Celina takes a seat on the couch adjacent to me and looks down at her hands. She's come such a long way since I've been gone. She's had a family, a beautiful one at that. She's run this pack alongside Axel and she's only 19. Above all, she came to rescue me when I thought all hope was lost. She truly is unique in every aspect of the word. The only thing is, I missed everything.
"So, how have you been?" I mutter, looking anywhere but Celina. It just doesn't feel right to meet her eyes after what I've thought about her.
"Comrade, I-" she starts, but doesn't finish. I glance at her curiously, my dark eyes lifting to meet her gold ones.
"I hate this,” she finally admits, looking to me with sad eyes. "I hate not being able to talk to you like I used to. I hate not being able to hear you call me Snow like you used to. I hate what Damon's done to you and I hate that I couldn't help you. I hate it, I hate it so much."
Tears fill her eyes, but they don't fall down her cheeks. I clench my fists, but not in anger. I clench them to restrain myself from running over to Celina and giving her a hug. I miss her, I miss her so much. I don't deserve her though.
"Things have changed, Celina. It will never be the same," I tell her, looking straight into her eyes. Her bottom lip trembles, but she keeps it together. She's grown stronger too...
"It can be the same again though, Comrade. I healed from what Damon did to me! Axel helped me through it. You can heal too! Alex will help you, she already has. Even Chloe has healed from what's happened to her." She says the last bit in a murmur, but I hear it loud and clear.
Chloe? Is she dead? Is she alive? I haven't asked. Another person I've forgotten. Chloe was a good friend of mine. She always made me smile and always had this way of lifting the mood. I don't know why I haven't asked about her sooner.
"What happened to Chloe? Did she, um... you know?" I question uncomfortably. My eyes cast downward as I try to look anywhere but at Celina's face.
"No, she didn't. I honestly thought she would, but she didn't. We opened the box a little after you disappeared to see Chloe as healthy as ever. She changed though. She's still the same person, but something inside her has changed. Her mind set, I guess. She couldn't stay with us anymore, so she left. The last time I heard, she's in Portugal having the time of her life. She's happy now, even though her life has never been perfect," Celina tells me with a smile.
At least she's happy. I would rather she was happy than dead any day. I'll have to get in touch with her, let her know I'm ok. I'm sure she'll be happy to know I'm not dead...
"At least she's happy. I wouldn't have it any other way," I mutter to myself. Celina nods, her smile still in place.
"You know what the first thing she said was as she left that box?" Celina asks, her eyes shining with pride. I shake my head. "I'm happy, I'm truly happy. That's what she said and I believed her with all my heart."
We stay silent after that. Celina seems absorbed in her thoughts, but I just stare out the window. The sun's shining and there seems to be a slight breeze. It's a beautiful day, but there's nothing happy about it.
"You know you can talk to me, right?" Celina suddenly asks, looking at me. I don't avert my eyes from the window as I answer her.
"Course," I mutter, but I don't know if it's a lie or not. My heart is telling me to believe it, but my brain is telling me not to.
In my heart, I know that I still love Celina the same way I loved her three years ago. I also know that what's happened to me has changed me for the worst.
My brain is still shouting at me to not trust anyone though. It's like my mind is stuck and won't tell me to think anything else. It's shouting at me to ignore Celina, Axel, this pack, everyone, and run. Run as fast as I can, but I can't.
I want answers to my questions. I want Kate to wake up. I want to stay with Alex. I want to have a life. I want to forget everything that happened to me. First things first though. I want Damon dead.
14
COMRADE
A few weeks ago, I would've been trapped and most likely being beaten. I would be scolding Kate for sneaking down to my cell in the middle of the day. I would be aching and wishing to be rescued. That wish has come true. Now I'm free and all that my mind's set on is Damon. I want to know where he is, what he's doing, how many breaths he's taking. I want him.
As soon as this realisation came to me a few days ago, I went straight to Axel. I asked him to help me, to bring down Damon. I must admit, he did look a little hesitant at first, but he agreed once I brought up the safety of Celina and the pups. Bribery can be very helpful when used correctly...
