Chapter Fourteen

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~Alaric's POV~

My voice reverberates off the tall porcelain walls as Owen and I converse about future reparations to the pack.

"The eastern borders will need a rejuvenation before spring." He nods at my observation, complete concentration on my orders. Owen has always been devoted to his position as my loyal beta, following blindly to meet all of my demands.

"As soon as possible, alpha, though our strongest omegas are now all mated and have retired for the winter," Owen prods at me as if I'm not already aware of the members of my own pack. Alpha or omega, we all have a job, whether they like it or not. Owen earns a disapproving glare from me, as he should already know my solution to what he's suggesting.

"Just get it done, Owen." My voice comes out stronger than I intended, likely sending my beta into an overdrive.

"Yes, Alpha." He nods curtly, his presence evaporating almost immediately after. That is just one of my worries put behind me, the rest still left unattended.

Just as I am about to make my leave, I hear barreling footsteps thundering through the corridor. I quickly hop from my place, curiousity peaking my mind. I peer out of the door, catching a glimpse of what looks like a mouse running from a cat.

Her snowy blonde hair blows against her back as she hastes forward, coiled strands astray as the wind takes a hold of her. The gloss of her pale skin makes me shiver involuntarily. I know it's the mate bond drawing my attention to her, but I can't help it. An annoyance tugs at me at the mere sight of her, particularly due to the fact I will never have a connection with her.

She wears long, flowy pants that are obviously too big for her, swaying as she moves, and a perfectly fitting yellow top. It's obvious she's aware of her surroundings somehow, though her uncoordinance still causes her to crash forcefully into a pillar. All I can do is watch as her face, pain laced with sadness, collides with the hard surface, knocking her down. I feel her pain in my own head, a second of empathy flashing over me. Immediately, she pushes back up in determination, her face now displaying only what can be placed as primal anger.

Once I realized where she was headed, though, those emotions are squandered. I stomp headstrong after her, slow-paced at first, but her buttermilk aroma left in the air sent me into a full on sprint. The halls become a blur as the only thing I'm focused on is her body, rushing away, unaware of my precense behind her now.

I push through the doors just as she did moments before. I take in her demeanor, the scared look plastered across her face. As much as I wanted to disregard her feelings and allow myself to be an alpha, I truly feel hurt by her expression.

Pack members begin to gather, the unravelling scene putting immense pressure on how I react in front of my subordinates. They watch as she battles to escape, between myself and her, their eyes peer. The growing distance between us unsettles me and I'm backed into making a decision. A loud, forced growl booms through the area, my snarl stopping her dead in her place. I see her body tremble lightly, her back still turnt to me.

I make my way across the lawn of the pack house, still keeping a distance between us, but enough to catch her if she attempts to run off. I growl a low, throaty growl which evokes her to turn to me. She follows the sound of my anger, her head snapping directly towards me. She doesn't seem to be fully aware and I can tell this is her wolfs rage, my little mate too shy to speak, let alone challenge me.

Her almost nonexistent white brows arch together in a distressed manner, her eyes wide like a puppy dog. She stares into nothing, yet I feel more in the spotlight than ever before. Her crystal clear eyes a shade of blue that shouldn't be allowed to be seen by the naked eye. Her wavy hair messily jumbled by the commotion, a single stray strand falling seamlessly in front of her face.

Her mouth opens slightly agape, pouted to match the rest of her forlorn face. Despite her frantic expression, her stance tells me she is aware. She stands boldly straight, fists at her sides and head cocked. I take note of her demeanor, suddenly changing from one of a cowering puppy, to an almighty wolf.

Her face is now hard and detached. She scrunches her nose as a sign of aggression, though it looks hardly threatening. Her cracked lips press into a firm line, making their full form appear indignant. If it were not my mate standing across from me, I might see them as a threat to my pack.

I release another growl, harsher than the last, expecting her to back down and submit. Refusing to take my gaze away from her depthless blue eyes, if even possible, a cloud glazes over them. I could have imagined it, but I swear I catch her falter and she frowns for just a moment.

Her typical shy and scared demeanor disappears completely, telling me I'm likely face to face with her wolf right now.

An euroption of her throat catches me off guard, a sonorous snarl comes from the lowest, angriest depths of her chest. Her eyes fill with a rage I've seen but once or twice before. I'm striked in the heart by the loathe I see in her eyes. My heart quickens erratically, warm sweat forming around my body. I don't want to advance on her further, I pray by the bastard of the fucking moon she backs down before I have to force her down.

In this moment I'm more grateful than ever she cannot see me, for if she stared into my eyes with that look of hatred she has on her now, the mate bond would send me crumbling.

Undoubtedly, I must stop her before she gets out of hand. My pack will never see me as less than anything but an unwavering leader.

I meet her snarl with a greater one, slowly closing the gap between us. I'm a few steps away when I make a jolted bark, her head snapping in my exact direction. Now, she is straight in front of me looking me head on.

She doesn't take lightly to my warning, growling fiercely back at me. In a rapid movement, she squeaks out another thunderous bark and not so gracefully leaps into a shifted state.

I don't have time to observe as I immediately take action and shift, her attack on me doing nothing to render me damaged. As a highly trained fighter, I topple her over with ease, though she continues to thrash at me. If my damned pack members were not watching me intently, I would never be handling my mate in such a way. I get a hold of her neck, squeezing with a dominant growl. Her quiet whimper almost makes me let go and walk away, but I continue with my method. It stings my entire body to be touching her in such a vicious manner. She goes limp, stretching her bulbous neck to expose more to me.

She submits.

~
Author's Note: there will definitely be more to Alaric's POV! I had to break it into two chapters so it wouldn't be too long. Should be up tomorrow :)
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Word Count: 1275

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