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qotd : What's your favorite school subject?

Gif of the wolf to the side

Rena's POV***

I lightly lifted my eyelids though sleep fought with me. I blinked a few times and let out a breath of shock. Damon's face was inches from mine. His silent breaths gently fanned my face. His long dark lashes rested in peace and his mouth was lightly closed. He looked so tranquil. The way his shoulders would slowly move up with each inhale, then back down with each exhale had me in a trance.

Damon's black hair was all messy as it flew in all directions, but it never distracted from how handsome he really was. He could probably go bald and still be this attractive.

Curious, I turned my neck and tried to get up, but his right arm wrapped tighter around me. I took a breath, laying back down. I daringly reached my hand to his face, a ghost of a touch to his face made him lightly mumble in his sleep. I retracted my hand as if it had been burnt by fire.

I sighed, and closed my eyes once more.

I was so sure that the best thing for me to do was leave Shadowdawn's pack, but for some reason, my sights of that assurance became blurry and fizzy. Since my brother called him, it only proved the more I was here, the more of a liability I was. And although I knew that giving me back to Larson was the right thing to do, I found myself dreading that kind of choice. A week ago I'd have willingly gotten up right now, walked out the door, and refused to look back.

But now, staring at his soft face that held so much hope for a future he could possibly hold with me, I wasn't so sure I could just walk out the door and not look back. He deserved a good future. He was a good person, I could tell. But I'm sure every person has their demons.

"Damon?" I whispered. His lips quivered then he squeezed his eyes.

"I want to ask you stuff," I added.

"What do you want to ask?" He mumbled, keeping his eyes closed.

"Can you tell me more about you? I know that might sound stupid considering I haven't really, shared much but . . ." I trailed off, thinking about what else to say so I didn't sound like a hypocrite.

"I understand. You'll tell me when your ready," He muttered, opening an eye with a playful smile. I let out a breath of relief, happy he wasn't going to force me to talk. I then raised a brow.

"Why the smile?" I asked.

"Just cus," He replied, taking a breath. I frowned.

"Okay. Siblings? Do you have any?" I suddenly asked.

"Nope, I'm an only child. Always wanted a little sister though," He replied, opening his eyes and seeming more awake.

"Me too!" I exclaimed, feeling joyous that we had something in common.

"Well, the sister part," I added. His smile reciprocated mine.

"Um, parents?" I asked nervously.

"My mom died when she gave birth to me and my dad got lung cancer when I was 10. It's not really a sore topic anymore, but I do miss them sometimes. Yours?" He asked.

"Well," I played with my hands, "they died a long time ago too. There was a raid held against our pack, and we lost a lot of packmates," I told him. It was an awful day, and the memories play in my mind like a scene from a movie. There was so much screaming, so many loud noises . . .

"What were they like?" He asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. I smiled and closed my eyes.

"Absolutely wonderful. My mom was very kind and warm and the whole pack loved her. She used to sing to me when I was just a kid. I knew I could talk to her about most anything. My dad was a softy even though he was an Alpha. He was a great leader, and much like my mom, everyone adored him. They were good people; they were our leaders, the ones we looked up to. We relied on them without worry that they'd fail our expectations," I explained. Damon smiled.

"They do sound absolutely wonderful," he said, rubbing his eyes with his free hand.

"And yours?" I asked him.

"Hm, my parents weren't actual mates. They never found theirs so their parents forced them into an arranged marriage. They were best friends so I mean, they weren't complete strangers or anything like that. They got along rather well and then I was born and my mother died, then 10 years later my dad somehow got lung cancer. I think he'd been smoking when no one was watching after my mom died. He was a strong man with good morals . . ." Damon trailed off.

"I'm sorry about your dad," I whispered, looking down at the pillow.

"Don't be."

I used to hate when people told me they were sorry my parents had died. What was there to be sorry for? It's not like they did anything to either stop or cause what had happened.

I must have been spacing off again because when I snapped back to reality, Damon's dark eyes locked with mine. Intensity and an unknown emotion to me swirled in his eyes.

"We need to talk about Larson," he said with a clenched jaw. A shiver ran down my spine as I imagined how furious he must be right now. I ran away from his pack, my home.

"Okay."

