Chased by a wolf

FAY: Ten - The Decision

I walk as I'm in a fog. Her voice sounds distant, but she's right there in front of me with a concerned look on her face.

"Fay? Are you alright?" Elise Cage asks. She's standing between me and the front door. I try to avoid her eyes, so she can't see mine.

"Um... I'm not feeling well. I think I need to go home," I utter. She's eyeing me. Up and down.

I need to get out here before she realizes what's going on with me. I try taking a step around her, but she doesn't let me pass her. Instead, she grabs my chin and lifts my head up. Her hand is cold. I try to push it away but her crab is tight.

"You're full-grown," Elise states the obvious as she notices the golden rings. I don't know what to say so I just shrug. She frowns and keeps eyeing me. I know she's wondering why I'm acting so weird. I need to distract her thoughts from digging any deeper. I remember the vase I'm still holding in my hands.

"Here's the vase," I say and push it against her. She has to let go of me to catch it. Now I have free access to the door.

Unfortunately for me, Elise  Cage is not a dumb woman. She and I both know, a full-grown wolf doesn't make you feel disoriented, but high alert. There's only one thing that makes a werewolf foggy and "not feeling well".

"Do not leave," she commands me. She's not, of course, an alpha but her command is full of authority and it makes my now fully awaken wolf-side shiver. She puts her hand on my shoulder. That triggers me.

I slap her hand away. Elise Cage is surprisingly strong for a middle-aged female werewolf. She pushes me against the door still holding the vase in her other hand. I try to wiggle free, but she leans her body against me to keep me still.

"Let me go"!

"Calm down," she speaks. Her voice is too calm. It's eery.

I need to get out of here. It's all too much! Think, Fay! Think!

Elise slightly eases the pressure on me and that gives me the chance I need. I'm not proud of what I'm about to do, but it's the only thing I can do to get away from here.

I count to three and then with a sudden movement I pump the back of my head against her face.  She drops the vase and it breaks into millions of little pieces. Elise holds her now bloody nose.

I open the door and run out. I keep running and don't stop when she yells from the porch.

"Fay! Get back here now!"

I will not. I will get as far away as possible before Elise Cage calls one of the Alpha's trusted men for help.

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I'm at the old bridge, when I realize, I can't go home. Of course, Elise will send someone there. They are probably already there waiting for me.

"I'm such an idiot," I cry out as I think about what I've just done. To my Alpha's mate!

What makes this bizarre, is that my mind is panicking but my body is in blissful nirvana. Seth... He is mine. Speaking of Seth, my phone starts to vibrate. I see his picture on the screen. Every cell in my body wants to hear his voice. But... The same thing that made me break Elise Cage's nose and run, makes me not answer. He calls again and again.

"So he knows," I whisper to myself.

He sends a message. With a shaking hand, I open it.

Fay... Mom told what happened. I'm coming home. I'll be there in a few hours.

I stare at my phone screen.

He knows I'm his mate. He's coming back. And when he's here... I don't even know, what's going to happen. What I do know is, he's an alpha. I will lose myself. My purpose. My destiny. I will become... Elise Cage. My mother's words ring in my head: "You are in this world for a great reason. Never submit to living through someone else." Mom would know what I should do. But mom's not here.

I dial Max's number. I pray she can help me.

"Hello?" I hear her warm voice. I can't utter a word because I'm overcome with emotions. "Fay? Are you there?" Max asks.  Before she hangs up, I let out a sniff. "Hey, are alright?"

"No!" I sob. "He's m- He's my mate!"

"What! Who?" Max asks. I can hear her closing the door.

"Seth! Seth is my mate!"

Max doesn't say anything for a while, but I know she's still there because I hear her breathing.

"Shit," she mumbles finally.

"I know!" I can't help but laugh through my tears.

"Ok... um. Are you ok? Did he hurt you?"

"No no. He's not even here. He will be in a few hours, but I haven't seen him yet."

"So how do you know then? That he's your mate? Are you even full-grown yet?" she asks. I can hear hopefulness in her voice.

"I was at their house. I noticed the golden rings and... when I went upstairs, his scent... Max, what am I going to do?"

"Fay, calm down. Listen to me. Everything is ok. Take a deep breath with me, ok?" Max inhales and waits for me to do the same. I fill my lungs with air and exhale with Max. We do that a couple more times before I start to calm down.

"Ok, Fay. Let's think this rationally. Seth is your mate. He's an alpha."

"Yes," I say and nod vigorously.

"Is he a good guy?" she asks.

Once again I nod. "Yes. He's a good guy."

"Would he be a good mate?"

"I don't know. I think... I think he might be, but he is an alpha. It will always be about him - his duty. I can't live like that. I can't become Elise Cage!"

"There's something you have to do then," Max says.

"What?"

"You have to make a decision. Either you will accept this. Give him a chance to prove your doubts wrong. Maybe it won't always be about him. Maybe he really is a good guy. Or... you will leave now because when he's there you won't be able to."

I know Max is right. I have to make a decision when I still can make one. I think about him. I see his tilted head and a smile that reaches his eyes. He could be mine. Then I think about his work ethic and a deep sense of duty; he will always be an alpha. My whole identity, dream, and destiny is to be a protector. I can't do that as an Alpha's mate. I cannot risk losing myself. Besides, Max herself had a dream about the Alpha's son standing in my way.

So I'll do the right thing. It breaks my heart, but I'll do the right thing.

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There it is. Fay (the Prequel) is completed.

The second book of this series is Taming a Wolf. If you already haven't read it, check it out.

Thank you for your votes and comments!

M