The Fallout
Everything happens so fast that my heads spins and I can barely catch my breath. Our imprinting sends the ceremony into quick disperse and I am dragged away by Santo’s pack and ushered into an awaiting car, my clothes thrown in my face and ordered to go to the pack house and be quiet.
Everything in uproar, and Juan exploding at the possibility our future Alpha just got betrothed to one of the lowliest of the packs and I am not exactly happy about it either.
I have kept my head down for ten years, stayed out of sight, in the shadows and kept away from drama the way others like me have not. I became almost invisible and made no real friends, only to be put on show on the most important night of my life and have everything come tumbling down on top of me.
This can’t be happening and I can barely breathe as the panic sets in that this is not god damn reversable. Imprinting is for life, there is only one way out and that’s death. That is NOT an option for me. We can choose to walk away and ignore it but the bond won’t break and the urge to bind us together will only grow stronger if we fight it. That’s how this works, everyone knows that. If I leave, I will crave for him for the rest of my life until it pushes me to insanity or even death from a broken soul.
I am bustled from car to dark alley and only given seconds to pull my clothes on under my blanket before I am forcibly pushed in a side door and almost fall flat on my face into a bright corridor. The men charged with bringing me here are being less than hospitable with their pushing me around and manhandling me cruelly. I feel like I am covered in bruises and I still have residue blood over most of my body and face.
I am still reeling from the drugs and the first transformation of my life, on edge, hackles rising and having to deal with this new trauma of semi kidnapping. I feel like I am trapped in some sort of daymare and just want to wake up.
We are met by a tall familiar attractive blonde in the hall as she stalks towards me and without missing a beat, she slaps me hard across the face and sends my flying off my feet and skidding into the wall. Burning pain engulfing my face and spreads across my head and down my neck, rendering me senseless for a second.
“How dare you!! How god damn dare you, you whore! He’s mine…we have dated for two years and you think you can sweep in and take him!! You are a god damn nothing and you have no rights to him!” she is livid. Puce with rage and comes bearing down on me, climbing on top of me while winding her fingers around my throat like a crazed psycho. In my panic I lash back to defend myself but she’s bigger and stronger and the glow of amber in her eyes tell me she’s on the verge of turning. She is another of the pack who turned young and has her gifts well under control while I haven’t begin to explore mine yet.
“I will kill you before I see you take him from me” her grasp tightens and I try to claw at her face, struggling for breath, panicking, momentary blacking out before she is hauled from on top of me by two strong arms and lifted high up.
“Enough! She didn’t do this anymore than I did!” Colton’s voice cuts through her hysterical wailing and he drops her on her feet away from me. Standing between her and me as he turns to her and tries to reason and shut her up. His whole body taught and alert as though he is ready to take her on, and I am not sure it won’t go that way. Females when angry have a tendency to turn and attack, even people they love. Its how disputes are resolved most of the time among wolves. Physical fights are the norm, even between mates.
“Go home Carmen, let us deal with this. The elders and the shaman are coming with my father. Just go and let us figure this out.”
“Why can’t they just kill her and be done with it? She’s nothing to the pack” she wails at him desperately, the noise prickling at my ears and I wonder if this is a new thing with my senses. Hearing things more painfully.
“Are you dense….killing her will kill me. Hurting her, hurts me! Even a slap! We imprinted; we are one. Her soul , my soul…did you never pay attention in class?” He sounds as mad as her now and he throws a look back down at me cowering on the floor, dazed and in shock about the turn of events. I am not mentally ready for any of this.
“Here” he turns, a softness changing his face slightly, making him more appealing and he extends a hand to help me up. It’s the first time I ever saw any real humanity in this guy and it surrenders me mute as I let him pull me to my feet. That heat and transference of sparks at the slight touch makes me jump and that familiar urge to need more of him makes me pull my hand away quickly. He frowns at the sensation too and backs away as soon as he lets me go, obviously uneasy at how much chemistry is stirring up from something so simple. It’s not a secret him and Carmen have been a steady thing for a long time so I guess he feels like this is somehow cheating on her. She watches like a hawk and I can feel the eyes burning through my soul and wishing harm on me. The sting on my face tells me she probably left a handprint and I try not to glare her way and enrage another outburst.
