𝖆𝖚𝖌𝖚𝖘𝖙

The rest of the day had passed quickly, with Tara dragging Heaven away almost immediately in order to find themselves dresses for the evening gathering.

With Heaven no longer in the house, I had no excuse to stay home.

The day was dreary, with low-hanging clouds and warm, humid air at a standstill.

Despite this, however, I had still decided to oversee the border patrol today.

It wasn't something I often did, as it was a long and painfully boring task. But perhaps my recalling of my revenge-driven brother had made me paranoid, so I had convinced myself that I couldn't simply sit around while he was still out there.

And that rash decision had consequently brought me to my current situation; standing in the middle of the damp forest, surrounded by several other pack members, all competing discretely to impress me.

I paid no mind to their dramatized 'tracking skills' or the way that they had tried so hard to keep up with my large strides as we trekked through the miserable woods.

I had also began to notice that a particular she-wolf- Maria, I believe was her name- was outdoing all of the others in her desperate attempt to gain my attention.

"Alpha!" She gasped out as she made her way up to me, out of breath from trying to keep up.

I didn't slow my pace in the slightest, simply turning my head minimally in her direction as she called me.

I didn't like being outwardly rude to my pack members (after all, they were like my family), but this specific she-wolf just knew how to test my patience.

Apparently, she had taken the small acknowledgment as an invitation to join me. I didn't feel the same.

The others watched with eyes widened in mild horror as Maria came up beside me, shocked that she would make such a bold move towards me.

I glanced emotionlessly down at her, my face blank and void. It seemed that Heaven was the only one able to unlock the softness in me.

"What would you like, Maria?" I questioned, keeping my voice monotone, adding in a hint of a threatening growl.

As her eyes lit up, I could see that she completely ignored my indirect threat, instead focusing on the fact that I had remembered her name.

I internally rolled my eyes at her shallowness.

"Well, Alpha," She spoke, trying to sound sweet, but instead succeeding in a high pitch, squeaking voice, "I was wondering what the purpose of the gathering tonight was for."

"You will find out tonight," I replied, speeding up my pace even more to try and leave her behind, but she simply began to walk faster.

She began to walk closer to me, nearly touching shoulders.

"I was wondering," She began, and it was now that I realized that she wasn't going to take the hint, "Is it for you to choose a Luna? I know that you haven't found your true mate yet, but you're probably getting antsy, and the pack will be needing an heir-"

I cut off her rambling with a loud growl, making her shrink back.

The other members of the patrol had paused, their bodies shaking at the sound of my obvious anger.

"Leave," I hissed out from between my clenched teeth. I could feel my canines beginning to elongate as my anger began to take the best of me.

"W-what?" She stuttered out, backing even further away from me.

"Go back home, I can't stand to have you in this patrol any longer."

"Yes, Alpha," she muttered embarrassedly before scampering off into the trees, a shameful blush coating her face.

I ran my hand down my face, exhausted from the annoying interaction. I loved my pack as a whole, but there were some individuals that I could absolutely not stand.

I wanted nothing more but to be back home, with Heaven enveloped in my arms as we watched cheesy romance movies. But I had a job to finish.

Many of my pack members have never seen that half of me, the half that smiles and laughs at stupid jokes, the half that would do anything to see my mate happy.

By that's how I liked it. I wanted to save that part of me solely for Heaven. She was the only one who had the privilege of knowing me like that.

The wolves saw me as a monster; a bloodthirsty, fearless leader. And they both loved and feared me for it. In the werewolf world, strength is valued above nearly everything (except mates, of course). To have an Alpha like me was something that they looked upon as a blessing, no matter how scared of me they were.

Nevertheless, I continued to lead the small group silently through the trees, alert for any danger of rogues.

Once we came to the end of the route, I excused myself almost immediately, eager to get back to the house to see my mate.

I hurried back through leafy terrain, making it back to my house in record time.

Making my way through the house, I could sense that Heaven and Tara were upstairs.

I ascended the stairs quickly, only to hear muffled words and a door slam quickly.

"Oh, hi there," Tara said from in front of Heaven's room, obviously trying to distract me from entering.

I rolled my eyes jokingly at her antics. "Can I go in?"

"It's okay, Tara," My mate laughed from behind the door, "He can come in."

A small smile paints onto to Tara's face as she steps out of the way.

"Alpha," She nods respectfully to me, before scampering down the stairs with a mischievous laugh.

"Have fun!" She called out teasingly, before exiting the house.

I wasted no time in stepping into the dimly lit room, making my way over to where Heaven was seated in front of her vanity.

Her makeup was fully done, with with winged eyeliner accentuating her feline eyes, making the deep blue color appear more shocking.

Her hair was done up in an intricately braided half up style, with softly curled strands framing her face. Decorative pearl pins were scattered throughout her hair, making it even more ethereal.

My breath caught in my throat as I looked at her. She wasn't even in her dress yet, as she was still wrapped in a fluffy white robe, but her appearance still had taken my breath away.

As Heaven heard me enter, she turned and gave me a stunning smile.

"Give me one minute, I have to go change."

I gave a nod as she took off towards the bathroom, still unable to speak as I thought about her incomparable beauty.

A few moments later, Heaven slowly pushed the bathroom door open, walking out with ease.

My jaw nearly hit the floor as I saw her, and the lustful thoughts that I had been keeping at bay began to swarm to the surface.

She was in a light blue, full length gown covered in an intricate lace pattern. A slit trailed the whole way up, revealing her long legs.

The neckline sloped downwards dramatically, showing off her amazing body.

I could feel my eyes beginning to flicker to a brighter amber and my canines elongating as I stared longingly at my mate.

Don't mark her yet. Don't mark her yet. Don't mark her yet.

I repeated my mantra excessively, drilling it into my mind.

It was then that I had finally broken from my staring, turning to look into Heaven's eyes.

She looked nervously at me as she fiddled with her hands.

"So?" She asked, "What do you think?"

Before I could even answer, she began again.

"I don't really know how fancy this whole pack gathering thing is. Tara told me to leave it all to her. I thought this might be a little extravagant, but she assured me that it was perfect-"

I cut off her rambling as I strode quickly over, placing my mouth right on hers.

"You look perfect," I whispered, my mouth still nearly touching hers.

She let out the breath that she had been holding, showing off a sweet smile. "Thank you."

"Oh," She spoke again, "Before I forget, can you get this zipper for me? I couldn't reach it."

She turned her back towards me, revealing the open zipper on the back of her dress.

I moved her hair delicately out of the way, brushing my hands leisurely through the silken ebony strands.

I zipped the dress up at a painfully slow pace, taking in the sight of her like she was the air I needed to breathe.

As I got to the top, I noticed a faint whiteish line traveling from her spine up to the base of her neck.

I traced it with my finger delicately, curious as to what it was.

She shivered under my touch, then turned to face me.

"It's a scar," She whispered, "From the crash."

My jaw clenched at the thought of her being injured. And it must've been bad if there's any indication from the large mark that it had left behind.

"Hey," Heaven spoke gently, placing both her hands on either side of my face, "I survived. And now I'm here, with you."

She brought her face forward slowly, planting a light kiss on the corner of my lips.

"And I'll never leave you."