Chapter 10: What the …

Alice’s Point of view


Lost. Completely lost. 
Elliot managed to get away without being seen and I am relieved. Not because I'm worried about him but because I would have been asked what I was doing with him and it would have been a disaster.
*"That's it. If you keep saying it, you might end up convincing yourself."* Cassie says in a mocking tone.
*"You, don't mess with me."* 
She rolls her eyes. *"How much longer are you going to sulk?"*
*"The problem is we have no way of knowing who hired the rogues...."*
*"Alice?"*
*"...and I don't understand why they didn't kill us. It's not their type to ask questions."* 
*"Aaaaaaliiiiiiice?!"* Cassie gets impatient but I ignore her.
*"Maybe we can trace their movements. Barbie had Louboutins, and if she bought them in the city and used her credit card, maybe we can find out who she is, where she's from and ..."*
*"ENOUGH! I'm tired of you avoiding the subject. You're mad at me because you liked being in his arms but you don't want him all because of some ego thing!"*
*"It's not ego! And it's impossible anyway. He's a Red and if dad doesn't kill him, Alpha Mark will rip my head off. No union is possible and you know it."*
*"Have faith in the Moon Goddess."*
*"She made a mistake."*
*"She never makes mistakes."*
*"Then she's just cruel."*
She growls. *"You shouldn't insult the person who gave you such an amazing mate. Our names, the complementary color of our furs, it's too big. Too much. She never does that. She's trying to tell us something and I'm sure whatever it is, it's essential for us to be with Elliot."*
I shake my head. We won't agree on this. Finishing up some work for the pack, I don't realize I've fallen asleep and am dreaming of either a black wolf or a man with reddish-brown hair and piercing green eyes.
****

