Willow - Age eleven
My heart pounded as my feet danced through the brush of the thick forest. My hair whipping in the wind as my body carried me deeper into the darkness of the trees.
Growling could be heard behind me as I ran causing giggles to escape my lips as I picked up my pace. He'll never catch me.
Bounding around a corner I flung myself in the opposite direction of my path turning quickly on my feet. The wolf behind me growled as I stared at him, mischievousness hidden behind my ocean orbs.
His stance was wide and trained as he circled my body. His thick brown paws coming towards me, the leaves crunching with each step of his uneven weight. His body trapped me against the trees; growling.
One more step and you're mine. Humor danced upon my lips as he neared me. His final step towards me, as he leaped forward. That's all I needed as I dove underneath his body twisting myself so I was standing; running in the opposite direction of him.
Loud chuckles left my lips as my bare feet ran quicker through the forest dodging branches and logs. I could hear my cousins breath starting to pick up as he ran after me. Even in his shifted wolf form, he couldn't catch me.
Hopping over a log I dashed to the right, throwing him off my trail. New sets of trees came into view as I reached an unknown part of the forest.
My body stalled, sharp pants escaping my lips causing clouds of vapor to crawl from my mouth. This part of the forest was unexplored by me, I was lost, my cousin no longer nipping at my heels.
My body shifted my head twisting trying to recognize my surroundings. My feet carried me deeper into the darkening forest trying to find my way home.
A snap of a branch could be heard from my left causing me to turn quickly in said direction. My head shot up as I met a pair of golden orbs.
The wolf stood before me, his gaze questioning as he stared at me. Our eyes meeting in a trance. The once golden eyes flickered to a forest green constantly changing as he watched me. His position neared as he took steps towards me.
A low growl sounded behind me, whipping around I found my cousin. His uneven stance from earlier was now strong, his head held high as he snarled at the wolf in front of me.
My cousins' wolf rounded me quickly standing in front of me. His fur brushed my legs, his head quickly flicking towards me in a motion for me to climb on top of his back.
My small hands grabbed his fur hoisting myself up I saddled his back burying my face into his thick pelt. I could hear the growls reverberating through his body as his canines dripped with saliva.
His tone was that of a warning, causing the other wolf to growl back towards him in a deeper menacing voice.
With one look at the wolf, my cousin took off, my hands buried deep in his fur. His body moved quickly back to the house where my family resided. He bound through the front door quickly flinging my body off of his onto the floor of the entryway.
With the loud noise of my body hitting the floor my parents came into the room growling at my cousin. His body shifted quickly from his wolf into his skin form.
He was quick to walk his naked form out of the room coming back clothed in shorts.
"She ran from me into the forest, a newly shifted wolf spotted her and was about to pounce." His voice held frustration as he grabbed at the black strands of hair falling in front of his face.
"Why weren't you watching her!" My father's voice boomed through the large entryway, his voice quickly covering every quite surface of the room. His tone had my cousin on his knees his neck bent to my father in apology.
My body shook, power radiated from my father, his authoritative alpha tone ringing in my ears. His piercing blue eyes bore into mine, sending a shiver of fear to coat my spine.
"Willow," His tone warning anger radiating from his body, "How many times do I have to tell you not to cross the pack's borders?"
My head dropped with his scolding, "I'm sorry father, I wasn't paying attention to the direction I was running and I got lost." My tone was quite as I spoke to him, trying not to cause any more anger.
His head shook at my words his back turning to me as he traveled out of the room.
Present Day
The eyes, the wolf, it was Holden. The wolf that I saw running through the forest as a child. His Green orbs still burned into my mind even as a teenager growing up. His wolf was still prominent in my mind. I don't know how I didn't realize it before.
My head travels under the warm water of the bath coating my skin in the silky liquid. I hold my breath as his eyes bore into my closed lids. My chest burns with a long intake of breath that resides in my lungs.
My muscles freeze under the water, keeping me trapped under the grasps of it. My body is peaceful in its still state, my thoughts drift away with the loss of consciousness that seeps into my mind.
As soon as the peacefulness comes, cold air hits me as my body is torn from the warm hold of the water. A loud harsh cough escapes my lips as my naked body is cradled to a chest.
His eyes are wide with fear as he stares at me, his breaths are fast and long as they escape his plump red lips. His cheek is against me in an instant nurturing me in its warmth.
My body stills with his embrace, my hands press against his chest trying to escape his grasp. His hands hold tighter to me as he shakes.
"W-Why?"
His tone holds no judgment, but his body radiates fear, his eyes hold sadness. My vision scatters across the room trying to look anywhere but his forest greens. His hold loosens from me for a second as he reaches behind me to grab a towel.
He wraps the cotton around me and curls me tighter to his clothed wet chest.
"Why would you do that?" My eyes find the ground with his words, "I don't understand." His words are gentle whispers barely escaping his lips. He grabs my chin with the tips of his thumb and pointer finger, turning my face towards his begging my eyes to look into his.
"Willow please, look at me," I shut them for a brief second before gazing up into his emerald colored orbs. They hold sadness and fear my heart beat skips before I sigh.
"I-I don't, I just..." My words carry off as he buries his face into the crook of my neck inhaling deeply. My body shakes with his closeness, my skin burning with the contact of his body.
He releases me as he stands from his crouched position, steps carry him back so he stands against the counter grasping it tightly with his hands. His chest is rising and falling rapidly with the pounding of his breaths.
