Black Blood: The Runaway Mate

Chapter Three

The Black Blood werewolf pack was the strongest pack known not only in Fairbanks but also in Alaska. Rumors said that the pack was formidable. No one would dare try to challenge them for their territory. They already knew that they would lose the battle right from the start. That was their intimidating reputation.

At first, when my mother was educating me about the existence of these werewolves, I was totally in denial. I didn’t want to believe they were real. It was like she was just trying to tell me some kind of fairytale for a bedtime story. I never thought that those magical but slightly terrifying creatures were present in reality. I was scared with the fear of the unknown, rather than finding them mystifying.

In all honesty, one of the reasons I tried to avoid Aziel and his cousins at the campus was their identity as members of the pack. There were also rumors that the Lewises were very cruel. Not to mention that Aziel was said to be the next alpha of Black Blood. It only meant that he got a lot of power in his hands. Offending him was like putting your life at a great risk to other people.

Well, I couldn’t blame those who perceived a negative impression of Aziel and his family. I also thought of him that way. But after feeling his warmth, I realized that I got the wrong impression of him. I was guilty of having a prejudice against him. I was mistaken for trying to group him along with Zed and his squad when he was different all along. He was kind, and he made me feel comfortable.

Blowing out a deep breath, I dropped my eyes down on the towel he used to dry my hair. When I caught a whiff of his scent clinging onto the fabric, his addictive lush manly fragrance enveloped my nose.

My thoughts effortlessly drifted to my encounter with Aziel and the short conversation we had. That moment played over and over again―like a broken record―inside my head, and I ended up feeling something uncomfortable simmering in my stomach.

“Chandra!”

Like I was holding something illegal, I frantically hid the towel inside my backpack when I heard my best friend’s voice. I turned around, and she was running towards my way.

Lindsay immediately threw herself at me and gave me a tight embrace. I groaned once I felt her weight. We almost lost our balance. Good thing I managed to carry us both as I stepped my left foot back.

“I’m sorry for dragging you into my mess,” she apologized, then pulled away to check on me closely. “If it wasn’t for me, Zed wouldn’t release his anger at you.”

Hearing her blaming herself for something she shouldn’t be accountable for made me frustrated.

She did nothing wrong! It was clearly Vivian’s fault right from the start!

“Lindsay, listen to me.” I held both her shoulders to get her full attention on me. “You don’t have to apologize for anything. You are their victim, too. Please don’t think that you owe me an apology because you don’t.”

She tightly pursed her lips. I was about to comfort her once again, but then she suddenly grinned widely. Her mood swings almost gave me whiplash. She can be very weird and unpredictable―but those are only some of the things I love about her. She is not really ordinary like how those jerks tagged her to be.

“What’s with that creepy smile?” I asked her, slightly hesitant. “You’re giving me creeps.”

She rolled her eyes. “I know you know exactly what I want to say, Chandra.”

“No, I do not.”

I turned my heel and walked out. Lindsay followed me right away. She just couldn’t stop her curiosity from kicking in. According to her, she was craving the so-called juicy details, which I knew I would not be able to suffice.

“Just tell me what happened between you and Aziel, then I won’t bother you anymore―I promise!”

That’s so unlikely… I know how her mind works.

So instead of entertaining her questions, I just ignore everything. However, she just wouldn’t stop. Even when we were inside my car, she kept bugging me with her queries related to Aziel. I was sure that she wouldn’t let that go easily, even though I told her countless times that there was nothing at all.

“I already told you, Lindsay.” I deeply sighed, completely worn out. “There’s nothing in between us. You know I don’t like being involved with them.”

She eyed me skeptically, doubting my claims. “Then, why did he help us and take you away? He even knows your name!”

“I also don’t know!” I raised my voice unconsciously from the stress. I couldn’t drive properly because of her unending questions.

“So, you’re telling me that it just happened?”

“I guess? Maybe?”

