Wynter's Bane

Chapter 18

Edited with Grammarly: 5/21/2020

The hands over my eyes only stay there for a second before they're gone, my whirling around has me facing a clothed chest smelling of strong wolf musk. I had moved away from the safety of the tree, I should have known better. Before I can leap back, a large hand goes around my arm, keeping me in place.

"Sorry Wynter, I didn't mean to startle you that badly. My attempt at breaking the tension seems to have just made it worse."

Looking up to a pair of soft brown eyes, my throat is dry. Catching my breath seems to be at the forefront of my mind right now.

"At least you didn't start throwing punches this time, I have that going for me."

"Markus!"

Kalista growls at the tall male still holding my arm, but his sheepish grin does work at calming my nerves a little bit, becoming less 'need to flee'.

"I overheard the latter half of your conversation, and I agree with you Kalista, at least till that last part. If Mythine were to remain ignorant of the situation, then she would have no thought to stop the forward momentum that she's hurtling towards. She has to be told, so she knows the danger of her actions and what could potentially come from them."

At first, the girl looked highly annoyed by his admitting to eavesdropping, but once he finishes, it has the wheels in her head turning again. Meanwhile, I tug at my arm as I step back further, putting more distance between the Alpha-to-be's body and my own. His scent fills my nose and has my brain reeling, my need to shift feeling stronger.

His eyes return to me, holding on a little longer before he lets go. I can hear the talking now, the not so quiet whispers behind me from the group of girls. I almost turn my head, but stop halfway, my eyes closing. The remarks are hardly private and none too polite.

Dark blue eyes open and glance back up at Markus for a moment before my head lowers, then I step away, closer to the female at my side.

"Thank you, Markus."

My voice is low, dreading the hours to come. I move away from the male, but aside from my bowed head in respect, I'm not cowering. My spine is straight and I'm standing next to Kalista, not behind her.

Alpha Kristos's words echo in my mind again like a mantra, and it has me taking a deep breath before my head rises. I turn and look back to the groupies who still remain 'loyal' to Markus and haven't gone chasing after an unknown. My lip raises when I see my sister among them, also glaring at me as if I stole her man.

Turning back to my friends, both are smiling at me. Kal a little nervously and Markus with pride. It has my heart swelling with warmth, knowing that someone carries that for me. My cheeks burn as a blush floods my usually pale face, having them both giggling at me.

The Grotto Falls' young Alpha is called away by his father, but before he leaves he tells us that he'll talk to the adults about what we just talked about. My nerves spike again when watching him walk away, really hoping that it goes well and doesn't come back to bite me in the ass later...literally.

"Do you think he will be here?"

Looking over to the teenager next to me, her pale green eyes are doing a slow once-over at the assembly behind me, taking their time as she scans over tall heads and romping bodies.

"Who?"

When her eyes flick over to me, my brows raise and my lips tug at the corners. Really not hard to figure out who she's talking about, but seeing her cheeks tint a deeper color has my smile widening before becoming more serious.

"I'm not sure. It is a gathering of the Packs, but as far as I knew it was just yours and mine. Have you heard anything about who he is? I've noticed my parents acting differently, but I wasn't sure if that was due to a new place with the full moon or if it could have something to do with him."

Kalista shakes her head, frustration plain on her features.

"No, even though I've heard that Alpha Kristos does things different than some other Packs, we Omegas are still at the bottom. If it's something serious we'll be told of course, but so far I haven't heard anything from my parents."

While not very informative, the news is a little comforting, as it means that it can't be anything too serious if even the Omegas haven't been told anything. Which means the strange wolf can't be an unwanted loner or rogue. Markus seemed to nearly recognize him as well...

Before we can speak up about anything else, a howl splits the air, calling everyone's attention towards the Alphas. Kalista's parents are also calling her to them, so she leaves my side after a firm hug that I return. Not like we won't be seeing each other at all tonight, but each of us has our different stations.

During my conversation, many of the others have stripped and taken to their furred skins. All of us move in closer as the old wolves speak, giving formal introductions of the higher Pack members. Even on the outskirts as I am, I can hear them, can feel the heat radiate from the area being filled with bodies.

Even my parents get introduced, which is a bit of a surprise. Not Betas, they're more like the Alphas advisers. For what specifically, I'm not sure, since I was never taken into their confidence like my siblings were at times.

When it gets brought up about a successful purchase of a very large section of land, my wandering attention snaps towards the front, as I see many others' do. Glad I'm not the only one out of the loop. While some cheer and look excited, others look on with anxiety and trepidation.

Even more so when he drops his next bomb on us.