Betrothed

Chapter 22: Tied Fate

Willow

I wake up and smell this weird incense around me what happened and where was I? Was I just dreaming or had this all been real? I slowly try to lift my head up to take a look around and find that I was laying on a gurney with a green blanket laid over top of me. In front of me diagonally along the wall near me there is a big hutch holding a lot of vials and what seems to be herbs for medicine. The rest of the room flowed and matched the antique style or theme this place gave off. There was a door on the wall behind me, but it was only partially open, and I was looking around some more when I noticed that on the far back wall furthest from me there was what seemed to be the main door and to the farther left wall there was another door that was fully open with what seemed to be a cot in the back corner with. Wait a minute. A person sleeping in it not just any person it was Ash he was real. As I glanced in his direction, I felt that feeling come over me again stronger than it was before what happened which I can assume was a black out otherwise I would know where I am currently and why. I shifted under the green blanket to try and get myself comfortable enough to try and get off of this gurney. As soon as I started shifting my body slowly to the edge of the gurney the burning sensation came back and this time I knew exactly where it was burning from. My mark from Brayden. It burned so painfully, and I was holding my arm tightly trying to focus on my breathing, so I did not black out from the pain, again. As I held my arm tight and the burning sensation enraged, I watched my mark, and it seemed like it was changing colors from my normal pigment to something entirely odd. Assuming that this was because this was a burning feeling it would turn red or feel hot, I was confused as to why it was turning a light blue and gold exactly like the pack colors of the Luster Royal pack. What the hell was happening to me right now? The burning feeling got more intense as the colors started getting more visible within the mark from Brayden. I could not take the pain anymore and focusing on my breathing did not help. I wanted to move and focus on that before I yelled as loud as I could and in the middle of shifting my weight to get to the edge, I fell off the gurney holding onto my arm just screaming as I curled into a ball in pain. 

I heard a swift movement and felt someone's hands on my back. 

"Willow, I am here! You are going to be okay I promise." Ash said to me as I laid in pain on the floor next to the gurney still screaming. 

"It." I screamed again louder than the last. "Hurts." I said to Ash as I reached to try and push myself off the ground, but failed when Ash who was kneeling beside me decided to sit on the floor and pull me into his lap. His arms engulfing me as he cradled me in his lap. His scent of sage and cedarwood filled my nose which made me feel calm and gave me a sudden urge to reach up and throw myself around him. 

I lost all my thoughts and as the burning kept growing, I started to focus on Ash which seemed to calm the burning down. Especially his closeness and his scent. I fought the pain and looked up to Ash who was looking down at me. Our eyes meeting and the pain melting as I lost myself in his beautiful brown eyes. His hair falling on his forehead from it being a little longer on top. I suddenly could not understand anymore what my body was doing to me other than in this moment the world fell apart and Arashnic was my cure. I needed him. My wolf instincts started taking over and I suddenly had no thoughts other than to take control and do what my thoughts and body so desperately needed to take the cure in fully. Our eyes still met and our faces getting closer and then suddenly I pushed myself up the rest of the way so that our mouths were only centimeters apart his eyes reeling me in further. I let go of my arm and fought the pain I was feeling still and put my hands on both sides of his head giving into his sudden power over me fully. Breathing hard from fighting the pain and this sudden urge toward Ash that is growing by the second, I tried to keep myself from going the last bit of the way when the feelings and instinct took over me completely. I locked my lips with his and the passion we had between the two of us did not slow down it only grew. His hands on my waist as I faced him still sitting in his lap as he was facing downward at me our make out session still intensifying in the moment. I realized that the pain was disbursing suddenly and kept wanting more of his scent and the taste from his lips. My hands in his curly shortish brown hair that was so soft in my grasp. We kept making out intensely until we both needed to come up for air and when that happened, I relaxed against his body as he still held my waist in his lap. Suddenly as he put his head against mine leaning against me as we sat there relaxing with our bodies close together sitting on the floor as I felt like I could just melt into him as he held me in his lap a vision occurred. 