“I swear to god, Cole….” Her voice breaks and tears spring from her eyes, instantly dampening her cheeks “if you leave me for this little, reject…”For a second, the pure heartbreak in her tone gets at me and I feel a little sorry for her. Not really knowing what love feels like or what this would do to my heart if it was me. I guess a slap isn’t comparable right now to a devastated heart and the thought of losing someone you thought was your mate. That stupid part of me that cares whether I should or not and I find myself staring at the floor guiltily as though somehow accepting I have done something wrong here. I feel ashamed.
“Be quiet. Go home and I will talk to you later. Right now, we are nothing until this gets rectified. I can’t have two mates.” It’s the edge in his tone that signals him executing his dominance and she recoils quickly, knowing when not to question or argue, even if her face gives away the pain in what he said. Alpha’s have a tone, reserved for times when pack animals won’t obey. It somehow renders us mute and makes us do what is asked of us and this is one of those times. Even I tremble at the effect it has on everyone present and have to stop myself from slinking back into the shadows. Not every male has the gift, only those who were born to lead.
“Alora? That’s your name, right?” Colton turns to me, surprising me with the change, those chocolate eyes melting me when we connect and I have to look away again, too pulled towards him for my own liking and just nod shyly. I have no control over his effect on me and I don’t like this one bit. My freedom was calling to me, and now this. I have a desire to be wrapped around the one guy I never wanted to know.
“Or Lorey…I get called both.” It’s a feeble quiet mumble and I inwardly curse myself out for sounding as weak as his pack always labelled me. It’s no wonder they cast my bloodline to the reject pile. I am no match for an alpha.
Relax, I am not going to hurt you
Its his voice in my head and I look up, startled that he spoke to me inside my mind and not verbally. We’re not supposed to be able to do that when both in human form and not from the same pack.
How can you……?
I start to ask, replying in the same way without thinking and then inhale sharply as I realise, I just did the same thing. I have no idea if that breaks rules considering who he is.
We imprinted. We have a link; we can hear each other even from miles away. No distance is too far. No one else can tap into this. It’s like our own personal telephone line with dampeners.
He isn’t looking at me, but watching Carmen walk down the hall, crying into her own hands and creating a pitiful picture. I can sense his pain from watching her go and it pains me too. Feeling what he feels, another downside to now being connected to this guy. I don’t want to feel heartbreak or pain or any of this crap.
I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for any of this.
The honesty and ache in my response brings his eyes to mine and we do that weird thing, where we lock eyes, get a tremor of something we can’t deny and both look away again. Neither want this, that much is clear.
You didn’t do this. Fate did. Now we just have to figure out how to undo it.
The hesitation in his tone catches me off guard and despite myself I look at him properly. His side profile of chiselled square jawline . Sallow skin and dark hair to match those dark eyes and brows. Colton is tall, muscular and fit, which is only enhanced by being among the biggest wolves in the pack even at his age. His family originated from Colombia and you can see his heritage clearly despite his mother being Caucasian. Me, I am just a good old country white. Bland hair, plain girl and nothing special or beautiful that I know of. Carmen is a goddess compared to me.
The atmosphere turns cold as a troop of men come marching in from the same door we did, and I am pushed out of the way ungraciously by one of them. I get knocked sideways, unable to stop myself and for sure know I am spiralling down as I lose my footing. I am still on unsure legs after tonight’s ceremony and unable to stop myself.
The low growl and quick reflexes of Colton as he jolts in beside me and catches me to rights, sends my head spinning. His eyes glow amber and his displeasure can’t be concealed as that flash of warning oozes from him. That fierce mate protection coming out instinctively and I honestly don’t know how to react. Becoming someone’s mate is as much about instincts, as anything else. It changes you and makes you feel, do things you didn’t before. Even if he hated me before this, that need to protect me and look after me will become his mission in life and vice versa. It’s completely crazy and I can’t believe it’s happening to me.
His father almost takes his head off with the rage filled snap he aims his way.
“Did you just growl at me?”
He lowers his brows severely, and glares at his son furiously, moving into his head to continue his chastisement and the way Colton stiffens tells me so. Locked eye to eye, a standoff as the air thickens and his skin bristles beside me. I can feel the anger radiating from him and the anxious uptight bubbling inside of me as I start to feel what he is feeling. I was never good with aggression and rage. And now feeling the overwhelming amount he can spit out as my mood takes on some of his, has me recoiling. Colton has a sea of dominant rage inside of him and his aggression knows no bounds. I try to blot out the projections I am getting from him and close my eyes to focus on my breathing.
