Chapter 2 Elodie

• ELODIE
• My eyes rounded as I stared at him. His hair was longer than usual, and it poured over his face. I could barely breathe as I held his gaze. I could feel tears filling my eyes.
• Although I have tried to deny my feelings for him, They came rushing back as soon as I saw him. I still love this man. I loved him, and I have missed him so much.
• All these years of asking for him had been fruitless, but he was in front of me now, and I wasn't going to let him leave.
• “What are you doing here?!” He demanded it, his hard voice pulling me out of my trance.
• “Tedros,” I called out, my hand reaching out to stroke his face.
• He flinched, his eyes widening, before he pulled away. I felt my heart clench. I reminded myself that we were nothing but friends when we separated. I was expecting him to rise and perhaps walk away, but he did none of them. He just pinned me down, staring at me like I was a snack.
• “What?” I managed to ask a question.
• “You look different.” He blurted it out, surprising me.
• “Different?” I asked, trying to see if I heard him well.
• I felt nothing different from my previous self. I didn’t understand what he was talking about.
• “Your eyes are more pronounced, and your eye color looks darker,” he responded.
• “Yeah, thanks, I guess.”
• I was expecting him to get up now, but he didn’t; he just kept staring at me.
• “When did you wake up?” He asked.
• “Are we seriously going to talk about that this way?” I questioned him, knowing fully well what he was talking about. Annoyance was laced around my voice as I spoke; the first thing he did was remind me of the day I badly wanted to forget.
• It seems like I have forgotten how annoying Tedros can sometimes be. He shook his head, his eyes darting.
• “I can’t stand up.” He muttered.
• I peered at him, trying to make sense of the situation. “You can’t? Didn’t you just shove me and pin me down?”
• “Yeah, the thing is.” His ears turned around, and I knew him so well to understand that he was embarrassed.
• “What’s wrong?” I asked.
• “Well, I am naked, and if I stand up, you are going to see something you shouldn’t.”
• My face heated up immediately. How could he say such a thing so freely? I realized that he had been naked all this time while at the same time pinning me down. I glanced down to see that his chest was bare. I was so focused on looking at his face that I didn't notice.
• I pushed my body up, my head connecting with his in the process.
• “Ouch!” he groaned.
• I seized the opportunity, closing my eyes. I got up from the ground and turned around. I could tell that my face was flushed. “I have turned around and put on some clothes.”
• I felt him step closer to me, and I felt my heart beating fast. It took every ounce of strength for me not to turn around and watch that body of his. My face fell as I tried to put my thoughts in check, but it wasn’t happening.
• “Did you really think the clothes here are going to fit me?” He whispered in my ear, causing me to flinch.
• I was about to jump and turn around to face him, but he placed his hand on my shoulder and forced me to face the other side.
• “Remember not to peek, Ducky.”
• While staying in place, I heard the movements behind me and the sounds of clothes ripping. I tried not to look back, but after a few minutes, I couldn't hold it anymore. I glanced over my shoulder; he was backing me, and he had a cloth on his waist. He was tying both sides together.
• His back was bare, and I could see the tattoos that were drawn all over them. His muscles were still in place, and his biceps were as good as I could remember. If it hasn't gotten even better,
• He was about to turn around to look at me, but I turned my gaze away. I waited for a while until there wasn't any sound of clothes ripping.
• “I am done.” He informed me.
• I turned around to look at him. He had ripped off the clothes and formed a cloth that he tied around himself.
• “You still haven’t told me what you are doing here.” He said.
• I picked up the torch and my gun, and I glanced at him. “Hunting.”
• His eyes widened at the sight of the gun. “You weren’t going to use that on me, were you?”
• “I was,” I replied. “Too bad I recognized you.”
• “Do you hunt your kind?” he asked as I dug the gun into my pocket.
• “Yes and no," I responded.
• “And what’s that supposed to mean?” he snapped.
• “Don’t you dare snap at me!” I retorted. I wasn't going to let some half-naked man clad in torn clothes try to control me and make me answer his questions. “Aren’t you the one who went through a premature transformation, Alpha Tedros?”
• He was quiet for a while before he folded his arm. “Alpha? It had been years since I heard anyone call me that.”
• I ignored his words. “You will have to go with me to the doctor.”
• He snorted immediately as the words left my lips. “A doctor? When was the last time I visited one? Don’t worry, I will pass.”
• He began walking the other way, and I felt a sting in my heart. He was leaving. I couldn’t let him leave; if he did, when was I going to see him again?
• “Tedros? We have to check what stage your sickness is at. It’s really important.” I said this as I ran after him.
• He glanced over his shoulder. “It doesn’t matter; I don’t care about the illness or what it does, but there is no way I am going to the hospital again.”
• “What if it isn’t a hospital?” I asked.
• I don’t know why I was worrying about a grown man who was acting like a kid and putting his life on the edge for his stupid needs and wants. He was about to reply when a bullet was shot his way. Before he could move aside, it hit his upper arm, and it was then that I recognized what it was.
• A tranquilizer.