“Chan…”

“Like what I’ve been telling you for the past thirty minutes, I don’t know how he got to know my name, and I don’t know why he helped us earlier.” Once we arrived in front of her house, I stepped on the brake and turned to her. “Maybe he’s just entirely a good person.”

“Aziel Forth Lewis? Good person?” She sounded and looked so doubtful. “I don’t think I see the correlation here. He’s known to be intimidating and impatient and―”

“And we don’t really know him, Linday,” I cut her off. “He saved us earlier. The least we could do is not to judge him based on rumors. We should know better than that.”

Pursing her lips, she slowly nods her head. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” I smiled. “See you tomorrow?”

Lindsay lit up with a bright smile. “Yes. Thanks for driving me home.” She leaned forward to give me a hug, then stepped out of my car. “I’ll text you later!”

I nodded with a smile, faced the road, and drove home. After making a turn to Southern Ave, just a few meters away from Lindsay’s house, I finally arrived home and parked my car beside my mother’s sedan.

Mom turned to me when I entered the living room. I found her putting some of her things inside a big corrugated box for shipment.

In less than a month, she’d be moving to Dallas for work while I’d follow her once I graduated from senior high. For years, we had been discussing settling somewhere far from Fairbanks after my father died. We weighed all the possibilities and consequences we might face if we moved to a totally different place from where we spent almost our entire life. But we eventually both came to terms that it’d be the best for our growth. So the moment my mother saw the opportunity to move, she immediately grabbed the chance.

On the other hand, I also made some preparations by searching for colleges which offered the degree I wanted to take and applied to them. I had entrance examinations scheduled for June, so I had to move there right after graduating.

“You’re home early,” she stated. “I haven’t cooked dinner yet. I have to get everything I need inside this box. It’ll be picked up tomorrow morning by the courier.”

I took off my scarf and hung it up on the hanging pole beside the door. “I’ll cook our dinner. You can continue doing that.”

“Thanks.” She smiled. “That’s why you’re my favorite daughter.”

“I’m your only daughter.”

She winked at me, and I just shook my head. I let her do her thing while I went to my room and got changed. We were both busy until it was time for dinner. I cooked baked chicken, grilled broccoli, and mashed potato for both of us.

“I’m so happy you know how to cook,” my mother suddenly said while we were eating. “It’s one less problem for me. It makes me feel confident leaving you here until you graduate.”

“It’s just a few months, mom,” I reminded her, since she was starting to get emotional again. “I’ll be graduating this May already.”

She nodded. “I know, I know…”

I tilted my head as I watched her face filled with concern. Although she tried her best not to show what she truly felt, I knew she was still hesitating a lot. She didn’t want to be away from me even for a week.

She even asked her company if she could start work in May, but they needed her to report right away. It was a matter of losing the job or staying with me. I had to step up and encourage her to just go as planned.

“Mom, I’ll be fine here.” I already lost count on how many times I gave her the assurance she needed, but I wouldn’t get tired of making her feel at ease. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

Once again, she nodded as she pressed her lips into a thin line. “I know…” she repeated before her lips curved upwards. “Just leave your plate in the sink once you’re done. I’ll wash the dishes after I finish packing those things.”

“Do you need help?” I asked.

“I’m good,” she replied. “Just do your homework.”

When she was done eating, my mother continued packing while I returned to my room. I grabbed my backpack to start doing some advance reading when a white towel greeted me instead.

A soft gasp escaped my lips. I slowly put my hand inside the bag and carefully pulled the towel out. I carefully scanned the towel like it was out of the ordinary―and that was when I noticed small letters embroidered using black thread on one corner, which I didn’t before.

A.F.L.

“Aziel Forth Lewis…” I whispered absentmindedly while running my finger through the embroidery.

Recalling what happened earlier that day, a smile slowly tugged at my lips. But as I kept my feelings always under surveillance, something in me had snapped when I caught myself unconsciously smiling. I cleared my throat, stood up from my bed, and decided to wash the towel.

I have to give this back to him right away.