Chapter 3 Forbidden Territory (Declan's POV)
I sneak out of my room at half-past eleven, after the house monitors have completed their rounds.
Callum opens the door, his expression bleak in the moonlight. "They're already here."
"All of them?"
"Everyone, except Liam. Kid has A-Level maths tomorrow, and his human companion is still awake."
I nod and follow him through the night.
When we get in Greyfang Hollow, we find the pack waiting. Owen, Kieran, and four others sat in a loose circle, their bodies taut with barely restrained tension. I can smell their anxiousness, perplexity, and increasing unrest.
"Anyone else feel that surge at lunch today?" Kieran asks as I enter the clearing.
"Felt it?" Owen laughs cruelly. "I thought my wolf was about to claw its way out of my chest. What the absolute hell was that, Declan!"
"I found my mate."
Silence.
"That's..." Owen starts and then pauses. "That is great, mate. Finally. We were all beginning to worry."
"She's human."
"What d'you mean, human?" This comes from Brian Davies, one of our defenders. "Like, human human?"
"There is no mystical fragrance. There are no augmented senses. "No pack affiliation." Every syllable tastes like ash. "Completely, utterly human."
"Christ." Kieran sweeps two hands through his hair. "Declan, you cannot... I mean, the Silver Moon is three months away. You require a mate link, but not...
"Not a human, mate," Callum says gently. "Declan, you know what this means."
I understand exactly what it implies. A human partner represents a weakness that other packs can exploit.
"There has to be a mistake," Owen replies. "Perhaps she's adopted? Or her parents are human, but she carries supernatural blood from somewhere else?"
"I've been watching her all day." The admission makes me sound like a stalker, but I don't mind. "She has no idea what we are. I have no notion what's going on around her."
"Then we reject the bond." Brian's voice is bland and matter-of-fact. Find someone else before the Silver Moon. There are unmated females in the Pennine and Highlands packs..."
My wolf snarls at the proposal, and the sound from my throat causes everyone to flinch.
"Easy, Alpha," Callum murmurs, but his own posture has changed to defense mode. "We're just exploring options."
"There are no other options." She's my friend. "End of discussion."
"Even if it gets us all killed?" Kieran's query is barely audible, but it cuts deeper than a sword.
These aren't simply my friends; they're my responsibilities. My backpack. My family.
"It won't come to that."
Callum leans forwards, his dark eyes serious. "Declan, other packs had a mate-call today. They are going to conduct an investigation. And when they discover your mate is human...
"So, what do you suggest?" I inquire.
"Distance," Owen replies promptly. "Stay away from her." Do not fulfill the bond. Perhaps if you don't claim her, other packs will believe it was a false alarm."
"I can't." The confession scratches my throat rough. "I tried to avoid her today. I made it through only two lessons before pursuing her through the corridors like a nasty predator."
"Because your heat cycle is beginning," Callum adds sadly. "Finding your friend prompted it. You are going to become more territorial, possessive, and less sensible. "It will get worse before it gets better."
"How long?" Kieran wonders.
"Full heat comes in three to five days. Lasts approximately a week." Callum has been researching and planning for this moment since we were little. "Declan's going to be basically useless for pack business until it passes."
"Unless he claims his mate," Brian explains.
"Which he can't do because she's human," Owen explains.
"Which means we're vulnerable," Kieran says.
The conference ends shortly after, with my packmates leaving onto the moors with concerned expressions and tight shoulders. Callum waits while the others depart.
"You sure about this?" he inquires.
"No. But I have no choice."
"You've always had a choice, Declan. "That's what makes you Alpha."
I wish that were real. But lying here in the moonlight, my body already burning from the want to claim my unattainable mate, choosing feels like a luxury I cannot afford.
"Go back to the dorm," I tell him. "Try to get some sleep."
"What about you?"
I gaze up at the moon, which is three-quarters full and approaching its peak. In a few weeks, it will be silver, and ancient laws will require answers I do not know.
"I need to run."
Callum nods and goes into the darkness, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the rising fire in my blood.
The next day passes in a blur of barely controlled yearning. I catch glances of Vivienne between lessons, and each sighting makes the flame burn more hotter.
"Mr. Hartley." Mr. Patterson's voice interrupts my distraction. "Since you appear interested in Miss Ashford's chat, maybe you'd want to join it? The assignment was to talk about the Industrial Revolution in small groups.
As the class turns to look, heat rushes up my cheeks. Vivienne looks over her shoulder, and when our gazes contact, something electric flows between us. Her lips parted slightly, and I caught a small whiff of her smell from across the room.
The bell rescues me from more embarrassment, but as students leave, Vivienne approaches my desk.
"Are you alright?" she inquires. "You look... flushed."
If only she knew. "Fine. "Just tired."
"Late night?"
"Something like that." I grab my books and try not to breath too deeply. Her perfume is enticing this close, and my wolf is wreaking havoc.
"Declan." The way she says my name causes a basic change in my chest. "I realize this sounds strange, but do I recognize you from somewhere? I keep feeling like we've met before."
Yes, my wolf wishes to express.
"I don't think so," I respond instead. "I'd remember."
She nods, but her look says she isn't quite convinced. "Well, I suppose I'll see you around."
"Yeah. "See you around."
I watch her leave, my fists clenched to refrain from reaching for her.
Callum discovers me on Thursday night, standing in the shadows across from Vivienne's window at Thornfield House.
"This is getting creepy, even for you," he tells me.
"I can't help it." My voice is barely human, worn down by the constant strain of fighting my wolf's demands. "She's up there, and I'm down here, and every instinct I have is screaming at me to go to her."
"You are terrifying the human students. Three separate people asked me if you were okay today."
"I'm fine."
"You aren't fine. You are in full heat, hunting your lover like a predator. This is precisely the type of behavior that gets our species hunted."
The term 'hunted' cuts through the shroud of need that obscures my judgment. I push myself to back away from the skyscraper, putting distance between myself and temptation.
"Better?"
"Marginally." Callum examines my face under the moonlight. "How much longer d'you think you can hold out?"
"I don't know."
"Declan, there is something else. "Something you should know."
His tone of voice causes my wolf to stand still. "What?"
Callum pulls out his phone and shows me an article from the Yorkshire Post. "I've been looking into Vivienne's past. "Her father, Edmund Ashford, is more than just a researcher."
I scan the material, but the heat makes it difficult to focus on the text. "What d'you mean?"
"I mean, his real name is Edmund Ashford." "And Declan..." Callum's voice has dropped to a whisper. "He is the hunter." "The person who killed your father."
The words struck me like a physical blow, causing my heart to stop for a terrible moment.
My mate is the daughter of the man who murdered my family members.