Lonely No More [Werewolf Romance]

Chapter Eleven

~COPYRIGHT 2013~

*Ella's POV*

First semester is a drag. They put me in all of the required classes, which are like the ones I took in high school and have nothing to do with my major. No words could describe how bored I was in class today. I ended up taking all of the carnations Reed had given me and strung them into a wreath to put on my head.

With the flowers atop my head, I make my way to the courtyard for my lunch date with Reed. He is leaning on the big tree in the middle, a smile gracing his face.

"Good afternoon beautiful," he greets me with a kiss on the hand. "I'm glad to see you're wearing my flowers."

"They're beautiful. I love them," I respond.

"Good. Come on, let's go eat lunch."

He laces our fingers together and leads me away from the courtyard towards the woods. I pull at his arm and come to a stop.

"Where are we going?" I ask nervously.

"To eat," he smiles. "Don't worry. I'm not going to lure you into the woods to take advantage of you."

I blush and he chuckles, beginning to pull me into the woods. The soil below my feet feels familiar as I step. Then I understand. He's bringing me to our date spot for lunch.

When we get there, I immediately recognize the spot. It looks even more beautiful in the daytime. Birds are chirping and small animals are hopping around. There is a checkered blanket placed on the grass with a picnic basket next to it. Reed smiles at me and drags me over, plopping down onto the blanket. I join him and watch as he rifles through the basket.

"I hope you're hungry," he says, taking out container after container.

"Are you crazy? We can't eat this much!" I giggle.

"Well I don't know about you, but I can," he comments.

"Did you make all of this?" I question.

He looks down at the ground and shakes his head no. I can see a slight blush on his cheeks. Wow, is Alpha Reed Cummings really blushing?

"The pack cook did. She let me help though so I guess in a way I did sort of cook it all..." he trails off.

"Either way, I love it. Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me Ella. You're my mate. I'd go to the moon and back for you."

I bite my lip nervously and feel yet another blush adorn my cheeks.

"I love when you blush. It's beautiful," he says, brushing his hand over my cheek.

I snap out of it and shy away from his hand, clearing my throat.

"Um, well, everything looks delicious," I tell him.

"Um...yeah...let's eat," he replies awkwardly. "Take whatever you want."

He piles food onto his plate and begins to shovel it into his mouth. I take a plate and look around at all of the food. I pick a small spoonful of macaroni and a little bit of Caesar salad. As I begin to eat, Reed pauses.

"That's all you're going to have?" he asks.

"Uh, yeah, I'm not very hungry," I lie. In truth, I'm actually starving. But I don't want to risk him judging me and calling me "Eaty Ella" again.

"You know I can tell you're lying, right? I can sense your fear. Why are you so scared?"

"I...I have to head back. I don't want to be late for class," I rush out and stand up quickly.

I shift into my wolf and take off into the woods. I can hear a heavy set of paws pounding behind me, getting closer and closer by the second.

Suddenly I am taken down from behind, a yelp coming out of my snout. I can feel another wolf's body on top of me, his heavy breathing tickling my ear. I stay still for a moment as to not set him off and then gently turn around so I am facing him. His piercing eyes stare at me and I can tell he wants to say something. But of course not being mated, we don't have a link and it's not exactly easy to communicate in wolf form.

I let a snort out of my snout and shift back to my human form, tucking my bare body into his furry one. He nuzzles my neck and purrs. I sigh in contentment.

I don't even realize he has shifted back as well until his deep voice rumbles in my ear.

"Why did you run?" he wonders.

"I didn't want you to judge me," I reply, looking anywhere besides his eyes.

"Judge you for what?"

"I don't want to become "Eaty Ella" again..."

He growls. "El, I didn't mean to..."

"You thought that of me at one point, so who is to say you won't think it again?"

"I was stupid! I..." he trails off, not knowing what to say.

"See? You don't even know what to say! Clearly you thought that about me at the time. If you were my true mate, you would've thought I was beautiful even when I was younger and chubbier."

"You WERE beautiful! I just wasn't looking close enough!" he tries to defend himself.

"Save it Reed!" I yell, pushing him off of me.

Forgetting my insecurities for just a moment, I storm away, stark naked, back to the clearing where my clothes lay in pieces. Great. How am I supposed to get back to the dorms? Looks like I'll be walking out in my wolf form.

Reed is nowhere to be seen, but I can feel his gaze on me. I shift and run back to school. I'm done with him. His 20 day chance no longer exists as far as I'm concerned.

*Reed's POV*

I stumble back as she pushes me off of her, running back to the creek. I follow behind, watching her from a distance. She shifts into her wolf and heads back towards campus.

I sit in the meadow, letting a whine out. I have ruined our relationship by making fun of her in the past and these two dates were now considered nothing. I guess it's back to square one...

~COPYRIGHT 2013~