People are Still trooping into the Arena to watch the duel when loud cheers suddenly rend the air.
"What! They finished already?" A shifter who was still waiting in line to get free lemonade exclaims.
Yeah, it seems they have finished and I wonder who kicked whose arse between the two brothers." His friend says
I also wondered about the same question... 'Who won the duel?'
Even though I have never met any of the Quinn brothers, I find myself wondering if the brother that Martha and I talked about won. Well, I'm not just wondering actually, I'm hoping and praying he wins and I don't know why.
Why am I rooting for the brother people call a monster and not the good one? Why am I praying for someone who is probably as ruthless as people call him to be the Alpha of the biggest pack in our continent?
"Congratulations to the new Alpha of the Silver-Moon pack, Thor Quinn'' The Arena's loudspeaker booms out for everyone to hear.
There are no loud cheers. The applause is lukewarm which goes without saying that most of the people are not happy about the outcome of the duel.
"Which one of the brothers is Thor?" I casually ask the next person in front of me who in reply, looks at me as if I'd just fallen from the sky, collect his cup of lemonade, and move aside for the next person on the line who I can tell is human from his smell.
"You people are so short-tempered?" The human says as he moves closer to the booth.
"Excuse me?" I say since I don't understand what he's driving at.
He indicates with his head toward the shifter that I just served lemonade to.
"He's probably wondering why you don't know who Thor is considering you're a shifter, I presume?" He asks with a raised brow but continues talking without waiting for an answer.
"I mean, people of all beings are always talking about the Quinn brothers everywhere and on the tv too, so how come you don't know?..." He asks, seriously looking at me like he's expecting an answer this time.
Like what does he want me to tell him? I didn't know the brothers because I just dropped from Pluto kinda reply?
"Well, all I'm saying is, he could have just answered your question instead of being rude about it... Uhh, what was your question again?...
Oh yes. Which one is Thor, right?... Thor is the eldest of the brothers. The one they called the Evil Viking! Fuck! You should have seen him fight!..." He talks and gesticulates with his hands in excitement
While he's talking, I hand him his lemonade. He collects the cup and shifts aside for the next person on the line to come forward only to set the cup that I've just handed to him on a corner of the booth so his hands will be free to express himself once again
"I mean, dude didn't even shift into his wolf. He fought his brother's wolf with his human body and without breaking a sweat! Oh my god! It is so fucking unbelievable!..." A small crowd of people who I guess didn't get to watch the brothers duel gathers around him as he talks on and on
By the time he's done giving a well-detailed description of what happened in the fight. I had to give him another cup of lemonade since it felt as if I watched the duel live instead of from a human's point of view
I enjoy the show he put up but was glad when he finally leaves since he was distracting me from being aware of my mate. More and more people start trooping out of the main bowl and the line in front of my booth keeps getting longer.
I sigh in frustration. 'Damn, freeloaders! They're going to make me miss my mate! The duel is over so why aren't they leaving already!? I thought in annoyance as I continue to serve lemonade and at the same time look around to make sure my mate and I won't miss each other if he happens to pass by my booth.
'Your head might just fall off your body if you crane your neck any longer. Relax! There's no way you'll miss him if he happens to pass by. We're first going to smell our mates, remember?'
I am surprised to hear my wolf speak clearly in my mind since she has refused to talk to me ever since I held her back from killing the Beta for knocking me down.
'Oh, yeah! I guess I wasn't thinking straight.' I reply in my mind. 'I thought you were never going to talk to me again?'
'Well, I never wanted to until you know who you really are. Where you come from... I was angry. Like how could you make us kneel before some retard who isn't even man enough to lace your shoes!? How could you stay calm while he knocks you around?...'
'Because I was trying not to get us killed! Don't you understand!' I gnash my teeth to prevent myself from shouting my mind out.
'No I don't understand and I'm not supposed to! I am not created to. I am just the force behind you! I am your dark part. You are my light while our mates are our comforters. Our Alphas. The only males we can ever love. The only males we can ever kneel before... I am like a very powerful tool for your use and I don't understand myself how you don't know that a hundred of that maggot is not powerful enough to kill us!'
