Howls of Apollo

Duo

Three hours later, the party was nearing its end and Luna Lyra was a tick away from biting her nails in panic. Her brother is still a no show and by now she’s scared he might not come at all. Sensing her distress, Alpha Atlas took her hand and enveloped it in his, squeezing softly. He was beginning to share her worry too, but the sound of new footsteps bubbled hope into their chests.

And when the man of the hour finally made his way into the room, waves of worry finally evaporated and was replaced with relief. He was flanked by five other people behind him, no doubt his beta and a few other guards. His presence was so profound, almost palpable, it covered the whole room. Everyone visibly stilled as they felt the shift of power in the room.

All but one.

Skaia was too caught up cooing and making the baby smile that she didn’t notice the new presence, or how everyone was in a pause. Even the music skidded to a stop and silence fell on them. Everyone was cautious about the alpha they rarely get to see. It doesn’t help that the aura of power he was radiating reached everyone within the walls of the room. Otherworldly and suffocating.

A collective sigh of relief immediately rang out almost audibly when the Luna approached the newly arrived guests and was greeted warmly by the person leading the bunch, Alpha Apollo of Forti Polaris.

All of a sudden, a whimsical laughter rang out. Catching everybody’s, even the newcomers’, attention.

Apollo’s eyes snapped up at the sound, feeling an enticing pull and before he could help stop himself, his feet moved on their own accord and made its way towards the source. The members behind him made a move to follow but the Luna, knowing what’s happening, brought a hand up to stop them and signaled for them to wait and watch.

Apollo by now is only an arm away from the two figures looking at each other in merry, still oblivious to their surroundings. He felt the urge to turn her around but refrained from reaching out, not wanting to startle her.

In turn, Skaia felt a presence behind her and at the attentiveness of her wolf, she knows who it is.

She was met with a broad chest the moment she turned. Her heart raised considerably and when she raised her eyes to meet the man’s face, she was taken aback at the dark brown orbs that met hers.

One look is all it takes. One look in a moment in time and their eyes began to swirl into pools of grey before a golden circle began to glow in the center of their irises. Surprise was evident in everyone’s faces when they realized what was happening before them, all grasping the shock of what they were witnessing. While the Alpha and Luna who spent weeks planning this very moment, had a full blown smile on their faces.

The bond has formed, and Forti Polaris has found their Luna.

Pin drop silence fell on everyone in the room as they looked on at the newly found mates, curiously waiting for whoever will make the first move.

Apollo was the first to recover. His body was shaking in the shock of disbelief that the one thing he was told he was denied of, is standing in front of him, defying the fate he thought he was given. His feet seemed to move on their own as he took a slow steps forward. His face was set in a hard stare, almost unblinking.

Skaia stumbled a little as she recovered, blinking her eyes to regain her focus. She had very little time to wrap her head around the fact that this man is her mate when she sensed him nearing. Newly found mates tend to be more aware of each other once the bond forms. Yet even so, she schooled her features and met her mate’s gaze.

She knows exactly who he is. Only one person had his distinct features and without a shadow of a doubt, the person standing in front of her is Apollo, Alpha of Forti Polaris.

Apollo was standing toe to toe with her now, completely invading her space. He was taken aback when she didn’t make a move to step back and instead stood her ground. He was told his aura filled up a room, sometimes becoming too much for some people. Her resolve sent a rush of pride to his chest and his lips twitched to let out a smile.

“What’s your name?” He said in a low, steady voice.

“Skaia” She answered in a voice akin to whisper.

Her eyes roamed his face and by the dilation of her pupils, Apollo was confident to say she likes what she sees. His hair was a peculiar combination of black on one side and white on the other. His bone structure was sharp and defined, no hint of softness in his features at all besides his dark brown eyes which are bordered with dark thick lashes.

Apollo let out a low throaty growl, the gravity of the sound making anyone in close proximity fidget at the underlying authority it held. He leaned forward, feeling her breath hit his face and he fought the urge to close his eyes as the hairs on the back of his neck stood to attention.

“Impossible” He said in a voice only she could hear. They were a breath away from each other and the closeness was making her flushed, yet despite his overwhelming presence, she still caught wind of what he said and her brows furrowed in question.