It’s like I don’t have full control of my mind or feelings anymore and try as I might, Colton now lives in my head as much as I do.
They argue inwardly, silent on the surface but all in the corridor remain still and patient as they are meant to when their alpha demands. Juan is one of the most terrifying of the pack leaders and I guess it’s why he moved easily to prime position.
His father spins on his heel finally, signalling they are done and marches off into a nearby doorway, clicking his fingers and gesturing us to follow. It’s all so hostile and unnerving.
“If people could just keep their hands to themselves and off my mate, that would be great!” Colton mumbles it under his breath, not meaning for me to hear and I throw him an awkward glance. My heart flipping over and my stomach churning uneasily.
He called me his mate.
I can hear you, and for the time being…it’s what you are. We imprinted. We don’t exactly have a choice.
Colton throws me a look that translates to ‘relax and follow me’ and I mutely do so, cheeks burning from stupidly letting him read my thoughts. Embarrassed that I am stupid enough to not remember that thirty seconds after figuring it out.
I follow behind him quickly, into a large room that loos like a study with extra couches. The men all file in and sit down in random places and Colton ushers me to a nearby chair, padded and semi shadowed in the corner, out of direct line of any of the men. He stands close by and waits as his father circles a bookcase and comes to sit in the chair at the desk, looking out at all of us in his position of leader.
“I need solutions. This….” He points at Colton and I “happens over my dead body. My son is destined to be alpha one day and I will be damned if his lineage is diluted by a mongrel with bad breeding. She is not going to be our Luna. Fix this. Find a way! I don’t care what the history books say, there has to be a way to break the bond and severe the connection so he is free to mate up with a chosen female.” The stern tone of a man who doesn’t want to hear excuses and yet a tiny ounce of hope fills my chest. There might still be a chance I can get out of this and here and follow my plan to get the hell away from Radstone once and for all. It is even weirder that at the same time, a desolate pain uppercuts me in the heart at the thought of leaving him.
“You cannot fight fate. There are consequences if you ignore destiny. Imprinting does not happen to us all and when it does…you do not question it.” The Shaman is quick to verbalise but Juan slamming his hand on his desk, sending a loud thud through all of us brings silence once more.
“Did you not hear me when I said , THIS is NOT happening! She is NOT going to be my sons mate. I will kill her before I let that happen.”
Silence befalls the room, although I swear, I hear the most subtle of growls come from Colton’s way, so close beside me and make sure I do not look at him. Instead I stare at my hands in my lap and pray for this to be over. Never have I actually wanted to be left to go back to the orphanage to spend time in my room with Vanka, but now it’s so calling to me. I don’t want anything as much as I want that right now, well except maybe some of this weird primal urge for the guy at my left to calm down a bit and stop plaguing me. I am way too in tune and aware of him even if he is three feet away. My body and mind are doing some weird things in relation to him and as terrified as I should be right now, I don’t feel it when he is close.
“Then your son will die too and we lose our future leader. You cannot break the bond without severe consequences. The choice has been made. Fate has chosen for him and you must obey.” The shaman comes back, undeterred by Juan’s anger and stands as though to press the point.
“He can choose to sever the bond if he wishes, but history has shown us that mates who do…both die. The only other option is denial to consummate. They choose to walk away, no mark is made, no union and deny the bond completely. It will never die and they will live lives craving what the other can give them, no matter who they end up with. IS that what you want for your son?”
All eyes turn on Juan, so much tension in this room as the elders internally talk so that I cannot hear them. Colton paces and I can tell he too is privy to what is being said. They are his pack after all and two are his blood. Father and Uncle. He doesn’t seem happy and the waves of his anger are all lapping over me and affecting my own sanity.
I can’t take it anymore, as minutes tick by and my nerves fray to the point I feel like I may scream, some internal burst of nervous crazy wooshes out.
“I’ll leave. I don’t want this either.” I blurt it out in the deathly silence as hysteria gets the best of me and literally every single face turns to me in shocked response.
