Chapter Six: Fae

The soft pattering of Sylvie's knocks at my cottage door pull me from my daydreaming and I hop down from my reading nook, sighing as I walk over to open it. Pulling the door open I slump dramatically and wave an open arm gesturing for her to come inside.

"Yes, yes. Come in." I say apathetically. Her high energy is vibrating from her aura with such intensity she looks like she's going to explode and I roll my eyes shaking my head, a small smile on my face at how adorable she is.

Sylvie is carrying her dress and as she enters the cottage she walks around with such confidence as if she owns the place. She drapes her dress over the head of my sofa before taking off into the kitchen to whip us up some tea and breakfast.

"Todays the day!" She says in a sing-song voice and hums as she flips pancakes.

Having finished braiding my impossibly long hair I slump down into a chair at my little dining table and twist the vial of Zennia between my fingers. Ever since the chance encounter at the market, accidentally bumping into my fated mate, my mind has been spinning as if my whole world has been thrown off it's axis.

He was so gorgeous it was cruel, his golden eyes were warm and mesmerizing, and when his skin touched mine, even the slightest touch had me shivering in pleasure, desire building somewhere within me. As I sit here I wonder, 'Will I ever see that man again?'

Carrying plates up to her elbows, Sylvie wobbles over to the dining table and sets down our food. I'm starting to believe excessive cooking might be her nervous habit. Seeing me seemingly lost in a trance, she reaches out to grab my arm, "Hello..! Earth to Fae, is she in there-"

Suddenly, she sucks in a sharp breath her eyes glazing over. Within a few short moments she slowly pulls her hand away, her mouth twitching uncomfortably.

Snapping me out of my deep thoughts I shake my head and blink a few times, a soft pink blush spreading across my cheeks, and I set the vial down on the table. I look around sheepishly at the small feast Sylvie prepared for us.

"It looks great." I say with a small smile, "Thank you sis."

"Mhm." She replies rather shortly and I cock an eyebrow at her, not missing the way she's now fidgeting with her hands in her lap. I decide not to give it too much overthought and consider it must just be her nerves finally cracking her sweet facade.

"Right then." I say as I push my chair back and stand up, turning towards the bathroom. "Excuse me for a minute, I need to freshen up."

Sylvie says nothing, she just nods and I could swear I saw a bead of sweat forming on her forehead.

When I reach the bathroom, closing the small door behind me, I look into the mirror and sag, my hands on either side of the sink. I let out a deep breath that I hadn't realized I'd been holding. Tonight was the night of the gathering, which would take us all day by carriage, maybe a few hours in wolf form. But I refused to undress or change in a place that is completely foreign to me, so that was out of the question.

Staring at myself in the mirror, a million questions and worries run laps through my head. How dark and ruthless is this Dark Shade Alpha? What if somehow during all of this Sylvie gets taken away from me by him or some other male? How would I protect her and myself? What if MY mate happens to be there? He seemed handsome and established, surely he might be searching for his mate too.

But the biggest question burning in the back of my head that refuses to leave:

Is he looking for me?

Turning on the faucet I splash some cool water on my face and lean back against the wall. Earlier, I had considered not taking the Zennia potion for the first time since I turned eighteen. But now, feelings of fear and desire were making my heart race. If by some chance my mate were looking for me I need to make sure our bond stays suppressed.

Gaia growls in my mind at the thought of suffocating our bond between our mate, since my actions also affect the bond between my and my mates' wolves.

However painful this decision may be, it is one I know I have to make. Mate or not, I do not know that man. For all I know, he could easily manipulate or try to control me if he learned of my powers. Or worse, he could breed me until I've popped out plenty of pups enough to inherit my healing ability. Heat pools in my abdomen at the thought of breeding with that beautiful man.

I shake my head and smack at my cheeks, "No. No. No." I try to pull myself together as I feel my body betraying me. Already seeing how difficult this temptation is going to become, I finally make up my mind that skipping the potion this evening is not an option I am willing to take.

As if on queue, Sylvie's sing-song voice chirps, "Sissy, your pancakes are getting cold and soggy!"

Closing the bathroom door, I walk over and sit down at the table not too gracefully, which brings out a giggle from Sylvie.

