CHAPTER 2

ELODIE

 

My eyes rounded as I stared at him. His hair was longer than usual, and it poured over his face. I could barely breathe as I held his gaze. I could feel tears filling my eyes. 

 

Although I have tried to deny my feelings for him, They came rushing back as soon as I saw him. I still love this man. I loved him, and I have missed him so much. 

 

All these years of asking for him had been fruitless, but he was in front of me now, and I wasn't going to let him leave. 

 

“What are you doing here?!” He demanded it, his hard voice pulling me out of my trance.

 

“Tedros,” I called out, my hand reaching out to stroke his face.

 

He flinched, his eyes widening, before he pulled away. I felt my heart clench. I reminded myself that we were nothing but friends when we separated. I was expecting him to rise and perhaps walk away, but he did none of them. He just pinned me down, staring at me like I was a snack.

 

“What?” I managed to ask a question.

 

“You look different.” He blurted it out, surprising me.

 

“Different?” I asked, trying to see if I heard him well.

 

I felt nothing different from my previous self. I didn’t understand what he was talking about.

 

“Your eyes are more pronounced, and your eye color looks darker,” he responded.

 

“Yeah, thanks, I guess.”

 

I was expecting him to get up now, but he didn’t; he just kept staring at me. 

 

“When did you wake up?” He asked.

 

“Are we seriously going to talk about that this way?” I questioned him, knowing fully well what he was talking about. Annoyance was laced around my voice as I spoke; the first thing he did was remind me of the day I badly wanted to forget.

 

It seems like I have forgotten how annoying Tedros can sometimes be. He shook his head, his eyes darting.

 

“I can’t stand up.” He muttered.

 

I peered at him, trying to make sense of the situation. “You can’t? Didn’t you just shove me and pin me down?”

 

“Yeah, the thing is.” His ears turned around, and I knew him so well to understand that he was embarrassed.

 

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

 

“Well, I am naked, and if I stand up, you are going to see something you shouldn’t.”

 

My face heated up immediately. How could he say such a thing so freely? I realized that he had been naked all this time while at the same time pinning me down. I glanced down to see that his chest was bare. I was so focused on looking at his face that I didn't notice.

 

I pushed my body up, my head connecting with his in the process.

 

“Ouch!” he groaned.

 

I seized the opportunity, closing my eyes. I got up from the ground and turned around. I could tell that my face was flushed. “I have turned around and put on some clothes.”

 

I felt him step closer to me, and I felt my heart beating fast. It took every ounce of strength for me not to turn around and watch that body of his. My face fell as I tried to put my thoughts in check, but it wasn’t happening.

 

“Did you really think the clothes here are going to fit me?” He whispered in my ear, causing me to flinch. 

 

I was about to jump and turn around to face him, but he placed his hand on my shoulder and forced me to face the other side. 

 

“Remember not to peek, Ducky.”

 

While staying in place, I heard the movements behind me and the sounds of clothes ripping. I tried not to look back, but after a few minutes, I couldn't hold it anymore. I glanced over my shoulder; he was backing me, and he had a cloth on his waist. He was tying both sides together.

 

His back was bare, and I could see the tattoos that were drawn all over them. His muscles were still in place, and his biceps were as good as I could remember. If it hasn't gotten even better,

 

He was about to turn around to look at me, but I turned my gaze away. I waited for a while until there wasn't any sound of clothes ripping.

 

“I am done.” He informed me.

 

I turned around to look at him. He had ripped off the clothes and formed a cloth that he tied around himself. 

 

“You still haven’t told me what you are doing here.” He said.

 

I picked up the torch and my gun, and I glanced at him. “Hunting.”

 

His eyes widened at the sight of the gun. “You weren’t going to use that on me, were you?”

 

“I was,” I replied. “Too bad I recognized you.”

 

“Do you hunt your kind?” he asked as I dug the gun into my pocket.

 

“Yes and no," I responded.

 

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” he snapped.

 

“Don’t you dare snap at me!” I retorted. I wasn't going to let some half-naked man clad in torn clothes try to control me and make me answer his questions. “Aren’t you the one who went through a premature transformation, Alpha Tedros?”

 

He was quiet for a while before he folded his arm. “Alpha? It had been years since I heard anyone call me that.”

 

I ignored his words. “You will have to go with me to the doctor.” 

 

He snorted immediately as the words left my lips. “A doctor? When was the last time I visited one? Don’t worry, I will pass.”

 

He began walking the other way, and I felt a sting in my heart. He was leaving. I couldn’t let him leave; if he did, when was I going to see him again?

 

“Tedros? We have to check what stage your sickness is at. It’s really important.” I said this as I ran after him. 

 

He glanced over his shoulder. “It doesn’t matter; I don’t care about the illness or what it does, but there is no way I am going to the hospital again.”

 

“What if it isn’t a hospital?” I asked. 

 

I don’t know why I was worrying about a grown man who was acting like a kid and putting his life on the edge for his stupid needs and wants. He was about to reply when a bullet was shot his way. Before he could move aside, it hit his upper arm, and it was then that I recognized what it was. 

 

A tranquilizer.