Chapter 2 Meeting him

I've heard stories before, of how it is to feel your wolf, the thrill you experience the first time you understand that you are two beings in one.

The joy of being a werewolf.

I am feeling that joy now.

My heartbeats escalate, my mouth lifts in a wide grin and my eyes water a bit.

The joy I feel rushes through me; I feel it up to my fingertips, and I can't steady myself.

"Hello," I say softly to myself, anticipating a response.

"Hi" The voice is soft, almost frail.

"What's your name?" My voice was low not wanting to attract attention. It was quiet for a few seconds before she responded.

"My name is Rudina. Our mate is close!" She says drawing my attention back to what she had first said.

Here? Why would he be in the packhouse?

Before my thoughts could spiral out of control, the Alpha walked in.

He is a large man, his figure towering over me with ease. He has bright silver hair tied back in a bun. He walks past the big table stationed in the middle of the room and strides with confidence over to me, the guard alpha on his trail.

He gestures for me to sit and I follow with no hesitation. I've never seen the Alpha before, only ever heard of him from stories my mother told me. His aura is domineering and I can feel my wolf cower slightly.

I can feel her. My heart still tugs on that rush and I'm smiling again.

The Alpha clears his throat and looks directly at me after he's seated; before he can say anything, I rise to greet him properly, mentally slapping myself for not doing that first.

"Good day, Alpha," I say, prostrating before sitting down.

He looked at me for what felt like an hour before voicing out "What is your name?"

I jump slightly in my seat. His voice was a rich baritone, gravelly and commanding.

"I am Ruthni, Alpha"

He studied me with a straight face. "And what do you need?" He spoke each word carrying the weight of unspoken authority as if the very air around him held its breath to listen.

"Um...Alpha, I initially came to speak to you regarding myself. I turned eighteen two years ago, but there was no trace of my wolf, and today I turned twenty, but I couldn't smell my mate." I rushed the words, speaking with the obvious hint of fear. He tried to speak but I cut him off.

"But now, the questions have changed." He was puzzled if the look on his face said anything about it, but I wasn't sure because he was hard to read.

"I can hear my wolf now!...the moment I stepped foot into this house, I heard her, and she said our mate is here." He watched me, adjusting himself on the armchair he sat on; he placed his hands on his knees and scrutinized me with his piercing gaze.

He is not a fan of talking. Got it.

" Is there a chance there are other people in the packhouse at this moment?" The question was direct.

The Alpha signaled for the alpha I had met at the door, spoke to him silently, and before I knew it, it was just the two of us left in the room.

"It can't be the alpha I met earlier because I felt my wolf after he had left the room and it can't be you because well, you're Alpha and a little too old for me"

I laughed trying to ease the tension that filled the air. I watched as he raised his eyebrows at me probably wondering if I was sane.

Heck, I wondered that as well.

Who am I to make such a bold joke with the Alpha, I'd be lucky if I stayed alive long enough to meet my wolf.

When I received no response, I shifted slightly on the seat and was about to excuse myself when he stood up abruptly startling me in the process, my heart leaping up in my chest.

"Follow me" Was all he said before turning around and exiting the room.

I hurried to follow suit. Alpha had long legs, and he strutted with such ease and precision, paying no mind to me. He led us down a long dim hallway with no windows, only lanterns that hung sparingly on the walls

Just now I noticed the sources of light gradually reduced as we moved forward.

Maybe this was a bad idea.

Dear moon goddess, is this how I'm meant to go?

Were we headed to the dungeon? Was it the joke I made?

As we went further, I began to take note of the surroundings, possibly planning an escape route if necessary.

"Mate" My wolf repeated. We were close, I could slowly feel it. My heartbeats escalated, and the silence all around me started to close in. All that was heard were footsteps and what was two...no, three heartbeats.

I could smell him now. A blissful scent of oakwood and something else...spice? Cinnamon? It was a wild combination that blended greatly together. The hair on my skin stands, I become jittery from nerves, and my breathing becomes labored. The air I need surrounds me, but my lungs treat it like a stranger they refuse to embrace.

Then I see light coming from what looks like an open space just around a corner.

The Alpha swiftly turns the corner, but my feet become heavy, and my pace slows.

I join just a minute later and I see him. In what looks like a room, it feels like a prison with bars that restrict from the front. He sits on a chair, his back to us with a book in his hand.

Noticing our presence, he stands, drops the book neatly on the table before him, and turns.

Time stops, or it seems to slow down, I'm not sure which, but I do know that at this moment, nothing else matters, and all my eyes can focus on is him. His raven black hair shines under the light, he's tall...like really tall and his eyes a marvelous rich shade of grey. His thick scent that invades my nostrils soothing my nerves from within.

"Someone is here to see you Exol. I'll leave you guys to talk" Alpha walks away after saying that leaving the two of us alone.

Exol, a lovely name.

"Hi Exol, I'm Ruthni," I say, stretching out my hands to shake him when I realize we are on opposite sides of the metal bars..."C-can I come in?"

"No" That's all he says. One word in that heavy velvety voice of his.

Oh goddess, his voice.

"Okay if that's what you want!" I say, a small smile playing on my lips. I tried my best to reel my excitement in, I wanted to make a good first impression. "But you do know who I am right?"

"I know who you are Ruthni. You're my mate. The person the moon goddess has tied me with. The perfect bond" He says passively.

That was odd. Being with your mate should make you happy...that's what I read in my books and judging from my still overbearing heart, I was happy.

Something didn't feel right. I can feel the bond being established but something was hindering it.

He retreated to his seat and leaned against it with his hands on his back. He looked at me for the first time that afternoon in my eyes before uttering...

"A bond I intend to break"