Unwanted Mates

Chapter 7: "My wolf"

Mikkeli above

Hannah POV

One thing I must for sure appreciate during my stay here are the woods.

The pack's territory is so beautiful; the clearing, the lake, the trees, and the wooden houses of pack families are scattered around the territory. I can feel like home here.

Every morning since I came here, I've gone for a walk. It helps me clear my mind, it helps me concentrate later, and it helps me put myself together every morning. I miss the time that dad, Maddie, and the boys spent in the woods. We took Rosie on her first trip when she was half a year old. Daddy was carrying her in his backpack. Maddie was going first in her wolf form. She usually was in wolf form when we were in the woods; the boys loved snuggling into her, and so did Rosie and me. And it was safer with her wolf form; she was better at detecting danger. We have never encountered rogue, probably because boys were too young to attract predators, and Maddie's scent wasn't strong enough.

Mikkeli keeps telling me that my parents were stupid and we were in constant danger out there, but I've always felt safe with dad. He taught me to be tough and to be brave, but he also taught me that sometimes you have to make tough decisions and that it's OK to ask for help.

After what happened yesterday, as much as I don't want to admit it, I don't feel so sure that I don't need any help. I don't feel confident knowing what I'm doing with the boys. And Hayden cares about them, maybe even about Rosie. Or maybe I'm just deluded and should run away with them as far as I can.

I can hear a slight noise behind me. I don't have to turn around to know that it's him. I smirk, thinking I made a friend without knowing his name.

It happened exactly on our 4th day since we came here. I took Rosie into the woods and to the lake so that we could relax a little bit. She had slept on my lap pretty soon, and I was enjoying the silence when I saw him.

He was huge, much bigger than Maddie's wolf, so my guess was that he must've been relatively high-ranking in the pack. His fur was almost gold with very beautiful specks of brown in his pelt, and he was so beautiful. He was standing at the edge of the wood looking at us, and I have no idea why but I smiled at him, and he jogged a little closer.

"Are you here to make sure we won't escape?" I asked, looking straight into his eyes.

I remembered that Maddie warned me not to look into the wolf's eyes directly, that it could be understood as a sign of challenge, but for some reason, I had just felt so safe with him.

I've kept seeing him almost every day since then. He had always known when I was alone in the forest or at the clearing, and he was always there every time he came closer and closer, and we used to spend some time in silence. Sometimes he was trotting around me, sometimes just lying very close and allowing me to pet his fur. Once or twice he licked me, and it was extremely comfortable.

The funny thing is I have no idea who he is, and I didn't try to ask Kyle, Rose, or Tony because I didn't want him to be in trouble with the Alpha. 

If his task was to watch me and he got caught on, it was so early I didn't want anybody to know. I didn't want him to be in trouble. I've seen how strict  Mikkeli has been with his warriors, and I saw what he had done with Andrew in my house, and I didn't want to have to see that again.

As always, he trots in my direction and sits near me, whimpering a little bit and trying to put his head on my lap. I allow him and start petting his head.

"Do you want me to feel better?" I ask, looking at him and smiling. "I wonder what your name is? Don't answer. I know you can't, my forest friend. And don't worry; I'm just a little bit sad today, but only a little bit. It's so beautiful here; your pack's territory is indeed amazing." I lay my head on him, and I close my eyes.