Waves

The familiar taste of bile dances on my tongue, wincing. I struggle to open my eyes, the light almost too much to bear as I struggle to adjust.

With each breath I can feel my chest rattle, my lungs struggling to take in any air. I can hear muffled voices around me and there’s a heavyweight across my legs, I want to push it off.

I need to get up and get out of here, the panic in me starts to rise from my stomach. Flashbacks of the forest darting in and out of my mind.

The realisation sinks in that maybe we were caught, is that where I am now?. Has someone captured us ?.
I remember Ildi and Selene using all of my strength. I force my eyes to open, I have to get to them, I have to keep them safe.

The light is blinding but I don’t care, I push myself up and see the weight in my legs was a thick blanket, it looked like some kind of fur. A thousand thoughts spring in my mind, what if it's a wolf ?.

Refocusing I push them off and swing my legs off the side of the bed, as soon as I try to stand I drop back down to the floor letting out a scream when unbearable pain tears from my ankle and up my leg.

The door swings open and I realise I should have stayed quiet as a large shadow stalks the doorway. He doesn’t move, he just watches me, his fists clenching open and closed.

I growl his way ready to shift if I have to, I've no idea what real state I’m in but I know I'll fight to stay alive if I have to.

He lets out a low chuckle before stepping inside the room, the light flooding his structured face, the harsh lines of his jaw. All at once, it’s like I can’t breathe but it’s not from panic. From the half of his face, I can see he was beautiful.

As I study his face more, the light slowly reaching his eyes, it dawns on me who it is.

Ivar.

Releasing the breath I was holding it goes nowhere as a new feeling of urgency blossoms from my chest. I have to get away from him, he’s Salvi’s mate and if he is here that means she is. That can only mean bad things for Selene.

I push myself back up off the floor, hopping backwards until my back reaches the cold stonewall of the room. He takes a step and I once again let out a growl warning him to stay back from me.

*” You know you could be a little more polite, I did just save you”*

The sound of his voice startles me, it's softer and somehow thicker than the times I have heard him speak before.

He steps closer to me once again, but I move to plant my back firmly on the other wall.

“What do you mean, what are you talking about “

His lips curve into a half-smile. Is he toying with me, is that’s what’s happening right now.

*” Well I thought saving you was pretty self-explanatory but apparently not”*

He stops edging closer to me now and instead takes a seat on the edge of the makeshift bed I was just laid on. He breathes deeply and runs a hand through his hair. I can’t help but notice the way his arm muscles stretch his shirt when he moves, the way his chest rises and falls as a breath. I can feel my face flushing, what’s gotten into me.

I shake the thoughts from my mind and go back to staring at him, when I look up at him I find he is staring at me too.

“What are you doing here, where are Ildi and Selene?”

His jaw clenches for a split second then relaxes again.

*“They are safe, there in the other room”*

“I don’t understand. What are you doing here ?”

I can feel my back pressed against the way, I thought it was the cold brick making me shiver but it’s his eyes. They are still focused on me and it's intense.

*” I’m here because you are”*

“That’s not an answer, and if you’re here then that means Salvi isn’t far “

Before I could release the breath I was holding him in front of me, arms at either side of me blocking me from moving.

A wave of panic sets in again but this time it’s mixed with something else, the smell of him is almost intoxicating, the pine and cedar scent making my knees weak.

*” She isn’t with me”*

His tone was icy and I sensed the harshness in his words, I didn't understand it. She was his mate and somehow he seemed angry. I had mentioned to her that I had asked where she was.

“I don’t unde..”
Before I can finish there’s a knock at the door, his head snaps around the door and he moves away from the heat I felt from his body now gone, I can’t help but mourn the distance between us.

**” Great you awake, we need to get going”**

Selene ignores Ivar and comes directly before me, there’s caution in her eyes and I know she wants to get out of here just as much as I do.

She grabs my hand and heads towards the door, dragging me along.

*” You can’t leave”*

Ivar is standing in the doorway blocking both of us from leaving, I can feel the heat rising from Selene and her eyes are fixated on him.

**” I wasn’t asking for permission, and besides we have spoken about this Ivar I told you the moment she wakes up we are leaving.”**

*” You can’t leave Salvi will know you hear the second you step foot outside”*

**” You know I’ve been racking my brains”**

Selene takes a step forward so she is nose to nose with Ivar. I can feel her aura radiating. It’s not often someone is powerful enough to go toe to toe with Ivar but I know she is about to.