"Wake up!!!" Sam yells, shaking me violently.
I wake up with a start, thinking the pack is under attack before I see him roll about laughing.
"Sam, that's not nice." Says Melanie behind him. "Get ready Alice, our very first class is in an hour. I'm so excited! Finally, we get to go to college!" She says as she jumped up and down.
Ah yes. College. I had completely forgotten about it. I was so happy to be able to go there but now it seems futile. 
Cassie, on the other hand, can't stand it anymore, too happy to see Elliot again. 
"You look bad." Melanie says to me. "You need to rest, it's important. The pack stuff can wait a little while."
"Or maybe she spent the night partying!" Sam teases me. "So you finally found someone?" He says jokingly, but when they see my face, they understand that something is wrong.
"You've really found someone?" Sam asks, bewildered. "Who is he? Do we know him? How long has it been? Is it serious?" He asks me without even catching his breath.
"You found your mate, right?" Melanie asks softly.
"No, I didn't. Let me get ready if you don't want us to be late." And I leave to lock myself in my bathroom. Not wanting to hear them whispering, I decide to take a shower to forget what awaits me.
As soon as I arrive at the college, I feel his gaze on me and I have to force myself not to look for him. 
By entering the building, we are greeted by the members of our pack and the Reds throw us looks full of hatred.
"Hello to you too." Says Sam, all smiles. "We are so eager to spend the next few years with you!"
"Sam, let it go." I throw. He looks at me, surprised.
"Leave them alone?"
"Yes. I don't want to start a fight here. It's not worth it."
Melanie and Sam look at each other in shock.
"Do you know that you're our future Alpha? The one who's going to protect us from them and win this war for us?" Says Melanie.  
"I don't know who is the guy you spend your nights with, but he's making you soft." Adds Sam.
He doesn't know he is right, but to keep my secret, I look for an excuse.
"I don't get soft, but how can we pretend to be better than them if we provoke them? If it gets out of hand here, I refuse to let it be because of us. Get the message out to everyone."
The day goes on and Cassie becomes restless. I never thought it would be such a calvary to have a mate. She needs to see him and because of the mate bond, so do I.
Towards the end of the day, the perfect excuse to leave Sam and Melanie and go look for him presents itself.
I chase after my alibi as she walks away, laughing.
"Rose!"
A young blonde girl with blue eyes turns to look at me, smiling. She's a Silver who was in the same school as me last year and we became friends.
Okay, I don't know her very well but we talk a few times and she's really nice.
"Happy birthday Rose!"
Her smile widens. "Thank you, Alpha Alice!"
"I already told you to just call me Alice! How are you? What are you doing here?"
She laughs. "17 years old is amazing! I was born at 11 p.m so my wolf isn't awake yet so I have time and I came to see my big sister. I have to admit I'm a little scared of my first shift." She hesitates. "What was it like for you?"
I laugh. "Hell. Let's be honest, the first time the pain is unbearable but I swear it's worth it. Don't fight the shift. It doesn't do anything but lengthen your suffering. I held to Cassie who guided me and I imagined myself as a wolf. And when you want to become human again, imagine yourself on two legs. It helps a lot."
She smiles at me, looking relieved. "Thank you for your honesty. I asked my sister about it and she said it didn't hurt that much, but it seemed like she was lying. I hope that like her I will find my mate right away."
I try to cut the conversation short but Rose likes to talk and I spend another 10 minutes trying to reassure her about her shift and listen to her fantasy about meeting her mate that she has always dreamed of and idealized.
After separating, I start hunting for my target. I finally catch his delicious smell, a mixture of caramel and honey and follow it. The closer I get, the more I salivate. 
Finally, I spot him in the distance, sitting at a table outside with two other men. One is tall and muscular while the other is thinner but no less athletic. Both are very handsome but not as much as Elliot.
Under the sun, the red in his hair seems to blaze. I see him laugh and my heart stops. 
*"Are you going to tell me you don't feel anything right now?"* Cassie argues.
*"I didn't say I didn't feel anything. I just don't want him."*
*"Liar!"*
I cut off the communication between her and me the moment his eyes meet mine. I signal him to follow me and go into the forest behind the building. 
He joins me a few minutes later. He doesn't say anything and just looks at me. Not able to bear this silence, I try to start a conversation.
"How are you? Have your wounds healed?"
He doesn't answer me for a long time. "Yes. Yours?"
"Yes."
The silence falls again. "I've been thinking about it and I might have a lead. The blonde had expensive shoes and I thought we could go to the store in town. Maybe we'll find something."
He chuckles, shaking his head. 
"What? It's better than nothing."
"You're unbelievable. You ignore me all day and when you finally deign to talk to me it's to tell me this?" He says through his teeth.
I frown. "What did you think it was for?"
He sighs, exasperates. "You know what? Just forget it." As he walks away, I catch up with him.
"Wait! Don't you want to come with me to the store?"
"You can go by yourself since you don't need me."
I stop dead in my tracks. 
"We're a team, you and me. We agreed."
"Just ask Derek." He says, spitting out his name.
I sigh. "I already told you, nothing is going on between me and him."
"Stop lying!" He interrupts me. "I heard Derek talking about it earlier. Apparently, the mating ceremony is in two months. Congratulations. I hope you'll be happy together." 
I stand in shock. What the hell is this? That my dad and Alpha Jack are trying to get our packs together is one thing, but I didn't think Derek knew about it. 
"Alice?" I see Elliot wave his hand in front of my face, looking worried. 
I shake my head to get my head straight. "You...you must have misunderstood. There's no other possible explanation."
"I assure you it was very clear." He hesitates. "Alice ..."
"What the hell?!"
In the next second, he is flanked by the two boys he was laughing with earlier. Arms crossed, they glare at me. "What is she doing here?" Asks the more muscular one. 
"Owen, calm down!" Elliot growls.
"Hey, what's going on here?"
I close my eyes and sigh. Great, really great.
I turn around and see Sam and Melanie walking towards me looking very upset. But as they get to our level everyone freezes.
"Mate."
"Mate!"
"Mate."