Alpha's One Night Bride
Alpha’s One Night Bride – Chapter 34

She couldn’t stop thinking about him. Since he showed up at the oak tree in the center of town and told her how she is his mate, she hasn’t been able to get him out of her mind. She hasn’t told anybody about this; not that she had many people to talk to anyways.

The moment she saw him, she felt something for him. That was undeniable. But meeting your mate at such a young age, was terrifying. Then again, Arina basically met her mate when she was born.

For a long time, Ronnie envied Arina. She was strong, outspoken, and knew what she wanted out of life. She had friends that loved her and a mate that would do anything for her, even when she didn’t know he was her mate.

Then her wedding, ugh her wedding.

It was so beautiful that Ronnie wanted to cry. The autumn colors, the beautiful gardens, Arina’s dress. It was all so perfect. Ronnie couldn’t help but be a little bit jealous of her.

As a child, Ronnie only wanted that sisterly relationship, but it didn’t seem like Arina was ever going to want that. She never understood why Arina disliked her so much.

But then Ronnie overheard her mother’s confession about killing Emlin. The fact that her mother would stoop so low, for someone like Rock, was disgusting.

Ronnie wanted to tell Arina everything she knew about Emlin’s death because she knew Arina deserved to know. But after thinking about it the last couple of days, she wasn’t sure throwing her mother under the bus was a good idea.

Despite everything Melissa had done, she didn’t deserve to get thrown under the bus. Like everyone else, she was a victim.

Melissa was away from home yesterday and Ronnie could hear Rock and Piper having s*x from across the hall. She thought about telling her mother but didn’t want to stir up another fight between the two of them.

So, instead, she went out to hunt.

She ran through the nearby forest in her wolf form; allowing the cold winter air to caress her red fur. Her rapid werewolf speed was getting faster the more she practiced. It’s only been a few months since her first transformation, so she was still new at being a full werewolf.

She could hear a nearby bear and went in that direction. She knew the sound to be a black bear. Her mouth watered as she thought of sinking her sharp wolf’s teeth into its thick flesh.

As she approached, she began to smell something unfamiliar. The scent didn’t come from an animal, and it didn’t come from anyone she knew.

The scent seemed to be everywhere.

It was an outsider.

The screaming of the bear confirmed her thoughts; it was screaming out in pain as whoever was eating it.

She reached the bear in time to see an unknown wolf biting through the bear. The bear was long dead, and b***d was staining the dark fur of the wolf. Just as she saw the unknown wolf, the wolf saw her.

His eyes showed nothing but death and hatred. They were black and beady, matching the pure blackness of his fur. He looked older and much stronger. She knew she wouldn’t be strong enough to fight him.

As she turned to run in the opposite direction another wolf came into view and attacked him. His golden-brown fur was already stained with the other wolf’s b***d. Hate was also visible in his eyes. Ronnie watched as the two wolves went head-to-head with one another.

She kept herself hidden behind a nearby tree. She recognized the golden-brown wolf to be Erick. A flood of relief washed through her as she realized he was there to protect her against this outsider. Erick was much bigger than the other wolf and she knew he would be able to beat him.

It didn’t take long for the other wolf to be flung across the forest grounds. At first glance, Ronnie thought he was dead. With the amount of b***d that was coated over his dark fur and the fact that he laid there unmoving. But soon enough, he staggered to his feet and looked warily around his surrounding areas.

Eventually, his eyes found Ronnie’s and she stumbled backward nervously. His wolf mouth curled up into a snarl, revealing a row of bloodened teeth. Erick came back into his view and the wolf recoiled, not wanting to test the waters any further.

He turned and ran off in the opposite direction.

Breathless and injured, Erick stumbled backward until he was in a sitting position in a mound of dirt. His b***d-soaked through the dirt around him. He went from his wolf-self to his human-self so he could properly tend to his wounds.

Ronnie saw that across his torso was a giant gash where the other wolf’s claws sliced through him. It was a deep gash and even Ronnie winced as it became clearer how bad it was. His face had beads of sweat piling on his forehead and dripping down his features.

He looked as though he was in agony.

