I'm Sorry, Little Wolf | Werewolf Romance

[2] ᴏᴄᴇᴀɴ ᴇʏᴇꜱ

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9 years earlier...

Heels clicking a woman swept into the room, gracefully perching atop the grand spiral staircase. Even if I hadn't initially noticed her with the tug of my father's hand to get my attention, the sudden hush that fell through the room made it abundantly clear how important she was. She had demanded the attention of all alphas from this side of the world without even speaking a word.

My father had told me about this for months upcoming, teaching me the ways of this practice and how I was expected to act during it. The Lunar Court, an event that invited all alphas, their direct family, and their betas under one roof. Under any other circumstance the situation was sure to lead to chaos but there was a mutual understanding and agreement among the packs. Rivalries, pack history, and bad blood between packs was left at the door. It was a time for all packs to gather for numerous events every twelve years. New children, future alphas, were introduced to the other packs and celebrated. Alphas could meet to discuss new alliances or dispute disagreements properly without bloodshed. Most of all it was a time to check in on one another since most packs didn't speak to each other. Even those that had strong alliances with one another, there wasn't much conversating that went on between them. I had been here once before when I was only two, so I don't remember much of the Court. This year the event was held a far distance from my home by the pack's alpha, somewhere humid and even hotter than BlueRidge.

Ysemee Sifen, alpha of the SunHarvest Pack.

Dressed in an ivory blue thin-material blouse tucked into a white pencil skirt, she greeted all of the packs and welcomed us for coming. Her skin was a deep tan from all the direct sunlight this place got. Her hair was an array of beaming red locks that fell in tight curls around her figure. A pearl pendant of her pack's crest rested in the hollow of her neck. "I hope that all your travels were swift and joyous." She beamed, her arms swaying largely as she spoke. I didn't pay much further attention to what was being said. Her words were directed towards the Alphas and being only fourteen I was still quite a few years from having that title bestowed upon me.

My eyes roved over the crowd, looking between the gaps of tall men and women. There wasn't anyone I would recognize since our packs didn't mingle with others, but I was curious to see what other children were here. Each pack had distinguished features you could see correlating between parents and child, all having a affect on what land they lived on. A tight squeeze of my hand jolted my attention back towards my father.

"Calliope!" He loudly whispered to me.

"Huh? Sorry father." My head hung softly in apology before looking back towards him.

"It's fine dear, but listen. We need to go attend some arranged meetings, don't wander to far now. Understood?"

"I understand."

As badly as I had the urge to roll my eyes towards him I refrained. Even at the age of fourteen I felt as though he still saw me no older than four. I watched as they both turned, walking arm in arm down one of the long corridors. SunHarvest territory was a land of long rolling hills. Numerous harvest trees stretched on for miles in organized rows. Apple, orange, grapefruit, practically any summer fruit you could crave grew on a vine or a tree here. My father hadn't told me much about how the SunHarvest pack lived, but they seemed a bit more on the modest side with how they dressed and acted. I wasn't sure how long this Lunar Court lasted, either a few hours or all day, so I tried to find ways to entertain myself for the time being. The harvest trees were the only place you could find shade from the beaming sun rays. I looked from tree to tree for one to pluck as I balanced myself on the stretch of curved ground between the trees. The gleam of a bright red apple hanging from a low hanging branch caught my eye. The thought of it's sweet juices hitting my tongue made my mouth water as I tug it from it's leafy stem.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A voice called out.

My stomach clenched, tightening at the sudden startle of their words. I didn't think anyone had followed me and didn't notice anyone near by when I was walking. The orchard was vast and wide, I thought I had gone far enough in to be unbothered. My body half turned, looking over my shoulder back to the direction the voice had came from.

He stood no more than a few feet from me, hands clasped behind his back with a smug look on his face. His hair was organized chaos, thick ink black strands jetting in each direction yet you could tell they had been placed there to his liking. His features were tight. Icy-cold skin contrasted shadows of art over his features. from his glass-cutting cheek bones to sharp thin drawn lips. His presence didn't intimidate me, but I couldn't deny the feeling of danger when I looked at him like a predator who had already made their choice on their next meal. Black dress slacks tightly hug his legs and his white dress shirt opened up around his neck revealing a pale, toned triangle of his chest.

I swallowed hard, convincing myself that the sudden burn in my throat was only from the unsettled craving to bite into the apple that sat in my palm. Clearing my throat I raised my chin proudly, "And why wouldn't I?" I attempted to sound confident as he continued to stare me down, unaltered by words. The slight lift of his brow was his only response as I raised the fruit to my lips. The darkness in his eyes looked otherworldly, something I felt that I had lived my whole life without seeing. Deep inside a part of me craved to explore it, one of many internally struggles I have learned to contain through my years.

"Because," He said, closing our distance in two quick strides. He stared hard in a silence, those dark blue eyes jetting back and forth between my own. The intense gaze was enough to bring a flush over the back of my neck. It was as if I could tell he was debating something within himself, weighing his options before settling on a choice - one that seemed to be permanent. The fruit was snatched from my hand in an instant, only the lingering imprint of his fingers brushing over mine left tingling through my skin. Standing proudly with himself he brought the fruit to his lips, biting into it without a second of hesitation. The sweet juices spilled down his chin, glimmering against is ghost like appearance under the sun. "I wanted it." A wicked smile curled at his lips as he chewed his mouth full and strutted past him, knocking his figure into mine as he passed.

"Excuse me!" I scoffed.

Within a second he was back to facing me, no more than a foot between us. His tall figure loomed over me, hushing all bravado that carried in my throat. My hands clenched tightly, I didn't want him to know he was making me nervous, but I couldn't help leaning back away from the power of his presence. His eyes glimmered, a hint of excitement within them as he swallowed the mushed apple in his mouth.

