Chapter 15: How She Met HIM

{ Never ignore truth for temporary happiness ~ unknown }

Esme sprinted through the woods, the feeling of the wind blowing through her fur as the mud beneath her paws kicked up behind her. Isana had been running for two hours, releasing the pent-up energy inside of her until, without notice, she threw the reins back at Esme. She did not mind, either way, she could feel the burning in her legs from where she ran, and this gave her time to process what happened.

Gabriel fairly punished Paul and did not reprimand her for speaking so bluntly. She wondered how the Alpha King's would have reacted to her. She shuddered at the thought of it. Alpha's tended to be more aggressive, and if you dared look them in the eyes, that alone was considered disrespectful. An Alpha King was even scarier, and there were two of them, Alpha King Magnus Steel of the South and Alpha King Damon Steel of the North.

So, how come the Vampire King, known as being ruthless, only smiled at her?

"He wanted to know why you were staying in Chester. Maybe he is just curious because we are going against our natural instincts to stay clear of vampire territory?" Isana mused.

"Hmm, he could just torture it out of us? Maybe Niko and Gabriel are closer than I thought. I did ask Niko for the job, and he probably told the King that he owed me. A vampire indebted to a werewolf is something they'd want to keep hush hush, no?" Esme replied as she shifted and changed back into her work clothes. She sighed in relief at her body temperature returning back to normal.

She returned to her apartment, and after a quick shower and changing into her pyjamas, she found herself lying comfortably on the couch, reading her book. The run was exactly what she needed, and not long after, she fell asleep with the book atop her chest.

Esme rolled onto her side and snuggled further into the warmth of his protective embrace. His scent wrapped around her like a safety blanket making her sigh in content. She felt his chest vibrate as he chuckled at her. "How do I still find you cute even when you are drooling on me?"

Esme froze and pulled away, staring into his emerald-green eyes that usually haunted her. But today, all she saw was love and affection pouring out of them as his soft gaze lowered to her lips. His thumb gently wiped at her mouth before he dipped down and gently kissed her. She sighed dreamily into him, her hands clutching on his bare, taut chest.

They laid there happily on her white sofa, his large frame encircling hers. Everything felt perfect; she was exactly where she was meant to be- in his arms. But there was something she was forgetting, something important. Her wolf's quiet whimper was what snapped her back to reality.

She pulled away and smiled sadly at the man she had painted in her head, the man who before her was nothing but a lie hiding behind a charming smile.

"Hmm, how can I still find you cute?" He repeated.

He was in a good mood today. He hated repeating himself.

"Because you love me," She whispered back the response he would want to hear.

He rubbed his nose against hers lovingly, "That's right. Nobody will ever love you like I do," He replied sweetly, but his words seemed to smother her more than comfort her like he was 'aiming' to do.

His large hand stroked away her dark hair from her face, and she flinched from the sudden sting she felt on her temple. If he noticed her flinch, he didn't show it as he held her head in place and smiled, "And you love me.."

"Of course, I do, baby. I love you," She reassured him like she always did.

"Good," His hand brushed over the scab on her temple again, almost like he did it on purpose before he met her lips. She clenched her eyes shut, holding back the tears that started to form from the bitter happiness she felt.

"Do you not miss me?" He asked, pulling a sad face. Esme blinked back as he hugged her closer to him.

She didn't respond. "You let a vampire touch you and fill your thoughts.. What about me? I am still out there.." He whispered into her neck as he inhaled her scent and nibbled on her ear before his voice darkened, "I am still searching for you, princess."

"This is not real," She whispered as her body shuddered and became cold.

"You know, sooner or later, I will find you."

Esme pushed against his chest and turned onto her other side, letting the phantom fade away. Her eyes fluttered open to the early morning sun pouring into her apartment, revealing the dust particles in the air. She knew it was a dream, but she couldn't help but look over her shoulder and sigh in relief when there was no one lying behind her.

Esme slowly sat up, wincing as her chest throbbed in pain. She ignored it like usual and slowly bent over, retrieving her book that was left open; its pages now crumpled from where it fell onto the ground. She put it aside on the sofa and started to stretch her limbs out, listening for any noises and scanning her studio apartment as she did so.

"Are you okay?" Isana asked after feeling how numb Esme was feeling.

"I will be," She whispered before tackling her morning routine.

After pushing her body further than normal with 600 push-ups, 600 sit-ups, and a 30-mile run, and going through her combat moves, including the use of the knife, she showered and downed her wolfsbane before heading out to work. Niko phoned her during her push-ups, which due to her heavy breathing, he was very alert that something might be wrong, but after reassuring him, he finally relented and told her to come in early.

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With her new leather jacket on and her backpack on her shoulders, she headed off towards the city. With the twenty-five-minute walk, Esme's mind started to wander, and in a daze, the sounds of her footsteps on the pavement fell into the background as she recounted the day she met HIM.

Esme needed to join the pack, but she did not expect to be attacked so aggressively. She emerged from the woods, her hands held behind her back by the warriors of the White Sands pack whose land she had crossed. Four of their wolves walked behind her, growling at her for the injuries they sustained from fighting the rogue.

