Voodoo

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I jumped from the tree.

And I ran.

I slipped around him and darted away from my sanctuary and to the festival grounds, where my father would be waiting patiently for theevent to come to an end. There was a deep bark behind me, but I continued on, my heart thundering like a rabbit's.

I swore and swore, panicking as I ran. As he closed in. As I got closer and closer to being caught. I could see the lights, now. I was so close to breaking free of the trees, so clsose to warning my father, so close--

A yelp escaped my lips as my foot slipped on the leaf litter, and before I could get up, I felt teeth on my jacket, pulling me back. "No," I pleaded, my nails gauging out clumps of dirt. "No, no, no, you can't be here." He growled and he pulled me farther away, and I turned and shoved at his muzzle. He must've been caught by surprise, because he let go.

I used my boosted adrenaline to shoot out of the trees, and people looked back at me. My father looked bewildered as I near collapsed at his table, panting and sputtering incoherent words. "Leila," he said, taking my shoulders. "Leila, what's going on? Why do you look as if you've been tussling with someone?"

"He's here," I gasped, pointing back to the trees frantically. "Whitethorn, he's. . . h-he's here." Father blinked, and nodded slowly. "Yes, I know. This is an open event. He told me that he would be here to participate in the currere and to discuss a conpromise afterward." His eyes flickered to something behind me, and I saw the massive wolf making its way through the crowd. People who knew him bowed the heads, while others looked at him curiously.

My father nodded to the wolf, and the wolf nodded back, then looked to me with a scowl. "W-wait. . . you knew he was here? And you didn't tell me?" Now I felt like a fool, and I probably looked like one as well. I felt a nudge on my arm, and threw myself away from it. My father just looked confused as I quickly stood and declared, "I'm finished. I'm going home."

I wasn't followed. I just slipped off, trying to keep my rising anger at bay as I stormed off to the house. Once inside, I rushed upstairs and locked my bedroom door, and then frowned down at my dirt-covered fingers.

Time for a shower.

·~·

I went downstairs, a damp towel draped around my neck as I shuffled into the kitchen, still wearing a scowl on my face. I opened up the fridge, my eyes skimming over the contents within. My nose was still steam-clogged, and I just closed the fridge, shaking my head. In his office, I heard my father's voice rise, and I raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"She is the single Heiress to this pack!" he was saying. "Even if your proposal meant lasting peace between our packs for years to come, I cannot allow her to just. . . leave! She has responsibility here!"

There was a moment of silence, and I started to leave, thinking he was simply on the phone, until a low and familiar voice said, "And what if I were to tell you that your single Heiress was my mate?"

I stiffened at once, and a moment after I heard his office door begin to open. I quickly opened the fridge back up and made a show of pulling out a bottle of sweet tea just as Father stormed past the kitchen. When he saw me, he backtracked, and I could see the livid rage on his face as he walked up to me. I played dumb, and blinked in confusion.

"You seem upset," I said in my casual demeanor, and was startled as he snatched the tea out of my hands and slammed it down on the counter. I took a small step away from him.

"Is there something you forgot to tell me about last night?" he demanded, his eyes smoldering. "W-what are you talking about?" I asked, unable to keep the waver from my voice.

"Oh, I don't know," he drawled, rolling his eyes. "Maybe that Brendan Whitethorn is your mate?"

Could I still play dumb?

"I don't. . . I don't know what you're talking about," I said, clenching my fist within the pocket of my shorts. He was about ready to explode. "I think you damn well do! I took your behavior last night as confused anger, but now I see that you were just trying to cover it up."

Whitethorn appeared in the kitchen doorway, his olive eyes narrowed on my father. They instantly flicked to me, and he crossed his arms over his broad chest. My heart went into a panic, and my father grabbed my shoulders, saying, "Leila, you cannot let something like that stay silent! I would've found out sooner or later, and now you've just made things difficult." He took a deep breath, and exhaled with a long sigh.

"Is he your mate? I want an honest answer."

"I- I don't know," I admitted, and my father turned to look at Brendan, who was still quietly observing. "I can't say for sure," he murmured, sending the hairs on my neck upright. "She ran off too quickly for me to properly tell."

"Why must you be such a complicated girl?" he said, pinching the bridge of his nose. He sighed, and shook his head. "I'll give you an hour," he stated, and walked away without saying anything else. My head remained ducked well after he left the kitchen, and I could feel all of my senses straining to focus on Whitethorn.

All of a sudden a finger looped under my chin and my head was pulled up, and then my eyes met with those of Brendan, beautiful emeralds that narrowed on me. Every muscle in my body froze, and I couldn't move anymore, and all I could do was stare up into the eyes that had plagued me for hours.

A flicker of gold.

I drew in a sharp breath, and all of a sudden I could move again. I tried to pull away from him, taking a step backward, and I found myself being shoved against the fridge instead. Brendan braced his hands on either side of my head, and his gaze was so intense that I almost felt like cowering. Gold flickered and ringed around his eyes again, and he stiffened.

"Mate," he growled huskily, and my inner beast began to writhe and squirm, whining and sending my body into overdrive. My body fought against it, and I was on the edge of breaking when he pulled away from me. My legs wavered and caved in, and he quietly walked away.

He just. . . left.