His dark voice trails down her spine, lighting a path of desire that renders her breathless. "If only I were in a position of no consequence."
Alia's breath wavers when the pad of his thumb slowly glides across her bottom lip.
"Then I could give in...
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"Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart." - Corrie Ten Boom
•
GHQ
Alia's eyes nervously dart around to the hundreds of Warriors that stand in a circle around her mate. She wears a Warrior's uniform, her position printed boldly on the back of her black long-sleeve, along with everyone else in the training hall. Her heart thumps heavily in her chest, palms sweaty as she tries to ignore the quick gazes coming from wolves far stronger than her.
GHQ is far more intimidating than she ever thought it'd be. When she walked through the gated entrance with Valen, a guard stood stiffly at the gate with his eyes never straying to either one of them. A similarly stiff greeting left his lips which only resulted in a nod from Valen.
When the pair entered the reception area, Alia's body grew tense when she was met with dozens of hard-eyed warriors who had daggers strapped to their thighs and torsos. Valen paid them no mind, of course, and his body moved between them as if parting a sea. Conversations fell silent, eyes eagerly trying to memorise the sight of the General whilst Alia held onto his hand and followed behind him.
"I need a volunteer," Valen states, hands behind his back as he calmly assesses his Warriors.
Hands shoot into the air, faces excited at the prospect of being chosen. She tries to look for Yaro's face amongst the raised ring of arms, but then she realises that she would've smelled his scent by now. Her friend is probably off with their Gamma somewhere preparing for his new Title, which is something she plans on asking Valen about.
What does Yaro have to do before he can walk around with a General's Title on his back? Does he have to do further training before the responsibility truly falls on his shoulders? Or will he be forced to fend for himself after watching how the other Generals maintain their roles?
Alia glances back at Valen, hands still fidgeting at her sides. She quickly averts her gaze, cheeks warming whilst she fights back a smile.
He's staring right at her.
Never will she tire of the way his attention makes her feel. It's as if he doesn't care about any of the other wolves' raised hands, and it makes her skin warm even more. She looks at him again, and then she notes the question in his gaze:
Does she want to volunteer?
Part of her wants to hide amongst the Warriors and keep away from such attention, whilst another part of her wants to raise her hand and let Valen do what he wants to her. But... she's a novice when it comes to all of this, so it'd probably be best if she stays out of the limelight for the time being.
Blatant favouritism so early on in her career as a ranked Untitled would only hinder her relationship with the other wolves, no matter how much she enjoys it. They'd grow to envy her, hate her, and she's not ready to face such bitter emotions from wolves she hasn't even properly met.