"Did your brain fall into the toilet?" She says and she erupts into a fit of laughter, a smile tugging at my lips as well.

"Ha ha, very funny." I respond sarcastically and look down at the table where I left the Zennia potion to find the bottle completely empty.

My heart falls into my stomach, my face paling. I look up to see Sylvie stuffing her face with scrambled eggs and she swallows her food, looking back at me innocently.

"What? What's wrong? Are you okay..?" She asks calmly but I can feel the nervousness in her aura.

I hold up the vial and reply confused, "It's…empty."

She sets down her fork and ponders this for a minute before responding with, "Well…yeah, silly goose. You already took it earlier."

And with this I scrunch my brows together even more confused and concerned.

"What? No- When did I-"

I begin to stumble on my words before my wolf Gaia pipes in. "Yes, you already put that awful poison into our body today."

She spits the word poison and I start to relax a bit sinking back into my chair, "Well then.. it's strange that I don't remember, but alright."

"Well you have been feeling out of sorts lately, right? It's normal to be forgetful with everything that is going on and coming up, I don't blame you." She puts her hand on my knee and smiles at me. "Now, eat up! We've got some beauty work to do!"

Once breakfast is finished, Sylvie and I get to work preparing for the the gathering. We were told by the Luna Dalia that the Dark Shade pack infrastructure is luxurious, so we should prepare ourselves to expect nothing less than a Grand Ball. As Sylvie adds the finishing touches to my hair and makeup I stare at my reflection in the mirror and ask myself why I'm even bothering to look this beautiful. I should be trying to draw as little attention to myself as possible.

Unfortunately, that may be difficult. Sylvie has my hair done down in light wavy curls, a crown braid wrapped around my head, with green and gold butterfly hair clips scattered about. She sprinkles a touch of sparkling gold dust, some kind of glitter, over my head and smiles at me jumping up and down while she squeals, "LOOK AT YOU! Oh my Goddess!"

Though per my request the makeup is minimal and natural, I still look and feel like Royalty. The same thing could be said about Sylvie, with her bouncing thick blonde curls and baby blue flower clips. Her makeup is soft and sweet with pouting pink lips against her pale complexion.

Turning in the seat I take her hands in mine, "You too Vee, you look beautiful." Her smile widens impossibly so as I call her by her childhood nickname.

She looks up at the clock on the wall and pulls me to my feet. "Alright, it's time! We better get going or the big scary Alpha will have us for his dinner!"

Sylvie rushes us out the door and we step into a horse drawn carriage that is far too plain for the occasion. The driver pulls the carriage away from my cottage and I stare out the window, watching as it becomes nothing but a tiny speck in the distance.

The ride in the carriage is long and boring, with the occasional small talk or Sylvie humming folk songs. For the majority of the trip, I stare out the window, watching as mountains of gray and green blur past. I think the most beautiful part was the sunset. It appeared as if someone had painted shades of bright orange and pink across the sky, and towards the end as the sun set in the sky the clouds appeared to be splotches of purple in the blue expanse.

I'm trying my hardest not to fall asleep to all the pretty blurring colors when I hear Sylvie let out an annoyed sigh.

"This place is so damn far away, my curls are going to go flat and my makeup is probably melting off my face from all the heat in here." She fans her face dramatically. "Fae, is my makeup okay?"

Deciding to mess with her I gasp and bring my hand up to cover my mouth, looking at her like she has six heads. "Oh no! Sylvie!"

Her eyes open wide and she starts to panic. "What? What is it? Is it smudged?!"

I break out laughing, holding my stomach and she clucks her tongue and kicks me in the foot. "NOT funny." She huffs and lays back in her seat while I snort.

My laughter is suddenly cut off as the carriage lurches to a halt, throwing me back in my seat and Sylvie leans forward to peek out the window. "Oh my… Fae! I think we're here!"

I lean forward to peer out the window with her and I'm a little shocked by what I see. We've arrived in front of a huge towering set of structures that look like a black castle. The sky is dark, but here it is lit up by beautiful lantern posts with intricate patterns chiseled into rock. Guards dressed mainly in dark colors are posted just about every inch of this place and dozens of ladies, she wolves, and some unmated males, are pouring into the castles open entrance. I swallow hard, my knuckles turning white from squeezing my hands into tight fists, my panic is already starting.

