The Wanted Alpha

Chapter 15 - Scents

April

Ethan had been so distracted by my scent he hadn't initially paid any attention to my aura. His confused expression brought home just how little he knew about me and what having me in his life could mean. If I was going to tell him everything then I really shouldn't hide myself anymore. As much as I never wanted to leave his warm arms where I felt safe for the first time in forever, while ever I remained with him I put both he and his people in danger. I couldn't stay.

 

I could physically feel how my words cut him deeply.

His arms tightened around me further, as if he was holding on to my very existence. I took deep breaths of his scent, I hadn't smelt it so strongly like this before and so fresh too.

"I don't think I could ever let you go. I know I said if you wanted to leave…" he sighed, taking a deep breath of my scent "I just can't now you're here." 

He lifted his head from mine to look down into my eyes. His irises were such a deep brown they almost looked black with beautiful gold flecks running through them that I hadn't noticed before.

"I think we've both got a lot to tell each other, but let's eat first. You really need some good food in you," he took my hand, leading me over to the table and pulling out my seat.

He set a round dish between us that contained what looked like cheese with some bread and a sweet and spicy looking jam.

"It's baked camembert, you ever had it before?" 

"No...I know it's a cheese though right?" I replied unsure, it smelt delicious though.

"Yeah, you dip the bread and chilli jam in it," he said while taking a huge bite.

I quickly followed suit, taking a more conservative bite and instantly fell in love with the mature yet creamy taste.

As we ate, I realised I didn't know his wolf's name. At that thought August was instantly nudging me to ask him for it. 

"Can I ask what your wolf's called? Mine's August."

Hearing the name of my wolf brought out that dimpled smile of his again. The heavy stubble on his jaw and chin seems to accentuate them, making him even more attractive if that were possible.

"Ezra," the sound of his voice, coupled with hearing the other half of her mate's name had August preening, wanting more of our mate.

His voice had a similar effect upon me too, it was masculine but smooth and had me instantly captivated.

We finished the cheese and moved onto the main, a delicious piece of beef wrapped in pastry, with creamy sliced potatoes and green vegetables. He tried insisting on serving up my plate but he'd already done so much I wanted to do at least something for him. We talked a little as we ate, unfortunately I couldn't offer up much in terms of conversation. I didn't have any interests or hobbies, I didn't have any friends, I hadn't been to school since I was 12. I was 21 and I hadn't really ever lived, I had just existed. So most of the speaking was done by Ethan, not that I minded I could listen to him speak for days. I learnt he was 25, he didn't say when he took over as Alpha just that it was before he was ready for it. Alpha's usually passed down their titles to their heir at around 30 years old, so they could be properly trained for their leadership. The guard that had watched me, Greer, had let slip that his father along with his first mate had died two years ago. He must have only had a few years of tutoring under his dad before he had to step up and be expected to lead...that must have been a huge weight on him. 

He told me some of the things he liked to do in an effort to lighten the mood. I was surprised that he did fencing and he seemed pretty keen to maybe teach me sometime. He loved rock climbing. His pack was filled with rocky crags and gorges, most of which he had free climbed. To think that I thought a silly fallen tree would have stopped him when he was chasing me, I could almost laugh at myself. He was good with computers and even wrote his own software, which I discovered was how he found me. 

Apparently my escape from the cells had been captured and he'd seen it...many times. I thought he might have been angry that I'd knocked out his warriors but his expression was filled with pride at how I handled myself, making me feel that heat in my cheeks again. 

Once we were finished eating, he took my hand again and led me over to the fire to sit, facing each other, on the small couch. He didn't drop my hand and we silently looked at the other, both needing to speak but neither wanting to start. Taking a deep breath, I decided to go first.

"I don't really know where to start. There's a lot I've never told anyone, a lot I've had to hide. Like my scent and aura so they couldn't find me."

"Who?" He asked.

"Monkshood Moon pack, they're from southern Montana. My pack was in the north."

"Monkshood? Seriously?" His brow raised in question.

"It kinda tells you what sort of people they are."

Monkshood was another name for the flower that the wolfsbane toxin was derived from, to name your pack after such a plant was a bold statement.

I told Ethan of the night Alpha Nicholas came, when my father threw him out of our home.

"I don't know what happened but the next night we were attacked, I knew it was different because my mom was panicking. A lot of the faces of people tend to blur together now but I remember the events pretty clear. We didn't even get to a safehouse, my mom just grabbed a backpack, stuffed things in and ran with me. After a while she fell, I didn't know at the time what was wrong or why she was crying…I never got to say goodbye," I felt a wet trickle down my cheek.

Ethan's hand came up to wipe it away gently, letting his warm and slightly rough hand linger on my skin.

"She told me to run and I did. The last thing I remember is hearing howling behind me and a voice in my head telling me to trust her. I woke up in the Red Shield pack in Texas 3 days later, neither me or August can remember anything on how we got there."

"You shifted at six? I've never seen any record of anyone shifted so young. I've heard of wolves getting their healing ability early or a sudden burst of strength, but this…" he looked at me as though I were some mythical creature, with awe and confusion.

"That's why I can hide my scent and aura too. I've been able to do it since that night. I didn't hide my scent at first though, August said it'd look too suspect," he nodded in understanding, prompting me to continue.

