My heart was pounding... My lips were trembling and afraid he might have bad intentions, I wanted to slide away from under his huge body, but he wouldn't let me escape.
Growling, he just stood over me, fixing my staring eyes and placing his big paw in the middle of my upper body, so that I didn't have a chance to move even the slightest bit.
I stupid naive girl...
My crazy idea of going to see him had put me in a position from which no one could rescue me, but did I need rescue at all?
As I stared spellbound and trembling into his dark eyes, his facial expressions softened and even the growl that came deep in his throat slowly but surely fell silent. He carefully removed his paw from my chest while shaking himself slightly, the drops of his wet fur falling on me, his scent clinging to my wet clothes.
His irises darted over my prone body on the forest floor as he began sniffing my jacket, which finally made him growl again.
"Whose jacket is that?!"
Startled to hear him in my head, I widened my eyes in disbelief and tried to get up, but he moved close over me again to stare at me coldly.
Should I answer him or did I just imagine that deep, menacing voice?
While I thought about it in a panic, I didn't even notice that he was panting and pulling back a bit, giving me the opportunity to finally find my way back onto my trembling legs.
I got up carefully, not taking my eyes off him for a second, and then held my breath again.
"Answer!"
Frozen, I listened to the rain and avoided his intense gaze to consider running. I'm sure he was faster than me, but I certainly wouldn't tell who that jacket was from. My brother was in enough trouble because of me and if this wolf here really was my mate he would surely attack Devin.
Holding my breath, I looked in the direction I had come from, then ran as fast as I could.
I didn't stop, didn't even turn around and ran between the trees until I arrived at the sports field with a racing heart and a stitch in my side.
I should really work on my stamina...
Hunched over, I tried to catch my breath and gradually calmed down, knowing that he hadn't been chasing me, but someone else was...
"What were you doing in the forest?!"
I got my torso up again and stared, caught, to where my soaking wet brother was leaning against the fence of the sports field.
Shit damn!
Not only did he look pissed off, but he also looked disappointed and then quickly walked over to me to pull my arm with him.
"Devin, you're hurting me," I told him and tried to free my wrist from his tight grip, but he just kept pulling me across the wet meadow and didn't notice me at all.
"Devin!" I got louder, but again no reaction.
Out of sheer anger at myself and the pulling pain of his grip, tears welled up in my eyes while I tried to free myself one last time with all my might, which I finally managed to do.
He turned to me, eyed my dirty, wet clothes and then looked deep into my eyes.
"Just how stupid are you?" he asked with a contempt that made me cringe. "You know what punishment there is if you enter the forest! Besides, you could have been raped!"
His voice grew louder and his eyes grew angrier.
"But nothing happened!", I explained sheepishly and meanwhile the tears were running down my face, because somehow he was right. Really terrible things could have happened to me. How could I be so naive...
"But something could have happened!" he yelled and then took a deep breath. "Then what are we all pretending for, anyway, when you seem to be looking for danger and not scared?! Then I could just go to my mate and-"
He shook himself and avoided my gaze in shock while I stopped crying and stared at him in disbelief.
"Your mate?" I asked softly and took a step towards him. "You found your mate?"
It seemed so unreal to me what he just said and that made my guilty conscience towards him all the greater. He really gave up everything to protect me and I repaid him by putting myself in extra danger.
The attraction of this unknown wolf only made me angry. So angry that I balled my hands into fists and vowed to myself never to mess up like that again.
"Yes, I know who she is, but as long as you don't have a decent partner, I won't leave you," he explained in a trembling voice and then he took me tightly in his arms while loud thunder started above us. "You are the most important thing in my life, Jady. I promised."
Standing against his heaving chest, I remembered him promising to stay with me until I was safe and had a partner to watch over me.
"Devin?" I whispered softly and then pulled away from him a little to be able to look at his face. His sea blue eyes looked at me questioningly while his wet hair fell lightly over his face. "As soon as I'm of legal age I'll find a partner and then I want you to be happy with your mate."
He faked a smile, tucked a strand of my brown hair behind my ear, and then cupped his hand on my cheek.
"Deal," he nodded and then gave me a gentle kiss on the forehead before he took my hand and we walked home together through the rain.