Gray Valley

t w e n t y - f i v e

DISASTER CAME CRASHING DOWN THE VERY NEXT DAY. It came in the form Martyn, who frantically raced into my bedroom and immediately froze, clearly regretting the fact that he had barged in unannounced.

"By Luna, I'm sorry, Alpha," he apologised at once. I wasn't in a bad state or anything, but I was still in my bed, snuggled among the sheets with my short hair looking wildly tangled. Generally speaking, it wasn't the best idea to wake up a tired and sleepy girl, but I was a morning person and had been awake for a whole hour, staring at the sun rise outside my window.

"It's fine, Martyn. I was already awake," I assured him. "And in the future, if it's an emergency, feel free to wake me up, barge in or whatever. I won't hate on you for it. But please don't call me Alpha. You're my friend and Liam's... Just stick with Weslyn."

"Of course," he nodded, still looling extremely nervous.

"I can see that you're anxious for some reason, Martyn. So don't try and hide it. Tell me what it is."

"The Brown Wolf Pack's Alpha wishes to see you," he managed. "He wants to make arrangements for a meeting to discuss and possibly come to an agreement about both packs."

"Where's this coming from? The Brown Wolf Alpha couldn't have randomly decided this."

"He had a... Compromise with West for about five or so years. Even if you have to make a few adjustments, he wants to keep it the same."

"And what was this agreement about?"

"You'll have to ask West or Bryan; I don't know the details..." he admitted. "But trust me, Weslyn, it's definitely not what you would want to agree to."

"When did he want to meet me?"

"There's a little problem with that," he told me. "The Alpha, Lucian Bronze, has fallen ill... So he is unable to meet you."

"Ill?" I demanded, narrowing my eyes. "I thought Werewolves didn't get ill or anything." Over the past years, I had never recalled getting a mere cold or virus.

"Brown Wolves aren't exactly like us... But you're right, they don't exactly fall ill. It's a little different. Because they're unnatural, Brown Wolves have a shorter life span. Around 40 years of age; maybe even late 30s... They become ill. They physically weaken and also gradually lose there sanity. Often the ill Werewolf would be put down... because the most merciful thing to do, in that situation, is to kill them before the illness gets too severe."

"That's..."

"I know," he agreed. "It's something I would never be able to do, even if someone I love is suffering."

"I'm just... It scares me. Because, I just realised that one day, it's what we'll have to do to Bryan and Anna." Hurt flashed across his face as I mentioned their names. "What's wrong, Martyn?" He swallowed painfully, before replying to me.

"No, it's nothing," he assured me. "The Bronze Pack Beta, who is the next in line to be Alpha, will be the one to see you... Tonight."

"I will talk to him," I answered. "Even if it's just forming an alliance... It will be valuable."

"Weslyn, you don't understand..." he murmured. "If someone comes, they will take them away."

"Who?" Who was Martyn talking about.

"Bryan... And Anna."

"I won't let anyone take them away," I said.

"No, you don't understand. Anna love West. And Bryan..." His voice trailed off and I gave him a confused glance. Martyn took a deep breath to compose himself. "Haven't you wondered why I don't have a mate?"

"I just thought you hadn't met her yet," I replied truthfully. Gray Wolves could sense their mates from birth, but not if they were somewhere else. I thought that was the case for Martyn. He chuckled darkly at my answer.

"That's actually what I told William," he admitted, a sad smile on his face.

"For the love of Luna, It's not the truth, is it?" I asked, detecting the tone of his voice. "You already have a mate, don you?"

"I didn't think anyone would understand; not even William. But that was until I met you, Weslyn. I believe in you. I believe that you will understand me."

"I will, Martyn," I replied. "I will do everything I can to try and understand you."

"I think you will try," he told me. "But even you may not understand why I must love my mate no matter who they are."

"I get it. Liam-"

"Will is different. There's nothing keeping you apart... Not everyone is as lucky," he sighed. "Because, it's like I'm cursed, Weslyn. No one would understand my soulmate bond. I'm not even sure how you, of all people, would react if I told you that my mate is a Brown Wolf."

"Anna?" I asked, shocked.

"Bryanna?" He smiled sadly in response. "If it was her, it wouldn't be anywhere near as complicated."

For a minute, I was blank... Before everything came crashing back down, forcing me into reality.

"Bryan..."