Born to be Sacrificed to the Alpha

Chapter 7

Finn looks back at Lily, who is still showing no signs of life in the doorway. He has no idea how it happened at all. It can’t be a coincidence, but he did not see Harlow move.

Beyond that, Harlow has a faint feminine scent that tickles his nose with his close proximity. It is strong yet subtle unlike anything he has ever smelled before. Since his wolf has awoken he has had no shortage of women or scents, different for every single one, most that he is around laced with the thick scent of desire.

Harlow’s scent is clean and somewhat pure, but a dangerous lingering that draws him in. Harlow's fingers finally land on a thick spine of a psychology book. She pulls it out of the shelf, opening it to the front page, scanning the contents. She nods in approval as a finger lands on a section about temporary psychosis.

Finn is stunned by the absolute lack of response from his close proximity. Where the fear, ar*usal, interest, any of the reactions that he expects from any female he meets? Harlow has none of that. If he didn't know better, he wouldn't even be sure that she is aware he is there. This is not the reaction he usually gets and it displeases him greatly.

“Harlow is it?”

Harlow continues to look at the book, ignoring the annoying man. Finn waits, he knows her name, there is no one that doesn’t know her name because she is the topic of conversation so often, but instead of being thrilled that he knows her name, Harlow just ignores him. Finn is perplexed. He is not used to being ignored, but due to his arrogance, he can only assume that Harlow's lack of response is due to her rapt attention to his every word.

“Don’t be interested in that p*ssy Austin, if you want some action. I can show you something real”

Finn leans over Harlow, a hand on each side of her body as his hands rest on the book shelf, just before his rapidly growing bulge presses on Harlow’s hip when she finally moves.

Harlow steps over the five boys, wiping the blood off the spine of the book on her black jeans before opening the book at the page she was interested in and walking toward the exit of the library as she reads the words.

She pauses briefly as she steps over Lily, pressing her boot into Lily’s shoulder as she pushes Lily into the library door, shutting the door and walking away without a backward glance, securing her bag to her shoulder, her nose buried in her book, her eyes scanning and her mind absorbing the information at a rapid rate.

Finn wakes up and groans as he rubs his head, the metallic taste of blood in his mouth and his head is throbbing. He looks around at the still unconscious men surrounding him and no sign of Harlow. He tries to think back but he is just drawing a blank. The clock on the wall indicates the end of the day.

What the hell happened?

Finn stumbles to his feet as pain radiates through his body. Lily is lying at the door of the library still unconscious. Finn rubs his temples to try and ease the throbbing, when has he ever felt so much pain since getting his wolf?

The only lingering scent is Harlow’s.

Finn shakes his head as he leans down to try and rouse his men. Someone must have seen something, someone must know what just happened, because Finn is truly at a loss. The most logical solution is also the most impossible.

***

Austin looks at the coordinates as he walks further and further into the trees. The trees seem to be getting denser and denser. At this point there is no defined or clear path through, looking like undiscovered ground.

But according to the information that his father sent him, this should nearly be the place, it is peaceful and serene this far from everyone else, it is almost like another world as the light level gets less and less. Finally, when he is just about to turn around and head back thinking that he has done something wrong and has gone in the wrong direction somewhere, there is the tiniest clearing just enough to fit the lone wooden cabin that seems to blend with the trees. If it wasn't for the exact coordinates, it would be easy just to walk straight past the cabin without the slightest inkling of what was missed.

There is nothing highly distinctive about the house, but that is what is distinctive about it. It blends perfectly with the nature around it, making it the perfect camouflage. There is something oddly homely about the cabin that is so far from civilization. It looks abandoned, yet not let go. It is hard to believe that anyone lives in it. Austin shifts his backpack on his shoulder and steps forward. There is not a single sound, not even the chirp of a bird, or the gentle swish of the wind through the branches. It is so isolated from the outside world that even the breeze doesn’t reach through the thick covering of the canopy.

It is deadly quiet but it doesn’t make Austin uncomfortable, he just feels a strange sort of peace from his head to his toes.

Harlow just watches Austin’s back as she stands behind him. He hasn’t moved as he stares at the house. She really has her work cut out for her. She is positive that he is a certain amount of crazy. In none of her teachings of the Mitchell family did they refer to the slow descent into insanity before the shift. Or is it only Austin? It is a curve ball that she did not need.

In all her reading, it is not a quick fix, but she needs his mind in as good condition as his body if they have any hope of surviving this.

“You are here”

The beautiful yet ice-cold voice sounds behind Austin and he nearly jumps through the canopy, placing a hand over his chest as he slowly turns. He usually has a good sense of his surroundings yet he had no idea that there was someone else around him, his shock doesn’t allow him to recognize the voice at all.

Standing behind him is the most stunningly beautiful girl that he has ever had the pleasure of laying his eyes on. Silver hair is braided into two tight braids on either side of her head, large navy blue eyes that are surrounded by thick, long black lashes that make even the mere act of blinking look like an act of seduction, look straight at him. A small button nose and perfectly shaped pink lips, her skin is pale and delicate, a hint of pink on each cheek the only coloring.

A slender neck travels down to defined collarbones, sizeable br*asts wrapped in a sports bra, an exposed midriff shows a toned stomach. A pair of tights that wrap her long slender legs right down to her ankle just showing two small pale bare feet and cover her hips and have a waistband that is designed in a v that shows her small belly button.

Her face is beautiful and her body is stunning. Austin is shocked in place. The shock of who was standing behind him was more of a shock than the fact that there was someone behind him, someone who moves so silently standing on the same path he walked.

Harlow cares little about the stunned stare as she extends her hand indifferently, introducing herself like they have not been attending the same school for the last two months, like they didn’t just speak the day before.

“Hi, my name is Harlow Bailey and I am your trainer”

Austin tries to gather his thoughts but the surprises come one after the other. Is this Harlow? Harlow from school? Could it be possible? Why does she dress like that if she looks like this? But how many Harlow’s are there? Is this his trainer? Wasn’t his trainer a man? If this is Harlow his trainer, if this is the Harlow from school, doesn’t that make what he said yesterday even more embarrassing?

“You are a woman?”

Instead of saying anything intelligent, Austin blurts out the first thing that comes to his mind. He wants to gather the words back up as soon as they leave his mouth, but there is nothing he can do, they are already out there. Emotionless navy blue eyes look over the man, trying to work out how the descent into insanity was so fast.

“Yes, is that a problem?”

“No, it is just I thought I was training with a man”

Harlow quirks an eyebrow but the rest of her face is frozen in place.

“Does my having a vag*na make me incapable of training you?”

“No, no that isn’t what I mean, umm, but we will be living together?”

Austin just wants to run himself into a tree, his brain is useless. What is wrong with him?

“Is that a problem?”

“No, it is just that we are all by ourselves, a man and a woman in a cabin alone at night”

“So?”

Harlow’s well-shaped eyebrows furrows not understanding the implication at all, her loner life has left her less than prepared for such things.

Looking at Harlow’s innocent eyes, Austin really wants to kill himself once more. He really thought way too much.

What was he implying that they can’t stay in the same cabin because they will have s*x? Wasn’t he just thinking too highly of himself? Because he is there, she couldn’t possibly keep her hands to herself? Or is his mind too dirty?

Austin considers himself good looking, but isn’t the woman in front of him, nothing short of a goddess. There is no guarantee that she will take the slightest interest in him.