HEAT

Part four

“Who the fúck does he think he is, Vardano?! No one fúcks with me lest they want war. They can ask and I’ll give them war! This was never the first time. I warned them but didn’t take heed. I guess it is my resolute decision. Be primed. War is coming.” Said a furious man behind that door. His voice alone set off fear within me.

The man’s indignant voice adjudicating the matter behind the door I was facing was unsettling. There were many other voices but his voice was beyond more powerful and overawing, which made other voices hush down.

His radiating anger seemed to affect everyone and that didn’t spare Collete, who seemed to whimper hearing the man’s voice. The last part of what he said sounded fatal.

Collete made an abrupt knock on the door and I wondered why she didn’t just mind linking them; it would have saved her some utilitarian energy.

The voices fell silent.

One commanded us to go inside. To say that I was nervous was an understatement. I felt like this was my last day. The alpha might keep me but I knew eventually, he would kill me, after excreting all the information he needed from me. He would see me as useless and killing me would be nothing for him.

Collete patted the small of my back, probably sensing my dancing nerves.

Actually, I didn’t wanna get inside, I just wanted to run away from this situation and seek my parents.

My heart clenched at the thought of them.

The door opened and we stepped inside.

Collete’s back was hiding my figure away from the strangers’ perusing leers.

“She’s here,” Collete announced. She turned to me. Her eyes were so comforting and somehow they sent warmth to my heart, calming my chaotic emotional state.

Standing rooted on the ground, she prompted me to her side so I would be facing them. All of them were seated on each chair with grace and authority. I noticed that there were only two women and five of them were men.

I kept my eyes away from the head of the table because I was certain it was occupied by one and only Alpha of the -

Darn! I didn’t even have any notion of what the name of the pack was.

The center table with a basket full of different fruits became very fascinating to me. It was my lifeline at the moment as I held Thumper tightly closed to my chest, breathing in a normal breath in which I couldn't be sure it went stuttering or calming.

I kept my hair down, almost covering my entire face. I must have looked like a ghost with a freaking doll, with hair running straight down to her shoulders.

“You brought a child here? You could have to get rid of her, Vardano? Why should we waste our time with this one,” the man said with so much distaste and indignation in his voice.

I whimpered with fear as I turned to Collete. I sniffled as I buried my face in her neck.

“They will kill me, Collete,” I whispered as I trembled in fear. My eyes shed unstoppable tears.

Collete immediately cradled me in her arms, shushing me. I could feel her anger radiating off her.

“Fück off! Silas.” Her voice was murderous. “Will everyone please stop scaring this poor girl! She has done nothing!”

“She’s a rogue!” the female voice retorted vehemently. “Have you forgotten what we do to rogues, Collete? No one is absolved. We allowed it once, we let your reasoning intercept the supposed consequences of that vile woman and you know the rest of the story. I hate rebroadcasting it, ergo, we will NEVER EVER ALLOW IT AGAIN!” She screamed louder this time and let out a menacing growl. The others at the table stood up.

Terror shook me to no end, making my breath flounder. I heard their heated altercations but nothing registered in my mind as the trepidations consumed my body, slowly ebbing my senses of hearing away.

Collete stood her ground, “She’s under the presumption of innocence. Until she’s proven guilty, no one is touching her!” Collete hollered back, shaking with ferocious ire as she harshly wheeled me around her back with a thunderous growl. I was thrown on the wall with a thud behind her.

Gasping in pain, I groaned and slowly got up on my feet, but the pain wasn’t my concern. The coolness of the door’s surface assaulted my back when I was suddenly pressed against the wall. Collete was caging me behind her. The pain was obliterated.

My heart tightened at her protectiveness. I couldn’t understand why she was doing this for me. My throat constricted and I seemed to hardly breathe, so I let go. I sobbed loudly and uncontrollably. She was the only person there who stood up for me and she didn’t even know me.

“Collete... Please... Don’t do this...you’ll...you’ll get hurt,” I tried to mutter between sobs. As much as I wanted to save myself, she was a kind woman, she didn’t deserve this antagonism from her pack. “I don’t want you to get hurt...this is your...this is your pack, your...family. I don’t belong here--”

“No!” she growled. “No one is going to fücking touch you! Whoever takes the liberty of doing so, will have to fight me!” her growling intensified and I saw how her skin glowed, her nails protruding from her fingers as immense power emanated off her. It was astounding. My eyes grew in surprise.

Vardano took a step, closing in on Collete. Astonishment was evident in his eyes, but beyond that there was pride. He stood in front of Collete and held her face gently with both of his hands. Lights were flickering in their eyes. I knew they were speaking with each other. I then felt Collete’s nerves calm down.

She sighed.

But I sharply gasped when Vardano’s demeanor changed dangerously. He turned to them and, in flittering seconds, a scream left my mouth as the sounds of bones cracking unrolled in the room. He shifted into his familiar massive wolf!

The loud thump of his paws permeated the corners of the enclosed walls when they alighted on the floor.

The murderous growl of the wolf shook all of us in the room except... except him who had the audacity to evilly smirk at the situation.

Until his eyes met mine. His smirk disappeared...