I know I just spoke out of turn and disrespected everyone in this room, but I am sat here wearing my own dried blood, shredded emotions and exhaustion pushing through. My heads a mess and in the space of thirty minutes I discovered that being a virgin doesn’t mean you cannot get crazy urges to strip naked and jump someone’s bones, that you previously avoided like the plague. I have pictured him naked at least twice without even meaning too.
What?
“What?”
Both Colton in my head and his dad verbally, in unison and I panic that I just spat this out loud.
“It was the plan, my intentions. I mean after my …the um, tonight. My turning. I was leaving. Going away and it doesn’t have to change.“ I sound insane. Babbling like a fool and aware of the way all eyes are eating up my weak presentation of my crap contribution. I should have just run when I had the chance and screwed the running ceremony.
“That won’t break the bond. We will still be connected, still linked. It will just make both of us miserable. Don’t you see? What happened tonight, it changed everything for both of us.” Colton sounds deflated and I get the visual of him and Carmen together kissing, right from his head to mine and have to shake it away as insane jealously claws at my insides from out of nowhere, proving his point. Irrational, illogical but there it is and he didn’t even mean to project his sad thoughts about her my way.
“Then what? Because all I am hearing is hopeless submission or death!” My anger snaps and out of somewhere deep inside my bravado peaks and pushes to my feet, voice strong and frustration seeping through. An inner surge of tingling electricity as my emotions peek and Colton looks at me in a very odd way. Suddenly stopped and staring insanely into my eyes.
“They’re not amber” he comes out with the most random reply and I blanche at him like he has two heads and have no idea what he is talking about.
“What?”
“Your eyes…when your inner wolf peeks. They’re not amber. They’re red. No one has red…..we all have amber.” He stalks towards me, grabbing my hand and spins me to him so he can inspect me closely.
“Show me” He commands and I look at him in bewilderment. Confused at the side-tracking of this conversation and feeling like I just fell through a reality hole.
If I knew how to do it on command then I would but as I only transformed for the first time and have no idea how to call my inner wolf then I just stare at him completely dumbfounded.
“Why does that matter?”
I am aware that despite the more urgent matter in hand that the Shaman has moved towards me also and so has one of the silent elders. A formidable tall and muscular elder, whose grey white hair is not successful in lowering his intimidation levels.
“Because you are part white and now Cole see’s red in your eyes. It matters, now show us or I will make you fully turn on my command and you won’t enjoy it.”
Colton reacts instinctively at the veiled threat and chaos ensues. In the flash of an eye he is between me and the elder, growling, eyes flashing wildly as he turns to him and he huskily warns him off.
“My mate….mine! You touch her….I will exert my right to maim or kill to protect her.” His tone drops to satanic levels and I recoil behind him, seeing the ripple of spines up his back as he begins to transform aggressively. My stomach hits my knees, making me weak, unsure what else to do as the shaman intervenes. Fear paralyses me to the spot.
“See. This is what happens when you deny the bond. The urge gets insane the longer you deny it. The need to protect, the need to be joined. It creates madness. Colton, be still. No one is going to touch your mate without your say so and we will look at her eyes in time. Breathe and come back to us.” He places a hand on his shoulder and gently brings Colton back to my side, lifting my hand and places it on his gently before patting both and setting us down. The instant spark and warmth generated between us gives me all kinds of safe and familiar vibes I have not known in almost ten years. Not since I last saw my parents alive and home.
“His mate holds the key to bringing him calm. Be that now. We need to talk without you both here. Go , the room through there.” He points us towards an adjoining door and Colton grasps my fingers in his tightly, his energy pulsing through mine and it does seem to bring him back from turning. I can’t explain it but here holding his hand. It’s the first time in a long time I feel a connection of love for anyone. That sense of belonging I lost the day my family left me.
I barely knew him this morning and yet here and now, my instincts are that I would die for him if I had to and the longer this plays out, the stronger this need to be near him gets. It’s insanity and I have no understanding of how this can be but it is what it is.
Colton is part of me now and I can’t do anything about it.
We are ushered to the door, hands still entwined and I follow him closely, the heady need to wrap myself around him worse when we have contact and as much as my head tells me to let go, I can’t seem to.
Colton pulls me through to the other room and shuts the door firmly behind us as he does so. Still holding my hand and keeping me by his side as he turns to me. He looks at our entangled fingers for a long second, seems like he too is telling himself to let go but he doesn’t.
