Alpha Female | COMPLETED

09| Meeting

-:Cecelia's PoV:-

Truthfully, I didn't sleep well that night. I woke up like a zombie despite sleeping for six hours. I was tempted to sleep more but I stubbornly went for a run anyways. I missed it the day before and I didn't want it to become a habit.

I found myself lingering by the stream longer than planned, replaying last night in my head again and again. I remembered the exact tree I was trapped against, the exact tree he punched. 

I sighed as I remembered that particular part. Julian and I were tight. We were thick as thieves. We used to joke about making our mates jealous and driving them crazy with our friendship. How there would be lethal fights that we'd have front row seats. We used to think it would be hilarious. How ingenious we were. 

Fun? Yeah, right.

The more I thought about Ashton's question, 'Do you love him?', the angrier I became. How unfair of him to ask me that question when he had the audacity to kiss Bree right in front of me and stare at me tauntingly the whole time while he did it. How did he even dare to think that he could interfere? Even if I would have been in love with Julian, it would not be his business after that indirect rejection. I could have gone around fucking random people and it should not have concerned or bothered him.

But it did.

Which lead me to believe that he actually cared about me, even if he loved to deny it. I had given in early and accepted that I cared. His realizati- no, acceptance was obviously yet to sink in. But his reaction gave me hope.

It was amazing how the mate bond brought new things to light and changed my perspective. It was like a blindfold I couldn't remove. I would forever be blinded by it until it was gone, either broken by rejection or death.

I wondered how mates without inhibitions felt. Giddy? Complete? Terrified? Safe? Peaceful? Everything at once? I wished I could experience that. Finding my mate had affected me. It was like I turned into a teenager from a pre-puberty kid in a matter of seconds. Like all my hormones were assaulting me at once. 

You know how most kids are repulsed by the idea of romantic love and marriage? And then puberty hits and they start feeling more and how they can't think about anything else? That was kind of how I felt. And weirdly enough, it felt right. Almost as if that's how I always had been, despite me knowing I hadn't. 

It was scarily beautiful.

I broke away from my train of thoughts when I felt Aaron mind-linking me.

'You'll be late for school, Cece,' he said. 'Where are you?'

'Umm I'll be there soon,' I dodged the question and ran back to the Packhouse as if my life depended on it. I made it in a record time of sixteen and a half minutes. I was panting a little. Yes, I run but not as fast as I just did. I sprinted up and took a hasty shower. I noted the time and groaned. I knew I would never make it in time for the first period. I slowed down when I discerned that. Better go in time for the second period than make it extremely late to first.

I dried my wet hair and got dressed. I fixed myself some waffles and drank a glass of milk in the Pack Kitchen. I linked my brother the update so that he wouldn't panic and then left.

I arrived five minutes before the end of the first period. I decided to stop by my locker. When I opened it, there fell another note on the floor. I frowned and the first thing I did after I caught it was to smell it. I recognized the smell. 

Perplexed, I unfolded it.

We are coming for you.

What? Why would Silver Moon deliver this to us? A pack war? Why?