The Alpha Instinct

Chapter Eighteen: My Anchor, My Anger

People don't explain to you what it means to be marked or how it changes you entirely. The moment that Silver bitten me  he'd marked me as his and my whole world shifted on it's axis. The sky became the ground beneath my feet and I was in a constant state of falling. It wasn't until he left that I even realized Silver had become my anchor that held me firmly rooted in the world. Now that he was gone I felt as though I was adrift, being tossed about in the raging chaos of my new reality. Before Silver it had been my need to survive, my desire to make sure my family was avenged that anchored me but now I only seemed to care if Silver was alive, happy and healthy.

Silver. Silver. Silver. 

It was an endless loop of longing that constantly played in my mind and it was really starting to piss me off. It didn't matter that I didn't want to think about it—him. It didn't matter how hard I tried to fill my mind with other things, or how hard I tried to distract myself. He clung to the recesses of my mind as an unshakeable shadow.

I slammed my palms down on the counter making the people around me to jump in surprise, "Damn it!" 

"What did the counter ever do to you?" A voice chirped beside me. I turned my face quickly to see a girl giving me a cheeky smile. Her skin was darker in complexion and there was noticeable scar on her cheek but it only seemed to give an edgy look to femininity. She chuckled and shook her head causing her ebony waves to sway back and forth, "You must be Grace. We didn't get to meet when you were here before—"

I give her a tight lipped smile, "And you are?"

"Oh..." She smacked a flour covered palm to her forehead, "Must be the pregnancy hormones making me all scatterbrained. I'm Nadia. You've probably met my mate--Ryder." She holds her hand out towards me with the same cheeky smile plastered across her face. I eye her hand for a moment before shaking it, "Ah, well It's nice to meet you."

I slip my hand from hers and wipe it clean against my shirt. She eyes me up before turning her attention back to kneading dough, "So what's got you so tense Grace?" 

"Nothing." I reply quickly.

"Yes because nothing always has me beating up on inanimate objects as well." She says sarcastically. I frown as I look down over her and watch as she works the dough, "It's not anything worth dwelling over."

 "Yet here you dwell." She is quick in her responses and that makes me bite the inside of my cheek in annoyance to keep from snapping at her. The door to the kitchen swings open before I can tell her to nicely mind her own business. We both turn are attention to the intruder to find the Ryder marching towards us with an intense gaze.

Nadia wiped her hands on the front of her apron. He stares down at her with his jaw clenching, "Nadia—is there a reason you are in the kitchen and not resting in bed as the doctor ordered?" He sounded as though he was about two seconds from losing his calm demeanor.

"Honey, I am perfectly fine. I haven't done any heavy lifting. The girls have been buzzing around me constantly making sure I'm fine. You're worrying over nothing..." She gave him a reassuring smile, clearly hoping to keep him calm.

"You will get back to our room and into that bed. This is the last time I've having this discussion with you." He growls at her.

I watch as the warm eyes she had moments before turned into blazing pits of fire, "You listen here Ryder! If you try and put me back in that bed I'll take Grace's knife and skin your lovely hide and use it as a throw rug. Am I clear?"

The room became incredible quiet at her threat and the two of them stared off. I reached out slowly and removed the knife from the counter, handing it silently to another she-wolf nearby. Ryder let out a loud sigh before his gaze roamed over to me. I gave him a slight smile, trying to look as non-threatening as possible at the moment.