Ivory

TWELVE*

Brettly

I felt drained. Everything felt like it took too much effort to do. Especially waking up. Not that I actually enjoyed waking up to begin with.

It wasn't because I was lazy or anything like that, I just preferred my dreams where I would be with her. My mate, my better half and everything that kept me going. But when I woke up it wasn't Marguerite that was sleeping beside me. It wasn't her beautiful face that I woke up to every morning.

For four years it hadn't bothered me, but when we came into Ivory Sun territory my wolf had been edgy. For second I thought I smelt something. The scent that had haunted me in my sleep and it had always been just out of my reach. But it was gone so fast I thought that it was my imagination playing tricks on me again.

The first time I saw Brooke I was surprised. She was so small and looked so fragile that there could be no way that she was the powerful warrior wolf that had been rumoured around the pack system. But how everyone respected her showed that she was who everyone had been talking about. I hadn't even noticed that she was there until she walked out of the corner; I couldn't even smell her, which was rare. She could mask her entire scent from everyone, usual they can only mask a little bit of how they smell and it was normally only rogues who have the skill.

When we arrived back at the pack house Austin was acting weird and sad, and I couldn't understand why. From what I knew he hadn't met anyone there. Except for that one girl with the red hair but I didn't know how they knew each other. It was in my job jar after I shook off whatever I was feeling to ask what was bugging him.

My dad and our Luna met us at the door when we arrived, but I wasn't ready to face either of them. Images of my mate continued to dance in my head and I didn't like it. She was everywhere, beautiful and goddess-like as ever. But the worse apart most of my memories of her was that she was always terrified of me.

Instead of walking to the door and kissing my Luna like they expected, I turned and ran towards the forest. I shifted and continued to speed away, as far as I could from them. I tried to run faster than my memory, but all those years seemed to be catching up with me, all the times that I had hurt her or made her feel small chased me faster than I could run.

Dammit, I missed her. I missed the way that she would always be around, the way that she brushed her long hair away from her face, how her eyes used to dance when she thought something was funny but was too scared to make any sound. I missed how we used to be. How we were in the picture, happy and carefree. None of this shit had happened and she was still here. Maybe if it didn't happen she would be here, but she wasn't and it was my fault.

Actually, no maybe. If I hadn't done that, been afraid of my emotions, none of this would have happened; she would be here and else would be living happily ever after. But I guess it wasn't meant to be. She was never meant to be my mate.

My wolf whimpered and began to slow down. He didn't like the way I was thinking, and frankly, neither did I. I needed her. And I don't care what anyone has to say about it, because she's been mine since we were four and no one is keeping us apart any longer.

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

The cars pulled into the driveway and the pack lumbered out. I stayed behind in the truck as Austin and my third, Keith climbed out and joined everyone else. Somehow I couldn't make my feet move and take me into the car. Why wouldn't my body move?

Suddenly my wolf was on high alert, my senses heightened and my vision became sharper. I had no idea what was going on until I smelt it. Or more accurately, her. I knew that scent, black velvet apricot. It was enough to get me out of the car and sprinting towards the source. It was close and it was her. She was back and my wolf was in pure bliss. As was I.