Damon sat up, leaning against his head board, arms crossed. It was then that I realized he was shirtless. Tingles crept up into my stomach and I had to close my eyes to prevent staring at his sculpted body. Instead of drooling like how I anticipated I would, I dug my face into the pillow.

"You already know he wants you in his pack while I refuse to simply give you away like your some sort of a toy." I sighed, sat up, and crossed my legs.

"But-"

His glare directed at me, causing me to shut up immediately. I began to play with my fingers.

"Has he made any threats?" I asked.

"Yes, but we can't be sure he'll follow through."

"But you can't assume that he won't. Larson gets what he wants and when he doesn't get it, things get chaotic," I told him. Damon leaned his head back and sighed.

"Until we know he's serious there isn't much we can do," He said, following with a scoff. He must've been frustrated with the whole ordeal.

"Is there anything I can do? I'll do anything I can to help," I said. Damon's gaze left the bed and landed on me instead. I jerked back at his stare.

"There is," he grinned. I swallowed, beginning to feel nervous. His crooked smile caused a tremor to run down my spine. The gleam in his eyes made my face grow warm.

"Come here," he commanded with a smirk. Anxious I crawled to his side.

"Lay down, on your back."

"What are you-"

"Trust me Rena," He whispered gently. I gulped, did as he said, and waited. I noticed him move, but I closed my eyes shut. A warm feeling slid down my cheek. A spark ran down my face at his touch, but it didn't bother me nor make me scared. Instead, I snuggled into his hand with my face.

"Open your eyes," he whispered, his voice sounding closer than before. He chuckled, seeing as I was too nervous to open them. I felt him lean over me, his hands pressing down near my head. Within seconds, his hair tickled my cheek, and his lips pressed against the crook of my neck. Surprised, my eyes flew open and my mouth parted as gasps escaped my throat.

"So, that's what it takes to get your gorgeous eyes to open up," he stated, backing away and hovering over me.

"Well- I , uh I-" I stuttered hopelessly. His attention was focused solely on me, making me nervous. No one has ever looked at me like he did. He looked at me like I was important. Like I mattered. It seemed that if I tried to move or leave, my body wouldn't allow me to do so, and if it did, the world would come crashing down. Is this was having a mate was like?

He flashed me another crooked smile before his eyes greedily scanned my body. His eyes locked on my upper thigh. I froze, realizing I still had some scars from Sunscorch's pack. My short shorts revealed a horizontal jagged scar on my upper thigh. Damon ducked down, placing a feather light kiss on the mark. Warm, fuzzy, tingles swam through my veins as he left a hot feeling on my thigh.

He ducked down again, kissing up my thigh.

I let out a breathless gasp and lolled my head back. My heart was racing faster than ever before. Not out of fear, but . . . what was this? Pleasure? My hands tightened on the sheets, and my knuckles became white.

His mouth reached the hem of my underwear, causing me to shift in anxst. He lifted up his head, causing me to growl in annoyance. He grinned, crawling up on me, and hovering an inch above me. I was breathing hard, rugged pants, but I was doing everything in my power to make sure they came out softly and quietly. His hungry eyes landed on my lips.

Without warning, I thrust my arms over him, wrapped them around his neck, and forced him to met my face with his. He was just as surprised as I was with my swift movement.

The kiss was hungry, savage and most of all, passionate. I rubbed my hands through his soft hair, pulling more of him closer to me. Our tongues danced with one another before I pulled away to get air, but it didn't last long. His lips were back on mine in an instant. I felt so bubbly, and light, and I wanted this moment to last for forever. Was this, happiness? I began to smile through our kiss, making him lightly jerk his head. He stared at me, and began to smile. Laughter bubbled out of my throat as I grinned with happiness.

"You're so damn perfect," Damon whispered against my lips. I rested my eyes before pecking his lips. How did he manage to make me feel this way already? I'd only been here for maybe, 3 or 4 weeks now. I was so scared and broken, and he's slowly been able to glue small pieces of me back together. I was so grateful for all he had done for me so far, and to be honest, I was excited to see what the future would like granted we could survive my brother.

-

"Hey, spill some beans," Danica said as she lifted another weight. I giggled like how I imagined a school girl would. I mimicked her actions, lifting another weight.