**” I can’t work it out. Why are you here?. I mean yes you said you wanted to help your brother but Salvi is your mate. So why are you here helping”**

*” Ildi is my brother I don’t want to see harm come to him and he chose to do something idiotic”*

**” And that’s the only reason?”**

She raises her brow at him and for a second he seems to like it’s going to back away but he doesn’t, instead, he faces off against her and tightens his jaw.

He’s about to say something but he seems to hold back and instead he steps to the side and lets us both pass.

As I walk past I could swear I heard him let out a growl, I force myself not to turn around as I feel the heat ride to my cheeks as I know his eyes are still focused on me

We head into another room and Ildi is sat on the sofa, his arms resting on his knees and his face buried in his palms.

Out the sound of our footsteps he looks up, his eyes widen at the sight of me.

**”*Thank the moongoddess your awake*”**

**” Yeah she's awake now let’s get out of here, this place gives me the creeps “**

“Speaking of where is this place and also why is Ivar here ?”

**”*I called him when you passed out we needed help and I took a chance. Something told me he would come here for you*”**

“What are you talking about, Why on earth would he come for me?”

**”*I've mentioned it before to you, he is different around you I see it in his eyes he struggles. When he is with Salvi he has this blank look in his eyes but when you’re around… I don’t know I see a slight change in him*”**

I don’t know why but Ildi's Words irk me, the only time I’ve ever spoken to Ivar he’s been a total ass and as for looking at me weird he always looks like a death stare.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Ildi but that was a fucking big risk don’t you think. I mean what if he had come and he bought the entire pack with him moreover what if he had come and he is pretending to help us out only yo turn on us the second he has chance”

**”* I… well I just, I don’t know I thought he could help*”**

**” Look we can argue about this all you want but we need to go, whether or not your brother’s intentions are real doesn’t detract from the fact that we have something to get and the longer we are here the more time he has to back to Salvi and tell her we are on our way so how about we go”**

Neither of us speaks and I follow Selene out the door, the chill of the wind practically smacking me square in the face, I’m regretting not grabbing any kind of jacket.

We start walking away and then we hear the loudest growl coming from the house. Ildi stops and turns right away.

**”*Ivar*”**

The sound of the growl makes me want to run to him, it’s like he’s in pain and I’m drawn to him. I want to run back to him and embrace him with everything I have but the logical part of my brain tells me to stop.

**”*You both go ill go back to him*”**

There’s a heavy urgency to his voice, panic almost and then the sound of things breaking and crashing start resonating from the house.

**”*You both need to run … and fast*”**
Selene looks at me and we both know what to do, shifting into our wolves we head for the trees and run as fast as we can away from Ildi and the house. I don’t know what’s going on with Ivar but it cant is good and somehow I’m torn between keeping moving and turning back and rushing to him.

As we run I notice the shimmer to Selene’s fur, she has an emerald green shimmer and the tip of her ear is white just like the streak in her hair, she’s really quite beautiful and from her size, you can tell she is an Alpha.

I notice a small glowing tattoo on her as well I make a mental note to ask her about it. We are moving fast and then suddenly another growl erupts from the behind us. I’m guessing Ildi couldn’t keep him back for that long.

I begin to recognise where I am and seemingly so does Selene, the two of us duck into the small overcrowded area of bushes, that path that is going to lead us directly back into the house.

As we make it back into the house, Selene eventually stops and both of us shift back and take a breath. She heads to the corner and pulls out a small bag.

**” Cynthia and I left this here when we came to get Artemis. I guess we never got time to come back and get it”**

She chucks a pair of leggings and a T-shirt at me. We both get changed and Selene starts talking.

**” You know I think that we should wait before we enter the house, I know that we said we wanted to go right away but with Ivar knowing we are here we could walk right into a trap. We should wait it out, at least for the night”**

I nod in agreement, but my mind is focused on Ivar. Why did he come to help us, he is so in love with Salvi and doing this to her could tear them apart.

He seemed different earlier, the sound of his voice, his body language towards me. It was like he was seeing me for the first time, It didn’t make any sense though.

Why was I so intoxicated by his scent and why have I never smelt it before, ive been around him countless times and I’ve never noticed.

Nothing was making sense to me, and I couldn’t get him out of my mind. I was struggling to even focus on why I had come here with Selene.

Selene and I remain silent and still as we focus on masking out scents, thoughts of Ivar taking up every moment of Silence.