In an instant, his frame turns from me leaving through the door into the bedroom. His absence leaves the room cold, confusion clouding my mind. I grasp the cotton towel to my frame as I follow his retreated figure into the bedroom. He was absent from that room as well the door shut firmly with his departure.
My legs carry me to the wooden dresser where I retrieve a pair of jeans and a white button up as well as underwear. Returning to the bathroom I shut the door and throw on the clothes, drying my wet hair with the towel.
My eyes flicker to the large expanse of the mirror covering the right side of the bathroom wall. My hair sticks to my face in tangles, my eyes wild with the shock of what had just occurred. Scooping my dark locks up, I tuck them into a messy bun on the top of my head.
Leaving the bathroom, I walk to the kitchen where Holden stands. His back is facing me his hands grasping the counter in a wide stance, his back ridged with the pressure his grip makes on the counter. His head is hung low, the glow the sunlight makes from the window in front of him kisses his cheeks.
A sigh escapes his lips as he raises his head to gaze out the window. My eyes travel down his clothed frame his white shirt is rolled up to his elbows with water stains adorning it. His pants are free of the water, hugging his muscular calves tightly as well as clinging to his backside.
Almost as if he feels my gaze on him he whirls around, his eyes catching mine in an instant. His face holds a scowl, his emerald eyes show a distant calculating look almost as if he's not looking at me rather into me.
But just as fast as the emotion is shown it is swiped clean, his face void. He straightens his posture with a clear of his throat before pivoting on his feet towards the door. He adorns himself in furs before leaving out of the door with a loud slam.
The water droplets from my hair trickle down my face as I stand in an empty silence. The warm presence of his body that occupied the room now left me cold and alone.
My eyes fall to my feet, the wooden floor chills my feet leaving me cold. A small sigh escapes my lips when I hear the door open. I gaze up to meet the vision of Althea, Holdens sister. Her eyes hold all of her emotion, sadness being on the forefront of her gaze.
"Are you okay?" Her voice holds the same emotion that her eyes held. Her head tilted slightly as she looks over me.
With a slight nod, my head turns to face the ground once again. She nods before walking deeper into the house. She disappears into the bedroom before coming back out with a basket. She gesture for me to sit on the couch with a smile.
I return the gesture as I follow her movements into the living room. She sits on the floor in a criss-cross apple sauce position in front of me and pulls my leg into her lap. Her eyes scan my feet before she looks at my jean-clad legs.
"Would you mind taking off your pants?" Her tone is gentle with me almost of that of a mother speaking to a young child.
A blush creeps over my cheeks at her words, although wolfs are suppose to be confident in their skin, the numerous bruises, and cuts that cover my skin cause me to be embarrassed.
She notices my discomfort and stands, turning her back to me she speaks, "I'll turn around, to give you some modesty there's a blanket hanging on the back of the sofa you can drape that on your lap if it makes you feel more comfortable."
I stand at her words removing my jeans and placing the blanket across my lap. Her body faces me with a smile that glows bright rays. She drops down to the previous position as she inspects my legs.
Her brows furrow while she focuses on the cuts, twisting my leg in every direction trying to inspect the severity of each. Reaching into the basket she retrieves fur patches covered in some sort of thick liquid.
Placing the patch of fur onto my skin she speaks, "These patches of fur hold a mixture of aloe vera, peppermint, as well as a plant native to our land. They're going to sting a bit but should heal your skin quickly."
The pain is sharp shooting causing me to jump slightly and retract my leg from her grasp. A hiss escapes my lips with the feeling my teeth clenching tightly.
A sheepish smile covers her lips as a chuckle escapes her mouth.
"I told you it would burn."
"Yeah, but I wasn't expecting that." I voice as she grabs my arms and repeats the process. It took around an hour for the pain to go away, but with the removal of the patches, the once deep gashes now looked like small cuts.
Once the patches were removed she packed up her basket and left with a tight squeeze to my arm. I now sat nervously at the kitchen table awaiting the arrival of my mate.
The sun was hidden behind the trees by the time he arrived, a warm glow covering the snowy land with its slow departure. When he entered the house, I stood turning my body towards his.
He wore different clothes to what he was wearing earlier. A dark green uniform of sorts covered his tan and toned body matching the color of his eyes. His blonde locks of hair were messy like he had been constantly running his hand through them.
A sigh escaped his lips as he rounded me into the kitchen, his body stiff with each step he made deeper into the home.
"H-How was your day?" I questioned, trying to ease the tension that radiated from his body.
"Long." His reply was pointed and harsh almost as if demanding the conversation to be cut short. He roamed around the pantry as he picked out vegetables holding them in his hands. Taking them he walked towards the counter, placing them on a cutting board and slicing them into cubes. Opening a cabinet he grabbed a pot and placed the vegetables inside of it as well as a broth of some sort. Lastly, he added red meat to the mixture before closing it with a lid and turning towards me.
His back rested against the counter, his arms crossed in front of his chest. His green eyes stared at me with a pointed expression. His gaze made me squirm, I moved to return to the seat I had occupied earlier feeling slightly uncomfortable with his stare.
"I'm going to have to take you around the pack tomorrow, have everyone meet you."
I nodded at his statement, fiddling with my hands in my lap. My lip pulled into my mouth, my eyes find the ground.
His form is in front of me in a second, his finger brushing against my lip pulling it from my teeth. His eyes glow a bright golden light, taking the breath from my lungs.
"Don't."
With that said, he walks away towards the bedroom shutting the door and leaving me alone in the quite kitchen.