"This is hopeless!" I growl as I swipe my arm across the desk, papers going everywhere. We've been trying to locate Damon for a whole week and we still haven't even found a glimpse of him. It's infuriating!
"Calm down, Comrade. If we approach this out of pure rage, then we will fail. We need a plan and we need patience," Axel tells me as his eyes skim over the paper he's holding.
The door suddenly opens, causing both our heads to snap up. Axel growls when Alex comes into our line of sight, but I just smirk. Oh Alex, always the disrespectable one.
"I thought I told you to knock when you enter my office!" Axel growls, his jaw ticking. I very quickly discovered that Alex really doesn't care for Axel's authority. I asked her about it, but all she said was that he betrayed her in a way. I didn't question her after that.
"Well, I'm here now, so no point getting worked up about it,” she bites back while making her way over to me.
As soon as she's in arm’s length, I grab her around the waist and bury my head in her neck, inhaling her sweet and luring scent. My anger instantly bubbles down and all that's left is a never ending want.
Alex runs her hands through my hair and softly asks, "What's wrong?"
I sigh and softly kiss where I'll soon mark her, earning myself a shiver. I smirk against her neck, loving the control I have over her. After being out of control for over three years, it has really changed me. I feel the need to have my little mate submit to me and let me have control. So, by the way she's reacting now, I've definitely got at least some control.
"We can't find him, I can't find him. It's like he's disappeared off the face of the earth and it's quite stressful," I murmur, still lightly kissing her neck.
"Maybe you should take a break, have a breather?" she suggests, also looking to Axel. He shrugs, looking back at the papers in his hands. I sigh. Axel may not need a break, but I do.
"Axel, I'm gonna take a break. My brain needs to relax," I say, standing up. Alex falls off my lap and lands lightly on her feet. Axel just grunts and waves a dismissing hand.
Alex grips my hand tightly and leads me out the door, heading straight to the backyard. It seems to be my safe haven whenever I'm stressed, angry, sad, or when I'm just feeling any strong emotion.
Alex takes a seat up against a tree and motions me to lie down in front of her. I do as I'm told and lay my head in her lap.
"You work too much. You need to spend more time with me,” she mutters as she starts to massage my temples. I groan in approval.
Alex and I quickly made up after I pretty much pushed her away from me. She gave me the silent treatment for a while, reminding me of when Celina gave Axel and Callum the silent treatment and only spoke to me. Good times...
Anyway, after a little... persuasion from my part, Alex easily gave in. I must say, it felt good to please my mate in certain ways. I don't mean in 'that' way, just making her happy and smile. It really is a nice feeling.
"You know, I can always help in trying to find him. I mean, I helped find you. Kinda..." she trails off as her hands travel down to massage my shoulders.
Letting out a groan, I mutter, "I don't want you getting hurt. Having you rescue me was enough of a risk. I don't want you doing it again."
I hear her sigh before she rests her forehead on mine. I run a hand through her hair and lightly massage her scalp.
"Why does this have to be so difficult? This should'v
e ended with that bloody war. So many lives could've been saved, but no. You just had to run off, didn't you?" she jokes in a teasing manner. I chuckle at her and open my eyes.
"That I did," I admit. I slowly lift my head from her lap and switch our places, so that I'm the one leaning against the tree while Alex is straddling me.
"You naughty boy," Alex mumbles, her eyes going down to my lips. I smirk, knowing I'm having an effect on her.
"That I am," I admit once again, bringing my lips softly down onto hers. She sighs into the kiss, resting her hands on my chest.
I pull back after a while and gaze at her. Her eyes are still closed and a small smile is gracing her face. The way her blonde hair shines in the sun and falls over her shoulders, it makes me wonder how I ever got so lucky.
"You're truly something, Alex. Truly something," I mutter, softly kissing her forehead. I pull her closer to me, causing her to rest her head on my chest. I sigh and run my fingers through her soft hair, lightly taking out the knots that have formed.
