His Savior

Be My Chosen

~Zahara~

               Deep breaths, take deep breaths. I repeat this in my mind to calm myself and Aria. All I really want to do right now is sit next to my mate; give him my strength. I do not want to be at this table, eating lunch with the group from Wild Trail. I don't particularly care for them, and I definitely have no interest in Laslo. I hate the fact that his mother is here. I get that she is still performing Luna duties, but something about her rubs me the wrong way.

               I try to pay attention to the small talk that is going on around me. I join in here and there with one-word responses, but I don't say too much. The doctor told me that I would be informed of any changes, but I'd rather just be by Cory's side. I made sure to scrub myself clean. I didn't want anyone to catch Cory's scent on me. Something about his incident doesn't sit well with me, and I feel like I shouldn't trust this group.

               I keep feeling Laslo's eyes on me, and it is making me extremely uncomfortable. I feel like he is trying to will me to speak with him almost, but I just can't. I have nothing to say to him, and I know what he wants to say to me; I don't want to hear it. I could tell back in high school that he was interested in me, and he gave me an odd feeling even back then. There has not been a time where I found myself interested in Laslo in the slightest. The biggest reason why I didn't want to entertain these treaty discussions was that I felt he would try to use this as an excuse to push the idea of him and me. 

               I heard, during Alpha training, that there was a particular Alpha to be asking about me. He wanted to know what pack I was from and what my name was. He saw me during the competition and spent the next year asking anyone he could get in contact with. Those that knew of me refused to give any information. Anyone who didn't really know me didn't have much information to give anyway. I found out later that it was Laslo that was inquiring about me. During school, he never knew that I was of Alpha status or the pack I was from. Lennox and I wanted a fresh start that included keeping all personal information private. It was a welcome change compared to the other school we attended. I didn't have to deal with the fakeness that came with people knowing that you are not only a ranked member of a pack but THE ranked member of the pack.

               I didn't let my dad know that I was aware of Laslo's motives because I know how much he is into getting treaties with other packs. We are all responsible for our own areas, but having treaties with other packs comes in handy. Anything can happen, and a treaty ensures that you have help at the ready if needed. I, honestly, didn't see what the Wild Trail pack had to offer us in the way of a treaty. Our warriors are considered among the best in the area. We have a multitude of resources, and our businesses put our income in the billions. Wild Trail is a smaller pack and doesn't have the footing we have in the werewolf and human worlds.

               In my studies, I learned that this wasn't the norm for the Wild Trail pack. They used to be an extremely popular pack that was always very successful. It seems that since the previous Alpha died, Derek Williams, things started to be lacking in that pack. It is sad, actually, because the Wild Trail pack had an exceptional reputation. The story goes that Alpha Derek was patrolling his lands one night, and he caught something along the border of his territory and the neutral zone. No one is sure what happened then; they just know that he was found right outside his territory with his throat ripped out. It didn't even seem as if he were able to defend himself first. My dad always thought the situation was weird, but all investigations came up empty.

               I'm so lost in my thoughts that I don't notice that lunch is over and everyone is heading to the back door. Lennox gets my attention, and I get up to follow the group. Right as I walk out the door, I feel a hand on my elbow attempting to keep me in place. The touch has my skin crawling, and I have to fight to swallow the growl that is trying to rise out of my throat. I can smell him, and I really don't want to be here right now. "Can we speak?"

               "We have a tour that we need to attend. Any questions you have, you should direct them to my father since he is still the Alpha at the moment." I make a move to continue walking, but my elbow is still in his grip. I'm trying to keep my temper at bay, but he is quickly pissing me off. I don't want to talk to him, nor do I like his hands on me.

               "Have you thought about my offer?" Here we go with this mess. I wonder what I will have to say to get him to understand that I will never be interested.

               "There is really nothing to think about. I already told you.......you are not my mate." I take note of his dry chuckle, but I won't indulge his foolishness.

               "You can't be that naïve. Some people never find their fated mates. There is nothing wrong with falling in love with someone who is not fated to you. What about joining with someone because it is best for your pack? We are not children that are being fed the fated mates fairytale. We are both Alphas and have responsibilities on our shoulders. There are expectations, and there is no reason why we can't decide to join because it will be best for our packs." I finally turn to him, and he lets go of my elbow.

               "Why me, Laslo? What could you possibly want with me?" He smiles at this, and I feel my stomach turn. There is just something about him that makes me feel so eerie.

               "I have always taken an interest in you." I look at Laslo, trying to decipher the words he is currently speaking. "When I met you in school, I was enamored. You are so beautiful and smart. I was immediately intrigued and wanted nothing more than to get to know you better. When I found out about your rank in your pack and seeing you fight at the competition, I just knew that you were the one for me. I don't know who my fated is, and I don't care because she is not you." Laslo reaches out his hand to me to caress my cheek, but I quickly step back, ensuring I'm out of his range. I don't want anyone touching me except Cory.

               "Such kind words, thank you." Laslo's face softens, and I can see a change in his eyes. "I still am not interested. " Laslo's face drops. "I have always believed in the Moon Goddess and her ability to choose my mate for me. I won't feel bad about that. I know the wolf she has chosen for me will complement me and will make me stronger. We all know that fated mates make us stronger, and no chosen mate has such a power. I do have responsibilities, and one of those is to run my pack to the best of my abilities. To do this, I need to be as strong as possible, which means being with my fated mate." I take another step back from Laslo. "There is no reason to talk about this again, You have my answer, and that will not change." I turn away from Laslo and start stepping off the deck to catch up with the group.