Ice Blue [ Book One ]

22 // Sticking Out

Just say the word and let me be
You've broken me
Please say the word so I'll be free
I'm better off lonely

• • •

I was being watched very closely, the eyes on me being intense and calculating. My thick tail waved back and forth as I climbed through the undergrowth, my paws being careful with each step I took.

It was about a month after my official entrance into Princeton's pack as a member. So far, I have been getting only welcoming responses from those who desired to give it. Those who didn't like my joining said nothing — at least not yet.

The month was anything but leisurely, though. As June moved into July, it was getting hotter, making it harder for me to shift at anytime but mid-evening to early morning. The pelt of a snow leopard was not built for heated climates. It's thick, rough texture was meant for chilly mountain tops and snowy seasons, and we were meant to blend in with the stony grays of the mountainside, not the lush green of forests. Feline was starting to get irritated at the loss of prey when she hunted.

Her frustrations were not lost on the human side, or on Princeton for the matter. Her irritation had grown, and she was making me restless, so I decided to allow her out a bit earlier than planned. Doing so was probably a mistake on my part because she was stomping around and grumbling, throwing an absolute childish tantrum. She tore up a few plants, bit a few low-hanging tree branches, growled some profanities that I rarely use in the form of a human.

It was during her tantrum that I felt a presence enter our head. I was confused for a brief moment, as was she, but the voice, similar to Princeton's, but not quite his, chuckled, "I understand you are frustrated that you've yet to catch anything. But does stomping truly solve your problem?"

Princeton's wolf. I have heard him a few times before when Princeton and I would test our link and the mate bond that connected us. He has reached out to Feline before, to me, introducing himself but never mentioning a name. I had questioned Princeton about it one day as we were spending time together.

"How come he hasn't ever told me or Feline his name?" I asked, fiddling with one of the super nice watches on his dresser. He hadn't minded my snooping, he was actually encouraging it. "It doesn't bother us that he hasn't," I added, in case he took that the wrong way, "Feline and I are just curious — naturally."

Princeton hummed, his brown eyes watching me warmly. "A wolf never reveals their name to anyone other than their human self and their mate. It is a silent rule to keep hushed the name of your wolf, because the wolf is the identity that belongs to the Goddess. In our world, in our eyes, the gift She gave us was created specifically for us. Down to the color of our coats, even if genetics can be argued and proven to have a reasoning."

I watched the hand twitch to the right on the watch as time continued onward. I set the watch down where I found it and looked at him through the mirror, where I locked eyes with him.  "Then how is it he's not told me yet, if we're mates?"

"He will most likely reveal it after being marked and mated — those are how our bond is sealed for eternity and unlocks the full acceptance of one another," the alpha responded as he smiled a little. "Why do you call her Feline?"

I had expected the question at some point, and my lips twitched when I heard the knowing rumble of amusement come from her in my thoughts. I turned around and walked toward the bed where Princeton was lounging. "She's never told me her name."