Declan struggled to find his way through the forest and finally came to a payphone but It was out of order, he was wearing just some tattered shorts he had found in the woods
He calls out Amelia's name in his head, he did not know what he was doing but he was sending her a telepathic signal something that was only unique to an Alpha and his mate he had subconsciously imprinted on
He did not know he had the ability, but as soon as his inner voice called out to her he saw a vision of her waking up from sleep with a jolt and looking out as though she heard her name and the vision stunned him even more
He could not understand what was going on, what just happened to him
He tried to gather all the strength he could muster and and walk, he had no idea were he was but his instinct told him he had to get out of there and fast.
So he walked putting one foot in front of the other.
***************************
Amelia woke up from sleep with a jolt, she had definitely hear Declan's voice, she could recognize his voice anywhere
"But what was that just now? she asked herself
There was no way Declan would be outside her house by this time
Or could he?
She quickly rushed outside to check but she did not and then all of a sudden she felt a strong pull in her heart as if pulling her somewhere
A sense of urgency filled her up and she quickly started ran inside the house picked her car keys and got into the car, she had no idea where she was going to but it felt like she knew where she was going.
Amelia drove for almost 4 hours, her mind blank but her body knew where it was going to, she had never been this far out of town, she barely saw anything except trees
Just then she saw something that looked like a human being
As she got closer it got clearer
"Declan! she shouted, and immediately stopped the car
She rushed out of the car to meet him and as soon as she held him he collapsed in her arms and she assisted him to the car.
***************************************************
When Declan opened his eyes, he was in a strange yet familiar place.
He got out of the bedroom putting on a rope around his body because he was almost naked and he walked into the living room.
"You're awake
"Please sit down let me get you something to eat
Amelia stood up to go and fix him something to eat
"Don't worry, I'm leaving. Thanks a lot for today"
"Wait, what? You are going to leave me without an explanation after all the bizarre things that happened today?
"I will explain things to you later, I really need to go to work today, I am already late
"I called in to tell Liam you were sick and won't be coming to work today so if that's your excuse you better sit down because you have a lot of explaining to do
Declan knew he could not get out of the situation without an explanation even if it meant he had to lie to her
He sat down back like an obedient dog.
"Just coffee then
Amelia disappeared into the kitchen for a few minutes and reappeared with a glass of coffee and handed it over to him.
"Now talk
"Thanks for the coffee
"You're welcome, so how did you end up on that road, how did you get that far into town?
"I was kidnapped
"What?
Even Declan was more shocked by his words than she was, he had no idea how that lie came out of his mouth.
"W hat do you mean you were kidnapped?
"By who?
"Why?
"If I remember clearly I left you at your place and you were too sick to go anywhere, so how did they get into your overly secured apartment and kidnapped you?
He looked at her shocked, she had genuine worry for him and it felt like she was believing the lie
He got bold and straitened up in his chair
"I felt a bit better much later after you left and I decided to go to the pharmacy to get some drugs.
"A van pulled up on me on my way to the pharmacy and some men surrounded.
"That was honestly the last thing I remember
"The next time I opened my eyes it was morning and I was in an unknown forest with no idea how I got there
"Do you know who might want to kidnap you or better still why they had to let you go?
""I have no idea, I am just thankful to be safe
"I think me and you are somewhat connected se said excitedly
"How do you mean?
"I could sense that you were in trouble and my body reacted and just knew exactly where to go, isn't that fascinating?
She kept on going narrating exactly how her body had felt, how she heard his voice call her name
Declan did not know if it was the ordeal he just went through, or the way her silk nighty stuck to her skin, or the excitement in her eyes and voice as she talked about their connection but he suddenly felt strong attraction to her
The way her lips moved as she spoke
He couldn't resist,
He pulled her to him and she sat down on his legs and her body stiffened
He turned her chin towards him and he kissed her, slowly at first and then it intensified but he stopped abruptly with her leaning in for more
He placed her gently on the chair and he stood up
"I'm leaving he said, thanks again
She watched him leave, breathless, she was too stunned to speak.
*****************************************************
Still traumatized by what happened the previous day Declan comes back to work the next morning. His senses stay alert, and his body hurts. It feels strange—too focused, too silent, as though nothing strange had happened, as if the universe is waiting for him to notice something.
He freezes as he unlocks his own toolbox to get to work.
On top of the strewn-about tools, ones that only he ever uses, rests a worn yet distinctive silver pendant.
And just then he feels eyes on him and he turned around but saw no one
On the same blackened cord that his mother used to wear around her neck, a crescent moon with fire and claw marks was hung.
Declan slowly picks it up. The warmth of the metal is unnatural.
The pendant being there was unnatural
"This is not possible." He whispered quietly
And just as his hand picked up the pendant flashes of what seem like a memory came to him, he a woman crying and mumbling something he could not figure out at the time as she placed the pendant on him but this type he was a little child
This should not belong to anyone. Only he
He clenches his fingers around the pendant. His heart thuds. This was planted here by someone who is aware of his identity.
Declan is plagued by the feeling that he is being followed for the remainder of the day. No shadows, no odd faces, no footsteps—not in the obvious sense.
That's not all there is to it. A sharp itch in his gut. When it's the hunted, not the hunter, a predator experiences the same emotion.
He doubles back on his own trail as he hurriedly turns curves. However, the sensation persists, covering his every action like a second skin.
He once sees the elderly man from the previous evening while he is leaving a diner. Across the street, watching, only for a heartbeat. However, the figure disappears once more when Declan crosses the street, leaving just a subtle, lingering smell—a peculiar combination of pine and ash.
He recognized the smell, he had smelt something similar in the woods and now he definitely knew there was a connection.
"What on earth is happening to me Declan cried out in frustration
That night he had checked where he kept the pendant and true to what he thought it wasn't there meaning the one he found in his tool box was definitely his.
He slept in the living room with the pendant clutched to his chest
It's difficult to fall asleep. And when it happens, he is immediately dragged into a tempest of recollections.
He is able to view his mother's face more clearly than previously. She is whispering phrases in a language he doesn't understand while embracing him under a bleeding moon. Her clothing is stained with blood, and wolves are fighting behind her—large, ferocious creatures tearing at one another.
He witnesses a golden-eyed man who has been pierced by silver blades drop to his knees.
He hears a scream, his own, a child
He's fleeing through the woods once more, but this time he's the wolf, and the dream changes. Quick, crazy, unrestricted... and pursued. Arrows fly by him. Something ancient, not his human name, is called by a voice.
He gasps when he awakens.
He grips the pendant, which is now dimly silvery in color.
Something has started to stir within him.
Something that has been long suppressed.