Chapter 12

Time stood still. Not a sound was heard. He didn't breathe, and he was sure his heart stopped as well. Shock, disbelief, and realization took their time to reach for him. He turned his head slowly at his wolf, his other self had the same look on his face.

"...Did she...just? ....Did she...wake up...? Just now...? Now?" The thought finally reached them, causing his shock to turn to fury while his wolf let out a frustrated growl, "She woke up!"

Erick barked, his anger rising with each passing moment, "Why did she leave me?! Doesn't she want this just as much as I do?!"

Pure wanton rage echoed throughout his heated body as he paced. He let out a yell as he punched a tree, the poor tree having a hole in its center, losing stability as it came crashing down into the snow, further disturbing what was supposed to be a glorious dream.

"WHY?!" He bellowed in the forest, nothing but the sounds of his wolf's howls and his words echoes reached him. A growl came out in each breath as he moved about, trudging through the almost soundless snow.

He looked furiously at the moon, almost wanting to curse before he looked down, running a hand through his hair. He then stopped pacing. His breathing started to relax a bit as another awareness made him look up at the moon once more.

It was a Waning Gibbous; The Deity of Mating and Fate's phase.

...That's right. The Goddess of Mating wouldn't deter him like this. She knew that their mating would happen soon, and he had to be patient with her.

"But for how long?" Erick grumbled out, "How long must I wait before I can claim what is mine?!"

The phase didn't change, but he felt the non-existent wind pick up and whisper past his ears, "...Soon..."

Erick opened his eyes from his memory and looked up at the night sky, his kill finished. It was a Waning Gibbous here too—the first night of it—and it was a most fortunate sign that what the Goddess said was true. He'd have her soon. But first, he needed to return to the pack. Two days on his own was enough.

/~/~/

The morning had come, the winter wonderland brought grace and serenity. The sun peeked warmly from behind the clouds, giving a pleasant and gentle air this morning. Erick was anything but pleasant. He was pissed. He didn't have a dream with her last night, hell, he didn't dream at all!

He was sure any animal that remained here could sense his fury: those hibernating woke up with a start, those awake running for shelter. Everything turned to silence as he ran, the cool snow even seemed to melt quickly under his rampaging feet.

"How dare she?" He thought furiously, "She's trying to avoid me!! She's trying to avoid fate, isn't she?!"

He slowed down, breathing hard, but not because he was tired, as he tried to think logically, "What's wrong with me? This is not the Delaney pack way. Emotions like this cause weakness. It is best to remain impassive, and cold to everyone, and to focus on physical and mental strength. To show anxiety like this isn't right, even if it's toward your mate—"

The very moment the thought of his mate hit him, he snarled at himself, his feral side returning as he took off into a sprint again, "No! She's my mate! Her place is by my side! I can't be impassive while she's so near! Why has she not tried to seek me out yet? I have for her! What is she possibly thinking?!"

He stopped once again and started to pace back and forth, trying to reason with himself, "The Alpha Deity promised me. I just have to be patient. She and I will be mated." He started to pace himself again as he headed for the compound.

"When?!" His wolf howled his mind, setting him off into a sprint once more, "Another wolf might claim her! I have to have her now! No other wolf may DARE touch her!"

He was struggling with the internal battle with himself, "No. No one will. Patience is a virtue. The Deities have taught us that."

"But...What if she doesn't want to be mated with me?"

He stopped dead in his tracks, "...Doesn't....want...to?"

The thought turned to words, and his words put him in overdrive as he ran once more, his feral side returning with a vengeance and overthrowing his logic, "That's not her choice!! She will be!! When I return, I'll get some of the others to go look for her. Just you wait, my elusive mate!" He sprinted back toward the Delaney pack den, his mind made up in this matter.

/~/~/

Once in sight of the compound, he stopped, skidding his feet in the snow when he breathed in. The air...that scent... His wolf roared to life inside of him, his already feral eyes turned even wilder with each heartbeat, the emerald in his irises glowing brightly.

It's her!

This is her scent!

He took off into a sprint once more as he tore through the compound. Many of the lower ranks backed away, some yelped in shock, startled by the tension that radiated off him as he ran toward the manor.

"Where is she? Where is she?" Erick thought in a frenzy, "Where is she?!"

Without much other thought, he ripped the front left door of the manor off its hinges, tossing it out of his way as he ran in, following his nose past Conroy, Emmanuel, and two females, who were equally as startled, but he could care less about them at this moment. He charged into Adeline's study, bursting the doors open and imbedding the doorknobs in the wall, shaking the hinges loose, but not entirely broken.

"Erick?" Keric stood in concern from his seat.

"What's wrong?" Adeline asked, standing from her desk and stepping forward toward him.

Erick growled deeply, stopping both of them from approaching him, "Where?"

"What?" Adeline asked, but Erick ignored her as he turned and ran out of the room.

"Erick!" Adeline shouted, chasing after him along with Keric, Conroy, and Emmanuel following suit as well.

"Where are you hiding?!" Erick growled deeply as he ran toward the Omega quarters, trailing out her scent as he slammed the door to one of the flats open.

"Not here either!"

Snarling in his chest he turned and passed Adeline and the others just as they got there.

"Erick! What is wrong?!" Confused, Adeline continued to run after him, "I admitted in an Omega female! What's so wrong?"

He didn't hear her as he dashed back to the manor.

"Erick! It's just an Omega!" Adeline yelled, but once again her voice didn't reach his ears, his wolf howled in his head, their rage and need increasing with every heartbeat, every second he couldn't find her.