Apollo slowly moved away and turned around, making his way to exit the same way he came in. Skaia looked at his retreating figure in confusion. She saw Luna Lyra reach out to stop him in his tracks, and she fought down the instinctive growl threatening to come out at the sight of another holding her mate.

She can see the animated way their lips are moving in conversation but she wasn’t close enough to hear them. Their words finally came to a stop and she saw how her mate’s head tilted in her direction as if he wanted to glance at her but is stopping himself.

Her heart ultimately dropped to her stomach and her mouth filled with cotton as he walked out of the ballroom, followed by the men he came with. Was he rejecting her? She stared at the door he walked out on, disbelief and hurt evident in her eyes.

She was brought back out of her trance as the baby in her arms squirmed in discomfort. She almost forgot about the little alpha she was holding amidst her first and could possibly be her last encounter with her mate. Instinctively, Skaia rocked him slowly in her arms to settle him.

She heard footsteps coming her way so she turned to face the approaching figure. She was met with the comforting face of Luna Lyra. “I’m so sorry about his behavior Skaia. He said he’ll be back in two days there’s just something he needs to look into urgently.” She said softly. Her wolf perked up at the mention that he’ll be back but Skaia merely gave the Luna a small nod and a weak smile before turning her attention back to the baby.

“Why don’t you retire for the night.” The Luna suggested. “I’ll have someone escort you back to the pack house.” She said, gesturing to one of the guards to go with them.

Skaia followed without a word. Keeping her eyes ahead of her. She ignored the whispers that came her way and held the baby closer to her chest, seeking comfort from the little one, their roles suddenly reversed. She felt like her awareness of the life in her arms was the only thing keeping her grounded and distracted from the upcoming onslaught of emotions and questions from the mess that just took place.

By the time they reached the steps of the pack house, she decided to just wait until they see each other again to say what she wants to say, that is if he was actually coming back in two days’ time. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and made her way to get the baby to bed.

By the ‘morrow news had already spread like wildfire that Forti Polaris’ alpha has finally found his Luna and all that took place between them during the celebration. It opened doors to more unwanted attention as Skaia has been getting more stares than she already did.

It was getting more taxing tuning them out but she was adamant on not letting it affect her routine. She still went to the clinic and she still helped out in the pack house. Though she spent more time in the pack house now than the clinic because she didn’t have to get out at all, so she didn’t have to deal with the stares and whispers.

Before she knew it, two days had passed since the night she met Apollo, the day he said he’d be back, but she has yet to see a sign of him in the pack.

Instead of waiting on him to show up like a damsel in a tower, she decided to ride the dragon herself and make her way out of there. So, she went to the clinic and made herself busy. Fate seemed to be on her side because, they were in line for a potential problem if she doesn’t remedy it as soon as possible.

“Hey Liz, isn’t there supposed to be a delivery today?” Supply was running low and the delivery scheduled that day was already past the time they said the supplies would be arriving.

“Yeah, they called yesterday and said that their delivery services has been suspended temporarily. So everything would be for pick up for the mean time.” Liz, the receptionist, explained.

“That’s a first. They always came through before.” Skaia wondered out loud.

“Exactly what I said!” Liz exclaimed.

“Well, did somebody already go and get them?” She asked.

“No, not yet. Everybody seems to be all hands on deck with the upcoming hunt.” She said sadly.

“Why didn’t you say so? I could go and get them. The town’s only an hour away anyway.” She volunteered.

“I don’t know hon, isn’t there a certain alpha who’s supposed to be here today?” Liz asked coyly.

Skaia rolled her eyes at the feigned innocence. “If he wanted to be here he would’ve been here hours ago.” She said.

“The days not over yet.” Liz retorted.

Skaia scoffed. “I’ll go ahead and get the supplies, if my dad looks for me, tell him where I am will you?” She said, as she put her coat on.

“Will do hon.” Liz replied, shaking her head at Skaia’s blatant avoidance of the topic.

Despite asking Liz to tell where she’ll be, something was telling Skaia to send a message to someone about her whereabouts so she sent a quick message to both her father and the Luna before jumping into her car and driving off. 

Skaia looked up as she heard a low rumble come from above. Gray began to cover the skies, a clear sign that rain would pour soon so she sped up in hopes of getting back before the downpour.