“How can I want to kiss someone so badly that a few hours ago I never even knew? I have a girlfriend. Did, have one. My heads a mess.” He looks distraught and squeezes my hand in his a little forcefully before reluctantly releasing me and stepping back. “this is…insane. I don’t know you….How can we …?”392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnGc9WeZQ84
He paces past me twice, back and forth and then turns to me again.
I just shrug at him, unsure what else to say. If I knew the answers then I guess we wouldn’t be here like this.
“Please tell me you are feeling this too. That this is not just me?”
“I think that’s how it’s meant to work. We are supposed to want to , you know…mate.” I blush as I say it and look away, overwhelmed with sudden shyness. Uneasy with this admission he wants to kiss me. I mean I do too, I have done since after the whole imprinting thing but I just didn’t think we should be admitting those kinds of things to one another. Especially when neither of us actually wanted this.
I don’t get a chance to get any kind of verbal response. I don’t even get a chance to look up or think and his sudden move into me, his fingers yanking my chin up as his lips crash into mine knock me for six.
I’m shocked, frozen for a second by the instant kissing assault but as soon as his warm lips mould to mine I literally lose all control. I kiss him back with a fever incomparable to anything I have ever felt and get lost in the sweetest tasting past time ever invented. Now I know what an urge taking over feels like and my inner wolf pushes beyond any control I have.
His lips open mine and as lust fuels the animals in us, he picks me up under the thighs and walks me back so he can push me up against the wall and kisses me harder with a passion that sets us on fire. His tongue caresses mine and mentally I blurt out something about a first kiss which only seems to make him kiss me all the more passionately. All sense lost as this bond engulfs us.
I wrap my arms around his neck, devour with equal fervour and find my motion as we meet in every way, kissing him as natural as breathing. Grinding into one another, my body fitted to his and breathing becomes laboured as fever pitch hits. I experience the real cravings of lust that I have heard about and the need to strip his clothes off and finalise this unison take over. I never knew much about sex before today and now, I literally cannot contain the need to have it with him.
Colton catches my hand and pulls it above my head pinning me back against the wall and exposing my neck to him while my arm pulls my long hair back. Sliding away from my lips to my neck as he licks from the base of my throat and up to my jawline, my body pulsing with need.
Mark me…take me. I’m yours. Finalise the union.
The wanton voice of a girl I don’t recognise and he responds with a low growl.
I want nothing more.
Primal urge is no match for common sense and as his teeth elongate and graze the soft skin of my neck, holding me taught against the wall with my legs wrapped around his waist, angling me in readiness to leave his mate mark on my neck. A transference of blood, sex and we are united for life. Bearing marks that tie us together and shows everyone we are bonded.
An almighty high-pitched screech almost shatters all glass in the room around us and sends us jumping apart in alarm, heads near exploding with the sudden deafening assault on our elevated senses. Colton bristling into half turning as his protective instinct make him fight ready and poised to protect me.
“How could you?” Carmen wails, so high it’s piercing and things on the shelves in the room begin to vibrate. It dawns on me; this is one of her gifts. She can shatter with high pitch frequency and I cover my ears in alarm as she begins to howl once more. Dropping to the floor to save myself from her vengeance as Colton attempts to tackle her into the hall to try and stop the noise that is about to burst our eardrums.
“You said you loved me!” She screams at him, pushing back to get at me, her eyes glowing brightest orange as she loses control.
“I did…I mean, I do. I don’t know what I am saying. Calm down Carmen.” He picks her up from behind, covering her mouth with one hand and turns her around before pinning her to the wall to restrain her and get some control.
The tone that dominates comes out of him ruthlessly and reminds me why all should be afraid of the Santo Alpha’s.
“Stop it now and stop screaming.” He growls it her way.
She instantly quiets but as she does so, the door bursts open and Juan stands half turned, half man half beast in a ripped shirt and jacket, ready to take on the intruder and stops dead in his tracks at the sight before him. The elders and shaman hot on his tracks in similar state.
“What’s going on?” he commands snappily and I sink down into the corner I am left in, huddling into a ball and wishing myself a million miles away. This just can’t get any worse.
“Your son was in the middle of marking his mate…. MY mate has betrayed me!” She wails again in desolation and I feel every single angry glare turn from her to me and then Colton as silence deafens us all.
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