The Cursed Gift | B1 [EDITING]

25 | Avoiding Destiny

It had been several weeks since Ryder's birthday, and the pesky seventeen year old was still avoiding any discussion related to their current predicament.

It as almost as if it never happened at all. At least not to the people around them. Being kept tight-lipped and almost forgotten about.

Almost.

Things were starting to become strained between them, however.

Alisa would never admit it but whenever he wasn't around, she felt half of herself trying to tug her being to him. She knew it was mostly her wolf, who spoke little but always in small ways when it was necessary.

In her desperate attempt to avoid him once again, she'd found herself in the library, nose deep in the books once more.

If she couldn't solve their little problem, she would just have to solve the other one that was more pressing, concerning the very prophecy that was everybody's warning.

A looming war was much easier to focus on.

"You know hiding in here isn't the greatest plan; I always know you come here. You can't just avoid me. It has been weeks, Ali."

The nickname tugged at her heart once again and the smell engulfed her senses. The deep sounding of his voice lulled her into a sense of safety.

Part of her was desperate to fight it at all costs, however.

"I won't stop avoiding destiny until it goes away all together," she quipped back after a silent moment as she took a breath to steady her pounding heart.

"That isn't going to do either of us any good. I can't sleep, I can't eat... We have to cement the bond," Ryder insisted with urgency, his eyes betraying his soul and the desperation inside.

The bond was clearly troubling him in more ways than her.

His normally bright eyes were dull and the bags under his eyes were black, indicating he really wasn't sleeping quite right anymore.

Skin that used to be tan seemed rather pale and blotchy like little rashes across his arms and neck.

Absentmindedly, Ryder began scratching his sores and some began to bleed but he hardly noticed nor cared at all.

There were more important things to him.

"My wolf is going crazy and I bet yours is too," he added, quickly as he licked his dry chapped lips.

This was the closest they had been in weeks and they were still six inches apart. The closeness seemed to only improve and worsen things for them.

"I don't know why, I'm not having any issues," Alisa commented with firm disagreement as she bit down softly on her bottom lip with hope that her lie was covered smoothly.

Lately, she had been feeling slight discomfort when being apart from the young man but she was determined to fight the mate bond at all costs.

A bond that used to be nonexistent for her.

Something the witches would laugh at because of how weak it made its' people. A fact they knew but also dismissed because of how silly it all seemed to the ones who lacked the most basic of emotions.

Besides, to her, there just wasn't any time for mating while there was a war brewing just outside of the pack territory lines.

The danger seemed incredibly real and far more pressing than trivial things such as love itself.

"That's because you're new to being a wolf,"
Ryder started but faltered, sighing midway and decided on using a different tactic.

The young wolf came to sit next to her on the old wooden bench that was made out of pine wood. These wood pieces came from the very forest trees that surrounded Snake's Canyon.