"Alex!" a voice suddenly screeches, pulling me out of the moment. I groan as I see one of her friends, Taylor, stomping up to us. Alex chuckles and pecks my lips.
"Be right back,” she whispers, jumping off my lap and turning again. Seeing the sight of her friend seems to put her into shock though.
"What the hell happened to your hair?" she yells, running up to her fuming friend. Now being able to actually get a good look at Taylor, I notice that her usual brown hair is neon green. It doesn't suit her.
"Why don't you ask Ally?" Taylor seethes, pointing behind her to a laughing Ally who is trying to catch up to her. I just watch on in amusement as the scene unfolds.
"Oh my god! Y-you should've s-seen her face! It was hilarious!" Ally laughs, falling to the ground and clutching her stomach. I see Alex's shoulders start to shake slightly at the sight of her friends.
"Don't you dare start laughing!" Taylor warns as a bark of laughter escapes Alex's lips.
"I-I'm sorry! It's just that... you look ridiculous!" she exclaims then bursts out laughing all over again. She falls to the ground next to Ally as Taylor looks down at them with a glare.
"Stop laughing!" she screams again, her glare looks like it could kill someone. She looks around the backyard, searching for something. Her eyes suddenly land on me and she stomps over. I raise an eyebrow at her.
"You! Get your freaking mate to stop laughing at me!" she yells in my face, her neon green hair going everywhere as the wind blows."Now!" she screeches when I don't move.
I chuckle but get up anyway and make my way to an ‘out-of-control’ Alex. I wrap my arms around her waist and haul her up against my chest. Her laughter doesn't cease as she throws her head into my shoulder.
"Oh my god, Comrade! Look at her! Her hair is green!" Alex laughs as she grips my arms that are around her waist.
"Neon green, actually," I correct her with a grin. Alex laughs even harder, laughing so hard that she starts laughing silently. You know, when your mouth is hanging open and you look like a seal?
"Not helping," I hear Taylor mumble. I chuckle, feeling sorry for her. Having dealt with Matthew, I have been on the receiving end of a prank that involved hair dye.
After Alex and Ally finally start to settle down somewhat, I release her and make my way to Taylor. I motion her to follow me while Alex and Ally are still distracted with their laughing.
"What?" she asks, clearly annoyed I didn't help her. I chuckle and shake my head. Her hair does look pretty ridiculous.
"Stop staring at my hair!" she suddenly snaps, sending me a glare that could bury me six feet under.
"Ok ok, sorry," I say with a chuckle, holding my hands up in a surrender position. She huffs, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Is there a reason I'm here?" she questions, clearly irritated with me.
"Actually yes. I've been on the receiving end of many pranks, so I know how this stuff works. My offer to you is to get back at Ally," I offer, raising my eyebrows mischievously.
"I'm listening..." she trails off, stepping closer to me. I smirk. This should be fun. Alex will kill me, but it'll be fun.
The next day, I'm happily sitting out in the backyard with Alex nicely tucked under my arm and Taylor lounging on another chair to my right.
I glance at her, sending a sneaky wink her way. She sends me one back before going back to her drawing. Funny thing is, this is only the second time I've actually spent time with Taylor. The first time was weeks ago and she seemed so awkward around me. I think Alex yelled some sense into both Taylor and Ally though because they seem a lot more comfortable around me. They're not walking on eggshells around me like the rest of the pack.
"So, are you spending the day in Axel's office again?" Alex asks while gazing out into the forest.
"I don't know, probably," I mumble absently as my mind wonders to my wolf. I haven't really felt him much, but I know he's there. He's got to be...
A sudden yell brings a smirk to my face.
"Oh my freaking god! Taylor!"
Ally comes bursting out the back door with her afro like hair standing up in all directions. Literally. Taylor takes one look at her and burst out laughing, dropping her drawing pad and falling to the floor.
It was actually Taylor's idea. She had some spare glue for some reason, so we decided to pour the glue in Ally's hairbrush, shampoo, conditioner and anything else to do with her hair. In result, her hair is coated with so much glue, it's literally as stuff as a board. It doesn't look like an afro anymore...