"Do something about it." He dared me. The gleam in his eyes stared deep inside me, begging for me to do just as he asked. His boy, whoever he was, had no manners or etiquette like myself. He carried himself in a way that told everyone around him that he would do as he pleased. That confidence and lack of remorse was something I had never seen before. My treacherous little heart couldn't have beaten any harder as he physically leaned over me. I didn't know this boy, whoever he was he was an alpha heir. He wouldn't be here if he wasn't. I didn't know what he was capable of, and I couldn't forget that, no matter how hot he was.

An amused chuckle rumbled in his chest as he stared down at me. "What a shame." His words were like blades cutting through me, almost luring me to change my mind while I had a chance. "Perhaps next time then." He shrugged. Did he mean twelve years from now at the next Lunar Court? He had to. There was no way our packs out of the hundreds out there had any reason to meet once again unless it was coated in blood and fueled with fury.

"Why do you say that?" I asked him as he begun to stride away from me. He froze for a moment before turning to face me.

"Because," He bit into the fruit once more, "Je vois cette obscurité en toi." He murmured.

I didn't know what he said, but the language sounded familiar. I tried to catch on to what language he was speaking but it was difficult with the soothing quality of his voice. Languages could be rooted back to some of the older packs as they were the only ones who still spoke their ancestral tongue. He kept his gaze on me, watching the gears turn in my head as I slowly came to realization. French. But that would mean...

"WhiteAsh." I said stunned. Suddenly, I knew him or- at least his name.

Dean Malo Sutton.

I could see the wide, blinding smile on his lips, one enough to leave you speechless. Alphas were apex predators, everything about them was beautiful and luring, but there was something about him that stretched a bit deeper than that.

"Bravo, I didn't think you had it in you."

"You shouldn't be talking to me." I cautioned him.

He disregarded my words, his calmness unwavering. Dean glided closer, his finger twirling in a ringlet of my hair, eyes trailing down towards my neck. The frustration of his boldness to even speak to me had my pulse racing, now it was in overdrive. I was frozen. "Your heart is racing." He murmured.

"Calliope!" My father's voice called out from another part of the orchard, forcing my eyes away from the WhiteAsh in front of me. I turned to Dean- not sure what words were going to come out of my mouth- but he was already gone.

Current Day.

WhiteAsh, a land I never had dared to dream of crossing in my lifetime. They were the closest pack to BlueRidge but it still took more than two days to travel by foot between the two. Between our lands was a long stretch of neutral woodlands, one we both used to hunt for food in the harsher months but it was still so uncommon for us to run into each other. Their land was in complete contrast to that of BlueRidge. It was filled with stiff mountains and dense forests. There were looming cliffs that overlooked a daring drop into the ocean below. The atmosphere itself seemed gloomy and dim with the constant thunderstorms and snowfall. Our neighbors were not only knowing for their difference in land compared to BlueRidge, but their behavior as well. 'In tune with their natural selves' as they called it. They showed drastically more skin then we did and didn't care to court or pursue someone in the same ways I was accustomed to growing up. In BlueRidge you courted someone, spending many supervised dates together before hand holding was even allowed. WhiteAsh was drastically different.

Gradually as we crested the peak of a stiff hill top, houses began to appear spread out along the valley below, roof tops jetting out along tree tops and almost blending into the scenery around them with their faded and mute colors. In the distance past the small homestead was one large mansion, yet smaller than the castle homing style my pack stayed in. Our pack lived as one, all residing on numerous floors of the BlueRidge castle, but within the same building. I could only assume the mansion was set aside for Alpha Sutton and his higher ranking members while the rest cozied themselves in the smaller homes. There was a strange silence around the village as we passed through. No child playing in the streets or pack members roaming the pathways. A growling pit of unease swirled but I tried to restrain anything that would show my pack my own nerves.

The hair on the back of my neck stood tall as we approached the mansion. The walls were painted with a pealing cream and rooftops coating with black tilling. Two grand metal doors slowly creaked open, fanning out towards us silently. Standing there on the other side of the doorway was the WhiteAsh pack. Their skin look like that of a ghost, white and cold to the touch. Those who did wear more than the minimum clothing were dressed in simple white, black, or dark brown colors. Their eyes roamed over us as we stalked them back, none speaking as we took in each others presence.

A gap began to form in the crowd from the back, people stepping aside to allow for a path way to be formed. A single figure walked through the opening. Ink black strands of hair the only sight I had above the crowd of others until he broke through the last layer.

How was it that almost ten years could go by and yet someone looked so strikingly similar? The mental image I had of him burned into my memory was almost identical to the one who now stood in front of me. The crisp ironed black dress pants and shined dress shoes decorated his lower half. A dress shirt, not carrying a single stray hair tucked tightly into his belted waistband. His sleeves were rolled up tightly to the point they looked as those they would bust if he flexed too hard. Silver-painted rings sat upon his fingers, the gleam of them under the light forcing you to notice them. Then there were his eyes. A dark blue, like those of the unexplored oceans staring right back at me.

I could still see that looming darkness that swirled within them, luring me to get lost into his sea of temptation. His tongue brushed over the hardness of his fangs, only slightly longer than those of a human when not elongated, as he grinned widely towards me.

"Calliope," He addressed me directly with a pause before looking to the rest of my pack. "BlueRidge." His arms spread out wide with smile, his eyes looked back towards me as he finished his last words. I couldn't help but feel he was speaking more directly towards me then my pack as his volume lowered but tone remained the same.

"Welcome to WhiteAsh."

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