Forgotten, Saved, Loved

by Violet Samuels

  Alex laughs at my face before getting out of bed, pulling the covers with her. I growl as she walks away from me, but I only get a sneaky wink in return before she bolts into the wardrobe.

  I sigh as I lie back on the bed, running my hands over my face. This morning was pure heaven and it's certainly something I'm never gonna forget. The way her body moved and the amount of pleasure she can give me is unbelievable... and it's all mine. Nobody else's.

  Alex walks back out wearing a strapless, sea green dress. She throws her hair up in a low ponytail and smiles at me. I smile back at her and slowly get up. Alex squeals and covers her eyes, a bright blush coming forth to her cheeks.

  "What?" I question, already knowing the answer. Alex uncovers her eyes, but looks anywhere but me as she points down. I smile deviously at her and quickly wrap my arm around her waist. It's actually quite funny. This morning she didn't have a problem with me being bare, but now that her heat has subsided for the moment, she got this adorable blush on her face.

  "What was that, my little mate?" I purr in her ear as I hear her gulp hard.She clears her throat before answering in a whisper, "You're naked."

  I smirk. "You didn't have a problem with it a few hours ago," I breathe in her ear. She just pushes me away and points to the wardrobe. I laugh as I pull on some shorts and walk back out. I look at Alex for approval.

  "Much better,” she says with a cheeky grin as she runs her nails down my bare chest. I growl lowly at the feeling.

  "Let's go get some food," I mumble as I pull her laughing self along with me. I roll my eyes at her, but can't help feeling happy at the sound coming from her lips.

  Ever since we fully mated, it's like everything is a hundred times better. Her laugh, her smile, her voice, her growl, her walk, everything is so much better. I love it. I love her. I've loved her for so long now and I've never had the chance to say it. Maybe tonight I can.

  As we enter the kitchen, Alex lets go of my hand and takes a seat on a stool.

  "What are we having?" she asks, drumming her fingers on the bench. I let my eyes follow from her fingers, to her hand, to her arm, to her bare shoulders, and finally, to her gorgeous face.

  "Whatever your little heart desires," I tell her with a smile. She beams back and instantly says pancakes. I chuckle.

  "Pancakes? For dinner?" I question incredulously. She eagerly nods her head, so I just shrug and get out the pancake batter.

  "You cook?" she suddenly asks, getting up from the stool and walking around the counter to wrap her arms around my waist. The sparks that fly through me are so intense that I realise her heat is going to be back in the next hour or so.

  "Nope, but I'm gonna attempt to," I joke, causing a smile to split her face. That beautiful smile will always make my day, no matter the circumstances.

  "I'll help you. The easy part is done, so all we have to do is flip the pancakes,” she tells me as she gets a fry pan and puts it on the cook top.

  Flip them? Piece of cake. Not.

  I watch Alex pour a small amount of batter in, the gooey stuff expanding into a small circle.

  "You wait for the bubbles to start forming and popping, then you flip!" she exclaims with a grin. I smile. She actually gets a thrill out of this. Cute.

  I wrap my arms around her waist and rest my chin on her shoulder. She sighs as she leans her head on mine, patiently waiting for the pancake to start bubbling. Well, at least she's patient for food.

  "I'm sorry,” she suddenly whispers. I lift my head up to examine her side, shocked from what she just said. Sorry? Why in the world would she be sorry?

  "What are you sorry for? There's nothing for you to be sorry for," I tell her, putting my finger under her chin to get her to look at me. She does so without a fight.

  "It's just that you wanted so badly to capture Damon and you were going to do that today, but my stupid heat stopped you. I know I'm being really selfish right now, but I can't help it because I've finally gotten to fully mate with you and I've loved every second of it. I really hate my emotions right now because they are going haywire and I would really appreciate it if you kiss me,” she rants out in one breath.

  I smirk at her as I place a soft kiss on her lips, not going any further than that. Alex obviously has other ideas though because she wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me closer, forcing the kiss to go deeper than I intended.

  "Alex!" I growl, wrapping an arm around her waist. Well, I was right. Her heat's come back full force and it hasn't even hit the hour yet.

