I tried taking subtle deep breaths in an attempt to catch more of his scent, as I was still finding it difficult to pinpoint his exact smell. He smelt like something earthy, yet airy. A combination of Heaven and Earth, if that was an appropriate comparison to make.

It had taken a level of self control that I didn’t think I possessed when I saw him. The urge to run towards him had been greater than anything I had ever felt before. I had known that he was trying to find me too. I had picked up on his scent long before I had allowed him to pick up on mine. I had been confused as to why he had stopped to sit down, but then I realized that he was attempting to practice the very same self control that I had. It was quite admirable.

The silence between us stretched once more and my eyes focused on his movements and he started standing up. I noticed the way the muscles on his arms flexed as he pushed himself off of the ground. I felt the corners of my mouth turn upwards as I noticed the disgusted look that covered his features once he noticed the dirt that was now sticking to his palms. He did what anyone else in the pack would have done—wiped his hands on his pants.

My heart started to hammer more erratically, the sound echoing loudly in my eardrums as he came walking towards me. Panic started to settle within me, and I found myself averting my eyes to his shoes in an attempt to come across as nonchalant. I registered the dirt that was caked around the soles of his white sneakers, mentally noting that he would enjoy cleaning those later.

“Just for future reference, I don’t think that it would be wise for you to wear white sneakers. The ground here sticks to anything it touches. Training is a blast.”

I allowed my eyes to return to his face, and I felt myself frown slightly as I noticed the faraway look that his eyes had taken on. It was as if he was here, yet simultaneously, he wasn’t. If I didn’t know any better, I would have suspected that he was mind linking someone else in his pack.

But he wouldn’t do that... Would he?

Doubt started to settle in my chest, the weight of it heavier than anything I could remember. The longer the silence stretched, the tighter my shoulders become. My heart was now hammering against my chest, begging to escape. Was I just being paranoid? Or were my feelings justified?

My eyes snapped to his arm, focusing on the movement. He was reaching out towards me, his palm stopping midway through the air, an invitation for help me stand up. I sent a glance to his face, registering the light line running through his nose, before I slipped my palm into his much larger one.

I’ve read all of the novels our kind have written. The ones where they describe the touch of your mate as something out of a dream. Sparks. Electricity running through your veins. Fireworks behind your eyelids. But all of these felt like lies. They described the feeling as so much more than it was.

Did people really not know how to describe having butterflies somewhere other than your stomach?

He pulled me upwards lightly, my feet as steady standing as they had been when I was sitting. I felt my brows pull down in a deep frown as he started shaking my hand in a manner that came across as businesslike.

I looked up at him once more, my eyes finding his, and I came to realize that the eyes of my mate looked haunted. Restless. The circles underneath his eyes seemed so natural that I hadn’t noticed them at first.

“Is everything alright?”

I couldn’t remember the last time that I had sounded this unsure. Apprehension was starting to build up with me, a siren blaring in my head. I needed to get away from him. Every last instinct that I had was telling me to do so.

I tried pulling my hand from his, but his grip tightened and I looked up at his eyes once more, undoubtedly looking as alarmed as I felt.

I was aware of the fact that the streets seemed to be filling up with people, and as my eyes darted around, I realized that the male members of my pack were now leaving their homes and coming towards us, clearly understanding the situation.

I mentally praised them as my eyes darted back to those of my mate. If I didn’t know any better, he almost looked sorry.

I turned my head to the side and found the Alpha who had been looking for me the entire time coming towards us. He looked quite pleased with himself and I turned my attention back to my mate.

He didn’t deserve the title he was now sporting.

“Well. At least now I know what the quality of our bond is.”

The words felt like acid on my tongue, his touch burning me. I wanted nothing more than to run away from him as fast as I could. And go as far as I could.

The Alpha stopped beside us and I looked him up and down, noticing that he looked slightly out of breath. It was then that I noticed something.

Alphas were meant to be the strongest males in the pack. More often than not it’s a decision based on genetics, but even then, the first Alphas were the greatest of the greats. And the longer I allowed myself to take in the appearances of the two males, the more I realized that I had been wrong.

Terribly, terribly wrong.

“Luciana.”

My eyes refocused on my mate and I was sure that he could see my thoughts clearly running around in my mind. I knew what he was going to say, even before he said it.

“My name is Alpha Issac Vermont.”