"I don't have any to spill," I retorted. It's been a few days since Damon and I spoke and kissed the way we did. It's been playing in my head for hours and hours without end.

Danica rolled her eyes, let out a huff, and dropped the weight to the floor. Confused, I stared at her, stopping mid lift.

"You are so lying," she smirked, grabbing her water from the mat and taking a sip.

"I'm so not!"

"Oh c'mon!" She began with her arms outstretched, "you can't stop smiling and you've been in quite the jubilant mood for a while now."

I set down the weight, my arm feeling like overcooked spaghetti.

"I'm always jubilant," I told her with a frown.

"No, you, as my friend Cristina Yang would say, are dark and twisty," She replied. I raised an eyebrow at her analogy type thing.

She huffed, crossing her arms. "Grey's Anatomy? Ever heard of it?" I shook my head no.

"Well, whatever that's not the point! Whatever, even if you don't want to tell me, whatever is making you happier nowadays, I approve."

I stared at her.

"See? More frowns and blank faces. Instead, I like to see more smiles and girly giggles. Got it?" She asked, pointing her waterbottle at me. I laughed and nodded.

"Hey, Aron is your mate right?" I asked, sitting on the mat, and beginning to do some curl ups. Danica did the same.

"You bet your sweet ass he is!" she replied, wolf howling and winking. I laughed at her always cheerful mood.

"So," I said between curls, "when and how did you guys meet?" I asked. I froze. "Or is that too personal?" I whispered, starting to feet bad for asking in the first place.

Danica rolled her eyes, stopping her curl ups.

"Well I actually knew him from when we were kids. I was actually a rogue before I joined Damon's father's pack at the time. I was 13 when they found me here. Don't ask me much about it cuz even I don't remember-"

"Wait, you don't remember what happened before you came here?" I asked in disbelief.

"Well I knew I was a rogue as a kid, but no not really. For years I've tried to find out more about that day and what happened to me, but I've got nothing. Either way I'm here and I like to focus on the present."

I smiled, curling up and down. Danica was so strong; admirable.

"Anyway," she piped up,"9 year olds Damon and his best friend Aron found me and took me to Damon's father, Peter Baine. He welcomed me with open arms as long as I promised to pay my dues, and not cause trouble. Then I turned 16, my wolf gene generated, and I was ready to search for my mate. It didn't take long before I realized it was Aron." Her eyes held a glint, and she was staring up at the ceiling with nostalgia written on her face.

"Wow, so child hood best friends to mates just like that? Did that ever cause problems?" I asked, turning my head to face her. She sighed and turned her head as well to face me.

"We may be soul mated werewolves, but in the end, we're a couple and all couples have obstacles to overcome. But the fact that we overcame those obstacles made us stronger and bound us closer together." I was happy for Danica and a part of me envied her.

She doesn't have to worry about a future with Aron, because they're already living in it. Would I have years with Damon? We may not be as close as Danica is to Aron, but we were definitely making our way there, right?

Danica and I continued to train for the rest of the day, working out all of our muscles. I'd been improving so much around here. I couldn't help but feel proud. I was most definitely getting stronger. My stamina sky rocketed upwards, my agility was solid, and shifted didn't hurt at all. I shifted last week, reminding me that I wanted to sneak away and do so again.

It was now 10 at night as we finished up our last sparring match. Danica always put me on my ass it seemed. I didn't like to punch and hurt her because she was my friend and practically my packmate.

Grabbing my water, rag and shoes, I quickly snuck out of the gym and welcomed the cold air. Others poured out of the gym like I did, walking to their cars or friends to leave.

Lolling my head back, I let embraced the shivers that the wind gave me. It was so nice out here in the cold. I'd been sweating in the gym with Danica for hours. To say I was tired and sweaty was an understatement.

"Hey!" Danica called, rushing over to me.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Where are you going?"

"Just for a quick run. I'll be home soon though, okay, so I'll see you later bye!" I began to back away but she reached out for my arm.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea Rena. What with your brother and all," she said, her blue eyes darting around us.

"I haven't let my wolf out in a week, she needs just a little time. I promise I won't be long at all. Please, I can't keep her caged. I'll be safe and run near our borders anyways plus I've gotten stronger, like way stronger, so please please cherry on top, please let me just have this one thing."

