Soul Lines (Completed)

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten
Kaden's POV

Elle leant against the thick trunk of a scribbly gum tree, slow, calm breaths as she traced the zigzag patterns with the edge of her thumb. I had my head laid across her lap while the fingers of her other hand traced the crest of my head, bolts of joy cascading through my veins. Her scent was smoked with burnt eucalyptus branches, the sugary sweetness of honey infused with her regular perfume.

My body vibrated with elation, and my eyes drooped unwillingly as her fingers danced across my spine. I was utterly helpless to her. Her touch took the ache away that burned whenever she wasn't near. I would let her trace my veins with a silver-tipped knife so long as she continued to run her fingers down my back the way she did now.

I knew she was tired, but I was too selfish to turn and let her leave. I needed more time by her side. Our fleeting moments were no longer enough to stop the desire to hold her from consuming my thoughts. I couldn't tell her the truth, but I would catch every chance to be with her and cling to it. She stifled another yawn, and I guilty rolled my head, peering up at her as she studied her phone.

I hadn't expected to see her tonight.

The van had rumbled down the dirt road just before eight, childlike wonder caught in the eyes of the tourists as they pressed up against the windows. I'd thanked Selene that my father was fronting the welcome committee, watching from a distance as the doors opened with a whoosh and they descended upon the party. I'd barely had time to recognise the tantalising scent of her vanilla perfume as it floated through the air before she'd appeared, stepping down from the van with searching eyes.

Paralysed by the sight of her, I had found myself caught under her gaze. It felt like I had been held underwater, the sounds and sights around me muffled, paling compared to her. Her heart thudded in her chest when she saw me, and the words died on my lips.

Breathing was difficult with her gaze on me. It felt like she'd taken my lungs and squeezed the air out of them; nothing else mattered but her. I wanted to march over to her and demand that she give me back the air to breathe. My body trembled at the thought. But I had dug my heels into the ground and turned back to Rylan, struggling to remember what we'd been discussing.

I tried not to look at her again for the rest of the night. The pain of knowing she was close by tore at my chest, and thoughts of finding her looped through my head, bringing me to the edge of my sanity. It was hard. Occasionally, I'd catch a glimpse of her dancing or talking animatedly with my pack members, picking up discarded cans, or kissing Jacobi on the cheek.

Envy had struck then, watching him accept her affection without hesitance. I craved that kind of freedom, the freedom to dance with her or hold her in my arms. I had pleaded bitterly that it had been me she had walked up to and kissed, but I had brought it on myself.

I'd been so concerned with my focus on her that I noticed as soon as she left, but the fear of others finding out that she was my soulmate froze my feet to the ground, and I had spent a conflicted forty minutes debating when I could sneak off to follow after her.

When I broke away from the party, I dove into the darkened trees, where the fog rose into the air, dulling her scent. It was still easy for me to follow. I'd memorised her scent, and it mapped out her path like a neon string tied between us. It had been easier still to track her home, silently creeping behind her without drawing her attention.

It scared me.

Because what if it wasn't me following her the next time she explored the forest at night?

'Hey!' her laughter infiltrated my thoughts, and a shiver raced down my spine at the feeling of her hands running through my fur. 'Listen to this; she was tossed to the ground like a ragdoll, and then she heard it, the low rumbling growl as everyone in the room took a collective step back. "MINE!" he growled.'

She snickered, and I grunted, eyeing her phone, resentment festering in my throat.

I have always admired her interest in learning new things. It had fostered her interest in werewolves from a young age, even before she could read, and all she understood were the pictures. She'd read most of the library's collection on werewolves, and Jacobi had told me her bookshelves were stacked with books on myth and legends.

As she'd gotten older, her interest had diverted towards fanfiction, riddled with clichés and factual errors. Elle adored them more than any other internet trope and loved sharing them with me. I loved listening to her talk, but I was worried that the stories would taint her knowledge of my kind.

'Every time I see an author write the word 'mine' like that, and it's often, I think about the seagulls in Finding Nemo.'

An undignified snort burst from me, and I lowered my head back onto her lap. Her voice was soft and smooth as she continued to read the story aloud, leaving me with more questions than answers. Had she been kidnapped? Why was he so aggressive? Why was the alpha so reserved from the pack? Why was the alpha only seventeen? Where had their money come from?

I blew out a hot breath of air, frustrated by the story. I was desperate to prove to her that those clichés were wrong, to explain that the soul-line was nothing like her story. I didn't know how to tell her without showing her how it worked, but I wasn't brave enough to explain who I was.

Her voice fell away, and her brow furrowed as she stared at the screen. Her eyes darted back and forth over the same sentence repeatedly, and light burst from the back of her phone, blinding me.

My heart skittered, and panic ribbed me as I snarled away from her. I crouched in the trees, a few feet from her, blinking back the bright white that hazed my vision.

'Sorry!'

She turned the flashlight off, but it didn't help. Everything was painted in a white haze while little black dots bobbled around on the white canvas. I squinted, seeing her drop to her knees, crawling towards me slowly. When she reached me, she dug her fingers into my fur, drawing herself closer to me so she could gently press her forehead against mine.

She held me like that until the hackles on my back fell away, and I let out a shuddering breath. I grimaced, my reaction playing back like a movie, with the uneven sound of her heart skittering in her chest as the soundtrack. Self-loathing filled me at scaring her, and I wished I could turn back time.

'I'm so sorry.' She mumbled against my shoulder. 'That was my fault.'

She shivered, and I nudged her phone, desperate to know what had startled her. She pulled up a text message from Jacobi, who wondered why she hadn't called to let him know she was home. It was nearly six, and my chest tightened. I had to say goodbye, and as she walked away, it felt as though there was a piece of elastic between us that pulled out, tugging at my heart, and I felt cold in her absence.