Stranger Yet

Chapter 21: Petulance

After Ayra had made her way home, an agitated Tiernan tossed and turned in his bed mulling over everything that had transpired and would be happening over the next few days. He was stressed, to say the least.

Tiernan and his 3 closest advisors would be climbing into one of the packs Escalades to meet with the Red Sky Pack's Alpha and his advisors, located to the East of the town.

Tiernan's pack had been unhappy with the idea of involving another pack, but Tiernan and his elders couldn't see many other options. They needed to see if the rogues had been out towards the other pack (and if not, let the nearby packs know about them), and they needed to see if they had back up if the situation worsened.

They had sent their fastest runner to head out towards the other pack to ask for a meetup, and thankfully the other pack had agreed. But he wanted everything to go smooth.

He rolled over in his bed. He just needed to get some rest.

But all he could see when he closed his eyes were Alexandria (and the looks on his packmates faces over the kidnapping) and Ayra; nightmares or lust. It went one way or the other and, needless to say, he wasn't getting much rest.

He knew what Tristan and his mother were thinking, but how could that be right? Ayra's presence alone made his blood boil. That wasn't how others described finding their mate!

He had to admit that she was all he could think about, outside of finding Alexandria... but if every time they were around each other, they were at each other's throats, wouldn't that be a sure indication that it was just infatuation or lust?

He knew he wasn't giving her enough credit. He didn't just lust after her... He admired her too. She was witty, strong, helpful, and passionate. She never backed down from him. As much as it irritated him that she talked back every chance that she was given, it also made her more appealing, in a way. It's not as if he expected his mate, if he found her, to just go along with everything he said. He just didn't appreciate the constant questioning and demanding demeanor of the woman who would take over as the packs Luna.

On the other hand, and besides all the other nonsense, she really had saved his life. While he didn't like having to be saved, he was grateful she could be the one to save him, if anyone had to.

Yes, he admired her, was grateful to her even, and he couldn't hide his sexual attraction for her- there was no hiding such things in a house full of werewolves. But he just couldn't fathom his mate grating him as much as this one woman did. She brought into his life a new burden and she was too much of a mystery. her constant intrusion into his life hindered him.

His wolf fiercely disagreed.

Alright, so she's my mate. Why do I feel so agitated by her? Why do I feel so angry when she's brought up or when she's near?

his wolf was giving him the silent treatment- a rare occurrence. Tiernan was not fond of feeling.

He shook the thoughts of Ayra away again and turned his thoughts back to the meeting.

The Alpha of the Red Sky Pack had agreed to meet him in a days time on the border. Fortunately, it would be a quick meeting. The Red Sky Pack was known to be swift with their decision making, and usually, help would come, if only at a price. He didn't imagine it would take long for them to name it. It would most likely be monetary, as The Red Sky Pack were known for their expensive tastes as much as they were known for their fierce fighting style.

The other part of the deal would certainly be a feast intended to celebrate the win, and also to allow the packs to mingle. Many mateless hoped to find their mate, and if not to find their mate, at least to find someone to spend the night with. Werewolves were predictable in their desires. Tiernan didn't anticipate a long-winded meeting on the matter.

One full day. They needed the time to prepare the household for their absence, and the Red Sky Pack needed the time to rally their forces and to prepare their families, as well. But that also meant that Alexandria was going to be held captive for at least two more full days.

He felt sick at the thought.

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Tiernan was finally able to fall asleep. However, it wasn't a restful sleep. Tiernan dreamt of a tired Ayra sitting at a table with two troubled humans. One of the humans Tiernan knew as Ayra's adoptive mother. The other, a tall and heavy-set man, he figured to be her adoptive father.  In front of her were a couple of different brands of home drug tests. He couldn't hear what was said but knew she was being lectured. He felt his guilt rise as Ayra picked up the box and went into the bathroom, followed by her mother. If she hadn't come to save him, perhaps she wouldn't have gotten into trouble at all. He woke a bit due to his growing guilt, but brushed off the dream and went back to sleep to find himself in another heavier nightmare about Alexandria, alone in a dark, covered cage, cold and hungry. He woke up again and was unable to go back to sleep. Instead, he got up and went to his study to go over the pack funds. A tedious task he usually went over with the pack accountants two or three times a month. He just needed something to do and nothing cleansed his emotional palate quite like numbers.

He just needed to wear himself out enough to get few more hours of sleep. The next day wouldn't allow much time for napping or relaxing to catch up on the sleep he was missing out on.

The next day wouldn't be anything except work and he needed to be ready for all of it.

"No more thinking about Ayra." He declared before delving into the mind numbing task of record keeping.