Alex gasps and turns to look at her laughing friend. She just glares then looks at me, narrowing her eyes at my smirk. My smirk instantly drops off my face as Alex directs a murderous glare my way.
"You had something to do with this,” she growls as she pokes my chest. "Do you know what you've started? You've started a prank war that will go on for years!"
I chuckle at her, knowing she's just exaggerating. Alex growls at me and pinches the bridge of her nose.
"This is gonna be just like the great year of ‘05,” she suddenly mumbles, falling back into my chest. I rest my head on her shoulder, about to ask what happened in 2005, before Ally beats me to it.
"Ah yes, ‘05, the great pranking year," Ally says proudly, momentarily forgetting about her hair. Suddenly remembering her situation, Ally goes back to glaring at a still laughing Taylor. I must admit, I've never seen Ally's hair so tamed. Even if it is with glue.
"What happened in 2005?" I question, totally confused. Alex huffs and stands up, turning around to face me and putting a hand on her cocked out hip.
"One day, I decided to play a prank on Ally and Taylor because I was bored. I put super glue on their hairbrush handles, so when they picked them up, they couldn't let go. That triggered a whole year worth of pranks, ranging from hair to clothes to childish school pranks. Eventually, our parents had to break it off. That's what happened in the great year of 2005 and now Ally has started another round. Thanks, Ally," Alex bites sarcastically, causing Ally to grin innocently.
"Hey, I only started it. It could've been stopped if Taylor didn't prank me back,” she defends.
"What!" Taylor suddenly exclaims. "I only got you back because Comrade offered to help me!"
All eyes snap to me, Ally's looking shocked and Alex's looking pissed as hell. Oh dear...
"What?" Alex seethes, walking up to me. "You helped her? You helped her start a bloody prank war!"
I flinch at the sound of her tone and quickly bring her to my chest. I stroke her hair to calm her down, but she pushes me back.
"You know what? You can deal with your fate now. As of this moment, a prank war has begun. Contestants including Taylor, Ally, Comrade, and myself." She puts emphasis on my name, making sure we all heard it loud and clear.
Alex smirks at me as she walks away, leaving a grinning Taylor and Ally. I look between the two, instantly knowing they're forming an alliance.
"No alliances!" I hear Alex shout in the pack house,
making Taylor groan. Ally rolls her eyes and makes her way inside, her eyes look calculating.
"Better suit up, Comrade! A war has officially begun," Taylor says with a smirk before also walking into the pack house.
What have I gotten myself into?
15
ALEX
"Dammit!" I yell rather loudly as the bandage around my hand rips again from the strain. I've been punching this bloody punching bag for the last hour because a certain alpha has pissed me off. Seriously though! Who the hell does Axel think he is? The alpha? Well he is, but he doesn't have to make that known every single minute of every single hour of the day. I mean, come on!
I don't see why he got so annoyed anyway. All I did was accidently splash flour on his face. It was actually really funny... I was just happily baking a cake, keeping an eye out for Ally, Taylor, and Comrade since the prank war is still on, when Axel appears out of nowhere and scares me half to death. So, technically, it was his fault he got flour all over his face, not mine! I tell ya what though, he gave me an earful and now I'm pissed off about it because it wasn't even my fault!
"Stupid alpha, stupid rules, stupid him, stupid, stupid, stupid..." I mutter to myself while wrapping my hands again and wiping the sweat off my face. I angrily walk back to the punching bag and go for a swing, but before my hand can come in contact with the bag, another person’s hand stops me. My eyes snap to a familiar pair of almost black eyes. Comrade.
My breathing comes out in short pants as I slowly pull my hand out of his grip. His black eyes study me for a moment, like he's searching for something. I stare back at him, but more emotionless and blank.
"Don't give me that look,” he tells me in a soft voice as he slowly steps up to me. I sigh as his hand lands comfortably on my cheek, stroking it with his thumb. Why can he always seem to do this to me? He can always make me calm down and breathe with a single touch. Do I also have that effect on him?
Forgotten, Saved, Loved Page 10