Chapter 7

Aleena’s POV

This is crazy! How can I be heading back to my village with the Alpha of a wolf pack that I shouldn’t have anything to do with, yet here I am, wanting everything to do with him? What will the Elders say when they see me with Michael?

The wind chilled my skin, even through the jacket I had borrowed unknowingly from Laura. The walk wouldn’t take long if we kept up a decent speed; I kept dragging my feet; this wasn’t something I wanted to do. I had nightmares about this exact thing. I swore never to come back here. Not that I hated who I was, it wasn’t that. It was the way I was treated within my village. They wanted me to be something I wasn’t, something I couldn’t be for them. But they wouldn’t see it that way. I had a duty to the village like my family before me.

“Are you okay?” Michael spoke gently to me as he ran his hand down my arm; I swear I could feel the heat of his skin on mine through the thick material of my jacket. My heart started to hammer once again; I had to get a hold of what was going on with me, as this wasn’t something I could allow myself even to begin to hope for; he wasn’t mine! My mind whirled as I looked up at him, all sexy and protective. Goddess, I shouldn’t find him attractive; we aren’t even the same race!

“Yes, I am okay, Alpha! I appreciate your concern,” I force myself to say formally; I had to stop this now, even if it was killing me. He wasn’t mine, and I was much older than him; I’d easily outlive him. This was one reason why we don’t mix species.

Michael frowned, tilting his head to look at me; he ran his free hand over his jaw. Stubble covered his face, and I instantly wished I knew what it felt like to run my fingers along it. His dark hair was spattered with grey giving him a distinguished look that I couldn’t get enough of; it was like my eyes were drinking him in; I had to pull my gaze away before I got carried away; I had to do the right thing. My behaviour change was too noticeable, and it was clearly bothering him as his eyes never left mine; I could feel them on me even when I forced myself to look away.

We walked in silence for a while, my mind constantly reeling, going over how he looked at me and how his skin felt against mine, sending licks of fire shooting through my veins; this was insane. How could I suddenly feel so much for a man I knew could never be mine? The smell of him assaulted my senses next, causing me to shudder; luckily, I could pass it off as a shiver. I would be in trouble if I didn’t sort myself and my head out soon.

“Your Quiet, you’re never this quiet with me Aleena; we have been friends for so long now, so don’t start shutting me out” he nudged me as I spoke, trying to draw conversation out of me. If he knew the torment in my mind, he wouldn’t be so keen to talk to me then, would he?

“I’m fine; I’m just nervous about seeing the Elders and my family; it’s been so long since I have seen them; they no doubt think I’m dead or a traitor at the very least”, I confessed, dragging a frozen breath in, allowing the cool air to try and work its way around my body, drawing out my anxiety.

“You don’t have to face them alone this time; I’ll be right here next to you” I could hear the smile in his voice mixed with concern. He reached out and placed his palm on the small of my back. Again, feeling like his skin was burning its way through the coat to my sensitive skin beneath.

“I know, and it means the world to me, but they will not see you as their equal regardless of your status within your pack and the wolf community in general”, I sighed, letting him know at least something he should expect.

“It won’t be that bad, surely”, he tried to joke, but the smile never reached his eyes.

A strong gust of wind blew just then, almost pushing me backwards. Instantly regretting my choice of outfit this morning and thanking Michael for the use of the coat, I would have frozen out here otherwise.

“It’s going to get stronger as we make our way toward the entrance to my village. It’s one of the tactics used by my people to keep non-elven beings from gaining access to our home.”

“I guess we better get a move on then,” he said through gritted teeth and grasped my hand in his, giving me no choice. He was going to hold on to me if I liked it or not, and I definitely liked it, more than I should.

My heart jackhammered against my ribcage. I could see the entrance coming up, not that Michael would have a clue; the wind was blowing a gale now, and we had our heads bowed and huddled together as we edged our way closer. I could quickly disperse the winds, but Michael would still struggle; it would only disappear for an elf, not anyone else, and I refused to leave him to face this force of nature. I felt sure it was Natalia in charge of the defensive spells now; I could feel the distinct hum of her magic.

“Right here, Michael, stay close,” I urged him, wishing the butterflies in my belly would settle down. I had no choice; I had to go in there and face my family, old friends, and those who tried to kill me.

Reaching up, I place my open palm against the knot of an old tree. My fingers trembled as I wrapped them around the rough wood. Magic flared through my skin the second I made contact. Every nerve in my body tingled, and the tiny hairs on my arms stood up as raw magic fizzled through my body. Even though I had done this a hundred times before, it never failed to take my breath away as the magic sizzled through my very being, and I couldn’t help but take an audible breath in.

Michael shifted beside me as the wood bent and stretched right in front of our eyes, he was trying his best to act uninterested in what was happening before him, but he couldn’t keep his eyes from virtually popping out of his head.

“Okay, I’ll admit that’s pretty cool,” he breathed right in my ear.

