The Wisteria Alpha

CHAPTER 4~The Garden~

Lotus

       I was having a blast with my sisters. We had come earlier to offer our prayers, stopping to have a small lunch at a nearby park. When we were finished, we headed back to the bnb and took a nap. Feeling fully refreshed, we headed back to the shrine and joined in the festival.

         We went from stall to stall, enjoying all the activities they had to offer. Lily had wanted to try the kingyo sukui, and came out victorious after scooping up three black goldfish. She held them tightly in their glass bowl. Lila squealed when she saw the shooting games. She paid the vendor for all 4 rifles. She stretched her arms then grabbed her first rifle, taking her stance. “Go easy on him Li,” I shouted from the other end of the stall. She smirked, took aim, and proceeded to pop out three corks from the gun, all hitting their targets. 

         She dropped her weapon and picked up the next one. When she shot three more targets, the vendor started to turn pale. She tossed the rifle to the side and picked up the third one. Pop pop pop! Three more went down. The vendor started to frantically wave his hands, shouting “Yameru! Yameru!” Lila continued to smile and picked up the last rifle. Pop pop pop! The vendor was sweating and was trying to explain to Lila that he couldn’t let her take all of the prizes, pleading with Lila to negotiate.

         “Poor guy,” Lily, whispered in my ear, and I threw my head back and laughed. Lila walked over to us with a giant stuffed Doraemon in her hands. “I told you to take it easy on him,” I glared at her, punching her arm. “You b***h! I did take it easy on him, that's why I have one prize instead of his whole stall!” We all roared with laughter and continued browsing. 

         We stopped at a food stand to devour delicious banana and strawberry crepes. We got yakisoba noodles and yakitori skewers. Our last stop was a dessert place. I handed Lila her chocolate-dipped banana, and gave Lily her candied apple. I settled for a massive cotton candy that was flower shaped, with 4 different flavors. I put a piece in my mouth and moaned. The sugar melted in my mouth, it tasted like blue raspberries. “This is heaven!” Lily yelled, then took another bite of her apple. We just laughed at her as we munched our snacks.

   Lila was making a dirty comment about her banana when I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Someone is watching me. My wolf, Empress, started to pace in my mind. I looked around to try to see who was there. Across the pathway a man was staring back. He was lightly tanned, tall with a broad chest. He was very, very muscular. His fitted blue v-neck shirt looked like it was ready to pop off of him. He had bulging biceps; his tan shorts displayed his muscular calves and thick thighs. Oh my goddess. I was practically eye-f*****g this poor man. 

    Empress started prancing around, Mate! Mate! Mate! A breeze picked up and carried his scent towards me, he smelled like cinnamon, cloves and something sweet. He smelled like home. I smiled. I looked up to see his face, nearly choking on my cotton candy. He had full lips, a square jawline, and a sharp nose. His hair was a sandy brown and faded on the sides, leaving long wavy locks on top, that were falling onto his face. And his eyes, oh his eyes were dark green and had brown streaks around the pupil, all surrounded by thick eye lashes. His eyebrows were slightly darker than his hair, and they were turned down like he was frowning. Why was he frowning?  

     I smiled harder; I was feeling euphoric because I had found my mate. His face changed from a frown to a full-on glare. The sudden change in his mood jolted me back to reality. I turned to my sisters, urgently telling them that I needed to take a break and would be sitting near the restrooms. They nodded, continuing to laugh and eat their sweets. I bolted off towards the back entrance of the shrine’s inner garden.

   No no no! Where are we going?!?! Our mate is in the other direction!  Empress shouted. I know Empress, that's why we are coming this way. You know we cannot accept him! But he is ours!! He was made for us and he's beautiful! I know he is. That's why we are running. It also seemed like he wasn't quite fond of us. I told her, thinking back to his glare. We can't get close to him. Do you think he will have a happy life with us?  I shouted at her.  Do you think he will be happy to be on the run? Never knowing what day will be his last?!  Empress whimpered. No, he would not be happy, she stated, retreating to the back of my mind. She knew I was right. We had to do this for him, we had to keep him safe.   

Devlin

     I watched my mate run away. What the f**k? Why was she running? Where was she going? I stepped onto the pathway to chase after her. I was pushed back by the crowd, forced to wait for the last bit of the parade to pass through. When I made my way to the other side, I saw that my mate had already covered a lot of distance. She was almost to the main entrance for the shrine.  

