Chapter Thirteen : Mate Again

Sounds of violent conflicts and growls were coming from out side. The palm over my mouth stifling me was slowly withdrawn. Edward was right in front of me. He was calm.

I turned back to come face to face with Alex. We were in a sort of a cave that appeared to be hidden within the bushes.

"Never saw this place before," I looked at Alex and said. "Are we still inside the pack?" I asked.

"We are. But no one knows about this place. You are safe here for now," Alex said.

"What is your reason behind bringing us here?" I asked him uncertainly.

"He helped me before," Edward said in the middle.

I looked back at Edward and then Alex. Completely unprecedented.

"Can anyone explain?" I asked.

"Zen sent an assassin to kill me last night," Edward said.

"What? Why would he do that? He knew I wouldn’t co-operate with them if something happened to you," I said.

"They planned to kill you as well," Alex said. "They decided to apply force if needed. They didn’t need Edward or your consent to perform the ritual. But you can thank the Oracle later. She didn’t want to you to die. So she tricked Zen into believing that if you die, your wolf dies and the ritual of the Mystic spring never gets accomplished," Alex said back brushing his long hairs from his forehead. He sat on a chair.

I looked around the cave. A tiny one. A lantern was hanging from the ceiling. The floor was built with rough black stones. The wall was filled with mosses.

"He saved me from that assassin that night," Edward said pointing at Alex.

"Why are you helping us?" I asked Alex. Still uncertain of his motives.

"He seemed too nice to die," Alex replied sarcastically.

"Are you going to help us to escape?" I asked him.

"Why else would I bring you two here?" Alex asked back.

He took a deep breath and got up from the chair. He came close to me. Edward was looking at us. But his expression said he trusted Alex.

Alex hesitated a bit and then put his hands on my shoulders. He looked into my eyes. I was at unease. But I didn’t resist.

"Listen, Ella. You have to run away before they come out of the pack house. The Sapphires and the Allied forces are now fighting. This is the chance you have to take. I know you can't shift now. My wolf felt yours to go in an eternal sleep. If you stay here and they catch you, you will die. It is impossible to achieve what they want with your wolf like this," Alex paused for a bit.

"If you knew everything then why were you here?" I asked him in surprise.

He was looking at me. I gulped. I wasn’t ready for his answers. Even though I knew. But I was afraid to face the truth. I was afraid to accept that I hurt this man to establish my ego. I knew I was wrong. He was here for me. He was suppressing my wolf so that Zen could not find. He was making sure I was safe out there, far away from Zen's grasp.

Alex only laughed a bit. He didn’t want to make this more awkward. His handsome face, back brushed long, black hairs, his pale skin revealed near the chest by the loosened buttons of his shirt, every thing was glowing in the yellow light of the lantern.

"I am a man of my choice. Don't get burdened," he said.

Edward was standing there silently. He looked down. Giving us the space. I felt bad for these two men. They both were hurting. Because of my decisions I drag Edward into this. And Alex? I didn’t know how to apologise.

Each time I was with Edward, Alex felt it. He knew where I was. I was bitten by him. And never rejected him.

Alex pulled me out of my thoughts.

"You have to go to the south," he said. The awkward moment was gone again.

"Why south?" I asked.

"You can't go back to the human territory. That is risky. They will find you. Zen was your actual mate. I can't suppress his wolf from sensing you forever," he said.

"But will going to south change it?" I asked uncertainly.

"The south is different from here. There is no separate territory. Human and the wolves live together. And the Emperor is a wolf. When Zen and I were there,we were always hiding ourselves from getting caught by the Emperor's army. He was ruthless. I heard that the previous emperor died. And his son has taken over the throne. And the new emperor is cruel beyond anyone’s imagination," Alex said.

"And you are asking us to go there to die?" Edward asked.

"No, that's why you will be safe out there. Zen will never take the risk to go back there to find you. So even if he finds out that you are there, he will not follow you," Alex said.

"And what makes you think we two will survive there? What if we two get caught by the Emperor?" Edward asked. He wasn’t liking the idea of more trouble.

"That's why you two have to disguise. Make sure to maintain a low profile. They will not catch you for no reason," Alex said.

Edward was still unsure. He was tensed. I put my hand on his shoulder and eased him.

"Don't worry, Ed," I said. "As long as we are together, we will make it," I assured him.

"We have to leave now," I said to Alex.

"But before that, I have to do something," Alex said.

I looked at him confusedly.

"You are married with someone else and carrying his child. I can't use our bonds to suppress Zen's wolf," he said looking at me.

"You said we won't need that in south," I replied.

"But you can't transform. And that makes you slow. The fight outside won't last long. Zen will find you before you can make it to the south," Alex said.

He was looking at me desperately. His eyes were fixed on my neck. His face was glowing. He was sweating as if he was in heat. I knew what he was thinking.

I gulped and looked at Edward. Seemed like he read the whole situation. He turned back to the wall in frustration.

"It is for my child, Ella," Edward said. His voice was trembling. He was not okay at all.

Neither was I. But I didn’t resist. It was for my child after all. We had to protect it. And for that I needed my wolf. And Alex was the only one who could help.

Alex came close to me. He put his hand on my waist. He pulled me closer to his body. His mouth immediately came down to my neck. He sniffed me desperately and licked my neck. He had lost his control. He was completely in his wolf's possession. Overtaken by the desire. He sucked hard on my neck.

"It will hurt you, Alex," I said closing my eyes.

He didn’t listen. He bit me on my neck. I bit my lips in pain. He put a mark on my body again. My blood was as if rushing from my head to my periphery.

My heart rate increased. My wolf was awakened inside. It growled in excitement.

Edward was still looking away. This was a mess again.