"The orphanage I was taken to though was really nice, at Red Shield. It was run by two she-wolves who never found their mate or had children of their own, so they took in children from the pack. Nina and Lillian kinda unofficially adopted me and were so sweet and kind. I told them my name was Angie and that I didn't have a family anymore, they didn't really ever pressure me for anything else, it wasn't as though I was the only kid there that had lost their family. Back then, I didn't really understand that people were after me, I didn't know. Maybe if I had...things would have been different. I won this spelling thing in school when I was 12 for the state and I got my photo in the paper, that's how they found me."

~~~~

9 years ago

All of my teachers had been congratulating me all day at school. It was the first day of term since I had won the state spelling bee, I had gotten a trophy, my photo in the paper and even an interview! My guardians, Lillian and Nina, had been so proud of me and had taken me and the other kids out for ice cream when I won.

I ran off the bus, with the other kids, all of us hurrying inside to go to our rooms and grab the best snacks from the kitchen. I was stopped by Lillian's shaky voice coming from her office. I entered seeing four huge men, I could tell they were wolves...but they didn't smell like wolves...something was wrong.

"April Brooker," the nearest one said, making my eyes snap to him.

How did they know my name? I hadn't told anyone. August told me not to. A whimper in the corner made me look over. One of the men had Nina with something that looked sharp pressed to her.

"Come quietly. Scream once and things will get messy."

I looked between Nina and Lillian, my eyes wide and starting to sting. I just nodded, not knowing what else to do. August couldn't fight men like these, she was still only a little wolf. One of the men grabbed my arm pulling me out the door.

"Remember, you link your Alpha while we're still in your territory and our entire pack will come and annihilate yours. Just ask little April here what we can do," he snickered in my direction.

I was pulled towards a car, before I was shoved inside I heard the biggest one say, "bar the doors, torch it."

"NOOOO!" I screamed as I shoved inside the car.

I turned round on the backseat to see the wooden house already in flames. 

The men got in on either side of me, "anyone helps you again, they'll get the same treatment."

I started to hit him but I was grabbed from behind and a rag put over my mouth. I started to feel dizzy and sleepy, then blacked out.

~~~~

"I came to as they were carrying me off a private jet on their territory. I was taken straight to the pack house and down to the basement. They locked me in a room down there for a week. I had a small bed, a desk and a bathroom but that was it, no windows. They never took my backpack off of me, so I was able to keep my family photo. I had a tutor that would teach me reading, writing and math, other than that she wasn't allowed to speak to me. As I got older they made me work in the pack house and learn how to cook, as Nicholas said 'a good Luna should know how to serve her Alpha," I scrunched my nose up at that memory, misogynistic bastard. "I was never left without a guard, well apart from one time but that was because he was flirting with a maid. I didn't make it far past the door outside. The worst part is I had to suppress my wolf the whole time, I couldn't let them know I had her already. He said as soon as I shifted, his son, Hunter, was going to mark me."

Ethan's hand tightened around my own, clearly not liking the idea of another male marking me, his eyes were swirling black too before settling back to his deep brown.

He swallowed deeply, "how'd you get out?"

This he certainly wasn't going to like.

"I got out when I was 17. Hunter came to my room, drunk, rambling about being sick of waiting for my wolf to emerge…"

A deep, possessive growl vibrated through Ethan's chest and his hands came around my waist, pulling me towards him; I was almost straddling his lap.

"I'd never let any male claim you," he all but snarled out, his eyes pitch black.

"Yeah, I believe you," I laughed a little nervously.

This position was incredibly intimate and the atmosphere between us was becoming increasingly charged. I took his face in my hands, stroking his cheeks to try to calm him; Alpha's and their possessiveness was no joke.

"He never touched me. Because he was drunk I pushed him off balance and knocked him out. I grabbed my family's photo and ran. If he hadn't come that night, I would've never gotten out," I stressed that last point to him. Hunter's ego had been his downfall that night, ironically.

I don't even think Hunter ever actually wanted me, it was his father's fixation. Any time he saw me he'd scowl and he was always parading she-wolves around. That night was probably the first time he had ever spoken to me.

"I've been running since then. I never knew if anyone was ever following me, but I didn't want to ever stop and find out."

My fingers continued to stroke the spiky skin of his face, while I rested my forehead against his.

"I really want to go back with you...but if they hurt you or your pack because of me…" but he cut me off.

"They won't. Your dad never saw the attack coming. I know what to expect now, we can be prepared. I've been pretty hard on my warriors training this last year, I know a lot of them call me a 'hard ass' for it."

That made me laugh out, remembering Bryce's comment, "yeah, I've heard." 

Ethan's face brightened at hearing my laughter, before growing serious again. "April, when I was tracking you down, a guy I phoned at a store that had seen you also said someone else was asking for a girl with your description. Now, the others I phoned near here didn't say anything about another guy asking about you and none of them have got in contact since to say someone's been asking. But how long do you think you can keep running? If they find you out there, alone, they'll take you and I won't be able to do a damn thing."

He closed his eyes and nuzzled his nose against my own, slowly, "stay with me. I can protect you and I will. And I can teach you to protect yourself so that no-one will ever take you again...just stay."

His hand gently slipped up my thigh, leaving a trail of tingles in its wake and making that familiar heat flush through my body, settling in my cheeks.

"...Stay" he whispered, as our lips brushed.

Chapter 16 - The Wanted Alpha