The Castaways

Chapter 3 - Sparks

        I felt a bit flustered, okay that's an understatement, I was a lot flustered. The waves of dominance coming off the alphas was chill-inducing. I felt distinctly aware of the fact that I was the only non-shifter in the room. The room was large and pristine white, the Castas would accept nothing less. I inwardly calmed myself. Its okay Scar, you've prepared for this, you're gonna do just fine. I nervously straightened my pantsuit. I took my seat like everyone else. Claire moved elegantly towards the front of room. "I'm so sorry for the delay, we assure you that this isn't a regular occurrence for us. Without much ado, I call upon Scarlett Monte to present the terms of the merger." She held her sweet sugary smile in place. I tried to gracefully stand up but I lacked the stealth of a born werewolf. My chair screeched in protest garnering the attention of all the alphas, a reproachful glance from my mom, and a smirk from Claire which disappeared when she moved towards me giving me a light peck on my cheek in an exaggerated show of affection. The scent of her perfume filled my nostrils as she walked away from me to her seat.
          I sucked in a deep breath before I inclined my head slightly, Alicia walked towards the alphas distributing a leaflet as we'd planned, it contained a brief but detailed summary of what I was to speak about. "Good morning, I am Scarlett Monte. The business merger between The Castas and the Werewolf race is undeniably the most largest and most shocking deal in the business world as of recent. The leaflets with you contains an abridged version of the stipulations for the contract." The projector came on. "This is the graph of The Casta sales for the past twenty years." As I continued to speak, my tension faded away. I went through the details swiftly trying to get across to the alphas. I wore the mask of a perfect Casta - quick witted, domineering, and a bit hospitable, all the things I wasn't- Claire watched me like one would watch a lab rat, it wasn't a comforting thought.
       My insides turned restless like I was waiting for something, anything. I guess I was, this was to be my big break, my chance to prove myself. I turned to face the Alphas, my gaze locked on a particular alpha. I spoke without thinking as I drank in his features. He had a golden skin tone like he spent his life outdoors, which he must have probably without clothes. Scar get a grip on yourself! Only I couldn't. His eyes were hazel, unending. I hurriedly concluded my speech, thinking of things I had never thought of. I avoided Claire's gaze because of the triumph I knew would be written there. I walked back to my seat almost giving in to the urge to bury my face in my palms. I'd messed up big time.
         Yet I found myself wanting to look up at him, yes people this is what happens when you don't eat before going to work. I felt moisture rise in my eyes as I contemplated the talk my mom and I would have. I almost looked up to see if my mother was stalking down to me but I kept my spine straight and stared forward like a decent Casta. Decent Casta, what a joke! A decent Casta wouldn't have stared at an alpha like she wanted to... I felt color rise to my cheeks.
       I waited for some minutes before excusing myself. I all but ran into the convenience. I regained my composure immediately I left the room. The fuzzy feeling I didn't even notice till I left the room left me. I've never taken drugs but I could bet that I was crashing. I sprinkled water all over my face. I had started the speech alright till I'd seen his face. My knees buckled thinking of him. What in hell was wrong with me? The door slammed open. Claire was obviously here to gloat. Damn her! I gathered my composure quickly.
       I turned to face her. It wasn't a her but a him. It was the golden god looking at me. Staring as if I were the most beautiful thing he'd seen. I couldn't summon a single coherent thought. The fuzzy feeling had returned with a furious intensity. One minute he was staring , the next he was burying his face in my neck sending sparks all through me making me want to do things. Crazy things. His breath on my neck was wrecking havoc to my entire system, clouding my reasoning, was I even thinking? He smelt like pine and snow.
        I found myself burying my nose in his neck wanting more. I struggled to breathe, he surrounded me. I clung to him, he was my anchor. Something was niggling at me, something I had forgotten but what mattered when he was here? He pulled away slightly to gaze at me, his eyes were even more hypnotic up close. His lips were even more beautiful, I raised a hand to trace it. He groaned before capturing my lips with his. I found myself losing myself in his touch. I couldn't remember who I was or who he was. Who he was ... I gasped pulling away, I moved away ignoring the hurt in his eyes. Was that really pain in his eyes? What was I doing? The farther I moved from him, the clearer my head became. I'd just threw myself at an alpha who I didn't know. Horror struck. I saw realization light up his gaze. " I ... I..." What do you say to a stranger you almost made out with? What do you tell a stranger who made you come alive, who you want to hold you again? Nothing that's what except sputtering like like a fish counts.
        I did the one thing I did best. Run.