My paws were pounding on the forest floor, sticks cracking beneath me and my claws filling with dirt. I was losing stamina, and have given chase for quite some time now. The sweltering heat wasn't helping and Cel was tiring.

I had hoped to wear him down a little, taking the more uneven and rocky route. But his wolf never caught up to me, and I realised he was enjoying the chase. I knew I had to stop eventually so I followed the scent of a nearby water source.

His heavy pants came from behind me and I glanced back to see only his dark fur darting through the undergrowth. As I neared the smell, I wasn't paying attention. I was focused on avoiding the Alpha wolf behind me that I didn't scent another wolf nearby.

It all happened so quickly. I leapt through a particularly large bush and as I did so sharp claws dragged into my side and I was thrown sideways. I hurtled through the air and collapsed in a heap on the ground with a wail.

The wolf above me was a dark brown, its fur matted and stood on end. It wasn't Phoenix. Its eyes were black with uncontrolled rage as it swiped at me. Cel pulled control from me and kicked him away. She brought herself up to her feet just as a thunderous growl came from behind us.

The rogue wolf in front of me hesitated, its head swinging to the bush it attacked me from. Phoenix's large wolf forced its way through the greenery. He slowed to an elegant stop and bunched his shoulders up in threat.

The deep rumble of a growl sounded through his bared teeth, and I could feel the vibrations through the air. The rogue wolf gave a small growl in return, raising its hackles in defence as it backed away from us.

Phoenix snapped his jaws and lunged, knocking the wolf down in one easy swipe. Then it was a blur of fur and claws. I could hear yelps and growls as they wrestled on the forest floor. My eyes were wide as I pushed my back against a nearby tree.

The fight didn't last long before Phoenix had the wolf pinned and ripped out its jugular. It died with a small whine and I had to look away as it passed to the other side. Rogue or not, that wolf was once a person, who had a family and feelings. They just lost their way.

It was quiet for a moment; the only sound was the dripping of blood hitting the floor. The birds were silent and there was no breeze. I let out a shaky huff and turned my gaze back to the Alpha wolf.

He was standing beside his kill, dark eyes staring at me. He just stood there, not moving or showing any body language. Cel wagged her tail timidly and flattened her ears against her head. She was showing she had given up the fight from earlier, a submission to his wolf for protecting us from the rogue.

His wolf puffed out a large breath, before walking its way over to us. He was massive with huge dense fur that seemed thicker around his chest and neck. His snout alone must've been the size of my human head and I winced when I saw his huge canines. The image of the rogue flashed in my mind and I forced my eyes closed to pass the memory.

His warm breath fanned across my face and I froze when his large tongue came to lick at my jaw. He released a low grumble as he began to groom my fur. I stayed put against the tree but relaxed slightly when I realised he intended to provide comfort.

He nibbled at my ear, nudging me to stand. I whimpered as I did so, the wounds from the very brief fight still aching in my side. His large head pushed me forwards until we stood at the water's edge. I gladly dragged my paws into the warm stream and welcomed the smooth sensations of the current.

It wasn't too deep as it only just reached Cel's back hip. I slowly lowered myself into the current and whimpered when the fresh cuts encountered the water. I cleaned her snout whilst laying there, making sure that it was nice and clean.

A splash had me looking up to see Phoenix washing his muzzle and paws in the water before taking a drink from further up the stream. I continued to relax as I watched him, keeping an eye on his every move.

Once he was finished, he climbed out and shook his fur. Water flew everywhere including on myself and I huffed in protest. He barked before going to walk a perimeter of where we stood.

Whilst he was gone, I quickly shifted to my human form so I could get a look at the wounds I had received. Although I was naked, the water that sat at my belly button kept me warm.

Seven gashes lay across my side and down to my hip bone, about five inches in length. I winced as I touched them, hoping they would heal closed by tomorrow since they were not too deep. It hurt to turn my body as they pulled against the strain, but I made sure the rest of me was okay and clean. The only other injury I sustained was soon-to-be bruising to my side and arm from where I took the impact.

