Alpha Wolf - Mate Mine

Chapter 46 ~ Unexpected

That night Elena had one task in hand. Reveal the latest news to her dear parents along with her mate's identity.

To be honest with herself, she was not completely sold on the idea ... Alpha Giacomo still had several reservations about Black Devil pack, even though he had made great strides, especially after Marco had found his mate.

That afternoon, when Mirko and Elena had walked back, he ran away to solve a certain problem in a place called "The Underworld". In short, the Full Moon guards had escorted Elena home while Alpha Giacomo stayed to discuss Marco's relocation and all new implications for their packs.

Elena felt relieved and annoyed at the same time for not being able to participate in that conversation. Sometimes it could be useful to be a little fly that nobody would notice...and listen to conversations...

In search of her parents, doubts and uncertainties won the battle against courage and determination. So Elena had quickly changed her mind, deciding that she would wait to reveal her mate's identity until after the party in honour of Marco.

But there was still one person she wanted to talk to that night: Giulia.

For the past few days, the Beta's daughter had been strangely silent or locked up in her room. With all the excitement about Marco's move to his new home and preparations for his ceremony, along with the fact that Elena had practically lived on a new Planet called Distraction (since she had met Mirko), none of them had noticed Giulia's strange behavior and absence.

Until then.

When Elena opened the door, slamming it onto the wall, her eyes sparkled with excitement. She found a Giulia lying on the bed, intent on staring at the ceiling.

Both girls stared at each other like a deer in the headlights. One was stunned by the sudden appearance of that whirlpool of energies that was Elena. The other felt that something was wrong.

"Giu?" Elena called as the bright smile died on her lips. "Are you...uhm, ok?"

"Yeah, I just-" She shrugged with a deadpan tone. For a few more heartbeats, the she-wolves studied each other attentively, lost in their private thoughts.

"I have to tell you something!" Both said at the same time.

"You go first" Giulia conceded after a while, motioning her to sit down on her bed.

On the verge of refusing, Elena bit her lips.

She could no longer contain herself. You see, keeping such a big secret, as big as Mirko himself, for months, had drained all her goodwill and patience.

"Ok if you really insist!" Bouncing on the bed, Elena grabbed her friend's hands. A small frown crossed her face, realizing how cold they were...She decided to investigate later.

"I found my mate!" She blurted out with a high-pitched voice. "And before you say anything ... I must warn you! His identity can be a sur-"

"He's Mirko"

A heavy silence descended over the room. It congested the air, making it hard to breath.

Elena's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

"What!? Did Marco tell you?"

A tired laugh escaped Giulia's lips before she replied.

"No El, I realized when I met Alpha Mirko in the Black Devil's dungeon... He was so worried that you would find out how he was, uhm, how he looked like..." Giulia coughed, blushing. "And, well, you were so distracted and in the clouds. I put two and two together!"

Elena had no idea that, when Giulia had gone to calm Crucifero in the prison, she had met Mirko down there.

Deciding to ignore the fact, for now, Elena lowered her chin as guilt flooded her.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you..." She mumbled, fidgeting with her fingers.

Genuinely happy for her friend, Giulia threw her arms around her, immediately sniffing Mirko's strong smell all over Elena. "Wow, it stinks!" She teased as her old self appeared for a moment.

Now that Elena had detonated the bomb called "Mirko" and finally revealed her secret, Elena had to know at all costs what was happening to Giulia.

"Your turn! What did you have to tell me?" She squeezed her hand in a comforting gesture.

Hesitation crossed her beautiful features as she bit her lip. "I-" Then shook her head. "You know what? It can wait! It's not such a big deal!" And before Elena could protest or investigate any further, Giulia insisted.

"Tell me all about this mate of yours! I'm dying here!"

And so, the two girls spent several hours chatting and giggling, with Elena narrated what had happened between her and Mirko, how she felt and how he was.

A fierce pink stained her cheeks as she thought about how long they had kissed and hugged each other in the woods that day... Their relationship intensified with each passing day as her suffering increased more and more each time they had to separate.

Several stories later, Giulia declared that she had to meet her father.

Nodding, Elena hugged her tightly and left. The girl practically ran to her room, eager to check her phone, excited to receive a call or text from Mirko, as he had promised.

Thus, lost in her private clouds of love, all giddy and full of butterflies, Elena never heard Giulia's silent cry.

~~~~~~~~~~

Inside Elena's bedroom ~ at 3am

As usual, sleep found most of the inhabitants of that part of the planet in that foggy night. Except for one.

Elena.

Turning and tossing relentlessly, she felt the bed sheet twisted around her legs. Her mind ran away to distant places, with a myriad of thoughts.

She had tried everything. Relaxing chamomile, no caffeine, lots of sports, endless eating, reading before bed... but nothing. The truth was she could never sleep without Mirko anymore.

Sighing, the girl decided to accept defeat. She covered her head with the pillow, muttering that she should steal one of his shirts.

In the middle of the night, when the Moon played hide and seek with dark clouds, a strange sound attracted Elena's attention. It was muffled, almost inaudible. But she heard it anyway.

Was it an ambush? Impossible.

Her pack was basically impenetrable with several guards scattered around the border and the pack house, at all hours.

About to warn her father, she suddenly froze.

A jolt of recognition shot through her mind... recognition of a peculiar scent.

Elena mouth dropped as a thought whipped her brain. Mirko was here