But she did the unpredictable and asked them to spare her life and allow her entry into the pack. They scoffed at her, yet her skills as a fighter could not be ignored. It was as though she was a warrior from another pack and not like a weak rogue at all.

In the end, their Beta, who walked ahead of them, made the decision to bring her to their Alpha. He looked everything like how she expected a Beta to be, tall, muscular and brimming with power and authority. The others in the pack followed his command without arguing, even though her presence seemed to enrage them. She would be enraged, too, if a petite she-wolf took down two of their largest wolfs.

"Quite embarrassing, really," Isana smirked arrogantly. Esme's small figure always made people underestimate her and believe she was weak, but she had been skillfully trained to use that to her advantage. Esme refrained from smirking along with her wolf; if the pack saw her arrogance, then it would rattle them more. She was nothing to them but an annoying rogue who was searching for a pack to join.

The thing was, each pack had its own rules about letting a rogue join them. Some put it down to a vote on whether to accept a rogue; others used more violent methods such as throwing the rogue into a fighting ring. If the rogue used to be a disgraced wolf from another pack, then chances were they would survive, but if they were truly a rogue, their lives 90% of the time would be over.

The White Sands pack had such a method, but Esme was ready for the challenge. She had to get into the pack, no matter what it took.

Esme kept her head low, looking at her feet as the rough wind from the coast blew her waist-length hair to the side, entangling it across her face. The ocean's waves crashed against the rocky cliffs, its shores a sweet lullaby to her ears as though it was calling her home. But this was not her home unless she could get into the pack. Her head lifted and whipped to the side when she heard footfall and laughter of more and more wolves nearby; they were far from the border now and approaching the packhouse.

Esme was thrown onto the ground by the feet of their Alpha. She pushed herself up from the ground but stayed kneeling, keeping her head low, not daring to look at him unless he commanded so. She could not disrespect the Alpha, or she could lose her life then and there. The she-wolf could already feel the waves of power radiating off him, almost knocking her back and instilling fear in her. The Beta was nothing in comparison.

Yet there was a delicious scent like no other wafting around her, comforting her, making her muscles relax, and her heart race loudly in her chest. She inhaled it and almost felt dizzy from the smell. The smell was intoxicating, urging her to look into the Alpha's eyes.

"Mate! He has to be your mate!" Her wolf screamed in her head, overjoyed by the idea that they had finally found their mate. It had only been two years since she turned eighteen.

Esme looked up and stared into the emerald-green eyes of the Alpha. He was tall, broad, full of muscles like most Alpha's, his hair ash brown, but his eyes stood out so much against his olive skin tone. He was breathtakingly beautiful. He was perfect.

The Alpha inhaled sharply, his cold demeanour and look of disdain instantly vanished, and he lowered to the ground, raising his hand to her face, cupping her cheek gently as he stared at her adoringly. "What is your name?" He asked softly.

They leaned towards each other like a magnetic force was pulling them together, the Alpha and rogue lost in their own bubble.

"Esme," She whispered, unable to look away from her.. her mate.

"She is the intruder, Alpha!" The Beta stepped forwards.

"Esme is my mate," He growled back, his eyes snapping to his Beta briefly. His Beta flinched and stepped back, lowering his head in respect. Esme could feel the power of his voice shaking through her very core. He was terrifyingly delicious.

He returned his gaze to Esme, then picked her up like she weighed nothing and embraced her tightly, sniffing her hair and leaving kisses on her head. Esme's arms were by her sides, she was still taken aback by what was happening, but slowly she wrapped her arms around his back, feeling the hardened muscles beneath her fingers. Being in his arms felt like she'd returned home after being years away.

"What.. What is your name?" She asked, her voice cracked from how emotional she felt.

He pulled away and smiled warmly at her. "Ethan.. Alpha Ethan."

Ethan interlaced his fingers with her and pulled her gently towards the large silver gates behind him that opened as they approached, and behind them was a marvellous white mansion overlooking the cliff's edge with an infinity pool to the side. It was stunning and unlike anything she had ever seen.

The White Sands pack truly had quite the territory; though it was small compared to some packs, the scenery was everything. Esme stopped and stared as the sun slowly dipped down from the sky, its red and orange hues shining against the horizon. The wind blew against her face pushing back her hair as she smiled gently. Ethan's hands which should have felt like a stranger's, wrapped around her tiny waist, and he kissed her neck.

"Welcome home, princess."

She sighed, leaning back into him, blissfully unaware of the monster just below the surface of her mate.

"Esme! What are you doing standing outside in the cold, chica!?" Hana's voice snapped Esme out of her reverie, and she dabbed away a lone tear, looking away before her friend saw it. She did not realise she had stopped outside of ONYX.

Esme put a smile on her face as Hana flung her arm over her shoulder and started to walk them towards the entrance.

"Heh, I was bracing myself for another day at work with you guys," She winked, earning a cat cry from Hana.

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