Kyran

An hour into sparring with my muscles beginning to fatigue, Valdr distractingly flashes crystal blue eyes across my vision, causing me to falter my block and allowing Treyvar to land a blow to my jaw. Snarling, I glare at him as I chastise my wolf. Why did you do that? You intentionally caused my mistake.

I cannot escape the image and scent of her, it’s beginning to consume me. This isn’t working, I need to run, he grumbles back.

Rubbing my chest, I can feel his unease and briefly close my eyes to expel my irritation in a sigh. Okay, we will. Just wait a bit longer so I can at least clean up the gym, I mumble and feel him recede a little bit.

Looking up, I notice Trey gawking at me with one red-gloved hand still raised and the other hanging limply at his side. A slow grin spreads across his face as he goads, “Dude, I’ve never landed a full hit before! Looks like someone has lost their game,” he adds, bouncing on his toes and tapping his gloves together.

“Don’t expect it to happen again,” I remark shortly, removing my gloves and grabbing my water bottle, taking a long swig. Sitting down on the matted floor, I drape my forearms across my knees and tilt my head back against the wall, closing my eyes to sort through my thoughts.

I listen as Trey removes his gloves and takes a seat next to me, giving my shoulder a nudge. I crack my right eye open to look sideways at him and he scrunches his eyebrows in return. In earnest he asks, “Kyran, what’s going on? Has something happened? I could tell you were off earlier in the pantry but didn’t feel like you were up for talking. All jokes aside, I know you’re more than aware that I have never been able to get a hit on you during training before. So, talk. What’s up?” He moves so he is sitting in front of me, mimicking my posture.

This is useless, go outside or I’ll do it myself, Valdr demands. Ignoring him, I momentarily consider how much of the truth to tell Trey, quickly deciding that out of anyone, he is the best person I could confide in.

Sighing, I fully open my eyes and look at him levelly. “Alright, I’m going to ask that you stay open-minded with this, okay?” I ask and he nods his head instantly, without any humor in his eyes. Nodding in return, I continue, “I hadn’t intended to, but I went to the fancier grocery market across town because I saw an advertised sale in the paper. On my way to check out, I had to use the baking aisle and held my breath, because, as you know, I can’t stand chocolate,” I look pointedly at Trey, and he chuckles with a nod.

“Anyway, I noticed this woman climbing the shelf. She was too short to reach something at the top and when I went to help her, I looked into her eyes and was so shocked I gasped involuntarily,” I pause, swallowing some more water as I vividly recall the intensity of that moment.

“Wait, why? What did you see?” Trey interrupts, leaning forward a bit with his brow pinched in interest.

“Her eyes are the brightest, most striking icy blue. It was as if I was in a trance, she is the most beautiful woman I have ever met and with just a glance, she completely captivated me,” I speak lowly, avoiding his gaze at my admittance.

“Do you feel anything else? Are you sure she wasn’t a witch? Maybe we should get one of the healers to assess you. Shit, I’ll call Eir now and have her check you over to make sure you aren’t under a spell of some kind,” Trey rushes as he pulls his phone out and begins tapping the screen, his brows lowering with concern.

To be honest, that thought had never crossed my mind. I could sense Valdr’s attention, his agitation easing momentarily as I consciously focus on my strange encounter, assessing it from a new perspective. No, he denies, this is not witchcraft. It does not feel the same as what Vala did. It feels…natural, pure. Not heavy and suffocating.

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Silently agreeing, I rest my palm over Trey’s phone and explain, “Yes, I feel something, but no, it feels different than witchcraft. Valdr agrees as well, this is something else.”

Nodding his head slowly, Trey sits back and pockets his phone, waiting for me to continue.

“Although her eyes astonish me, it’s her scent that I cannot shrug off. I’m not certain, but I don’t think she is a witch, and she doesn’t smell like a human because of how potent her scent is. She is definitely not a vampire, it was still daylight outside,” I think aloud, and Trey lets out a sigh.

“She’s not a wolf or you would’ve known her as part of a pack or a rogue, plus wolves don’t have light blue eyes,” Trey surmises. “What else could she be? Wait, faeries aren’t real, right? They are truly only myths the humans tell stories about, please tell me I haven’t been lied to my entire life,” he jests, dramatically widening his eyes to try to lighten my mood.

I silently raise an eyebrow at him, unamused. My other brow arches, suddenly realizing, “She’s not not a wolf. Maybe I just didn’t pay close enough attention? Although, she would have behaved differently with me, being an Alpha, if she was from another pack. Why would another pack have a lone female in my territory? Besides, a rogue wouldn’t have even let me walk halfway down the aisle without either bolting or standing ground to fight.” Groaning, I drop my head into my hands.

“What did her scent smell like? Could it have been an overbearing perfume, perhaps?” Trey suggests, trying to reason with my summations.

Without lifting my head, I immediately describe, “It was overwhelmingly intoxicating. I couldn’t function any of my other senses, locked into her gaze and half drunk, my head spinning with her. I wanted to bury my face in the crook of her neck and just breathe. Valdr was practically spinning in circles, making me even dizzier. I have not been able to think of anything else since that encounter besides her alluring smell and her breathtaking eyes. Only her,” I murmur.

Treyvar is silent for a moment, the only sound is his soft intake and release of breath. Subdued, he lowly says, “Your mate died before you met her, your fur shows that.”

Valdr, remaining alert, becomes increasingly unsettled once more. Slowly raising my head, I cross my arms on my knees and prop my chin on my forearm. Sighing, I quietly agree, “I know. That’s why this has been bothering me so much, it just does not make sense to me, all of it. I cannot explain this.”

Enough with talking, I need to run, Valdr clips as he begins pushing at our internal boundaries.

“What does Valdr think about all of this, about her?” Trey asks, peering at me wonderingly.

“He instantly said that moment in the aisle, ‘She smells the way moonlight feels, bright and free, like home’. I have never heard him refer to anything, let alone anyone, like home. Not even here, this house, these woods. Not once,” I reply solemnly.

Eyes slightly wide, we both stare reverently at one another for a few heartbeats. With a tight nod, Trey begins to stand and I follow suit, gathering my gear and handing it off to him. With a sly smile, Trey proposes, “Well, hey, maybe you should pick up groceries across town for a while. Give the baking aisle a try every now and then,” he adds with a wink.

Staring at him deadpan, I try to suppress a smirk and fail when he waggles his eyebrows. Grinning his victory, I give his shoulder a light shove, heading over to the sliding doors to open them and start to undress. Trey stores away the boxing gear and makes his way over, beginning to remove his shirt. “No,” I interrupt him, “Valdr needs to let loose. I don’t know where we’ll go, but I’ll be sure to be back home before dawn. I need you at Howler’s before opening to unlock the doors for an early shipment. If you need anything, just mindlink me.”

Turning around, I effortlessly shift as I pass through the doorway, giving Valdr full control and glancing up at the quarter moon. Releasing a deep howl, we receive a few in return across the valleys in a farewell call as we dash across the lush yard and into the depths of the forest.