His Territory (Old Version)

Four

Four (Edited)

        Dilly-dallying for a few minutes, I finally work up the nerve to pry my butt up off of the tiled floor then make my way outside. I'm woman enough to own up to my mistake. My insecurities are getting the best of me and I need to realize that Colton is meant for me. The goddess put us together for a reason and even though it's hard to adjust, it's necessary. Werewolves hardly ever find their mates nowadays so for me to be complaining is basically sacrilege.

        I follow my heightened sense of smell to an opening in the forest that is covered in Colton's scent- a mixture of pine, musk, and his laundry detergent. The woods have always kept me calm and it's even more comforting to know that Colton is somewhere in there. After my dad died I would always lay in the woods that my backyard (and everyone else's) consisted of while I stared up at the sky through the tall trees. Sometimes I'd even fall asleep under my favorite big pine tree that had little pricks in it to keep track of how much Smith and I grew over the years. When I disappeared for hours at a time it would always cause my mom to worry about me, but I simply loved the peaceful atmosphere of the forest and it also made me feel more connected to my father.

        Stepping through the trees, I don't bother with shoes since I'm used to the hardened ground on my bare feet, and follow his scent further and further inside. It's a nice, fresh morning to be outside and I can see the sun rising from the east. Unfortunately, I have no idea how I'm going to find Colton. It's times like these that I wish I could turn into my wolf. Only wolves with a title are afforded that privilege. Other wolves only have enough strength to change during the full moon since that's when we're most connected with our goddess. All of the men will go out into the forest on that night and hunt for food that will satisfy their wolf as well as bring some home for their mates and children if they have any. Of course, if the male child isn't of age to shift then they aren't allowed to go with their superiors. All werewolves make the change when they're sixteen on the night of their first full moon. It's a huge deal for the family and the young wolf. Our kind can also only get pregnant with pups on a full moon since that's when females are in heat. I quickly wipe that thought out of my head so I don't have to think about it. I know I'm going to have to tell him soon but I don't know how, or when, for that matter.

        I shake my head to dispel that disturbing thought. I hate the fact that humans can get pregnant so easily while we have to do it on a certain day. It stinks but that's one of the many reasons why humans can never find out about us. If a human were to discover the werewolf community they would probably scream 'sexist' at the way we live. They just don't understand that men are meant to protect their daughters and mates which means certain things, like the hunt, we shouldn't do. When something happens to a males family, mate or not, it drives them clinically insane with guilt.

        A rustling noise in the bushes ahead of me pulls me out of my thoughts and I come to a halt. "Colton? Is that you?" I call out. This is totally horror movie-ish but, then again, I'm literally a creature some horror movies are based around. Hopefully the horror movie rules don't apply to the actual monsters when they're put in the "damsel in distress" position. This is probably a stupid trick that Colton is playing on me which is totally rude considering I came out here to apologize to his dumb face.

        A figure emerges out from behind one of the many spruce trees and I breathe out a sigh of relief. Colton walks toward me with a pair of cut off jean shorts on but stops about fifteen feet in front of me. He gives me a questioning look and all of a sudden what feels like an electrical zap goes through me as I stare into his blue eyes that, for some strange reason, have more of a greenish tint than I remember.

        Colton stumbles back and I give him a curious glance. I mean, yeah, that little zap was a little weird, but we're mates so it's probably just something that happens, right? Just a side effect of having found your mate just twenty four hours prior to this.

        "Are you all right, Colton? I'm sorry if I startled you, but I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for earlier..." I trail off as his eyes become more and more intense, like he's studying me, calculating my every move. Maybe this isn't such a good idea. I'm actually feeling fear right now, and he's my own mate! There's definitely something wrong. Is this what it feels like when an animal is getting ready to become the ultimate predator? Is his wolf now in control?

        His pink lips lift into a smirk then he tilts his head in a devious manor. Yeah, this definitely reminds me of a predator waiting to pounce on its prey, and I am his target!

        "I'm perfectly fine, sweetheart. You've made me the happiest wolf on the planet," he says with a sickeningly sweet grin.

        I give him a wary smile and nod, "Uh, thanks... I guess."

        Colton starts walking over to me but our heightened senses pick up the sound of something from our right hand side running full speed towards us and he pauses mid-step.

        "I'll go and check that out real quick," he says abruptly then disappears into the densely wooded area to go investigate the noise.

        Five minutes pass and a massive white wolf comes into the clearing. My body instantly recognizes the wolf as Colton and I smile at him. His wolf is absolutely breathtaking. Colton's fur shimmers in the new light of day and I wish I could stand here and be mesmerized by him for hours on end.

        He looks at me with angry, bright yellow eyes then trots behind a tree and comes out with a pair of green camouflage army shorts on.

        "What the hell are you doing out here, Cassia? Do you even realize the danger you've put yourself in? What if there were nomad wolves running around in my territory?!" he shouts. I look at him in confusion for the second time today. Didn't I just try and explain this to him a couple of minutes ago?

        "I already told you that I came out here to apologize to you. Colton, you're acting really weird. We just had this conversation, like, five minutes ago, remember? You were totally fine with me being out here!" I can't believe him right now!

        "What are you talking about? I just found you," he says in frustration, staring at me like I have totally lost my marbles.

        "Um, no. We were having a conversation, you heard something in the woods so you wanted to check it out, and then you came back. How can you not recall that?" I throw my hands up in exasperation. This wolf is skating on some seriously thin ice with me.

        He keeps on glancing at me like I'm crazy so I roll my eyes and storm off. "This is not a funny joke, you jerk." I throw over my shoulder.

        I cannot believe him! I come out here to apologize for my mistake and he decides to play a joke on me? What an idiot!

        "Cassia, I'm being dead serious right now. I have no idea what you're talking about," he pleads.

        I whirl around without delay and glare at him. "How is that possible? Do you have short term memory loss? Did you hit your head on a rock or something?"

        He gives me a sheepish smile and shrugs, making me even more angry. And I actually thought we taking were one step forward today, but instead it's two steps back!

(A/N: So this chapter is short and makes me sad but I had to put it up! I feel so bad for not updating in a really long time! I've had so much to do and so little time. I even typed this on my phone because that's how bad I felt. Unfortunately, that also means there are probably loads of typos and other things. I'll fix it when I get back onto my computer! Deal? Deal! Other than that, thank you all SO MUCH for the reads and votes!! 1.4k reads and 77 votes! That is so amazing! I love you!)