The Struggles Of You And I

Chapter three.

Chapter 3

I sit on my bed and sulk. My heat has faded slightly, but not enough to say I’m not in any pain. Boy, am I still in pain, but I can still function - and sulk on my bed. I’ve been waiting for my mother to burst into my room to get me ready for this ridiculous ceremony. I had convinced her to let me wear jeans and a nice top instead of the usual dress. I want to be able to run, I want to flee the inevitable. However, I now know that my plan is no longer going to be an option with my heat rising and falling constantly around males. I just hope I can get into the woods without doubling over, or I’m going to make it pretty easy for the unmated males.

As I sit, waiting for my mother to do my hair and makeup, I think of the reason for my sulking; the sexy-as-sin stranger that wouldn’t let me in his pants. Tragic.

I have a strong urge to mark him and it won’t leave, my teeth constantly extending and retracting at the thought, making my mouth ache. Just when I thought I had him interested, he used his firm grip on my behind to yank me off of him and more or less haul me to my room like a sack of potatoes! He put me down in my bathroom and demanded I shower and get ready. To say I was displeased would be an understatement. Showering had been almost unbearable with the heat along with the scalding water, and my body felt ready to burst into needy flames.

I settle on a pair of dark jeans and a gray baggy knitted sweater, dressy but casual. With that, I throw on matching gray socks and black combat boots. I need to be able to run in the woods and not worry about tripping in heels.

My mother twists and turns my head as she curls my coper hair into submission. When she is done and I feel like half my hair is on the floor from her constant pulling. She starts on my makeup, with me constantly fidgeting. She’s having a hard time but I couldn’t stop moving, I had been sitting here for too long in the same spot and becoming agitated and cranky.

"Stop it," I swat her away and shoot up, out of the chair.

"Elise, sit down. You’re just fussing because of your heat, it’s making you irritable and you need to stop," My mother demands that I sit, pointing to the chair I have just escaped.

"Whatever." I mumble back as I sit down, only to receive a swat to my already sore head. "Ouch! what was that for?!" I scream.

"Respect." Was all she said in return, and I take the hint, shutting up.

"Ready?" My father asks as he escorts me and my mother down to the door and out into the field. He has to walk with us, to make sure I’m unharmed by any lingering males. At that realization, I briefly wonder what has happened to the man who attacked me in the woods as well as my own room. I let the thought slide as we approach the tree line where our pack was waiting.

I’m getting nervous seeing the pack, as well as a couple of males lining up to eventually chase me down. I already have a plan, I just hope it’ll work. As much as I don’t want a mate, I realize that my heat will eventually kill me if I don’t mate soon. The heat comes so that your scent is stronger and your mate is more likely to smell you even from far distances: It’s like a small beacon that never goes ignored. Most packs keep close to avoid accidental deaths of the females. It’s been known that mates reject one another, which can also control the heat, but the need will eventually come back, it’s your wolf subconsciously trying to find an unmated male to mate with.

I stand beside the Alpha as he tells the pack the regular rules and what’ll happen along with who I am and my status. I block him out, only staring into the woods. I’m scared, but ready, so when he taps my shoulder asking if I’m ready, I only nod with a small smile. I look back at my parents and try to avoid the worry on their faces, and I smile at them as best I could. I face the woods again and the Alpha leans in, kisses my forehead and whispers, "Go,"

I don’t need to be told twice, I’m out of there like a bat out of hell. I make a bee line for the trees and don’t stop. I know I have a bit before they come in after me, but I am still too scared to stop, even for a second. All I can think is that I need to run, I need to protect myself.

I’m willing to be mated, but I am not willing to be mated by anyone other than my true mate. As I run, I listen closely for the gun shot into the sky that’ll signal the males are coming. My feet hit the ground in front of me as I push on, making loud thumps that ring in my ears. The moon is the only source of light, not that it was needed - I have enough of my wolf senses to at least be able to tell where a tree is and isn’t. I skid to a halt at the loud bang that rings out through the woods, along with the howls of wolves.

Fear tears through me once again and I run faster until I can’t anymore, so I climb the nearest tree and wait. The males have to remain in wolf form to track me and can’t shift back until they had found me and were going to claim me. No way were they making it up this tree. As I wait, I listen to the sounds of the forest and wonder who my mate will be.

A rustle in a bush draws my attention to a wolf emerging and sniffing the air. His presence makes me want to growl and moan all at once. He’s big and black, his fur shining from the moon’s light. I want to run my fingers through it. "Mate," Sasha whispers to me, but it sounds more like a purr than anything. I whimper, and his head whips up towards where I’m hiding in the tree. I can feel my heat slowly surfacing, but my fear is taking over all my senses. I’m scared to be mated, scared to be bound to another.

I know just by looking at him that he is the black wolf that has been saving me. I briefly wonder who he is and if he knows the sexy stranger I like to think of as a cuddle buddy. He walks to the base of the tree I’m in and looks up at me, so I could see the pleading in his eyes. He wants me to come down, and as I start to move, another wolf emerges.