Chapter 4

“Wait… Y-you’re my mate?”

Christopher nodded and finally got up off of me. “Yeah, I guess so,” he happily said while holding out his hand.

I hesitantly took it, but nearly let go as my arm was engulfed by sparks.

When I was hauled up from my butt, Brent quickly ran up to us.

“Holy crap guys! Are you guys okay? I swear I heard a loud crunching sound.”

He heard what?!? Oh gosh, if I end up having brain damage.

“Nah man, we’re fine. Right Diana?”

I nodded. “Uh yeah, perfectly fine.”

Christopher’s smile soon faded. “Why did you run?”

I shook my head. “Do you guys want to know the truth?”

They both nodded simultaneously.

I looked down at my feet. What am I suppose to say? Should I tell them that I ran away from you because I thought you were going to kill me. That would just make me look stupid.

‘Just say it. He’s our mate, he won’t kill us… I think.’ My wolf urges me.

She thinks. Well, I guess if she thinks so then he won’t kill me.

“I ran because, because I-” I looked up into Christopher’s eyes and saw concern. “I ran because I thought you guys were here to kill me…”

Silence.

‘Wow, I can’t believe you actually said it.” My wolf sighed. What the heck does she want? It was her who asked me to speak up the truth.

All of a sudden they both erupted into laughter.

“Diana, why on earth would we kill you?” Christopher asked while cracking up.

Brent spoke up while clutching his stomach. “For a gatherer you sure are stupid.”

For some reason that didn’t seem offensive.

I don’t know why, but for some reason I started to laugh along. This just felt right.

Me and Christopher were still laughing when Brent just froze. “Wait, guys… Have you noticed anything strange?”

“Noticed what?” Christopher and I asked simultaneously, causing us to laugh even harder.

He started looking around. “This village is completely empty.”

I swear my heart stopped. They were going to find out. Find out I was alone and a rouge. Then they would either kill me or leave me and have Christopher reject me. Then I would feel the pain Paul mentioned all those years ago.

“Yeah,” Christopher said, snapping me out of my reverie. “Come to think about it, this village seems abandoned. Where is everyone, Diana?”

Tears sprung to my eyes, causing worry to flash across Christopher’s face and confusion across Brent’s.

Christopher quickly grabbed hold of my shoulders. “W-what’s wrong? D-did I upset you?”

I covered my eyes with my hands and shook my head. “No, you didn’t do anything.” I didn’t want to tell him everyone was dead. But I had to.

I crumpled to the ground, tears flowing from eyes. Christopher still held onto me, so he was on the ground to.

“Diana, please, just tell me what’s wrong. I promise I’ll make it better.”

I couldn’t finish. For some reason I didn’t want to finish that sentence.

Arms wrapping around me snapped me from my thoughts. I took my hands from my eyes and saw total blackness. It was soft and had a very fascinating smell. I just wanted to sit there and stay like this.

But the blackness shifted, revealing a muscular arm. The whole time I was crying into Christopher’s shoulder, getting his shirt soaked.

“Shush, it’s okay. I promise it’ll be alright.” He continued to coo.

I gripped his arm tightly. “Th-they’re all gone… Dead.”

Christopher pulled away from me and cocked his head. “What do you mean?”

Brent knelt down next to Christopher and gripped his shoulder, causing Christopher to look at him. “She’s a rouge. Her whole pack is dead.”

I covered my face with my hands, not wanting to look him in the eyes. “I-I’m sorry. That’s why I ran. But you just had to follow me.”

I felt his arms leave my body and heard him stand, causing me to cry harder.

“How did they die?”

“M-my brother’s friend, h-he b-betrayed us and l-let the rouges in. Th-they killed everyone, and th-they burned everything.” I couldn’t stop crying and stuttering. He was going to reject me. I knew he was.

‘I don’t want him to. I’d feel like I’d die if he did.’

I nodded.

“What did you do to the bodies?”

I looked up at him. He showed no emotion on his face. He must hate me now.

“What?”

“I asked, what did you do with the bodies?”

I slowly got up and grabbed his hand. His eyes widened, probably from the static like feeling.

I turned around, still holding onto his hand. Then I began to pull. At first, he kept his ground, but then he followed.

I stayed silent the whole time, trying to stifle my sobs. The only sound was the two men whispering.

“Are you sure we can trust her?”

Brent.

“Of course. She’s my mate. I have to.”

Christopher. He accepts me as his mate, but will he reject me later?

Brent didn’t answer back, most likely shocked from the fact I was Christopher’s mate.

The rest of the way to the graves was silent. No one made a sound.

When we got there, I immediately dropped Christopher’s hand and went up to one of the graves and crouched down.

Gianna Jones

Cause of death… Killed in battle

1973-2013

Loving Mother of Hank Jones, Solomon Jones, Thomas Jones, and Diana Jones.

“Hey mom. This might be the last time I talk to you. I just wanted to thank you for everything.”

“You buried them all?”

I nodded at Christopher’s voice. “They all deserved something better, but this is all that I could manage.” I looked at Christopher. He was showing sorrow.

“Christopher,” Brent said. “There’s a total of eighty seven graves.”

Christopher took slow steps towards me, his fists clenched. Was he going to hurt me?

I closed my eyes, not wanting to see a fist come at me. But I was surprised when two strong arms wrapped around me.

“W-what?”