“Seeing it after so long, I would have to agree with you,” a smile stretched across my face. “Stay close, Alpha, but please, for your sake, don’t touch me”, I mutter loud enough for him to hear but not for anyone else who may be listening.

“Take a deep breath, remember I’m right here with you”, he muttered back, running his fingers across the exposed skin on my hand before he stepped behind me.

Frantic footsteps reached my ears, and it sounded like more than one set, possibly two or three.

“Here we go”, the words tumbled from my lips as I drew in a shaking breath of chilled air, readying myself for what I knew was coming.

Three people appeared before us then, halting so suddenly I screwed my eyes up, expecting them to run right into us.

“Surely it can’t be,” a female voice said

“The magic signature says it is”, a male voice joined in

I already knew who the owners of the voices were. And I knew I had to face them, so there was no time better than the present. Reaching up, I pushed the warm winter coat hood back to fall over my shoulders. My eyes trained on the floor; taking in their faces was harder than I thought, and I wasn’t ready to lay my eyes on them just yet.

Three identical gasps reached my ears. Lifting my head, I locked eyes with my younger sister and older brother. Seren and Iven.

“Move!” I hear another female voice, and tears fill my eyes.

Stood before me was a face I knew like my own. One that I saw when I closed my eyes at night, the one that was cut from the same cloth as me. My Twin sister Alysia.

Time stood still as we stared at each other, matching tears loitered in her eyes; I didn’t dare to breathe, just in case she disappeared.

“Your back!” she sobbed just before throwing her arms around my neck, allowing the tears to fall from my eyes at last.

Twins in the elven community were extremely rare. We were the only set in our village and revered above everyone except our parents. Alysia and I were destined for great things; that was before I was ambushed by my so-called friends and left to die. Alysia was going to be a seer and adviser, whereas I was destined to be the mystic healer and a seer. Unlike myself, my sister actually wanted to ascend to her role, whereas I did not. I was the carefree twin, the reckless one. Alysia was the good girl, the perfect image of what a princess should be. But I loved her like no other, and I missed her more than I ever cared to admit.

“I have missed you so much, sister” I choked on the words. She still clung to me as if her life depended on it.

Alysia looked exactly like me, but her hair was black with silver flecks, the opposite of mine. And her awakening tattoos were slightly different to mine.

“Where have you been? Why didn’t you come back? Mother and Father aren’t going to know what to do”, she rambled on; I knew she would continue if I hadn’t stopped her.

“I need to speak with the elders, the mystic healer” I looked her in the eyes, trying to stress the importance.

“Aleena, our mystic healer is now Myla, you know she only possesses a fraction of your power, I can’t see what she can do that you couldn’t do for yourself, plus you need to see Mother first. She has not been the same since you left” my sister’s voice had grown serious and full of loss.

My gut twisted at the sound of my old friend’s name; Myla was one of my supposed friends who had left me for dead. She wanted my position and clearly got precisely what she had dreamed of.

“who’s that” Iven’s voice boomed as he stepped forward. He had always been tall and broad, more so than most elves. He was imposing and well suited to his role of village guardian.

“This is Michael, Alpha of the Winter Moon pack, and my friend,” I said in the strongest voice I could muster. I raised my hand to place it upon my brother’s chest to keep him back from Michael, a warning not to touch what is mine, even though Michael would never really be mine.

“You brought a Wolf into our home,” his voice harsh.

“Back off, Iven”, I warned, and I meant it.

“Iven, she’s only just come back, don’t start now; let’s just take them to father, and I’m sure there is a good reason behind it,” Seren spoke to our brother; she had always been excellent at calming people’s emotions.

“Who else knows it was me who set off the entrance wards?” I questioned; fear gripped my insides. I needed the element of surprise to get through this unscathed; if my old friends realised that they had failed at what they had planned for me, then who knows what might happen.

“No one yet; Iven was alerted first and called us as we never expected your signature to come up again. and we needed to see it with our own eyes,” Alysia told me, still clinging to my arm. She always was the more expressive of the two of us.

Sighing with relief, glad that for at least now, only my siblings knew I was alive.

“Fine, let’s go see Mother and Father” I resigned myself to knowing this would be a lot harder than I originally planned. A massive part of me knew that there was never a chance of me coming back here unnoticed.

“Keep your pet on a lead; the king and queen won’t want a flea-bitten mongrel roaming free around our village,” he hissed at me as he shouldered his way to the front again. My younger sister was pushed back from the force; she didn’t complain, though; we all knew what his temper was like.

Looking over my shoulder to meet Michael’s eyes, I mouthed the words sorry to him, mortified that my brother would be so openly rude to him but secretly knowing it would be this way all along. I just hoped Michael wouldn’t change the way he thought about me because of the way my people are so stuck up their own arses with superiority.

Alysia beamed at me as she grasped my hand and pulled me forward. I had no choice but to follow. I felt Michael behind me; his fingers skimmed my outstretched hand as my twin dragged me on. At least I knew he was right there behind me.