Into the Alpha’s Keep Chapter 44: 43

The water clung to my clothes and dripped onto the ground, creating a trail as I walked. I threw myself beside Alexandra, leaning my back against the thick trunk of the tree. Leaves and dirt stuck to me.

"I'm trying to undo all the harm Marilyn did to you. People are starting to believe, Sava. Soon, this pack will be comfortable enough for you, so you won't need to hide in the farthest lake."

I let out a laugh.

"I'm not here to hide, I love this place."

She shook her head, sounding condescending.

"Anyway, I'm working to make any place lovely for you." She winked.

I turned my body toward her and held her hands.

"Thank you, Alexandra, from the bottom of my heart. I'm lucky to have a friend like you."

She rolled her eyes.

"I'm just doing my part," she scoffed.

It wasn’t true; she was doing much more than that. Alexandra was doing the work that Fenrir should have been doing. While the alpha barely cared about including me in his life, culture, and pack, she, Mihaela, and even Nicoleta were trying to include me and make things easier for me.

Her phone beeped. She diverted her gaze and pulled the device from her pocket, reading the notification.

"Mihaela is free," she said, standing up. "I'm going to meet her."

I nodded, picking up the book.

"Tell her I said hi."

"Will do!" She moved away. "See you later."

I focused on her footsteps, listening as she walked away until they faded into a soft noise.

I held the book tightly and leaned my head against the rough trunk, stretching my legs. Loneliness wasn’t a problem for me; I could find comfort in my own company. But I enjoyed sharing my hours with Alexandra or Mihaela—they were good friends. Friends I never had as a child. If it weren't for Selena, I would have been a lonely girl, with no one to share my secrets and stories with.

I wanted to ignore what Alexandra said about not having expectations regarding the pack. I wanted to care less or even not care whether I would be accepted by them or not.

But I couldn't be indifferent, even though I wished I could.

I felt a spark of hope ignite. She was trying, and maybe she would succeed. Maybe, just maybe, I would have a chance to finally be happy, at least once in my miserable life. To have a home, a good neighborhood, safety, and a pleasant place to live.

That was all that mattered to me. And to have Selena by my side.

It was possible that I would never have the pups I desired, or the dream marriage, but... if I had peace and a safe home next to my sister, that could be enough.

I opened the book to one of my favorite pages, which already had the binding broken, and began to read, appreciating the peace, the safety, and the beauty around me.

***

I held my hair and squeezed the strands with my hands, removing the excess water dripping from them. My white nightgown was soaked, clinging to my body, outlining every curve.

The heat of the sun wasn’t so strong anymore, but the image of the twilight was beautiful, a mix of orange, purple, and blue. I could spend hours watching it, if it weren’t for the cold.

A cold breeze hit me, making me shiver.

I stopped under the tree and placed my hands on my hips, absorbing a little more of the scenery before heading home.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

Warmth filled my chest. It started like a small flame, until it turned into burning embers.

"I can’t believe you’re bathing like this," the voice rang out a few steps behind me.

I wasn’t startled, didn’t even open my eyes, I knew he was coming before I heard him speak or smelled him. I was already getting used to the strange way my body communicated his presence.

It was something so deep it felt like it came from my soul. And maybe it really did, we were bonded by blood, sharing the same life.

"So what?" I responded, finally opening my eyes and turning to face him.

Fenrir was scanning me from head to toe, furrowing his brow and with his mouth agape, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

"What the hell is this?" he growled.

I looked down, analyzing my clothes... or the lack of them. I felt a bit embarrassed when I noticed the hard tips of my breasts marking the thin, white fabric of the nightgown. I was kind of... naked.

I didn’t cover myself, I stood firm. He’d seen everything and more of me, it wasn’t anything new.

"A... nightgown?" I answered his question with another.

He blinked, opening and closing his mouth, unable to find words enough to express his indignation. And I knew he felt it because it was pulsating within me. It vibrated through him so strongly it seemed magnetic.

"I know it’s a nightgown," he growled, through clenched teeth. "I’m asking, what the hell are you doing with it in the middle of the lake? You’re half-naked, damn it!"

"I don’t have any swimwear. This is the most comfortable thing I have."

And it was true. My dresses became heavy when wet, and I would never swim in pants. If it weren’t for the little nightgowns, I’d be in lingerie. And to me, it would be a little more embarrassing to be caught swimming around in underwear. Not that the nightgown was much better.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, controlling his uneven breathing.

"Savannah, you’re naked, damn it! I can see every damn detail of your body."

I looked around and shrugged.

"So what? No one comes here."

He took a silent step, closing the distance.

"This damn lake borders another territory. And you know very well that wolves have sharp vision, you could be spied on by anyone in the forest, without knowing it."

I raised an eyebrow and bit my lower lip, thinking. "Hmm... whatever." I didn’t even blink, and he was right in front of me, only a few inches separating us. "But... what?" I gasped, in a whisper.

"What do you mean, 'whatever'?" he spat, running his eyes over me, analyzing the drops on my collarbone, which slid down my skin, losing themselves in the space between my breasts.

I lifted my face to look at him. His gaze was intense, his pupils dilated, and the silver shimmered around him.

"Well, whatever. I don’t care if they see me, I’m not naked."

"With that scrap of cloth that covers nothing?" he growled, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, with that scrap of cloth."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, gold gleamed in his irises, predominating them.

"If anyone looks at you, little wolf, I’ll be forced to rip the eyes out of that damn male. Is that what you want?"

I pursed my lips in a snarl.

"I wouldn’t be so... animalistic," I objected, furious.

A half-smile appeared on his face.

"Do you really think not?"

I weighed the thought, but came to the very obvious conclusion that, yes, he would be fully capable of doing it. He was the same male who had decapitated other wolves days ago and used their heads as decoration at a romantic dinner.

"And why do you care? We’re mated only by the will of our animals, what I do or don’t do is my problem."

"Touch another male and find out what kind of problem will be yours," he growled.

My body warmed as hatred took over me. I pressed my teeth together and clenched my fists, breaking the skin due to my long nails.

"Just like you let other females touch you, other males will touch me. I’m a woman, and I have needs," I provoked, licking my lips.

One of his hands tangled in my neck, and the other grabbed my waist. In one moment, I was facing away from the lake; in the next, my body was crushed between the tree trunk and him.

He rubbed against me, dragging the hard skin of his chest over my hardening nipples. He leaned in, aligning our faces. His breath mixed with mine, and my heart raced, beating out of sync.

"Never provoke me like that again, little wolf," he whispered, his hot breath brushing my lips. "I can keep my beast under control, but it’s not so easy when it comes to you."

I couldn’t think, I couldn’t breathe. Fenrir had such a powerful aura, a heavy magnetism that restrained everything around him, keeping me still and completely his.

My tongue felt heavy in my mouth, and every cell in my body vibrated uncontrollably. I knew I shouldn’t respond, that he was on the edge, between man and beast, but... the impulse was stronger than me.