  A foul smell suddenly hits my nose and I cringe away. Alex whimpers, trying to pull me closer again. I shake my head and furrow my eyebrows.

  "Can you smell something burning?" I ask. Alex's eyes go wide as she looks at the fry pan.

  "Crap!" she curses. She rushes to turn down the heat and throws the fry pan in the sink with a loud 'clunk!' That's sure to wake everyone up.

  I chuckle at her overreaction while she glares daggers at me.

  "Don't you laugh, lover boy. You don't get pancakes now,” she shoots back with a huff.

  "Me? You were the one that was hungry. If I had my way, I would be eating something else right now," I say lowly, letting the lust seep into my eyes. Alex shivers before looking at me evilly.

  "Well, lover boy, you're gonna have to catch your dinner first,” she teases before sprinting out of the kitchen. I growl. She wants a chase? She'll get a chase. You better run, my little mate.

  ALEX

  Finally! For the love of the Moon Goddess, finally! My heat is officially over for a whole month! Be happy for me! You cannot feel the relief and happiness I'm feeling right now! It's beyond anything!

  "Geez, Alex, why are you so excited so early in the morning?" I hear Comrade’s muffled voice from the bed. I laugh as I go and jump on top of him. He groans at the sudden weight, but it doesn't wipe the smile from my face.

  "Comrade! I'm not in heat anymore! I can be free and go dancing in the rain!" I exclaim, falling onto his chest and beaming at him like the mad hatter.

  Comrade rolls his eyes at me and smiles. With the new and improved bond between us, I can feel his emotions and all I'm feeling right now is adoration. Aww, he adores me.

  "Well then, the fun is over, huh?" he asks as he gives a fake disappointed look. I chuckle at him and shake my head, leaving a lingering kiss on his lips.

  "Of course not! Think of my heat as a kick start!" I tell him with another million watt smile. He releases a laugh at my words and I can't help it when my smile gets bigger. I love that sound, the sound of his laugh. I love his eyes, the mysterious darkness. I love his lips, the roughness and softness of them. I love everything about this man. Not boy. Man.

  I love Comrade. I love this man with all my heart.

  Coming to this realisation, my smile drops and my mouth becomes ajar. I love this man. This mysterious and dark man that has gone through so much, is the man that I love and forever will.

  "Comrade?" I whisper. His eyes open slowly. He takes one look at my face and instantly sits up with me slipping into his lap, only worry reflects in his eyes.

  "What's wrong, Alex?" he asks in a hurry, cupping my face with his hands.

  I take a deep breath and say the three words I'm never going to take back with so much emotion, that it even shocks me, "I love you."

  The expression that takes over Comrade's face is so worth the sound of those three words leaving my mouth. His eyes widen and a grin splits his face, reaching from ear to ear. I've never seen him smile so much in the past week, but this smile beats them all. By far.

  "I love you, too,” he whispers.

  His lips crash against mine as we pour out all our emotions into this one kiss. Pain for what we've both been through, anxiety for what's coming for us, devotion for knowing that we're never going to leave each other's side, and finally, our love for each other that will never break.

  "I love you. I love you. I love you!" Comrade keeps saying over and over, planting kiss after kiss on my lips a
s I just laugh at him. He seems so much lighter now, like he doesn't have the weight of his past on his shoulders. We both share each other's burdens now, each other's secrets, and that's the way it's supposed to be. Now and forever more.

  18

  ALEX

  I chuckle evilly to myself as I watch Ally check every single one of her five hairbrushes. Oh Ally, you're in for a big surprise...

  Once she's satisfied that her hairbrushes are free of super glue, she picks one up and starts to brush her hair. Nothing happens. Perfect. Now she thinks that nothing's going to happen to her.

  I glance above me on the top of the door - a full bucket of coloured glue sits there. I get my phone and camera ready. This is gonna be good.

  It takes Ally another three or so minutes before she starts walking towards the door. Her afro-like hair is up in a frizzy ponytail and she doesn't suspect a thing.

  I quietly and slowly back away from the door, holding my phone up. Three.Two.One.

