Chapter 24

Day's early light poured through my window, giving my room a red/pink hue as my eyes slowly opened. I laid in my bed for a few more minutes, soaking in the new reality of today, a burst of determination blossoming within me. It took me until midnight to fall asleep last night, hours were spent with me writing down multiple ideas, training schedules, patrol schedules, to do lists and so much more. I had decided I'm done waiting for new information to come to light, we needed to know what the hunters were planning and where they came from. We will never get anywhere with this with just waiting for them to attack, we can't risk someone else getting badly injured or killed. 

I didn't bother getting dressed into anything nice, a pair of black leggings and a black t-shirt was good enough. I threw my hair up onto a messy bun, wanting to fill my growling stomach with something before I went crazy. After a few slips here and there, an occasional shriek, I managed to make it down the stairs without killing myself in my socks. I made a mental note to remember that socks and just waxed, hardwood flooring do not mix well. I slid into the kitchen, ignoring Obsidian and a few other warriors and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge. 

"Good morning," I finally greeted, glancing at the small group.

Obsidian's jaw was slightly tense as he stared at me, his eyes darkening just a bit. The other three men all immediately smiled at me, returning my greeting with enthusiasm. I raised an eyebrow at Obsidian, trying to figure out why he was looking at me like I just said the most offensive thing. When he didn't give me an answer and instead, awkwardly shifted his legs a little, I just shrugged it off. I need to remember that he's not some normal guy, he can go from being this strict alpha to a shy school boy. Something I will never tell him unless I want him to murder me. 

Then again, it would be hilarious to see his face. 

"Cat got your tongue, alpha?" I teased.

Obsidian narrowed his eyes, "No."

"Well, I said good morning, it's rude to not say anything."

"Good morning." 

I grinned and lightly patted him on his head, "See? I knew your inner alpha attitude could come out instead of the school boy act." 

The three men all had looks of shock on their faces, it almost made me want to laugh and wink at them. While they may not have the balls to get on their alpha's nerves, I enjoy it. Obsidian slowly placed his glass down and turned towards me, our faces inches apart. 

"Are we going back to be an annoying brat again?" He asked.

I smirked, "Oh come on, you know I wasn't going to quit getting under your skin with every chance I get. That's how our friendship grew." 

He stared at me a moment longer, his lips twitching at the corners, begging to smile. He eventually gave in, shaking his head and gently shoving me. "You're lucky I can't kill you," he sighed.

"You're just dying to break my neck, aren't you?"

"At the moment, yes." 

I chuckled before facing his three pack members, "See? He's not always scary."

The one finally snapped out of his shock, "Damn...you just let her talk to you that way?"

"I don't always have to act like I have a stick shoved up my ass," Obsidian retorted. "Besides, I know she isn't serious. She talks to everyone like that, including my sister." 

"Cynthia didn't beat your ass for disrespecting her?" he asked.

"No," I laughed. "Why would she?"

The warrior leaned back in his chair, there was something about him that I was beginning to dislike. I've met him twice before now, he wasn't rude, but he wasn't the happiest either. While he's always overly excited whenever saying hello or goodbye, the rest of it is filled with a bad vibe. We stared at each other a bit longer, I knew what he was trying to do, and it wasn't going to work. He can't challenge me and expect me to get on my hands and knees, begging for his forgiveness. 

"Do we have a problem here?" I asked, my tone dropping as vexation settled in my chest. 

He shrugged, "You tell me."

"If you have an issue with me, you can either grow up and tell me or I can force it out of you. Up to you."

Obsidian cleared his throat, earning both of our attention, "That's enough, Conrad." 

"She can just come in here and disrespect you, your sister and get away with it? Listen, bro, I know you have a hard one for her, but I won't deal with it," Conrad spat. 

The anger that appeared in Obsidian's expression almost had me wanting to submit to him, I even took a slight step back as he rose from his seat. He grabbed Conrad by his shirt, bringing him closer as he bared his lengthening teeth at him.

"You will not speak of me like that and you will definitely not disrespect a future queen. I'm sure her father would love to hear about this, he's very strict with how others treat his daughter outside of their territory. She's far above you and I'm sure, she can easily destroy you. If she doesn't, I will. You cannot bitch about her disrespecting me when she was simply joking around and you're making false statements. I don't have any damn feelings for her, I consider her an ally. Unless you want to find yourself in the dungeon tonight, I suggest you shut the hell up now."

His words sliced through my heart for whatever reason, making it difficult to breathe as I just stared at him. I know I'm afraid of falling in love and I refuse to accept that I was growing feelings for him, but to hear him say it had me almost breaking. I quickly swallowed the hurt and plastered on a fake smile as he slammed Conrad down and looked at me.

"Thank you, Alpha," I choked out before grabbing my water and leaving. 

I quickly made my way outside and shifted, not caring about my clothes as they were torn into a million pieces. I took off into the woods, pushing myself harder than I ever did before as I sprinted through. I had no idea where I was going, all I knew was that I wanted to get rid of the pain in my heart. I ran until I collapsed from exhaustion, numb from any emotion as I just stared at the trees in front of me. I could hear someone behind me but didn't bother to move when they came closer. They were suddenly sitting beside me, stroking my fur as I painted on the ground. 

His familiar scent flirted with my nostrils, making the pain return as I continued going over his words. I couldn't comprehend why I was as upset as I am, it's not like I was head over heels in love with the guy. Sure, I have a small crush on him, but I'm certain it'll fade away soon. So, him stating that he doesn't have any feelings for me shouldn't be doing this to me.

Right?