She started to pick up her pace as she walked through the thick dark woods. She whimpered at every chirping of a cricket and yelp of an animal in distress.
The woods were not a place to be, especially alone at night.
Plum's vision was blurry because of all the humbling tears that welled up in her eyes. Her lip quivered and she bit it, hard. She stumbled over roots of thick tall trees and covered her face that flushed a deep hue of red.
She fervently whispered to herself, in hopes of seeing something. Anything.
Plum stopped in her padding and her small body trembled from the nightly breeze. She sat next to a tall overbearing tree for protection and cuddled her legs tightly against her chest.
Plum ran her fingers over the soft cloth that covered her body that prickled in goosebumps.
Her eyes grew droopy and her head rested against the bark of the pine tree. She dozed off sobbing softly to herself and whispering kind words of encouragement for a hopeful morning.
•••
Alpha Maximus Jedrek stood between large open French doors, nursing a glass of whiskey in his hand and pressing a withering cigarette against his lips. He downcast his head for his eyes to roam the deep forest that thickened out in front of his pack lands.
There was a part of him that felt separation. Majority of his pack members had already found their beloved and started families –introducing new pups into the world. But Maximus, at the tender age of thirty-two, was mateless.
He could feel his anger simmering. The thought of her being out there with anyone else whether it be male or female made him sick.
He gulped back the bitter drink –letting it burn down his throat and relishing it.
"You missed a lovely ceremony..." his mother mumbled, entering the room clad in embroidery cloth and her hair in a plaited firm bun.
"You can't sulk forever, you aren't even trying to find her," she accused, her cheeks blooming with colour and her eyes lowered.
"Sorry, mother. But I don't do weddings," he asserted in his usual low and guttural voice.
"You don't do anything anymore," she softly snivelled, leaving the room and letting the door close from the smooth breeze.
Maximus swallowed hard seeing his mother saddened for him. He gritted his teeth to keep his anger at bay, stabbing the burning fag into an ashtray.
A moment not too soon, he raised his head and stared hesitantly at the swaying trees. Even his wolf howled and whimpered inside of him. He cupped his jaw with his hand, allowing his eyes to graze along the forest borders as the whiskey glass fell from his clammy palm –smashing onto the wooden flooring.
"What the fuck?" he muttered under his breath, eyeing the shattered glass that fell onto the ground.
He could tell. The ambrosia taste fluttering on his tongue and through his nostrils. His wolf gnawed at the bit to run off. His fingers gripped onto the wooden fence that bordered the balcony, scratching it with his nails and etching in marks from the simmering pain in him.
Just after his mother accused him of not trying to find his mate... and her smell was potent honey in the air.
•••
The forest was quiet and safe for the chirping of crickets. His canines elongated, piercing his bottom lip as thick crimson coloured blood seeped from the wound.
A few moments passed again and nothing happened. His heart sunk and dread filled him. The scent was completely washed away from the wind, and the swirling thick clouds in the sky made him howl loudly.
If he doesn't find her now, he may never have a chance again.
He heard his mate whimpering loudly and he turned around. The leaves that were sown into the floor rustled and the pitch-black sky made it impossible to see her. He could only trace the outline of a small feminine frame.
Her doe big eyes immediately lifted up in shock –subconsciously shifting back into the large tree log she made home beside.
Alpha Maximus growled and a small yelp left her lips, she didn't want him to touch her. For all she knew, he was Alexander.
The thick clouds looming over the forest engulfed the presence of the wolves.
Maximus pulled off of his shirt, quickly bending down and covering the trembling girl. Coldness surrounded them like no other, the air was frigid and crisp.
She didn't utter a word, her breathing hitched and she quickly bit her lip.
A sob escaped her lips and without his control, he closed in on her. His strong and large arms wrapped around her waist as he wrapped his arms around her body for warmth.
"What is your name?" he asked. His voice was commanding and authoritative.
"P-Pl-um," she stammered softly.
He stilled, she was so scared and terrified of her life.
He pulled her closer to him and ran his fingers through her silky threads. What did he do to deserve a mate that is this tiny, adorable and soft?
He pressed his nose against her thick locks, embracing the sweet smell of ambrosia that invaded his senses before.
"Do not worry, little mate," he crooned, "I will keep you safe."
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