  Ally opens the door to see me. Her eyes go wide as she hears the bucket tip and looks up at the very last second to see the coloured glue come pouring down on her.

  "Ahh!" she screams, her hands up near her face, picturing of utter shock. I snap the picture and a few others as the glue drips down her face and onto the tiled floor of the bathroom. I try so hard not to laugh, but I can't help it! She looks hilarious!

  "Alex! You- you-" she tries to say, but it seems like she can't get her words out. I think it's mainly because she has glue in her mouth.

  "Yes, Ally? What can I do for you?" I ask sweetly, my shoulders still shaking with silent laughter. This is gold! I wish there was someone else to see it!

  As if my wish was heard, Taylor comes running into the room. She takes one look at Ally and bursts out laughing, which makes me start laughing again. Gold I tell you, gold! I should report this to funniest home videos! Ha! Best prank. Ever!

  Ally tries to say something, but keeps her mouth shut so that the glue doesn't get in her mouth again. I laugh harder at that and it seems like Taylor does, too.

  Ally just screams, her mouth still closed, and stomps off out of the room. Taylor and I keep on laughing until we look like dying seals. You know when you laugh so much no sound comes out? Yeah, that's what we're doing now.

  "Oh my gosh, that was brilliant!" I yell, my grin and laughter never leaving me. Taylor can only nod in agreement.

  A good ten minutes later and we're ready to go back downstairs to everyone else. Taylor and I make our way down the stairs, still chuckling under our breaths.

  I appear in the kitchen and my eyes instantly lock on Comrade's. He smiles at me, to which I return in a full beam. I jump over to him and wrap my arms around his neck, giving him a light kiss on the lips.

  "Morning, my little mate,” he whispers in my ear as he places a kiss on my mark. I shiver and mumble a morning back. He chuckles at me while wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me closer.

  "Yeah, yeah, that's enough now. Keep it PG, people!" Callum exclaims, walking into the kitchen with a big grin.

  I pull away from Comrade to grin at Callum. I've missed him! He hasn't been around for a while.

  "Comrade! How ya doin?" Callum asks with the same grin. Comrade chuckles and nods while giving him a normal answer. They continue to have a semi-conversation while I stand there gob-smacked. When did these two become good friends?

  "Whoa whoa whoa!" I exclaim, holding my fingers up between the two men. They look at me questioningly while I look at them dumbly.

  "When did you two becomes best friends? And where did you disappear to?" I accuse them both. I really shouldn't be questioning my beta, but Comrade seems to be good friends with him, so I may as well be.

  Comrade looks at me with a small smile and wraps his arms around me again while saying, "Alex, Callum's been helping us try to find Damon. He went away for a week because he went searching for his mate."

  I stare at Callum shocked. He was looking for his mate? Did he find her? What's she like? Is she pretty? Maybe we could be friends. That is if he found her.

  "Did you find her?" I question eagerly, getting excited to try and make a new friend. Callum offers me a sad smile and a shrug. I instantly know the answer.

  "I'm sorry," I mumble, getting out of Comrade's arms and engulfing Callum in a hug. He stays still for a moment, probably because I'm hugging him and I shouldn't be. He hugs me back although it just takes him a moment before he does.

  "Ok, that's enough hugging," I hear Comrade say before I'm pulled away and into his arms once again. I chuckle at him while shaking my head. He's so overprotective.

  "Well, I'm gonna head back to Axel's office and you'll be there soon?" Callum states, but it's more of a question. Comrade nods his head and kisses me on the cheek.

  "See you soon,” he tells me before following Callum out of the kitchen. I sigh as I watch his retreating back. He turns around and gives me a sneaky wink to which I just chuckle lightly at. I know I won't see him any time soon. I'll probably see him in the morning though.

  I decide that I'm not gonna sit around the house and wait for the next prank to attack its victim, so I decide on something that I don't normally do. I'm gonna go see my dad.

  I sit there awkwardly as dad tries to avoid looking at me at all costs. This is nothing really. You should've seen him when I knocked on the door. The first thing I noticed was that his face dropped and his eyes became heavy. I am the spitting image of my mum, so I can't really blame him. I can blame him, however, for being a bad dad ever since my mum died.