A sudden bark had me jumping to cover my chest with my arms and clench my legs together. Ares came stalking through the trees, his fur bristling in the sunlight. He kept his head low when he approached, and I eyed him warily. He whimpered before gently nudging his head against me.

I allowed him to greet me but was shocked when his tongue darted to lick at the cuts on my side. I swatted his wolf head away with a yelp, but he just growled at me.

"D-don't!" I shrieked.

He growled but forced his rear into a sitting position. I still had to look up at him in the position but took it as my time to admire his wolf. He was stunning, albeit very creepy. Black, thick fur, large paws with black eyes and a menacing aura. I would not want to meet him as a stranger.

His wolf head came down from observing the treeline to study me in return. My eyes widened at the intense stare and an involuntary shiver overcame me. I was all too aware of my nudity and vulnerability right now, but the humming of the mate bond and the attraction I was feeling kept me somehow feeling safe. He kept pressing at the mind link, but I refused to let him in.

He suddenly stood onto all four legs and took a couple of steps backwards. I watched him with narrow eyes, wondering what he was doing. Within a split second, he was shifting into his human form and my eyes widened as Phoenix landed before me. Now I had no choice but to talk to him, and this time he was naked. So very naked.

Cel was bristling beneath my skin as we shamelessly took in our male. I mean, I couldn't help myself either. He stood a distance away, tanned skin dripping with water and sweat. His dark hair was tousled in all directions, and I watched transfixed as his hands went to neaten it. The muscles in his arms were tensing and my eyes travelled the length of them before dropping to his shoulders and chest. He was so defined, so broad that I wanted nothing more than to just bite his skin. Is that weird? That's weird, right?

My eyes dropped to his stomach, muscles tensing as he turned to observe his surroundings again. They dipped into a V-shape and I quickly had to look away when my eyes fell further. A furious blush encompassed my cheeks as he caught me staring at his body, at all of his body. I mean, how can I not see it when it's just hanging at my eye level?

"Nova." He spoke first. "That was a very foolish thing to do back there. You could've gotten seriously hurt."

I chewed on my lip and fixed my hair with one hand as the other stayed across my chest. I wasn't comfortable with being naked around anyone.

'Except for Molly.' Cel teased.

I was drunk then, that's different. I muttered.

"I-I know."

"And shifting in front of half of the pack?" His voice raised an octave. "That was irresponsible, you are meant to protect your identity."

I frowned. "I had to stop you two from fighting somehow."

He grumbled. "And shifting was your thought? You need to stop acting on impulse and think about it."

I growled in return. "Don't you start talking about impulse control!"

"What is that supposed to mean?" He scoffed.

I wished I had clothes so I could stand up, I was feeling pent up with angry energy.

"You cannot talk about impulse control when you seem to have none." I snapped.

He watched me with glowering eyes, arms crossed at his chest. "Don't test me again, Nova."

"Don't talk to me like I am nothing, Alpha.," I growled.

His eyes widened and he took a step toward me. "I am your Alpha; you treat me with respect."

"Respect?" I snapped, fed up with his attitude. "Wanna talk about respect? How about the fact you forced me to suppress my wolf in fear of letting others know how I look?"

"That is different." He interjected.

I was fuming now, pulling myself to my feet to poke at his chest. I didn't care about my nudity right now, my rage was targeted directly at him.

"And what about how you hide the fact that we are mates to every single person?" I tilted my head. "About how you are so reserved and don't show me any emotion? I am just waiting-waiting for the day you reject me! Why can't you just do it already? I'm strong enough now, I can live through the bond-breaking!"

He growled when I pushed at him. "Don't you dare Nova..."

"Dare what? Stand up for myself?" I growled.

He growled, his large hands coming to stop my hands from pushing him again. "Don't push me."