Ronnie transformed back into her human self as well. Thankfully, she wasn’t injured. A few scrapes and bruises around her torso and her hair were an absolute mess, but she was fine. She also had dirt in places dirt should never be in.

Crawling out from behind the tree, the moonlight lit up her passage to Erick. He saw her almost immediately after she made herself known. Though she could still see the agony in his face, his eyes softened as he stared around her unharmed body. She could tell he was relieved that she was okay.

It filled her with a sense of admiration knowing that this person cares about her enough to risk his life to protect her.

“Let me help you clean the wound,” Ronnie said in a shaky whisper as she knelt beside him. “There’s a stream not far from here. Do you think you can walk?”

He was breathing heavily but he managed to utter a few words.

“I think so.”

He g*****d in pain as Ronnie helped him to his feet.

Slowly they walked the rest of the way through the forest until they reached the open stream. Animals had already left the perimeters after they heard the wolves fighting.

Erick nearly collapsed on the ground as soon as they reached the stream. He rolled over onto his back and held onto his stomach as b***d seeped through his fingers.

Ronnie noticed his body was trembling and his breathing went from heavy to shaky.

He was scared.

Rummaging through the edge of the forest she managed to grab a long leaf, big enough to cover his wounds. At least until she could get him some actual bandages.

She went to the stream and soaked the leaf in the blue waters. Cupping some water in her hands, she reluctantly poured it over Erick’s open wound.

He screamed out in pain as the water stung him.

She winced as she did it again and once again, he screamed out in pain. More sweat built on his features and tears formed in the corner of his eyes.

She placed the leaf over his wound to keep the bleeding at bay. He kept his eyes closed as the pain slowly began to reside and his breathing slowed to almost normal.

“Do you want to mind link someone close to you and having them meet us here with first aid?” Ronnie suggested.

After a few moments of lying still with his eyes squeezed tight, he finally opened his eyes to meet her gaze and nodded once.

He closed his eyes again; Ronnie could tell he was concentrating on whoever he was linking with. She couldn’t hear the conversation and didn’t ask who he was talking to. It didn’t matter. As long as they brought some supplies to clean his wound.

They sat in silence for a long while. She couldn’t tell if he was sleeping or not. She watched his broad chest moving up and down. She was afraid if she looked away, he would stop breathing.

Ronnie didn’t realize her own body was trembling until Erick opened his eyes again. His eyes looked over her features with a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. It was the first time he had the strength to smile even remotely.

She couldn’t help but be relieved that he was awake. His fingers traced the palm of her hand. She blinked away the tears in her eyes.

“How did you find me?” She asked; her voice breaking as she spoke.

He looked her over a little longer before answering.

“I saw you take off into the woods. I wanted to make sure you were safe…” he said, his voice was raspy.

It pained him to speak, and Ronnie could hear that in his voice.

“You followed me?” She asked, raising her eyebrows.

She wanted to be upset about that, but it was hard to be mad when he risked his life for her.

“I was just worried,” he admitted. “Ronnie… I know this is weird for you. It’s weird for me too. But I just want to protect you. I’m sorry if I overstepped.”

“You didn’t overstep,” she said without hesitation. “You saved my life.”

“I would do it again too,” he said softly. “As many times as it would take to make sure you are safe.”

This time, a smile was tugging at the corners of her lips. Without thinking much more about it, she leaned down towards him and placed her lips against his.

She allowed herself that moment of weakness and caved in to her wants. She closed her eyes and let him deepen the k**s. He hesitantly brushed his fingertips across her fair features, tickling her cheekbones. His mouth was soft and fit against hers almost perfectly.

Her heart was beating against her chest so heavily that she thought it was going to escape. Or maybe it was his heart she was feeling. Maybe both of their hearts beating as one unit as they continued the display of affection.

Ronnie heard the ruffling of some leaves in the forest; she pulled herself away from Erick. Her cheeks were red and both of their breathing heavy.

Looking over towards the direction of the sound a couple of images emerged. Ronnie’s eyes widened as they came into view, and she realized who Erick had mind linked.

Jonathan and Arina.