I walked onto the steps of my home with my sunglasses over my eyes and bags in tow. Life had seemed simple while I was away. There was no talk of the supernatural power I possessed, no pack feuds, and no encounters with him. He was the one person in the whole village that I was not excited to see.
School was over, the air was warm, and I was different. To say that I didn’t change would be a lie. It has been almost three years since the incident. I had grown my hair out to my waist; I had multiple piercings and a couple tattoos. I didn’t look like the typical pack girl nor did I act like one. Sure I had grown up with them went to the same schools and I had lived with most of them at some point but I had always been different. I was alone he had made sure of that.
“Is that little Miss Annabellie,” said Declan from the top of the stairs shading his eyes from the sun with his hand. I smiled immediately at the hearing of his nick name for me.
“Hey,” I said climbing the stairs to the front door of the pack house. Declan had been one of my brothers closest friends and has always treated me as I was his little sister. I pulled back from the embrace he had me in after a few seconds.
We both looked at each other taking in the changes that have occurred since we last saw each other. Really he hadn’t changed. He still had the short haircut, the same holes in his jeans and the same goofy grin on his face. I had missed that grin. It had always brought warmth and comfort when I needed it the most.
When I saw his face change to look a little confused I knew he saw it: My mark, His mark. We all had them. It’s like a birthmark except there is only one other person in the entire world with the exact same one. And that one person is basically your other half, some go searching for them for years others, like me, were arranged to meet their mate at a certain point in time.
Only a hand full of people knew who the person I share my mark with and Declan was not one of them. I knew someone might recognize it but I had put no effort in concealing it this morning and left it completely uncovered. I had on a pair of black shorts and a light coral exposed a portion of my midriff. My park was about the size of a child’s fist and rested on my left hip. Every line, dot, and curve of it was on display for the world to see; for Him to see.
“It’s really nice to see you,” I said and when his smiling face looked up at me I was sure he had not recognized it.
“You too,” Declan said picking up my bags with one arm and slinging his other over my shoulders we walked in the large pack house. “I can’t believe you’re really back.”
“I know,” I said while taking in the familiar surroundings. It felt strange to be back. I knew I would eventually return but I did not think it would be so soon and under these circumstances, I didn’t feel real.
We were walking down the familiar path to my room when I felt my stomach clench with anticipation. His room had been in the same corridor as mine before I left. The possibility of seeing him here was a great I knew that but I had not thought about if I was really ready to see him.
“Here we are,” said Declan bringing me out of my thoughts. Boxes that I had sent over earlier were stacked up on a wall but everything else seemed the same; my pictures still hung from the wall above my desk, the books I left behind were stacked up against a chair it the corner and my mother’s music box still sat on my beside table. It was comforting to know they expected me to come back. Declan put down my bags at the foot of my bed.
“Thanks,” I said and went to give a side hug but he had different thoughts and pulled me into a tight bear hug with my feet off the ground.
“I’ve missed you,” he said into my shoulder and pulled me tighter with an unknown strength. I knew he was not just speaking of me but of my brother too. Declan probably thought that he could try and take some of my brothers place after he died but I didn’t let him I wanted someone else but he did not want me.
“Me too,” I said and Declan released me form his death grip. I really had missed him but I never thought how my leaving would affect him all I had thought about, all I based my decision on was him. Trying to get away from all the hurt I had felt and how I was feeling without my brother but I did not consider that Declan would have lost just as much as I did.
“You hungry,” he said his face grinning at me. “I know where we could find a mean box of cereal,” I laughed neither of us could cook very well so we had bonded over our love of cold cereal.
“Sounds good to me,” I said still a hint of laughter in my voice. I put down the bag I was carrying and through my sunglasses on my bed. We walked down the corridor door a d to the stairs when someone called Declan. He signaled for me to stay where I was while he went to talk to the man who called him.
I heard a door open behind me first then I smelled the familiar musky sent that came from spending long hours in the woods. I knew the sent to well it was etched into my brain, scared into my dreams. It was his.
I prayed silently to myself. I shut my eyes tight balled my fists. It’s not him, it’s not him; I chanted in my head. Then softly I heard him speak.
“Annabella,” his voice was barley a murmur but I heard it. His voice was soft, husky. It had hope in to but also regret. His voice kept me up at night, put pains in my chest when I thought of it; when I thought of Him.
Slowly I turned around un-balling my hands. I was still hoping that I was wrong that it wasn’t him; that I was imaging things. But I was not and there he stood five feet in front of me.
He looked older now but still had the same hard set face and rugged look about him, he held all the confidence in the world but his eyes, that usually emanated power, were looking at me with sorrow and regret. He was looking at me with regret. The boy I ran away from stood right there in front of me.
Zane.
