Isolation&Solitude

07.

I brought my knee up into his stomach with full force. I pushed him, tears streaming down my face. "Stay the fuck back!" I was furious by the unfazed look he gave me. I lifted my arm, my fist clenched and my fingers curled.

My target was his face. But he easily dodged, grabbing my fist in his large palm. The tingles of his touch cloud my mind. He brings me closer with a sharp pull of my arms. "Impossible." He mumbles under his breath. His head lowered to my face, heat washed over me as my eyes met with one stormy grey eye the other black.

His hair was black thick, and straight at the tips. A sweet little birthmark that was just below his eye. His wide shoulders were the first, then his hands that showed his veins his long clean fingers that were wrapped with rings, his full pinkish lips, his straight nose, the tribal tattoos that crawled up from his neck and down to where I could see on his wrists. His thick and nicely shaped eyebrows, and full eyelashes.

I felt bare and out of sorts. For once in my life I actually felt like a normal unstable emotional teenage girl.

I was freaking out. As I panted our heavy breathes I turned away from him, too exhausted to even care if this man tried to kill me. Maybe he was a witch, I thought, that was the only possibility that I was going crazy. I shook my head at myself, I knew I could smell the high ranking of his scent.

I try and calm myself down in order to sort out my own emotions but as I feel him just behind me my heart picks up its speed.

"Don't you understand," His deep voice broke through the silence. "You're my mate...a half-breed as my mate." He said the last part to himself in a lowered voice.

I shook my head. My fingers shaking as I push my skirt down to look at the wound on my hip that I had reopened. "You must be insane. Is that why you're walking around this forest alone in the middle of the night? If you think I'm a half-breed you should know that half-breeds don't get mates. Let alone be alive." I spoke while facing away from him. My words came out clear, almost too clear and bland but I was feeling far from unfazed.

"That's what I was thinking as well, my half-breed mate in a school girls uniform." He said in a sarcastic tone.

He didn't smell like a rouge, he didn't have the same smell as the pack from before, but I know he must be some kind of enemy. I grabbed the small dagger I had hidden in my sock and gripped it tightly. "You're bleeding-" I took out his legs and quickly straddled him.

I put the dagger to his neck as I sat on top of his chest, my knees on his arms. "What are you doing here? Have you come to assassinate Hansel? Whatever it may be, consider your mission-"

I was suddenly picked up, "Kirishima...I'm so sorry. Please forgive her, she's always been a rough and wild one. She's only seventeen so she jumps into fights quick." Hansel said as he pushed me behind him. I winced, touching where Hansel had grabbed me. It burned.

Kirishima was his name. It repeated in my head like a Bible verse that the Nuns would read in the mornings.

I shook my head, letting the feeling of relief wash over me. Hansel knew this creep. I slowly looked down, looking at my broken katana. I squeeze my fist, feeling a lump in my throat.

"Let's finish talking inside." Hansel grabs me by my ear and lugs me with him. He gripped my ear sharply, his eyes slicing me as he throws me a harsh glance. I could feel the eyes of that man on us as he keeps quiet.

"Shit, Juliana. You reopened your fuckin' wound." Hansel shook his head, his fingers grabbed onto the buttons of my skirt but he was stopped abruptly. My lips parted as I saw the lanky man slam the huge Hansel on to the floor. His face pressed against it.

I couldn't move. I was frightened, my body had turned cold. I shivered at the dark look on his face, which I could now see clearly. He looked down at Hansel with a plain look, he kept staring before he finally opened his mouth. "You should know, as does every other wolf, don't touch something that's not yours." People thought I was bad but he was even worse.

"Stop-What are you doing let him go." I spoke meekly, his eyes suddenly shifting on to me. He raised an eyebrow.

Hansel groaned, "What the fuck." He said causally. "Don't tell me-can I get up now?" With his eyes still on me, Kirishima lifted his boot off of Hansel. He looked over to Kirishima, and they started to have their own talk via link. Only those who are in the same pack or tribe can link...

I grabbed the first-aid and started to clean myself up. This is a disaster, a complete mess. This man was obviously missing a few links. Right when Hansel calms him down, I'll leave first to the red light district.

"Juliana..." I look up at Hansel's voice. My eyebrows furrowed at the look on his face.

I scoffed, "You must be joking." I look over at Kirishima . "You really believe that he's my mate? You've heard, you know, that that is impossible. Half-breeds don't have mates." I kept my cool but I was slowly getting irritated.

Hansel sighed, "Jul-" I shook my head.

"I don't know him. So he could get the fuck away from me and away from you." I growled pushing myself away from Hansel and out this tent.

I unzipped a random tent and jumped inside, zipping it back up. I heard a loud groan, "Kid, what are you doin-" I looked at him and glared, he put his hands up and slowly went back to bed.

I slowly unzipped the bag, peeking out. My eyes zeroed in on Hansel and Kirishima. My ears stained as I tried to listen in. "Kiri, please understand that Juliana will not just willingly follow you. The way she was brought up, she only knows herself. She has no feelings for love. Even if you are her mate, she won't understand her own emotions and that'll cause her to run." Hansel spoke in almost a knowing way.

"She was fifteen when she up and left me because we were getting too close. I love that girl, she's my pup no matter what. But she's just been too emotionally damaged. She's not ready for something like a mate."

My chest squeezed, my eyes lingered on Hansel until my attention was on Kiri. "I've already waited and wasted half my life time. You know well enough Hansel. She isn't as emotionally detached as you think. I won't wait longer than necessary to claim what's mine. Don't underestimate the mate bond, I'll handle her on my own."

I moved back in the tent, wrapping my arms around my long legs.

After I was sure Kiri disappeared, I walked back over to Hansel's tent. "What am I going to have to do? If he is telling the truth...that I'm his mate." My head was hung low, I understood that it would be easier for me to just give up and do as Kiri says. He'd get sick of me either way. If I fought him, I had a strong feeling, that he'd stop at nothing. I've seen how mates are, both good and bad, the wolves go mad. Their mates like a special drug that makes you into a completely different person.

"You noticed he's different, he's way more powerful than his image leads you to believe. So he'll be even more possessive over you than the average wolf. Especially since what he's gone through in the past and in his nature, once he gets the scent of his mate...it's hard to control himself in certain aspects." Hansel cleared his throat.

I sighed, "But I'm right here with you kid." Hansel clomped his hand down on my head. He gave me a toothy grin, I stared at this old man. "Now lets get to sleep. God damn little brat woke me up from my fuckin' sleep."

"Hansel...I...I do care for you-" I was shocked to hear myself say it. Even in a whisper, but I know he still heard as he lay in his cot. "thank you...for being my dad." I pushed back the complex I had. The creeping feeling that's taken up half my being.

I wanted this man to know, he meant a lot to me. And as much as I didn't want, it hurt me when I left him those years ago.