CHAPTER 16 — STRANGER

When he got back in, he met her asleep, and he crawled into the tent, then lay down next to her, his back to her. His mind roamed, his heart heavy, and almost an hour later, he drifted off to sleep. Sleep was his only solace, his only escape from the vortex he felt inside. When he woke in the morning, she was still asleep, her hair on his shoulder. When he sat up, the hair fell onto the empty space where he should have been. He couldn't help but stare at her. Her face was peaceful, and even though he missed her smile, he loved the straightened-out features of her face, with no evident emotion except peace and rest. Her long eyelashes curled up a bit, her smooth skin, her pointed nose that flared a little every time she took a breath, her soft rosebud red lips, her soft cheeks, her medium placed cheek bones. He reached for her hair and tucked it away, his fingers brushing her face a little as he did. She stirred, her eyelashes fluttering, before she finally opened her eyes. Her green eyes drew him in, and he struggled to tear his eyes away.

"Dale...you were out all night," she said, straightening up to a sitting position and stretching her hands a bit.

"Go back to sleep. Get some more rest." He made to leave, and she held his arm.

"Tell me what's wrong. You have been acting really weird." Her eyes were expectant.

He swallowed. "You're my mate," he recalled, and he shrugged her off, removing his hand from her grip. "Nothing."

Her eyes widened. He had never acted that way with her before and she felt helpless.

"Please…please just tell—"

"I said it’s nothing." He stepped out of the tent and walked outside, his head banging. She followed him out, and he only noticed when she gave him a back hug.

"Dale, what did I do wrong?"

"Nothing," he replied and feeling how her body instantly went rigid, he said, trying hard for his voice not to mirror what he felt, "nothing."

She hugged him tighter. "I know there is something wrong. Are you missing home? Or did I do something bad? Because you are not even looking at me. You didn't even kiss me goodnight."

He removed her hands and turned to face her.

"And you couldn't kiss me goodnight?" She looked confused. "What?"

He released her and rolled his eyes. "If I don't kiss you, you won't kiss me? If I don't love you, you won't love me? If I don't try to get you, you won’t try to get me? If I don't make effort for you, you won't make effort for me?" He gave a humorless laugh and raked his hand through his hair. "But in the end, I am only a mate, right? A predestined partner. Nothing else. Just someone you feel a pull you can't resist and you just...." He let his voice trail off. "Let it be. Go back inside."

He said and walked off, his fingers constantly in his hair.

She watched his back, confusion evident in her face. "What did I do wrong?" she muttered to herself. "If I don't kiss you, you won't kiss me? If I don't love you, you won't love me?" His words resonated in her head. "Love? Love? He...loves me?" Realization hit her like a truck, and she looked up, in the path he'd gone and started to go after him.

"Dale? Dale? Please answer me. Dale?" The shrubs tore at her feet as she ran, but she was used to it. Each cut healed before she even took another step. Suddenly something tackled her, and she found herself on the floor, a weight restraining her body. "What the?"

The eyes were the first thing she noticed. Dichromic, one a steely blue, the other pitch black. Her breath caught in her throat as the weight moved against her, then tilted her chin towards him. She struggled to get up, but she seemed powerless against this frail figure that was laying on her, his eyes taking her in hungrily. "Get off me," she growled.

She knew he wasn't human, and she could sense his aura. The ghost of a smile appeared on his face, and he stood up, then gave her a hand. She could see his face better. His structures were sharp, high cheek bones, straight lips. His hair was reddish brown and when it caught the sunlight in the distance, it looked just like a mini sunrise. He was beautiful, but he didn't look like good news. He stretched his hand to her as he smiled only with half of his lips, and she could well see that the smile never really reached his eyes. She ignored the hand and propped herself up.

"Who are you?" She asked, putting her hands on her waist, making her look like a ready to explode woman. Her chest heaved with the fatigue from the run and also the anger she felt towards this lean fellow looking down at her, amusement dancing in his eyes. His eyes went down to her chest, which was jutting out as she took in big breaths.

"I said who are you?"

His head snapped back up to her face and he gave a satisfied smile. "I.."

"Who are you?" They both turned to Dale, whose face looked stoic, his eyes held restrained anger. He looked like someone who was waiting for one wrong answer, and he would explode.

"Answer." Sadness hit Elsa as she noticed that he hasn't even looked at her once. The other man looked at dale, then back to her.

"And who are you?"

Dale sighed, rolled his eyes, and walked away brushing past the other man.

"Dale." Elsa followed, running to catch up with him. They hadn’t noticed the other man trailing behind till they got to the house, where she held Dale’s arm and he flipped her off.

"Stop it, Elsa. I want to be alone."

"Let him be, will you? You don’t need him anyway."

Dale turned to him. "And who the hell do you think you are to tell her who she needs and who she doesn't?"

The man smirked. "Me? Well, I am what she needs."