Much to my displeasure and annoyance, Gaia is perfectly calm and serene, flipping her tail back and forth in my mind like a damn puppy about to get a treat.

The door to our cabin opens and a black-gloved hand is held out while Sylvie picks up the hem of her dress and begins climbing out of the carriage. Sucking in a breath, I stand but I don't grab the strangers hand, almost tumbling out of the carriage as I try to do it myself.

Sylvie turns and frowns at me, putting her hands on her hips. "Seriously? You're going to rip your dress!" She scolds me in a hushed tone like I'm her child before straightening up her posture and holding her head high, trying her best to look poised and elegant.

As we walk down the front entrance path, we are led through a set of big gothic style double doors that two guards push open for us, revealing a brightly lit extravagant ballroom.

The floors are shining and smooth, made of white marble with gold accents. Immediately my eyes start darting around frantically taking in the sensory overload.

Somehow my feet keep moving forward, until we are halted by a formal Announcer who introduces us in a loud bellowing voice, "Miss Fae and Sylvie Brimstone!"

For a moment, all eyes in the room turn to look at us and I feel my heart hammering in my chest. I feel sheer panic rise within me as I try to control my breathing. I grab onto my arm with my other hand and squeeze it tight.

Noticing my evident discomfort, Sylvie pulls my hand from my arm and grabs it squeezing it gently for reassurance, which is silly since as her elder sister I should be the one reassuring her.

"Hey.." She says softly, "That was a long trip, how about I grab us some drinks? You hang tight."

And with that she lets go of my hand and it drops back down to my side.

That's when it hits me, the smell of Winters breeze mixed with fresh pine. Prickles and tingles erupt from my skin and a sudden dizziness washes over me like a wave.

I start looking around the ballroom overflowing with people, searching as my eyes find a double-sided marble staircase leading up to a main platform. My eyes travel all the way to the top to see a well-dressed man sitting cross legged on an elaborate claw foot throne. His face is turned away from the crowd, his head propped and resting on his elbow.

As I stand there I find I'm froze to the spot, I start almost panting as heat rolls over my body and I fan my face. The strange heat fills me, traveling down to my abdomen and I squeeze my legs together uncomfortably, letting out a breath when I start to feel moisture between my legs. My heart is beating like a drum when I realize and ask myself, 'Am I….wet?'

Suddenly, the man atop the throne turns his head in my direction, almost as if he heard me and I'm met with a pair of glowing golden eyes that lock onto me with such deep intensity that I suck in a breath.

Those are the same golden eyes I saw in the market that day, but what is he doing here?

He can't be, don't tell me…

"Alpha.." I whisper but it sounds as if I let out a moan and I cover my mouth.

He stands as if to start making his way towards me but does not even make it half way down the right side staircase before he freezes as another breathy moan escapes my lips, quiet enough but still clearly picked up by his wolf hearing.

I have absolutely no idea what on Earth is happening to my body, all I know is that I need to get out of here. My mind is screaming danger and desire, while Gaia is prancing around ecstatic.

'Why is this happening to me?! I thought I took the Zennia potion?! GAIA why did you lie to me?!'

I yell at my wolf and she snaps back at me, clearly pleased with herself. 'I WANT OUR MATE. GO TO HIM! STUPID GIRL!'

Not breaking eye contact with the man who is clearly my mate and most likely the cause of how my body is reacting right now, I walk backwards with every step he takes towards me. He lets out a low warning growl and I stumble, tripping over my dress and bump into a random male wolf. He turns to face me and sniffs the air, his eyes glowing and I stammer out a quick apology.

A loud angry growl rips though the room and I turn my head to see an enormous wolf, as dark as the night, in the place where my mate had been standing. Darkness starts to fill the room as smaller wolves made of shadow manifest on either side of the big dangerous creature.

The wolf looked as if it were two seconds from ripping that man's head clean off his body and my eyes grow wide with terror.

My skin is still burning and the dizziness only seems to have gotten worse. I need to get out of here. NOW.

The wolf turns his attention back to me and growls in warning as if he knows what I'm thinking and I know it's probably not the smartest idea, but I don't care.

I spin around, turning towards the exit.

And I run.