  "So, huh... What's been happening lately? Gone for a run?" I ask him, hoping to get something out of him. His eyes snap to my blue ones and they instantly fill with pain. I quickly look away, not wanting to see that stupid emotion in his eyes. It's the only emotion he seems to feel now.

  "Yeah, uh... I haven't gone for a run in a while,” he tells me, clearing his throat.

  It falls silent after that, it's almost suffocating. I look around the walls and notice that he's taken all the photos of us down. There used to be photos of Mum and I, all three of us, just me, just Mum and Dad, and now it's bare. All except for one lone photo. I smile as I get up and walk towards it. I feel my dad's eyes on me as I observe it.

  It's actually one of my favourite photos of us. It's when I was younger, we're in the park. Mum was laughing and cuddling me in her arms while Dad was sneaking up behind her to scare us. He got us good that day and Mum was so annoyed that she gave him the silent treatment until that night. Nevertheless, Mum made him beg before she muttered a single word to him.

  "Do you remember this?" I whisper, turning to face my dad to see him already standing behind me. He rests his hands on my shoulders with a small smile.

  "I do. Your mother gave me the silent treatment for the rest of the day. I had to beg on my hands and knees for a good hour,” he says with a chuckle.

  "Yeah," I say breathlessly with a nod. "She sure did."

  Dad and I continue to just stare at the picture, remembering all the good times that we used to have.

  Mum was always the fun one out of us. She always lit up the room. Dad was always the one to help her see the responsible side of things, but he never ruined her fun, no matter how irresponsible it was. As for me, I was just the one that always tried to make them smile and have a good time.

  Dad clears his throat and paces back to his seat. I quickly follow suit, hoping to strike up another conversation.

  "So, uh... I met my mate. It's Comrade, the guy who was missing for three years," I tell him quietly, not wanting to meet his eyes. I don't expect him to blow up or anything, but he could at least acknowledge that I've found my life long partner.

  "That's good,” he answers back, not doing anything to show that he's happy for me. He just stays in the same tense pose since I've gotten here. Seriously though, 'that's good'? That's all he has to say to me? I met my freaking mate!

  I take a deep breath and unclench my teeth, not remembering when I
clenched them in the first place. If he wants to be this way, then fine.

  "So, I'm going for a run later, wanna come?" I ask him, sticking a thumb behind me as a gesture. I actually wasn't planning to go for a run and I don't want to go for a run with him, but he is my dad whether I like it or not.

  Dad looks up to my eyes and I instantly know the answer. He's given me the same one a million times, what would make this time any different?

  "No,” is all he says before getting up and opening the front door for me to exit his house that also used to be ours. I sigh, but accept the rejection anyway. It's normal.

  "I'll see you around, Dad," I mutter before walking out and hearing the door slam behind me. The thing with Dad now, is that he's happy for one tiny second, then he's a coldhearted man who doesn't care if I live or die, or if I've met my mate. Gotta love daddy!

  I really don't want to go back to the pack house right now, so I think I'm gonna take that run. I detour on my way back to the pack house and head towards the forest. It's about time I let off some steam. I haven't gone for a run since Callum had us do that game thing for choosing who gets to rescue Comrade. That was like, two or three months ago! I really need to let my wolf go...

  Once I'm far enough into the tree cover, I strip my clothes and shift into my wolf. I take it slow as I feel all my bones break and morph, my muscles contract and flex. It's a nice, yet slightly painful feeling.

  'Glad you finally let me out,' I hear my wolf mutter to me, but I don't bother replying. I just pull back and let her take over, enjoying the feeling of not being in control of my body for once. I can finally relax for once in my life.

  I watch through my wolf's eyes as trees pass by and everything blurs around me. I'm surprised I haven't run into anything in the few years that I've been able to shift.

  I run until the sun goes down and finally reel my wolf in so that I have control. I lead her back to where the pack house is, but I can hear her constant whining about not being able to run some more. I just ignore her because she always ignores me.