Into the Alpha’s Keep Chapter 43: 42

I took a deep breath, absorbing his scent mixed with the eucalyptus from the trees that grew around us.

I licked my dry lips. He analyzed the movement without blinking. My heart raced, and a shiver ran down my spine. Being under his scrutiny, having him so close to me, left me... excited.

I cleared my throat.

"That's the first time we've agreed on something, Fenrir."

A wolfish smile appeared on his face.

"My wolf has a certain... obsession with you," he confessed, sliding his palm to the curve of my neck. "As if you belonged to him, so I can assure you that neither Hunter nor any of his males will touch you, not without ending up dead."

I raised an eyebrow.

"The feeling from our animals is mutual because my wolf feels the same way." He frowned. "I think it's because of the mating," I added.

He stepped back, running his palm through his hair, pulling the strands back.

"Yeah, maybe," he grumbled, starting to walk away, distancing himself from me.

And there it was, his mood swing. One moment, someone who seemed pleasant and even easy to get along with; the next, an unbearable male.

I stared at him, watching the muscles of his back tighten under his blue shirt as he moved ahead of me. His hair was messy, the curls swaying in the wind.

I breathed deeply, letting out a sigh.

It would be so much easier if he weren't so attractive, or if he were just a little less arrogant. Fenrir was a born warrior, pure. He was the personification of strength and power. An absolute alpha.

I wished he had some flaw, even the smallest one.

But, besides all the arrogance, psychopathy, and conceit, there was nothing to judge. Unfortunately.

***

My body floated, moving with the gentle sway of the lake's water. The sun shone brightly through my closed eyelids. In the distance, I could hear the rustling of small animals that inhabited the forest, as well as the graceful song of some birds.

It felt like being, finally, at peace.

The insidious warmth of the sun penetrated my skin, keeping it warm in contrast to the cold water.

I continued swaying slowly, further and further, deeper and deeper. But I didn't mind, I just wanted to delay those moments of tranquility.

It was as if I didn't need to worry about anything else. About Hunter hunting me, about my missing sister, or about Fenrir and the strange way my wolf behaved around him.

It was just me and nature.

"You didn't tell me how dinner went last night," Alexandra's voice pulled me out of my stupor.

I sighed loudly and shifted, stopping my floating above the water. I submerged, pulling my hair back before emerging and running a hand across my face, wiping away the droplets. I opened my eyes, fixing on her sitting at the edge under the shadow of a tree, with my book in her hands.

"It was... normal." I laughed. "Seriously, it might sound strange, but it was nice. The elders act like parents, and the alphas, well... they were all wonderful, except for Lucian, who kept teasing Fenrir."

She rolled her eyes and closed the book, tossing it aside.

"He and Fenrir always act like that when they're around each other."

I nodded.

The water hit my chin, covering me entirely.

"There was also an alpha missing."

"Oh, it was probably Riuk. He never attends any of the meetings, doesn't care about the council's matters."

"Why?"

Alexandra looked around and inhaled, absorbing the scent, making sure we were truly alone. She turned back to me and leaned in, lowering her voice.

"Nobody really knows. Riuk is kind of... problematic."

"Problematic?" I raised an eyebrow.

"His village is the most isolated. It's hard to even get to it, not to mention the numerous traps he has around it. He never goes to the meetings, doesn't care about keeping 'good relations'—" she made air quotes with her fingers, "—like the others. But there's a dark history behind him."

I moved closer to the edge, intrigued by the topic.

"And what's that?"

She glanced around again before continuing:

"He had a wife who was pregnant, but... they say he killed her, along with the pup."

My eyes widened, and I opened my mouth, shocked.

"My God!" I gasped. "Why?"

She shrugged.

"Nobody knows." She pushed her braids over her shoulder. "They also say there's a cemetery just for females on his land. I think he's kind of a psychopath, obsessed with killing females."

Death was treated differently in each pack. In the Dăneşti, they burned the bodies to release their souls to the valley, but apparently, it wasn't like that in all territories, as Alpha Riuk had a cemetery, according to Alexandra.

"That's pretty shocking," I whispered. "And I thought I belonged to a pack where the alphas were just misogynistic and crazy." She laughed loudly. "What about Lucian? Fenrir was teasing him about his mate being alive." I furrowed my brows, noticing how confusing that sounded.

She nodded.

"Riuk isn't the only one with dark secrets."

"Really?"

"Lucian ordered the death of his destined mate, as soon as she was born. The reason? Nobody knows. Hence the teasing."

I clicked my tongue.

"So, Fenrir has a dead fiancée, while Lucian and Riuk killed their mates. What's left for Jax and Konrad?"

Selena would love to hear all this gossip when she joined us. She would be shocked by the perversity of these alphas, which bordered on insanity.

"I know Jax also had a fiancée who apparently cheated on him, but I don't know anything beyond that. And Konrad, besides being a good shepherd for his sheep, is a passionate male, always looking for love." I frowned, disappointed there was nothing more sinister. Alexandra laughed.

"Want more stories?"

"Of course, I'll never judge my pack again after what you've told me," I mocked.

She shook her head, the smile never leaving her face.

"Your old pack, Savannah. Now you're a Dăneşti."

I sighed and waved my arms in the water.

"Not exactly... I haven't been fully accepted yet."

"It doesn't matter what they think or say, you're Fenrir's bonded mate, our alpha. You've become part of us since that happened."

I shifted, making some droplets fly away, almost hitting Alexandra.

"That doesn't make things easier, though," I commented. "I've tried everything to fit in with this pack, but Marilyn is always in the way, ruining things."

She bent her knees and stared at me.

"She does that because she's terrified they might like you, that they might start admiring you. She thinks if that happens, Fenrir might fully claim you as his mate, and not just as a mated wolf."

I watched the high, thin branches sway in the gentle breeze. The nature around was beautiful, a robust and easily appreciable landscape. It was easy to understand why Fenrir liked having windows in his house so much.

"I don't care what she thinks," I whispered, so softly that if Alexandra weren't a wolf, she wouldn't have heard. "She's ridiculous, and Fenrir is a damn idiot. They both deserve each other."

She laughed.

"I'll agree with that, partly. Yes, Marilyn is a nasty bitch, and Fenrir is definitely a jerk, but no, they don't deserve each other."

"Why?" I asked, waving my hands under the water.

She squinted at me.

"Because he deserves someone like you, especially after so much time of pity and mourning." She raised a finger, pointing at me. "But after everything he's done, I don't think he truly deserves you, though."

I felt a sharp pain in my chest, strong and deep. I blinked, pushing her away and turning my gaze away from Alexandra.

"Well, I think no one deserves anyone," I retorted, getting even closer to the edge and stepping out of the water. "Right now, I just want peace in my life. I want a nice place to stay, where people respect me and I feel safe, far from Hunter's shadow."