Beta. Reaper

MISSING FRIEND

I stretched out my aching limbs after a long run that allowed Hera run free. I was still trying to placate her for letting Grey put his tongue in my mouth and enjoying it so much. There was also the issue of me running away from the mall when I perceived the scent that could very well have belonged to my mate, that fantastic smell of freshly juiced lemon, but he hadn’t come searching for us and the blame couldn’t all be mine because he should have scented us also and he could have very well tracked me by now. 

Hera wouldn’t listen to my logic though. She was giving me the silent treatment and as a form of higher punishment, she had started pacing throughout the night and screaming at me whenever I managed to sleep for a short time. It was hell, having nightmares while I slept and waking up suddenly because my wolf thought I deserved to lose sleep.

The nightmares were less bizarre now and even more infrequent. I hadn’t gotten any visits from two headed, fire breathing monsters. My nightmares were back to normal. I was back to dreaming of my parents and Bryan and Ken as they laid on the ground, some more gruesomely murdered than the others. I woke crying and Hera would not console me like she usually used to – before I let Grey grab my butt – and so I was left to my own devices.

A few times, when Hera would scream at me to wake up at ungodly hours only for her to go to sleep, I would lay in bed and allow the memories of cool skin burning me from the inside out wash over me. I would dream of the hot tongue in my mouth and the hard body pressed against mine and I would sigh, relieving the sensation and wishing to experience such perfection – such intensity of emotions, such headiness – even if once more, but it was not to be so.

Grey was not a wolf so he couldn’t even possibly be my mate. I already had someone predestined for me and I couldn’t run away from them forever. He would be perfect for me, specially handpicked by the Moon Goddess herself and we would complement each other in the way puzzle pieces complement each other, coming together to make a whole, because without my mate, I was incomplete. No matter how much I dreamed, longed or craved Grey’s touch, it was not for me to have. It was almost forbidden.

Well, werewolves often times have affairs with other werewolves or humans but it was strictly no string attached because at the end of the day, we were very much aware that we belonged to someone else and whenever we find that person, we were in it for life.

“Goddess, I miss him,” I said, hugging my pillow tightly. Hera huffed in irritation, paced in annoyance and grumbled unintelligible words to show her disapproval of my thoughts.

I haven’t seen Grey in over five days, right after he all but accused me of putting him under a spell. ‘Kelly Black, what have you done to me?’ He had asked, reaffirming his accusation of me being a mage who was out to work magic against him.

I swear, I felt the cold of his presence a couple of times, sometimes it felt like a warm caress and other times it felt like a harsh winter storm, beautiful but deadly, and every time, it gave me hope that I wasn’t the only one feeling feelings that were forbidden.

The loud blaring of my phone startled me out of my cravings and catapulted me back to the present. My Alpha’s name flashed across the phone screen and I picked it up with a grin, already prepared to give Dylan a hard time.

“Hello, Luna,” I sang cheerfully. Technically, he was mated to our Alpha, Remi, and that should have made him Luna, but he was also an Alpha of a pack which Remi was a part of before she returned home to us so our packs, the Silver Moon and Green Day had merged to become Silver Day, making Dylan co-alpha.

He ignored my quip as panic and desperation leaked through his words. “Have you seen Remi?” His frantic voice asked from the other end.

“No,” I responded as I began to feel fear slither through me. We have had rogue sightings around that annex of the pack land and it was a horrible coincidence for Remi to be missing when we haven’t finished dealing with that problem. Oh goddess, what if she had been devoured my a rogue!?

"I – She – she is missing. Can you be on the look out for her? She mentioned something about visiting Canada to make sure you weren’t too lonely the other day and I want to know if she’s gone ahead with it," He became a stuttering mess and my heart went out to him. 

“Dylan, calm down, “ I said even if I, myself, was far from calm. If I lost Remi, then I would have lost everyone and I couldn’t live with that thought not to speak of that reality.

“She’s been gone since morning, Kelly. It’s almost four and she isn’t back yet. I can’t reach her for some reason and I can’t help but think the worst,” He said wretchedly.

"I'll alert the trackers and warriors immediately. We’ll be on the lookout for her,” I assured him and he sighed.

