Eternal Chains

EC 27: Show of interest

He could not stop staring at her, this must have been the effect of the mate bond she mentioned, but he didn't mind because he was fascinated with this woman.

"Would you please stop staring at me?" she growled. It was making her uncomfortable.

Xander chuckled after leaning on the headboard as he shifted his gaze to the ceiling. It was another silence but this time the silence was not suffocating nor uncomfortable instead it was calming. Both of them had relaxed and enjoyed the silence.

"That mate bond, how does it work? Does it only make us attracted to each other?" She mentioned a while ago that the effect of it was not the same for the both of them and he wanted to know to what extent will he be influenced by that bond.

"That's one. The mate bond can also tell us how the other is, if one of us sick or injured or in danger. As the mate bond strengthens that ability will also become more accurate. That effect applies to us both." She was glad that her mate was becoming interested with the topic.

Xander nodded, "Can that bond be broken?"

At that question the room became silent and Amber refused to answer. Xander looked at her but she was not looking at him, her head was bowed. It seems that she was not ready to talk about it. He waited for a couple more minutes but she remained silent.

"Is it painful when you transform into your wolf form?" he started another topic that he was curious about to ease the awkward silence. He can just ask again some other time besides this question was something he was also curious about. He did not understand how a human could shift into a wolf, wouldn't they endure pain because scientifically speaking, a wolf and a human have different body structure.

It took a little bit of time before she was able to adjust her mood and answer his question. She was glad that he did not pursue the topic because for her it was a topic that she was not willing to talk about for now because there was a possibility that her mate might do it if he finds the chance. Once their relationship was established and there were no more signs of him wanting to leave her then she will tell him.

"The first shift would be painful but the moment you eased into doing it, there's no pain." She remembered her first shift as she fell silent. It was very painful like her body was being torn apart in ways she could not describe. She suffered for a whole night in order to be able to shift and the following shifts were not that easy because she could still feel some pain but after a while, she got used it.

"Would I be able to see you in your wolf form again?" he really wanted to see the wolf with the silver coat. It was nothing like the wolves he had seen in pictures and he really wanted to try and touch its pelt. Xander wanted to feel if the fur was soft like what it appeared to be in his eyes.

She did not expect him to have that kind of question so she faced him for the nth time to confirm that he was not joking. "If you do really want to see me in my wolf form, then Eirian would be very happy to indulge you." She answered after seeing that he was serious and rather excited about it.

"Eirian?" he tilted his head. "Who is Eirian?"

'What? You should have introduced me first! Look he doesn't even know that the wolf he saw is me and that I have a name!' The wolf howled displeased and started to pace in Amber's mind.

"She is my wolf who is currently complaining about me for not introducing her to you," she chuckled at the childishness of her wolf.

"You can talk with your wolf?" he sprung up and looked at the Alpha with a curiosity like a child. He was learning so much and it was stoking the fire in him of wanting to learn about them.

"Yes, although we are one and the same, my wolf has her own personality apart from mine. She's a little bit demanding and bossy because she is an Alpha so, please bear with her," she affirmed with a nod.

"That is a bit unexpected," he mumbled. He did not expect that the wolf and Amber had different personalities. "Is it okay with her then if you could show me some other day your wolf form?"

'Of course, anytime he would like.' Eirian approved. she would even let him touch her fur.

Amber nodded, "She agreed."

Xander sighed and leaned back a little bit. Amber was about to talk once again when she felt Zael in the mind link. After letting him, she heard the urgent voice of her Beta.

'We have an urgent news that you should know Alpha, if you could please come and look at it,' he was a little bit nervous because of the news. Although they don't have to worry since the Ceurian Pack was not a pack that could easily be defeated but he still felt iffy because of it.

Amber looked at Xander and was reluctant to leave because they were having a relaxed conversation but the unsteadiness from Zael's voice urged her to stand up. "I'll be leaving first. I have a matter I need to attend to. If you are hungry and can stand up, you can go down in the kitchen and ask the chef to cook something for you or just press the button and Misa will come."

"Oh, alright. Am I allowed to leave the room now?" He asked to make sure that he did not hear her wrong.

"As long as you won't try to leave the territory, then you are allowed to leave the room. I'll be going, I'll come back once again once I'm free." Amber turned around giving Xander no chance to talk. He could only watch her walk out and closing the door.

She went straight towards her study after reluctantly leaving the room where her mate was. Zael was there and so was Zayier who came back from patrolling around the area of the Lurea Woods.

The two of them greeted her. She gestured for them to take a seat. After they were seated, the atmosphere suddenly turned gloomy. Amber waited for them to speak especially Zael who was nervously sitting on the couch.

"What happened?" she finally asked after the five minute silence.

"I received a message from the Yulian Pack just now, they are asking us for help. They were attacked by rogues and many of their pack members had died because of the suddenness of the attack." Zael shared the information with them.

"When did that happen?" there was a scowl on her beautiful face as she started to tap the armrest of the chair.

"Yesterday, according to Alpha Gidou, they were caught off guard and when they were finally able to drive away the rogues, they discovered that all of their patrol stationed around their borders were dead. They are currently looking for a pack that would willingly take their young ones, women and elders for a short period of time while they sort out the aftermath of the attack." The atmosphere had turned gloomy with only the sound of Amber's fingers tapping could be heard after Zael spoke.

She did not agree to it immediately because it was not a decision that she could make all by herself. In this situation although Ceurian has enough lands, she needed to consult the elders about it and if they approve, they needed a place where they can let the members of Yulian Pack settle. "I will ask the elders about this matter. I would also like to speak with Alpha Gidou before I talk with the elders, we need to go there and see for ourselves the extent of the attack."

Understanding his alpha, the beta stood up and left the room to prepare for their trip. After he left, Amber's attention shifted to the other person inside the room.

"I will be bringing five other warriors with me. You on the other hand will stay here and make sure that our borders are safe. Remember, if our borders our safe then our people will also be safe. Contact me immediately if something happens." It was unexpected but she could not turn her back from anyone who needed help but before she could help them, she needed to visit Yulian and sew with her own eyes that way she would know what to say to the elders.

"How about Xander Alpha?" Zayier asked when he remembered that the man was still in the pack house. "Are you going to leave him here?"

"Yes, I'll let Dr. Silver look after him while I am gone." She had already thought about it and the only person to whom she could entrust her mate was the doctor herself.

"I understand. I'll be leaving then Alpha." Zayier remained stoic throughout the remainder of the meeting before he left to do his task.

By evening, Amber returned to the room to inform Xander that she would be gone for a while. "Dr. Silver will accompany you while I am gone, that way she can also monitor your condition."

Xander was surprised to know that Amber was leaving so suddenly. He could tell that something serious must have happened because of she remained silent after informing him of the news. He wanted to ask her but felt that he had no right to do so, "Alright, have a safe trip then."

Amber stayed for a while before she left. They did not continue their conversation and just sat in silence. There were tons of question he had wanted to ask but he was silent. It was probably not the right to be pestering her and he can always ask the other people in the house or the doctor about something that he was curious about.