"What if I want to? It's the only time you seem to show any emotion!" I snapped. "You lead me on one moment then ignore me for a month. Just do it, get it over with!"

"I can't." He snapped back, canines flashing in his mouth.

"Do it!" I was begging now, angry at him and myself for getting like this. "Just do it!"

"Want me to do it? Fine!" He barked, throwing his hands to the side.

My chest was heaving with emotion as I glared at him. I braced myself for the words to leave his mouth, waiting for the rejection to come as my heart raced. He was fighting with himself, his eye flashing colours. I noticed his hands kept clenching at his sides.

"Well-"

He interrupted me by grabbing my face in his hands, bending down and smashing his lips to mine. I was frozen solid, lost in the heat of the moment as his warm mouth pressed against mine. He pulled away for a second and stared down into my eyes. We stared at each other, his eyes searching for answers within mine, but I was too shocked to retaliate. He growled and smashed his mouth to mine once again.

I let myself succumb to the sensations; to the feelings, he was giving me. I could feel his emotion as we kissed, how torn he felt. The angry sensation within me that was building up, had been distinguished before it could explode. I was lost to him.

My hands found their way to his chest as I tentatively touched his skin. He didn't move away, instead increased the ferocity of his mouth on mine, tongue teasing at my lower lip. My hands wrapped around his neck, my fingers barely reaching the mess of hair on the back of his head. He pulled me to him, and I stumbled slightly at the movement but he grounded me.

It felt like fireworks exploding in my brain, his moving from my face to grab at my bare waist. His body set fire to my skin, burning everywhere he touched. I moaned into his mouth, overcome with so many conflicted emotions.

His lips left mine to pepper small open-mouthed kisses along my jaw and down my neck. I was breathing heavy and stretched my neck to the side in the encouragement of his touch. His teeth grazed my neck just below my ear and I gasped in pleasure. He growled in approval, lips planting themselves on my jaw again. My eyes opened when he pulled away to see him looking all over my face, studying me.

"What?" I whispered, breathless.

"I don't know how much longer I can keep you secret." He spoke.

Butterflies fluttered in my stomach, nerves clutching at my being. "Th-then don't."

"I have to." He sighed, looking down at my lips again.

"You d-don't." I whimpered.

He pressed a gentle kiss to my lips before slowly pulling his hands away and taking a step back. I dropped my arms from his hair to rest them on his chest. We stood at an arm's length and he stared at me longingly. This was the most emotion I have ever received from him, and I wasn't sure if I liked the sadness.

"I do, Nova. I'm sorry. You'll understand, eventually."

"Eventually? H-how long Phoenix? I c-can't keep-"

"I don't know." He sighed. "I'm sorry."

He stepped away from me completely before turning around, his chest rising and falling rapidly. My anger had vanished, now all that was left was longing for answers. I covered my nudity again with my arms, not allowing the tears to fall from my eyes. I didn't understand and was frustrated at the lack of answers.

"I d-deserve to know," I whispered.

"You will, I just have to figure it out." He sighed. "Shift back, I'll find us some clothes to go home in."

I whimpered when he wouldn't look at me but followed his command. Cel burst from her seams onto all fours and lead me forwards. She growled at Phoenix and nipped at his calf. He smiled down sadly but patted her head in comfort before shifting himself. Ares stared down at us for a moment before jerking his head. Cel huffed but followed him back to inner pack land, knowing it was safer for him to lead the way.

I stayed quiet through the journey, wondering why he couldn't tell me. He wouldn't reject me and he had every chance to. The kiss seemed chaotic and needy, so did he want me or not? Why was he so hard to read? What was I waiting for?

I sighed but continued to follow him to the nearest clothes storage.

•••

Hmmmmm what did we think??

Remember guys, this is a slow burn and things are not what they seem 😝

: when you read, do you listen to anything? Or do u have to have silence?

I have to have quiet noise, anything loud is overwhelming and I can't focus haha when I write I often have Niall Horans albums playing 😇

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