"She wouldn't leave me r – Right? I mean I – I'm – You don't think she would leave me right?" He asked in a worried desperation.

"You didn't upset her did you?" I asked accusingly before quickly adjusted my tone. "Did you guys get into a fight?" I asked, keeping my accusatory tone at bay. He was my Alpha and I had no business speaking to him in such a manner.

“I – Yes. We had a small quarrel about having – About stuff I want but she isn’t ready for but it was short and I – I apologized immediately. I’m not going to pressure her into stuff she doesn’t want. I can’t think – I don’t think she’ll leave me for that. Do you?” He asked hopefully.

I couldn’t tell if she’d leave him for a small spat but he knew her better than I did. They had lived together for fourteen years as brother and sister after she was taken from Canada as a child with her pack under attack. It wasn’t until she turned eighteen and found her brother to be her mate that she realized they weren’t really related.

She had told me of all the hardship she had endured at his hand and from his pack before they were mated and how he refused the mate bond at first, but she hadn’t wanted to go into details. I couldn’t tell how deep a scar his action left on her but I could guess. She had left him once but they were mated now and she said she’ll never leave him again. Leaving him would mean leaving over three million wolves that she was sworn to guide and protect.

"Have you called Ashton?" I asked. Ashton was the human that housed Remi the time she ran away from home.

“Yeah. I went to his house myself but she wasn’t there. I’ve sent some warriors to stand guard around the house in case she turns up later,” He sounded utterly miserable. I couldn’t sit back when he sounded so sad without trying to cheer him up.

“You have Remi's word, Dylan. She loves you and she would never leave you. You have to believe that,” I told him. She left once but things were at a real low then and they were both past that now.

“You’re right, I have to believe that. Thank you, Kelly. I’ll call you if there’s any development,” He assured me before hanging up.

By the time the skies started to darken as the sun slowly lowered itself in sleep, I had still not gotten any call from Dylan. I had joined patrollers to look through the entrance and exits of the pack and my legs had developed a heart beat of their own, aching continually. With mounting anticipation, I called Dylan back to get my news myself.

“Oh Kelly. We found her – in the pack house’s basement,” He said and my heart lurched. 

Remi has a generic citrus scent that isn’t easy to distinguish and the scents from the basement of the pack house, where herbs and other concoctions are stored, is enough to mask her citrus scent. But I couldn’t think of what would she be looking for in the basement of the pack house in the first place.

“She went to get some ingredients and she just – passed out. The doctor says she’s being overworked,” He answered my unspoken question. Before I could start grilling him on why she was overworked when he was there, he jumped to his defence. “She’s really stubborn and you know that! I’ve had some hectic school projects and she’s been adamant about shouldering my workload no matter how hard I try to stop her. I might have to chain her to the bed soon even if she’ll chew my head off once she gets out,” He concluded. I didn’t think Remi could be so vicious though.

“You wouldn’t even dare,” I heard a sleepy voice from the other end. 

“I would if I didn’t like my head on my shoulders,” He hollered at the voice – Remi. There was a slight ruckus on the line before Remi's voice filled my ear.

“Hello,” She said

“Never ever do that to me again,” The relief at hearing her voice and knowing she was alright made me sag to the ground.

“I won’t. I promise,” She said. “Although I’ve just solidified my suspicions that the work you’re doing over there is too much for you to handle alone. I don’t want you burdening yourself too much so I’ll send someone to work with you. Maybe Mason or Jack. I’ll be there once graduation is over with,” She promised.

I couldn’t tell her there was no need for someone to share my work with. I couldn’t tell her that my work gave me something to do that takes my kind off the loneliness of my life so I said “Ok,” without much enthusiasm.

“Meanwhile, I want you to send thirty percent of your workload to Mason. There isn’t much work for him to do as Beta over here and I think it’s fair he gets acquainted with the running of the pack abroad,” Remi continued and again, I replied without enthusiasm.

“Alright Kels, tell me all you’ve been up to recently. I’m specifically interested in that Grim Reaper of yours,” I swear, at the mention of Reaper, I felt a shiver race up my spine. I missed Grey terribly.