The Long Lost Alpha

Chapter 5: The Wolfless She-Wolf

Ilona

My face flushed red with embarrassment after revealing my dark secret. To be honest, I didn’t have to reveal it for a long time. Everyone knew the whole pack was aware of the wolfless Alpha’s daughter. Just saying it brought back a whole flood of emotions and I looked away, exhaling out loud.

“I don’t understand. What do you mean that you don’t have a wolf?” Theo asked, his eyebrows scrunched up in confusion.

Inhaling a lungful of air, I turned to face him, “You know how Al—”

But, my words were cut off by the sound of heavy footsteps. My acute hearing knew for sure that it was the sound of the packhouse warriors’ boots. I was late and hence, they had come for me. But, this time, I wasn’t worried about myself. Instead, I was concerned about what would happen if they found Theo. I knew very well that they would drag him to my father at once.

“Theo! Hide now! It’s the pack warriors! Oh, and this is to mask your scent,” I alerted my newfound friend. Pulling out a small bottle from my basket, I sprayed some on him before slamming the bottle in his hands.

The concerned Theo looked at me with worry, “How did you get this? Wait, will you be okay?”

“Don’t worry about that. I will be fine. Theo, stay safe and don’t run through the forest near the pack. Tell Kai to stick to the southeast part of the forest. It was nice to meet you, stranger.” A smile found its way to my lips before I pushed Theo behind a stall.

Right on cue, the pack warriors located me and interrogated me. They were loyal to my father, their Alpha, and did everything he asked. That included dragging his daughter home when she overstayed her outdoor freedom. The warriors looked around in suspicion, checking every corner if I was talking to someone. One of them was about to approach Theo’s hiding spot, but I distracted him in the nick of time.

“What are you doing over there? Aren’t you here to bring me back to the packhouse? Why are you wasting time?” I yelled, using every ounce of respect they had for me as the Alpha’s daughter.

As expected, he turned back towards me and started leading the way out of the market. With my cape sweeping the ground, I walked forward, but not before having one last glance behind me. Imagine my surprise when I found Theo looking at me and waving his hand, a smile lighting up his perfect face.

I hope to see you soon, Theo Hemming.

~.~

Theo

My blood boiled in my veins when I watched the warriors treat Ilona like she was a child. Even though we had just met, the things she said and the things I knew about the Alpha exposed her situation. Still, her revelation about her wolfless state astonished me.

“Aww…. I was looking forward to meeting her wolf. But, there is no one for me to play with,” Kai muttered, whimpering in my mind.

With a deep exhale, I tried to comfort him, “I know, buddy. But, I’m still confused.”

In fact, so many things had happened in a matter of minutes that nothing was clicking in my head. Looking down at my closed palm, I opened it to find a small blue bottle. Holding it up to the light, I noticed that it was not liquid, but rather some sort of mist.

“What is she doing with such spells and witchcraft?” Kai asked, as disturbed as I was.

But before I could say anything further, the sound of Ilona’s voice reached my ears. She was yelling out to a warrior and based on the shadow on the ground, he was about to turn the corner where I was hiding. My Alpha Princess had saved me, a mere stranger and rogue.

“She doesn’t know you’re a rogue, dummy!” my smart wolf yelled out, smacking his forehead with his paw.

Shaking my head, I replied, “I know that. It still feels nice. Now, shush! I need to see what’s happening.”

Peeking out of the stall, I noticed Ilona leaving the place, the warriors leading the way. Her dark green cape was sweeping the ground once again, leaving me.

“I wish she would turn and see us, one last time,” I mink-linked Kai, feeling lonely all of a sudden.

Kai huffed, “Oh, now you want to talk to me. But, yes. I can’t believe I miss her already.”

Then, when I least expected it, the Alpha’s daughter turned around and flashed me a smile. My heart skipped a beat before I sighed out loud, leaning against the stall. Never did I expect to meet someone so amazing, strong-willed, beautiful, and mysterious. To top it all, that too on a stroll in a foreign land.

“Okay, enough moping, lover boy. It’s time for me to let loose! I need to run!” Kai screamed, his patience wearing thin.

But, his action only made me chuckle, “Fine, wolfy. Let me go to the southeast part of the forest first.

So, I took Ilona’s advice and shifted into Kai in the forest. The white wolf jumped for joy and started galloping through the trees. The only thing was this time it was not for his life, but to enjoy his freedom. Yet, I couldn’t shake Ilona out of my mind. It was odd since I had never been in such a situation before. I rarely mingled with people except for my family. I was even known in The Willow Den as the emo boy who is always to himself. Not to mention that I could be rough and too straightforward.

Yet, everything disappeared in front of her. I have had my share of she-wolves, and by that, I meant only a handful. They were only companions for a short time and just to fool around. As time passed, they all met their mates and left the village. Even so, none of them riled me up like the Alpha’s daughter did.

Maybe there is more to her than meets the eye.

~.~

The next morning, I excused myself from Mrs. Quinn’s hut once again. This time she didn’t protest as much even though I never said a word about what had happened at the market. Either way, with a skip in my steps, I made my way to the market, as I did the previous day.

“Why are you walking so fast? Eager to meet a certain someone?” Kai teased, his flirty face knotting my stomach.

“No. I’m just excited to see the market,” I replied in a casual manner.

Kai snorted, “Hah! You’re not a good liar, Theo. By the way, what makes you think she will be here today?”

As soon as my wolf’s words clicked, I stopped in my tracks. He was right. There was always the possibility that she wouldn’t come or even, forbidden to come. But what then? There was no way I was about to storm to the packhouse to meet her.

Sensing my disappointment, Kai chimed in, “Hey, I could be wrong. It won’t hurt to look around the market for her.”

Squeezing out a small smile, my feet resumed walking to the market, yet, there was no Ilona in sight. The fruit vendor’s oranges were not touched and there was no dark green cape sweeping the brick road. Crushed, I dragged my feet to the last possible place she might be, convinced that she wouldn’t be there too.

“If she’s not there, I swear I’ll pack up and leave this pack for good,” I mind-linked Kai.

My wolf whimpered in response, “Theo, don’t get upset and do something rash.”

But then, as I stepped behind the group of stalls, a familiar figure caught my sight. The person I was looking for sat on a crate, her yellow cape falling to the ground. Approaching her as quietly as I could, I soon stood about an arm’s length away from her. After cracking my head for an appropriate greeting, I finally addressed her.

“So, does this count as our second date?”