     Faster! Winter urged me on. I started to sprint, dodging the people in the crowd. The combinations of the noises, lights and faces were making me disoriented. I had to slow down, to search the crowd. I had lost sight of her and I started to panic. I took a deep breath and tried to focus on her scent. The sweet smell of peaches filled my nose, and I dashed towards it. I was getting closer to the entrance and saw a sign that read “inner garden”. I stepped inside, following the scent of my mate. I slowed my pace to navigate the dark corridors, feeling a slight breeze. 

         I came out to a clearing that had a Zen garden. There were large rocks and perfectly lined grooves in the sand making beautiful swirls. I looked to the right, locating a koi pond. I could hear the cicadas singing, it was the only noise here. I inhaled again and began walking towards the pond. There was a small bridge connecting to the other side of the garden, its entrance was decorated with large boulders and tealights. On the other side of the bridge I could see my mate’s white dress reflecting in the water. 

         With my heart thumping harder, I made my way across the bridge. The closer I got the more intense her scent became. She smelled like peaches, cinnamon and sugar. She sat on a rock, leaning over to put her hand in the pond. A swarm of red, white and gold colored koi came up to the surface to greet her. I was standing right beside her now, her scent making my head swim and I had to control myself from reaching out to her. I clenched my fist, my words coming out angry, “Why did you run from me?” 

    She pulled her hand back, gazing up at me. I’d officially forgotten how to breathe. Her dark pink lips were quivering and her large hazel eyes were gleaming with tears. “I ran because I have just found you, but I cannot be with you.”  A fat tear fell from her eye, rolling down to her cheek. She had a beautiful voice, the sound making my heart flutter. I stared at her as I tried to focus on what she said. “What do you mean?” the realization of words made my voice harden. She stared into my eyes, “I cannot be with you.” my breaths were coming in harder, my anger raising as her words sunk in. 

      Was she trying to reject me? I tighten my fist harder, threatening to break the skin of my palm. I always thought that I would be the one to reject my mate not the other way around. I had my reasons, what were hers?! I stepped closer to the tower over her, I could feel my Alpha aura thicken. Her eyes grew wider, and she seemed concerned, almost afraid. Good, I thought. I would never put my hands on a woman, or ever hurt my mate, but that didn't mean that I couldn’t intimidate her. “ARE YOU REJECTING ME?!” My voice boomed in the quiet garden; the pond spread out ripples from the force. 

     She stood up to face me, her eyes unflinching. She was shorter up close, just a little over 5'2. “I could never reject you,” she said with a small smile on her lips. She reached out her hand and touched my chest. All the air rushed out of my lungs, forcing me to take a step back. Her touch was warm, leaving a tingling sensation where her hand had rested. "I don't understand," my voice sounded foreign to my ears. She shook her head and before I knew it, she was running again. 

     I stormed after her, catching up quickly, trapping her in between the closed off gazebo. She was scanning her surroundings getting ready to bolt. "It's no use. There is nowhere you can run without me catching you." I told her, taking long strides to close the distance between us. She took a few steps back, her body pressed against the wall. I moved closer to her, leaving a few inches between us. She looked up at me with tears still in her eyes. 

        "Please," she said. Goddess she was beautiful. I reached up and ran my thumb across her bottom lip, causing her to shiver. "What is your name?" I asked as I touched her cheek, wiping away her tears. She didn't reply, so I asked again, using my Alpha tone, "What Is Your Name?" "I will not tell you my name, and I have no desire to learn yours." She said breathlessly. "Why not?" I questioned. Everything she had said so far only made me want to ask more questions. "I will not tell you my name because I don't want you to use it to try to reject me," I dropped my hand from her face. "And I don't want to know yours because I can never be yours." 

    My heart ached. She was right. If I knew her name, I could reject her, freeing myself. I had everything planned. So why was it so hard to follow through. Maybe it’s because of the way she smells, and the way she feels. I've only known her for less than 20 minutes and I was completely obsessed. 

     I know we don't have a future together, but one night shouldn't hurt. I pressed up against her, making her gasp as her breasts pushed against my chest. Grabbing her waist, I pulled her in closer, tilting my head. She fit perfectly in my arms. I breathed in her scent again, and I wanted to know if she tasted as good as she smelled. I lifted her chin, peering into her eyes. My gaze traveled over her face and down to her lips. I dipped my head down and kissed her.