The Curse Of An Alpha *MATURE*

Chapter 11: None, Zero, Nill

I'm struggling to keep up with the read counts If I'm honest haha. Thanks for 30k! Also,I  have been struggling to write. I'm just stressed because I don't know what I want to do with myself hahaha.

* * *

The sky had long since turned a mixture of dark blues and purples. Somehow in this small picturesque town, even nature looked more artistic and more serene than anywhere else. The hushed sound of wind accompanied the sound of Belle preparing their food and the yellow lamps outside the building illuminated the view for her. Despite the time and the decreasing temperature, the streets were buzzing with life. Alice watched as people- wolves- socialised in the open. Belle claimed that they were often night creatures and their societies functioned that way too.

Alice could definitely see it- wolves howling at the moon surrounded by flecks of stars in the sky. It sent a shiver of anticipation down her spine.

Her eyes cast over the shadows of the buildings, the way they moulded and moved with the flickering of artificial light and every person that walked past them; for the first time in a while, her fingers itched to grab a hold of a paintbrush and paint the scene before her. Capture, memorise, appreciate... It was breathtaking and entirely captivating. She sucked in a breath at the sight of several wolves as they emerged from behind a building. They were young, from what she could tell and held an aura of excitement around themselves.

 The sound of breaking bones reached her from where she sat. It was grotesque and not entirely pleasant, but she watched in rapid fascination as they turned from fur to skin, from muzzle to nose and from a wolf to a human. Heat rose up her neck at the fact that they were very much naked. Two of those wolves were males and had no hint of shame on their faces as they laughed at what appeared to be an inside joke.

Belle's chuckle startled her out of her thoughts. She turned to look at what was so funny and realised that the laughter was aimed at her. Alice raised her eyebrows.

"We're not that bothered by nudity. It's only natural for us since, you know, we shed our skins so often between our wolf and human side. That's why," Belle nodded towards the window as she brought over two steaming cups of tea, "they're not bothered about walking butt naked." Alice returned her gaze to the teenagers, "It's a bit chilly though and I suspect that guy with red hair is starting to realise it." Belle's eyes crinkled as she caught the sight of the wolf's red cheeks and the laughing of his friends.

A smile tugged up at the corners of Alice's lips. They were so carefree and...happy. It was unusual to see the normalcy of the wolves and compare it to what her life had been like. They looked no different, save for the grace and nakedness part, to the people in the human world. Maybe the pack had a larger sense of community but other than that, they were pretty much identical. Like the same drops of water from two different ponds. 

The smell of chicken and salad sandwiches brought her attention to the plate Belle placed on the coffee table in front of her. Her stomach gave off a rumble and a chuckle left Belle's lips. Alice inhaled and for a moment the scent that was often accompanied by worry reached her. It was gone before she could comment on it, though. "Go on, eat. I don't want Colden yelling me to death because I starved you."

She forced a small laugh passed her lips, unwilling to sour Belle's hopeful mood. 

After the first slow bite of her sandwich, Alice devoured her food within minutes. The taste and flavour erupted and danced across her taste buds and by the time she was finished- her fingers coated with the grease and her lap covered in crumbles- her stomach was sated enough to think about the topic that really needed thinking about.