He sighed. “I’m sorry Diana. I’m sorry that you lost everything and had to face it on your own. And I’m sorry I was a jerk to you. It’s just that you’re a rouge, and rouges are usually, you know, crazy. And I’m sorry that-“

I cut him off. “It’s fine. You don’t have to be sorry for anything.”

He pulled away, a smile on his face. “Do you forgive me?”

I nodded, “How can I be mad at you?”

Brent began to laugh and Christopher began to chuckle. That’s when I realized it. I just technically flirted with someone I barely knew.

Kill me now.

I felt a blush creep up my neck. “I-I mean, um-“

“It’s fine, I know what you meant,” Christopher said before he winked, causing me to blush even more.

“So,” Brent started. “What do we do now?”

Christopher grinned widely, still staring at me. “Easy, we call back home.”

Within seconds Christopher had a phone pulled out. A phone! Gosh, I haven’t one in three years, do you know how crazy that is?

He dialed a number and started to talk in his cellular device. But I didn’t really pay much attention. I was just so hooked up on the phone.

“Okay, bye.” Christopher hung up and glanced at me. When he caught me staring wide eyed he gave me a a smile that showed of his pearly whites. “What?”

“Oh, um, it’s just that I haven’t, well, I haven’t seen a cell phone in three years, so, it’s like, ya know, fascinating.”

His smile got bigger. Gosh, I just wanted to kiss his lips and… No! Get ahold of yourself Diana.

Before I knew it he tossed me his phone, which I barely caught.

A phone. A freaking phone was in my hands. Oh how I feel blessed.

I fist the air and started to giggle. “Yes! Behold, God’s mighty creation, the cell phone!”

Christopher and Brent started to crack up. “Wow, Christopher, you sure got lucky with her.”

Christopher nodded. “Yeah, I know.”

I started to blush, again.

“Alright guys,” Christopher said. “Let’s go back to the pack.”

Go back, they’re leaving already?

They started to walk away and just stood there, stealing at the ground with a cell in my hand.

“Diana?”

I looked up to a very confused Brent.

“What?”

He smiled. “You do know your coming with us, right?”

My face lit up.

‘Did he say what I think he just said?!?’ I could tell my wolf was excited.

I nodded ferociously. I can’t believe it. I’m going with my mate!

I quickly jogged up to catch up to Christopher, leaving Brent behind who was laughing like crazy.

“Wait!”

Christopher stopped to look at me.

“Umm, what about my stuff?”

He smiled. “Well, I called my parents to send two other members to come here and get the stuff in that burnt house,” he said while pointing to my little house thingy, then he continued to walk.

“Wait!”

He started to crack up. “Yes?”

“Umm, what about Puppy Eric?”

He cocked his head. “Who?”

I smiled and whistled. A couple seconds later Puppy Eric came striding to us, just as Brent was catching up.

“Puppy Eric, this is Christopher and Brent. We’re going with them to their pack.”

Puppy Eric nodded at them, making their mouths drop. I began to giggle.

“That pup can understand you,” Brent questioned, still surprised.

I nodded. “Of course he can!”

Before I knew it, Christopher slung his arm over my shoulder. “Let’s get going, okay?”

A blush crept up my neck as I nodded. “Uh yeah.”

He smiled one of his perfect smiles as we began walking, with Puppy Eric and Brent in pursuit.

Can I just tell you how much I hate walking. I mean seriously, it sucks.

Within thirty minutes of walking to Christopher’s and Brent’s village, my feet ached. I wish I was a pup, because Puppy Eric wasn’t breaking a sweat.

“Oh, hey Diana?”

I looked at Christopher and smiled. “Yeah?”

He smiled back. “May I have my phone back?”

His phone? Oh right. I looked down at my hands which held his cell phone and frowned, goodbye oh holy phone, I will miss you so.

“Yeah, sure,” I said while smiling. Then I tossed his phone to him which he easily caught.

“So Diana.”

I glanced at Brent.

“Yeah?”

He smiled. “How long have you lived in that burnt down village?”

‘Ever since we’ve been born.’

I shook my head. “Well, technically since it was first burnt down, so three years.”

He nodded and looked ahead.

Before I knew it I tripped on a log and fell on my face. Mother Nature, why do you hate me so much?

I quickly stood like nothing happened, which caused everyone, not including Puppy Eric, to start laughing.

I’m such a klutz.

“Wow,” Christopher said while laughing. “Your such a klutz.”

See what I mean?

“It’s not my fault,” I whined. “My feet ache.”

Within seconds Christopher had me swooped up into his arms, causing me to blush.

“Well of course they do. A princess shouldn’t be walking.”

My face ended up getting hotter after that comment. If it was possible, steam would probably be rising from my face.

“Go ahead and get comfortable,” Christopher said. “We’ve got a lot more ground to cover before we get there.”

Brent joined in. “Yeah, like forty five minutes worth.”

I nodded and nuzzled my head into Christopher shoulder. Gosh it smelt good. I just wanted to stay like this forever.

Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.

“Diana, wake up.”

“Huh?”

“Wake up, we’re here.”

I opened my eyes to see Christopher smiling down at me.

We’re here? Oh right, his and Brent’s village.

When I sat up in Christopher’s arms to look ahead, my eyes widened.

There stood the biggest village I’d ever seen. Trust me, it was huge. Let’s just say, I could already tell I wasn’t going to fit in.