I was watching myself standing on a dirt path that had two distinct directions to choose between each having a well-worn path of their own along with a faint path down the middle of that you could only see slightly as it was not very clear. I stood there confused as I was making a decision of some sort. What am I doing? Then there is a moon above me partially full. With a sign suddenly appearing on a piece of wood in front of me placed before the paths that read, "May you pick the best or be consumed by the plenty just know that your decision affects the many."

As soon as the vision came it went the vision was over. 

I was still swooning in Arashnic's arms my emotions taking full control over me. I did not know what to say now that we were silent and just enjoying each other's company relaxed as if nothing had happened. My wolf instincts started to tingle. I looked down at my mark and started intensely looking at it which I think Ash noticed soon after I began to rub the mark that was now matching the same colors as the Luster Royal pack banner symbol which is a light blue and gold. How does a mark just change like that from being a normal pigment to match my caramel complexion to including odd colors within the mark itself which yes is a wolf bite mark from Brayden himself. It is just how things are done for us werewolves. 

"Are you okay?" Ash asked as he glanced down at me rubbing at the colors on my mark from Brayden. "Wh-When and how did that happen?" I could feel his jaw drop. 

If only he could understand the sudden confusion I felt. Being pulled two different ways and not having a reason of why this was happening. Werewolves get one true mate so why am I feeling strongly about two different male werewolves one of which is my mate and I assumed was my true mate because of the feelings that quickly overcame me. When you know you know and unfortunately it comes fast if your wolf connects the dots etc. The Moon Goddess gifts each werewolf one true mate, so what is happening to me?

"Ash, I do not understand anymore." I looked up at him trying not to take in his wonderful scent of sage and cedarwood. "I should not have done that. I can't -." I got interrupted as the door flew open hard with a mid-height girl with brunette hair with blonde highlights and an average build that seems to be around my age carrying a bunch of paper sacks with herbs and other miscellaneous objects sticking out of the sacks. She kind of glares at Arashnic and continues to walk to the round table near the far wall and sets the bags down on it. I was confused as to who she was and remembering that before I blanked out in memory Ash said he was going back to his pack, so I must be at his true pack where he is supposed to take his position as alpha back as it is his birth right. 

She turned around sharply after she set the bags down, "I am so sorry if I am interrupting. I am Leyna the Wayland pack psychic." Leyna starts approaching me and Ash who were still sitting on the floor until she reached her hand out to me and offered me some assistance off the floor. "Here let me help you up." She grabbed my hand and pulled me up onto my feet that felt so limp and jelly like.

"I am so weak right now. Romellow really has ruined me emotionally, physically, and visually. Who I am now consists of blacking out and not knowing what I am doing or what is true anymore." I started ranting as I felt my legs starting to give out from under me. "I need to sit down please." Leyna nodded and helped me back onto the gurney while Arashnic quickly lifted himself up from the floor and stood next to me placing his hand on the gurney beside me. I couldn't help but grab at his hand as quick as he set it down on the gurney. Leyna looked and pretended to not notice that Ash and I had gotten close since I woke up. I wonder what she already knew with her abilities and all. "Leyna, it is nice to finally meet you. I am Willow of the Glisten Royal pack."

"It is nice to officially meet you as well Willow. My apologies Ash introduced you when he was playing knight in shining armor." Leyna smirked as she finished that sentence. "Can you tell me where the burning feeling was coming from when you experienced it?"

"I actually felt it shortly after I woke up. I kept growing in extremity burning my mark from where my mate Brayden from the Luster Royal pack marked me until Ash was close to me and I could focus on him. The one thing that made the pain disburse was kissing Ash. Which I had no intentions of doing until I had this urge take over me. I do not even know how to describe anything that just happened other than the urge goes two ways and these feelings that were only slight yesterday for Ash grew immensely after I woke and saw him. It was after I smelled his scent that it went haywire." I explained to Leyna. "Oh, I left one thing out the mark changed colors."

Leyna suddenly grabbed my arm and then grabbed the other arm until she found the mark. She stared at it in awe. She touched it and then she kind of went blank for a minute. Until she looked up from glancing at my mark on my arm. "You have two."