𝖍𝖊𝖆𝖛𝖊𝖓

"Why don't you tell me more about yourself."

His words repeated themselves in my head, echoing hollowly.

I shrugged, refusing to meet his eyes.

"There isn't much to know," I answered awkwardly.

At least, nothing worth knowing about.

"I thoroughly don't believe that." August responded, sounding slightly exasperated. "How about this: You ask me a question, then I get to ask you a question. Then we'll keep taking turns."

I eyed him warily, contemplating his proposal.

"Fine," I agreed reluctantly.

No matter how much I wanted to keep my life story hidden, my burning curiosity to know more about the man in front of me outweighed my fears.

"You can ask first," he offered.

I nodded, beginning to think of a question.

"What's your favorite color?" I suddenly blurted out, unable to think of a more creative question.

He gave a small smile, looking me directly in my eyes. "Blue."

I shuffled uncomfortably beneath his gaze, painfully aware that his answer had been a direct reference to my eye color.

"What about you?" he asked, leaning slightly back in his chair.

"Well, it used to be grey," I answered, smiling fondly at the memory of the color of my beloved storm clouds, "But I think I'm starting to like gold a bit more."

I couldn't tell him the reason for the change in my favorite color, it would be much too embarrassing to reveal that the warm honey tone of his eyes could have put the most beautiful storm to shame.

Desperate to go to another topic, I decided to ask another question.

"Do you have any siblings?" I ask.

August smiled.

"I have a younger sister, but I haven't seen her for a while, not since she met her m-" he suddenly stuttered, seemingly cutting himself off, "not since she met her boyfriend." he finished, looking slightly embarrassed by his small stutter.

I nodded at his answer, smiling at the thought of him acting like a protective older brother.

August seemed slightly lost in thought at the topic of his sister, spacing out with a gentle smile on his face.

"It's your turn to ask a question," I reminded him gently, my voice breaking him from his thoughts.

His golden eyes locked with mine, filled with an unexplainable emotion that I couldn't decipher. His gentle smile took my breath away, and for the millionth time since I've arrived here, I began wondering why I felt such a strong attraction to a man that was still practically a stranger to me.

August leaned forward in his wooden chair, closing some of the distance between us.

He was just inches away from my face, his signature scent enveloping around me.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, a cell phone began to ring.

A quiet grumble left August's lips at the sound, and if I didn't know any better, I would have said it sounded like a growl.

August stood up, drawing himself away from me, and I couldn't help but to miss the feeling of him near me.

August aggressively ripped his phone from his back pocket, putting it to his ear.

"What do you need Antonio?" August asked, his tone sounding lethal.

As Antonio's muffled voice spoke quickly from the other end of the phone call, I could see August's expression morph from irritation to rage.

"I'll be there." He spoke through his teeth, then hung up.

I could practically feel the anger rolling off of him in waves. I would be lying if I said it didn't scare me. I barely knew him, yet I've never seen him so terrifying, at least not around me.

What could Antonio have said that made August so mad?

August's eyes flicker quickly to me, as if he just realized that I was still sitting there. His eyes visibly soften, although hints of anger were still visible behind his golden irises.

"What was that about?" I question, tilting my head to the side as I wait for his answer.

August seemed to be visibly pained as he took a moment to answer.

"Nothing to worry about." He replied shortly, offering no other explanation to the odd phone call that seemed to flare his temper.

I nodded my head, pretending to be satisfied with his vague answer, but inwardly, my curiosity was eating me alive.

"I have to go take care of something," August said, beginning to walk to the door, "I'll be back sometime tonight."

And without another word, he was gone.

✧ ✧ ✧

𝖆𝖚𝖌𝖚𝖘𝖙

"Are you sure it was them?" I asked quickly as I walked alongside Antonio and several other members of my pack.

"W-we're sure Alpha," one of the men stuttered nervously, obviously noticing the mood I was in, and not wanting to do anything to upset me further.

I had always had a quick temper, it was not news to my pack members. But it wasn't their fault for the awful mood I was in. Antonio's call had torn me away from spending time with Heaven, throwing me into a sour mood.

"We tracked their scents out past our borders," Antonio butts in, "There seemed to be three of them."

"A small group," I muttered to myself, "They were scouting the area."

"What for?" One of the wolves asks, her voice ringing over the others.

"They're planning something," I think out loud, "And we need to be ready."

"They've tried to invade us before, they'd be stupid to try it again," A young male wolf shouts confidently from the back of the group, a small prideful smirk crawling onto his face.

A low, growling laugh escaped my lips at his words, and the young wolf cowered back slightly at the sound.

"Oh, but I know their leader quite well," I laugh humorlessly, "he isn't one to give up easily."

I growl inwardly at the thought of the leader of that pack of rogues.

I knew him better than anyone, and first hand experience had taught me that he wasn't going to simply give up his fruitless attacks and leave my pack in peace.

No, his grudge against me was much too personal.

He wouldn't give up until one of us was dead.