both giggled.
"Alpha we had harvested fresh oranges from my grandma's farm last week and I even went to your castle to give them to you but the guard told us that you were sick and couldn't meet us. Are you okay now?" Ronn asked in a very concerned tone.
"I am good now. Thank you for asking."
"That's good to hear. Alpha, when I'll grow up I want to fight beside you and defeat whoever would come to hurt you so that you never fall sick again like you did. I'll be your best man." He said proudly , puffing his chest out and tipping his head up.
Kid was so enthusiastic about wars but it's not his fault that my people are loyal to their Alpha.
"Sure Ronn but you have to grow up first." I smiled and ruffled his brown hair.
It's sad that a child is ready to serve for his Alpha cause he thinks someone hurt his Alpha but will he stand beside me when he'll know that his Alpha killed her own family? I am a monster, just like Lucas had said but I'll have to do something for the well being of these sweet people who are welcoming me with all their heart even after knowing that I have spend my life as a human. I cannot break their faith in me. They believe in me, they are proud of me for some reason. They see their Alpha in me and I can't let their hopes down by retrieving away from the present.
Laila is gone. But I have my dad and Marce to protect, my pack people needs me and I am ready to give my life out for them. Lucas is going to attack but I can't let them fight alone. I'll be there no matter what happens.
I smiled down at him and Suzy and we said our goodbyes as they went back to their home. Marce took the strawberries out of my hands and started eating them.
"They are so good. Try one." He lifted a plump strawberry up to my mouth and I bite into it and God that was so tasty. But my sweet track to heaven came to a stop when I sensed something. As if someone was watching us.
"Marce?" I whispered.
"Hmm?" He asked between bites.
"I think there's someone behind that tree, in the woods."
"Where?"
I pointed my finger up to an old oak tree that was bended in a very odd fashion. Marce looked at and held my hand firmly. He then inched closed to the tree but before we could get any closer a guard came up to us.
"Alpha Fiona, Alpha Rage is calling you to the office. He said to take Gamma Marce with you too." He said as he bowed his head. I looked at the oak tree and decided to leave it and walked back with the guard but not before giving it a final look. Marce wrapped his hands around mine and told not to worry it might be in my mind.

But there was something, someone was watching us.