Obsidian Night Pack

17

After we left the library Alaric ended up showing me a few more buildings on our way back. Including some houses where people lived and in the far corner of the pack there was a larger building than the rest.

"What's that building over there?" I asked as I pointed towards it. Alaric continued to walk, but the smile on his face faltered.

"The training grounds, I don't ever want you to go there." He didn't look at me as he said that and even began to walk faster. As if we wouldn't be able to get far enough away from it.

"What? Why? The Bright Moon Pack had training grounds as well, Ash and I even went there a few times to work out." At my rebuttal to his proposition, Alaric stopped and took my face in his hands.

"Here the training grounds aren't a gym for members to enter and exit as they please, the wolves that train in there are vicious. If you were to interrupt their training in the middle of a fight they might not be able to stop. You could get severely hurt. Promise me you won't go there unless I'm with you." My eyes widened and I think my mouth fell open a little at just how serious the Obsidian Night pack took their training.

"O-ok, I won't go there," Alaric smiled and relaxed at my words and kissed me on my forehead. Then a thought came to mind, this was the perfect moment.

"I can go to the library though right? While you're at work?" Alaric seemed to be mulling the idea of me not being with him 24/7 and the look on his face said it all. He hated the idea, but he knew that he had to give me some kind of freedom sooner or later.

"Fine, but you have to take at least 5 warriors with you."

"Five! It's the Library! Even you can watch me from your office window!"

"True, but I'll be too far away if something were to happen." My heart rate increased a bit at the mention of "something happening."

"What do you think is going to happen?" Alaric was silent for a long moment and then he looked down at me and gave me a soft smile.

"Nothing, nothing's going to happen." Later that night I would find out that seven warriors would be accompanying me to the library.

~~~~~~

The whole "toure" if you could call it that took about an hour in total so by the time we arrived back to the packhouse it was around 12. Lunchtime. After already asking to go to the library and getting a yes I wasn't going to push my luck by asking to eat lunch with a bunch of people I didn't know... One because I did not want to eat with a bunch of people I didn't know because I knew that a lot of them would bombard me with questions.

As it turned out Alaric also was not in the mood to have lunch in the dining hall with a majority of the pack. He talked to one of the women in the kitchen and asked for two plates to be brought up to our room. The woman smiled at me and nodded, even though I never spoke a word. I smiled nervously back at her. Alaric began to lead us away from everyone, but then I spotted Ash walking in on the far side with Sander next to her holding her hand.

"I'll meet you upstairs. I just wanna say hi to Ash!" And before Alaric could hold my hand tighter and pull me back to his side I slipped out of his grasp and jogged over to Ash. In no time at all Ash spotted me and ran to me. We met and held each other's hands on our own.

"You dog!" Ash whispered to me and I smiled a big smile at her and laughed.

"What are you going on about now?!" I laughed as I let go of her hands and pulled her into a hug.

"Girl, I could smell Alaric all over you before I even walked through that door!" My mouth fell open and my face got red.

"No you couldn't, you liar!" She laughed so hard she had to cover her mouth.

"So, are you joining us for lunch?" She asked hopefully, I frowned and shook my head.

"Unfortunately I didn't want to push my luck, but tomorrow is yes," I told her and gave her a thumbs up.

"Yes! Fantastic! I can't wait!" She yelled, jumping up and down.

"I have to go, Alaric is definitely waiting for me," she nodded and gave me a quick hug, "oh and Ash my nose might be weak, but I'm glad Sander got that free time you promised him." I laughed evilly and watched her whole face turn red and Sander raise an eyebrow at us not knowing what we were talking about.

"Okay Clove two can play this game, you'll get it tomorrow!" I laughed and jogged back to Alaric, who even though I told him I would meet him in our room hadn't moved an inch since I left.

"Okay I'm ready, let's go!" I announced and took his hand in mine pulling him up the stairs and away from the crowd.

After what happened in the library it seemed like a tension that had formed between Alaric and I had dissipated. In just a few hours it seemed like all the time and consideration that I had put into debating to tell Alaric or not seemed to be lost to me. I knew Alaric cared for me and a part of me felt like I played him. As if I stayed long enough and kissed him long enough for him to be hooked and so if I told him he wouldn't be able to let me go. That's not what I wanted though, I didn't want him to fall for me, with no wolf, because it wasn't the whole picture.

Although Alaric made me nervous and I tripped over my own words whenever I saw him I couldn't honestly say that was the real me. Most days I was headstrong, stubborn. I knew 100% that if I had my wolf right now that I would run through those woods outside even if Alaric told me no. I would go to the library whenever I wanted and I wouldn't need to ask. If I had my wolf I wouldn't take no for an answer.