short stories

The Runt, The Alpha, and the Protector

(hidden sneak peek into the Innocent Little Runt Rewrite)
(Title is a work in Progress)
(Happy Holidays and Enjoy)

i starred at her in puzzlement. her eyes were completely black as if her wolf had taken over yet she held herself in a relatively calm matter. she was tense, as if ready to run. she took deep seemingly calculated breaths through her nose.

"Celeste is sleeping, she needs her rest" her voice was deeper but only slightly, almost a husky kind of tone to it.

"i agree," i said slowly, analyzing her. she holds herself different than celeste does, it's off putting to see but it answered my question. her wolf has fully taken over with no rage involved. was celeste one to express rage? i'd be curious to see how that would look. . .

more questions sprouted. "celeste said you have a name," i turned my brain over for a second in recollection,
"sicily?" that didn't sound correct

"Ancillary," she corrected proudly.

"ancillary," i said. her fists clenched. "how long have you been doing this? taking over like this?" she examined me for a second. i held out a hand, curling it in front of her on the bed. she eyed it. i relaxed my position and put my other hand on my leg.

"a long while"

"why"

"she needs protection" i furrowed my brows at that, trying to ignore the hit to my ego that she felt celeste needed protection in my home.

"i can help protect her now"

"i haven't decided that yet" i inhaled at the words, trying to conceal the anger that made me feel.

"does this hurt her in any way physically or mentally? you, taking over for i'm assuming decent periods of time?"

"no. her conscious is sleeping. i don't much move our body unless i feel necessary." she deflated, just a little, and her eyes darted away briefly before returning to mine. "sometimes i do look around, if i'm unsure. even a tiny bit"

i nodded in understanding, still adding it to the list of questions i'd like zay to look into. "what are you protecting her from?" she narrowed her eyes. "who?" she looked away.

"celeste is stirring, she can hear your voice" pride bloomed in my chest as i cleared my throat. "that pleases you"

i looked at my hand near her and gently ran a finger across the skin on her knee. "celeste is my mate. and i don't know her well yet but i want her to like me." i looked up at her. "i'd like you to like me too" she looked away.

"she's awake." she closed her eyes and clenched them. her body lost any stiffness with the exception of her fists which curled up as her arms stretched. i mourned the loss of contact. she brought one up to rubbed her eye. i resisted the urge to grab her hand and kiss over her sleepy face.

"ancillary?" she opened her eyes and trailed them around. she nodded a few times as she realized i was on the bed. "okay" she looked up at my eyes. "hi"

i gave her a smile, "hi beautiful, did you have a good nap?" she nodded. "your wolf is very present" she hummed.

(just an [unedited] sneak peak into the rewrite that will be hitting wattpad 2024)