I knew I was begging, but hey don't dogs do that anyway?

She seemed to be contemplating it for a while.

"Ugh, alright but 30 minutes tops. I'll cover for you. If Alpha Damon asks I'll just say you stayed later at the gym. But if you breach 30 minutes I'm coming clean. Got it?"

Giddy, I brought her in for a bear hug, let go, and ran off across the parking lot. I carried a cheeky grin on my face as I ran to the edge of the lot, entered the forest and ran farther into its depths.

I quickly stopped, the snow tickling my ankles. Birds and rodents rustled around in the shrubbery, making me feel like I wasn't alone. I immediately shrugged off my clothes, put them on a branch and shifted with ease.

Fur grew from my pores and my bones began to glide into new positions. I crouched down, feeling my nails and teeth elongate. I blinked and within seconds I was in my white wolf.

I didn't hesitate to pounce off my haunches and head into the snow covered thickets of green and white. My paws hit the ground with thunderous slaps, never failing to lead me in the direction in which I pleased.

Hopping over a fallen trunk, I raced down the small slope, nothing daring to stop me in this form.

I kept running, all feeling as it should.

Running in your wolf was so ethereal. It was a whole different world from which we knew, providing us with a new perspective and greater respect for mother nature and our surroundings. We saw perfectly during both the day and night, so it never mattered when we ran.

I looked up, noticing the trees. They were so still and unmoving. Raising my brows, I looked around me at the bushes. The leaves weren't rustling as they had before. I then noticed that the birds no longer sang. My sprint came to a jog and quickly to a trot. I examined the forest around me. Everything was fine, and then it all felt off.

Paranoid, I decided to turn around and make my way back into the direction of my clothes. As I walked on, the night suddenly felt darker than before, and an ominous feeling crept through my gut. My eyes were constantly moving all around me as I tried to keep watch on everything. Not a bush nor tree went unseen by me.

Upon hearing a twig lightly snap, my fur stood on end and I picked up the pace, sprinting through the forest. Someone else had to be out here. I ran up the familiar slope as fast as I could and prepared to jump over the log.

A loud snarl echoed through my ears as I met face to face with another wolf. Terror and fear pierced through my body as I lost my footing and tumbled down the slop. My back and head throbbed as I landed in the snow tuft. The stranger wolf was growling, and snarling as he ran down the slope in a slipshod fashion.

I stood up, and turned to run again, but a weight on my back brought me down and all I heard were raw growls. His sharp teeth ripped through my ear as he pinned me down on my stomach. I whined in pain before roughly getting up on my paws, his head hitting against mine. Clearly not expecting that, he fell off me, still in a rage. His dark eyes revealed no familiarity to me, and his patchy hair sprang out in all directions. His teeth were crooked, and his gums were dripping blood after he just tore out a chunk of my ear.

I wanted to yell at him and ask who he was what he wanted but I was in this form. He began to charge again, as did I.

We collided, our claws scraping through each others fur, and our jaws snapping at one another's neck. I jerked my thick neck back just in time before he could get a good grasp, and snagged my claw on the wolf's chest. Saliva flew from our mouths as we continued to claw and snap while standing on two legs. His weight easily overpowered me and I fell on my back becoming extremely vulnerable. Realizing this, he went for my jugular, but paused mid way into his actions. I didn't hesitate to kick him off me and to the side, and much to my surprise he didn't get back up. Frazzled, I rolled onto my side.

Dazed, I trotted to his side, seeing his arms and legs convulse under him. His paws opened and closed, and twitched. His dark eyes lolled back into his skull and pathetic whimpers echoed from within his throat. Terrified, I looked all around me. The wolf whimpered before there was a cracking sound. I averted my attention to him. He looked like he was suffering, but how? What happened?

My ears propped up, and I turned to look behind me. There was a hooded figure. I squinted at this person. It seemed to be a girl judging by the dark curls cascading from her cloak's hood and the dark purple lip stick. I growled, splaying my ears against my head.

The woman put a hand up to her lips. "Shhh," she lulled and disappeared into the bushes. I panted, waiting a second before staring at the dead wolf that attacked me, then back at the trees and bushes.

She didn't kill me, but rather saved me. Was it on purpose? Who was she? What business did she have in keeping me alive?