I sigh
'You know, it's not my fault that I wasn't prepared and made ready to accommodate you. I didn't grow up with my real family, I thought you know that already. The witch, Lilly explained to you, remember?'
'I'm sorry but it's not my fault either. As I said earlier, we're created for different reasons and mine is not to be reasonable and understanding. I'm a powerful tool for you to command and use at will. I don't know how to explain more than that. Hopefully, your mate will.'
'Yes, he will.' I smilingly say, remembering our time in bed and how he assured me my wolf isn't strange
'My name is Sif, by the way... Open your mind, for our mate is near' She says finally before going silent
'Yeah, I'm not that clueless. I know your name already...' I say to myself as I continue serving lemonade.
Then it drifts into my nose. For a moment I become still, taking it all in. It's the most pleasant smell that I've ever perceived in my eighteen years on Earth. I love nature and it smells exactly like nature. Earthy and woody. It's animalistic, wild, and intoxicating yet so warm and soothing. My eyes drift close where I'm standing to bask in the essence as it encompasses me.
'Mate!' My wolf says and leaps inside me with joy.
"Mate!" My eyes snap open and my heart beats wildly as I exclaim to myself. 'I can smell my mate!' before looking toward where Martha was sitting...
"Martha, I can smell my mate!" I inform her in excitement
"Really?... Where is he? I can't see him anywhere!" She stands up in excitement, looking around us
"He's not here. I have to go search for him. I don't care if I'm beaten to death this time, Martha. My mate calls for me. I have to go!" I declare. I don't want to leave her with the rest of the work, just that I can't hold myself back from going after my mate's essence.
"Ingredients to make more lemonade have finished anyway and we just sold the last jug." She says with a knowing wink and I smile back gratefully
"You just go ahead and find your mate. Don't worry about me. I'll pack up here." She says and I hurriedly remove my apron.
"Thank you, Martha." I kiss her on the cheek before abandoning my duty post to go on my mate's trail
I walk with hurried steps, weaving through the crowd and letting my strong sense of smell guide me till I arrive at a more quiet part of the Arena where some shifters are gathered laughing and cheering amongst each other.
I saw Eric first, slightly standing apart and wearing a huge grin on his face. Then I see my man in the middle of the cheering crowd. I rush towards him but stop, my heart thuds with fear when I hear what they're all saying to him...
"Congratulations Thor!..."
"Congratulations Alpha!..."
I am flabbergasted. My mate is one of the Quinn brothers!? My mate is the infamous Thor, the one people referred to as the Evil Viking, who drinks beer from the skulls of those he had killed!? Instead of drawing back from him, I smile. No wonder I was rooting for him to win the duel. No wonder he refused to tell me anything about him. Well, I don't care about the gossip. He's my mate and I love him no matter what he might have done in the past
I'm still processing the surprise I got when he suddenly whirls around to look in my direction...
"Mate!" I hear him say as he pushes himself out of the crowd.
All heads turn toward where I'm standing
"Mate!" He says again and for a moment our eyes lock and we walk towards each other. But instead of stopping in front of me, he walks past me like I'm invincible.
An unusual rush of cold air washes over me as I watch him walk past.
'What is the matter with him?' I ask Sif who is now growing restless in my mind.
'Something is not right.' She replies to me. 'I can't feel my mate.'
My gaze turns to Eric who in turn looks back at me with the same confusing expression that I know I'm clearly wearing on my face
I slowly turn around to see what could have gotten his attention so badly and I get the shocker of my life. I see my mate, the man that made sweet love to me the previous night. The man that made sure I had a wonderful birthday that very morning, embracing another she-wolf right in front of me.
And it's not just any she-wolf, it's Miranda, the Alpha's daughter. My sworn enemy
"Mate!"
I hear them say to each other in unison and I die a thousand times over.
I've just lost my mate