Destiny Untold - Fated Mates series Book 1

Chapter 8

Raindrops fall upon the window panes leaving trails down the foggy glass. The day is dark and humid leaving a heaviness that you can almost feel cloaking everything, leaving melancholy in its wake. It is as sad as it is beautiful and Amara looks upon the mist-filled grounds as she walks by the windows.

Images drift into her mind's eye, blurring with the present. It doubles her vision and she struggles to decipher where she is walking through half formed visions of glowing hands and snapping teeth. The disorientation is so powerful that she nearly collapses but is jolted into the present when she collides with something or more specifically, someone.

Apologies fly out of her mouth before Amara even looks up to see who she had bumped into "I'm very sorry, I was a bit distracted". Distracted is the understatement of the century but she can’t dwell on the strangeness just now. There will be more than enough time to over-analyze the incident once she is in bed tonight unable to sleep.

"You should raise your head and look the person in the eye when you apologize". Although the voice is foreign to her, it demands attention and her eyes snap to his. Golden amber connects with electric blue and a memory of the pack Beta -Carter- standing beside Maddox is pushed to the forefront. Amara offers a small sheepish smile despite the confusing feeling his presence brings. It isn’t fear but definitely something that makes her want to stay on his good side. To her surprise, Carter just shakes his head and Amara gets the feeling he is somewhat amused by her awkwardness. Although, his face gives little away.

"Just be careful, alright?" he advises and she gives him a mock salute which he ignores and looks down at his watch. A large sigh escapes his lips and Amara debates whether to ask if everything is okay or quit while she is ahead and make a hasty retreat.

Carter regards his future Luna for a moment, eyes piercing and calculating. He is not entirely sure what to think of the girl. He is a cautious man by nature and the family of nomads popping up now smells fucking fishy to him. He makes it his job to know everything that occurs in- and relating to- the pack. The Johansen’s? They are a giant blank with no real record. There are discrepancies in the story the parents paint. Both of the older wolves are too skilled to have simply been drifters with no prior affiliation to any pack.

Regardless, the best way to suss out the youngest Johansen is to watch her closely. Her position as Madd’s mate means she will have a place within Onyx Moon even if her parents turn out to be a problem. The girl herself seems open and the pack members that have interacted with the she-wolf have raised no red flags. With that thought in mind, Carter comes to a decision. A small test to see if he can trust her, at least to some degree.

The decision to stay or flee is taken out of her hands. For a moment, all of the air is sucked out of the room as Carter seems to pin her with his stare. The tension makes her want to look away but she finds it impossible. She nearly jumps out of her skin when he finally speaks again, eyes losing the steely edge.

"Are you busy at the moment Amara?" Now curious as to why he would ask that after the little impromptu stare down, she shakes her head. It is true after all, before he came along she had just been wandering around. The strange experience starts creeping in but she hastily tamps down on it.

"Can you do me a favor? I'm running late and need these taken to the Alpha. I don't have the time and you would be helping me by doing this. He should be in his office right about now." The request seems incongruent with what she has seen of the man so far. But then again, she doesn’t really know Carter and first impressions aren’t the end all be all. In fact, they are more often than not wrong or misleading. That is probably why she easily accepts. Having an excuse to see Maddox definitely plays no part in her willingness to help.

He extends his right hand towards her with a folder she hadn't even noticed before. Amara hesitates for a second, realizing she only has a vague idea of where his office is. Her interactions with the Alpha of her rather steamy dreams had been kept at a minimum and her already overactive imagination and libido are thankful for that.

“Is there a problem? Perhaps I should get someone else to do it, after all, you seem a little clumsy. Can’t have you rolling down a staircase and damaging that file” Carter snarks, the ghost of a challenging smirk on his lips and Amara resists the urge to call him a jackass.

“Oh thank you for your concern sir! But I think I can handle it. Why, I even managed to put my own shoes on this morning. Look, they are on the right foot and everything!” saccharine sweet sarcasm drips from her lips and she grabs the folder out of his hands, eyes deliberately going dead before she saunters away, shoulders back, head held high. In her haste, she misses the Beta’s raised eyebrow and amused eyes following her retreat.