Chapter 1 Behind The Victorian Styled Double Doors
- ~Kyra
- A scent...strong and delectable wafts through the air, it drifts past me and my eyes closing against my will, I inhale deeply to catch even just a whiff more of that heady scent, my mind swiftly attempting to decipher the intricacies of it... the notes that make up such a wondrous blend.
- 'Pinewood, musk and an earthy undertone...' I gather in only a heartbeat,
- Who would think the blend of these three scents would actually be so intoxicating? It is a wonder... the kind I have only heard of in tales from the lovestruck older couples in the pack.
- 'Mate?' I whisper, wondering to myself, unable to suppress the giddy feeling that churns in my lower belly at the prospect of finding my other half.
- Four years late, but still much sooner than most.
- My eyes quickly roam my immediate surroundings, tracing the source of that heady scent. It leads down a hallway to my right, there is a sign hung above the arch,
- The sign reads 'restricted access', I take note of it, but it dances away to the furthest portion of my mind and I do not hesitate to make the turn.
- A short walk down the hallway and there is a large, Victorian styled double door at the very end of the hall.
- The closer I get, the stronger the scent becomes. Where I only caught residues before, it now floods my senses. But I also became aware of exactly why there had been a 'restricted access' sign at the beginning of the hallway.
- I have been away from the pack house for too long, I did not realise the Alpha's hall had been changed after the renovation. But staring at the runes imprinted on the door, a human would miss the message, only a pack wolf like myself can tell what those runes represent.
- The Alpha's quarters, which means, behind those doors would be...
- 'Alpha Mikos...it couldn't be...' comes a doubtful thought.
- Yet it does nothing to hinder the giddiness in the pit of my stomach. There was no turning back, I have to know.
- Reaching out to the door, I push lightly expecting resistance, but to my surprise it slowly and silently swings open for just a fraction.
- 'It is not locked.' I realise.
- I take a hesitant step back, but the potency of the scent is now overwhelming and I feel my mind grow cloudy.
- 'Intoxicated.' That is the only fitting description.
- I move closer to the door, just close enough to peer through the partially open space.
- 'Just a glimpse...' I think to myself.
- A glimpse of him is all I need to confirm if he truly is what I think he is to me. As unbelievable as it still sounds in my head.
- Almost immediately, regret settles in as my eyes meet a sight that sends a sharp pain through my heart.
- He is right there, Alpha Mikos... right there leaned against a table, his clothing strew everywhere and his dashing features contorted in pleasure as a head of platinum blonde hair bobbed eagerly, covering his lower half.
- At the same moment, his eyes move sharply to the door, his gaze meets mine before I can pick the pieces of my heart and retreat unnoticed from the scene.
- Four things are obvious to me at that moment, just as our eyes met.
- First; Alpha Mikos was indeed my soul mate.
- Second; He knows it too, the recognition is obvious in his eyes. And what is missing from his gaze is 'surprise'. Perhaps he has known it for longer than I have.
- Third; He knows it and he does not care...
- "What the hell are you staring at?! You want an autograph?! Get lost!" Alpha Mikos's voice snarls harshly, his hand still threading through the head of platinum blonde hair, guiding her ministrations.
- The earth trembles beneath my feet, a tell tale sign of Alpha Mikos' earth element...a deadly warning.
- I jump in a mix of shock and terror, wasting no time, I turn around and dash away. My heart constricting painfully within my chest.
- The fourth thing that was obvious to me in that moment which I failed to mention; There was only one she-wolf with blonde hair of that shade in the pack house.
- And I know because I have braided those same tresses multiple times, as far back as into pigtails...
- That woman is none other than Lana Carroway, beloved daughter of Beta Carroway... and my own cousin.
- *********
- It has been three days...
- Three days since I found my soul mate...
- Three days since I walked in on my newfound mate, in an intimate position with my cousin.
- And for the past three days, I have heard nothing from either of them...utter silence, like that day did not happen.
- Yet the memory haunts me at every turn, thoughts consistently scramble up in my mind.
- 'Did Lana see me? Does she know what Alpha Mikos is to me? She could not have. If she had...if she had...'
- "Kyra...Kyra snap out of it!" Hailey's familiar whisper, and the snapping of her fingers broke through the dreary memory that clouds my mind.
- As the memory fades, my gaze meets Hailey's and she makes a clock sign with her fingers, indicating my two o'clock.
- I turn wincing visibly as my eyes meet the glowering eyes of the owner of the small cafe where I am temporarily employed.
- His eyes are fixed on me, as they narrow into a warning glare.
- He mouths a few inaudible words and I nod silently, before I resume wiping down the coffee maker from where I previously paused and lost track of my thoughts.
- Our employer watches for a while before he disappears into the break room and Hailey hurries over to me.
- "Kyra...you need to get your act together. You could get fired at this rate and over what?! Some psycho Alpha cheat?!" Hailey hissed anxiously.
- "I know you do not need this job, you have your high and mighty uncle and your dysfunctional supernatural family...but you vowed to stand on your own." Hailey reminded me in a quieter tone.
- I passed Hailey a look, forcing a smile to my lips. Hailey was human, but she was one of the few who knew about us... werewolves.
- Particularly, Hailey knows about me... about Kyra Ember Holloway, the Beta's orphaned niece, the charity case, subject to the sympathy and pity of the pack,
- Kyra Ember Holloway, a werewolf without a gift like everyone else, an anomaly. Alienated by the pack and now... unwanted by my own mate.
- "Look, just focus... okay. What happens behind the Victorian styled double doors, stays right there." Hailey whispered with a sigh, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder.
- I hear Hailey's words and I can only wish it was that easy...to forget.