Different (Currently Rewriting)

Chapter 3

Rewritten and partially edited.

Mate.

The word didn't register in my head for a good couple of seconds. I stood there, staring at the pitch black wolf that stood before me. It also kept its eyes on me. My eyes widened as I finally realized what he was to me. He noticed my realization and flashed me a wolfy grin. It wasn't comforting like some might think, it was one that sent chills down my spine and throughout the rest of my being.

I looked deep into his eyes, finding a swirl of all kinds of emotions. Before I could try to figure out what emotions they were, the swirl went away at the sound of rattling in the bushes behind him. He didn't turn around; he knew what it was. Three other wolves came out from behind the bushes. One stepped closer than the others, greeting me with a menacing growl.

My mate shifted back into his human form. I gulped, knowing that if I looked any further downward, I would be met with something I did not want to see. He lifted a finger towards the wolf that was aggressively advancing towards me, making it pause. "Stop." 

The wolf did as he was told and stepped back, reuniting himself with the rest of his buddies. His eyes narrowed as he stared at me warily. 

As my mate turned to address me, a confused look crossed my face. I knew him from somewhere. Where did I know him from is the question. No matter how hard I tried to identify him, I couldn't place my finger on it. 

A sly smirk spread across his lips and he pointed a finger in my direction. "You… you don't know who I am, do you?" Even with the amusement that underlined his words, his voice held authority, informing me that it was not a wise idea to mess with him.

I knew what he was to me, but I'm sure that isn't what he meant. The way he spoke demanded respect. That gave me a clue; he was known all over the werewolf world. The question was still clawing at my brain, where do I know him from? 

I took in his features. His eyes were the first to grasp my attention. I was about seven feet from him and from what I could see, his eyes were a bright, rich, sapphire blue color. In fact, they were so bright, that they almost seemed fake. I knew for a fact that they weren't. The next thing that caught my eye was his hair. It was pitch black; so black, that it swallowed any light that came in contact with it. It even blended with the darkness behind him. My eyes drifted past his defined cheekbones and plump, pink lips. My eyes landed on his jaw line. It was incredibly sharp. I knew that if I ran my hand across it, it was inevitable that I would be left with a flesh wound.

In the midst of analyzing my mate without an ounce of shame, I started to piece the puzzle together. The sapphire blue eyes, black hair, defined features; it all seemed so familiar. I have seen pictures of this guy; and the more I thought about it, the more it came together. One last look at his eyes cleared everything up for me. My mate was the most feared Alpha on the face of the planet:

Alpha Orion Bloodmoon.

The blood drained from my face upon my realization. His sly smirk that was already on his face deepened. 

"Shift," he commanded me. I didn't miss the cold, hard tone he laced his words with; nor did I miss the look he gave me. The emotion that was in his eyes only moments before was now gone, leaving emptiness in its wake.

I hesitated, not liking the idea of being left naked in front of four men. The Alpha before me must've sensed my uncertainty because he extended his hand towards the wolves behind him. One of them stepped forward and I noticed that he had some clothes in his mouth. He dropped them into his alpha's hand and took some steps back, resuming the position he was previously in.