Alter-The One
Chapter 8

He pulls himself away from me and glares. “Why were you hiding from me?”

I look at the ground. “I’m sorry I …” I trail off not wanting to lie but also not ready to tell him the truth. “I wish there was a simple way to tell you.”

He crosses his arms. “It is simple. You tell me why you were hiding and why your hair is cut like that.”

“I can’t just please drop it. I need to go.” I say trying to get around him but he blocks me path.

“Your not leaving until I get an explanation.” He says sternly. Anger flares inside me.

“Let me go. Please.” I clench my jaw trying to stay calm. He sighs uncrossing his arms and brushing a stray hair from my face.

“I miss you. You freaked me out when i came into your room and you were gone.” He says.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to hurt you. I needed to get away. I went to Josh like you said to and was happy until I had to go.” I say leaving out the fact that me and him aren’t mates anymore.

A smile spreads across Jim’s face. “Let’s go visit him. He probably is going insane without you. Unless that’s what you can’t explain and you’ve already seen him.” His eyes sparkle and his smile widens.

My heart drops and my cougar growls. I can’t tell my brother that me and Josh aren’t bonded anymore without having to explain to him what I am. I don’t want to put my brother at risk.

I put on a fake smile as he practically drags me to Tom’s pack house.

Jim knocks on the door. After a few minutes we are met with a very tired looking Josh. He looks at Jim then me. “Can I help you?” He asks. He squints like everything is blurry.

I clear my throat. “I’m sorry if we’re bothering you. My brother wanted me to come visit. We probably should have sent notice first. I apologize.” I adjust my sword. I what recognition fall into Joshuah’s features. He looks at me seeming to be awake now.

“Anne?” He asks his eyes turn hopeful, desperate, and lustful.

I nod. “Yes. Like I said I’m sorry to….” I get cut off with Josh’s lips crashing against mine in a sloppy kiss that’s filled with hunger. I pull away in disgust. He looks at me hurt and confusion in his eyes.

“Anne I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have let you go. I should’ve protected you. I haven’t been able to sleep or eat since you were taking away. It was my fault. Please forgive me. I never meant to hurt you. It was terrible of me. Please won’t you forgive me?” He says looking at me with desperation clear in his force..

I shake my head. “They didn’t take me. I left. What you did hurt me beyond measure. I gave up myself. I became his little pet he could tell what to do. I let him push me around. I was only able to escape because of a kind man that paid off my debt. You just left me to the leech. You are nothing but a desperate coward.” I say angrily. I turn around and start to walk away. He grabs my hand and i rip it out of his grasp.

“What did he do to you?” Josh asks angrily.

I turn back to look him in the face a cruel smile on my face.“He opened my eyes. I will leave your territory Beta Joshuah. I shouldn’t be trespassing without the permission from your alpha. Don’t count on ever seeing me again.” I turn back around and start walking away. I hear a growl behind me.

“Anne lookout!” I feel the wind get knocked out of me and I’m on the ground. I groan and see Josh in front of me in wolf form. He snarls at me.

“Jim get off of me and back away slowly.” I whisper. He does as I say though I can feel his reluctance. I watch Josh’s eyes move to him then back to me with a crazed look in his eyes..

“Josh you need to let me go. I am no longer yours. We have no bond. You are meant for another.Another thing is I don’t want you anymore. I don’t want to be the mate of a beta who won’t even stand up for his mate when she needs him. So let me go” I say as I slowly get up. He growls and shakes his head.

“Let me go or I will have to use force. I don’t want to do that.” I say as calmly as possible. On the inside I do want to hurt him the way he hurt me.

He lunges at me and I move swiftly to the side. I quickly change into my cougar form and growl. He snarls and lunges at me. This time I’m not quick enough and he knocks me to the ground. He rips into my shoulder. I yelp in pain. He barks at me. I growl and knock him off me.

“Anne!” I hear my brother cry out.

“Stay out of this Jim. Let me take care of this myself. I’m a big girl.” I mind link to him.

I hear him growl in disapproval but he doesn’t interfere.

I feel tingling in my shoulder blades. I crouch down. Josh jumps on top of me and latches onto my shoulder. I yelp feeling slicing pain throughout my shoulder.

I feel pain shoot through my shoulder blade and know my wings have come out. I decide to use this to my advantage and flap my wing so that I’m floating above the ground. Josh yips in surprise and let’s go of my shoulder. I make my wings disappear and land back on the ground. I glare at him. He growls and jumps catching me off guard.

He knocks me to the ground and starts ripping into the flesh on my stomach. I growl and dig my claws into him cause him to howl in pain. I become weak because of my injuries. We both stop to catch our breath. I hear footsteps and turn to see Derek and West. When West catches sight of my injuries he runs. My brother growls warningly. I roll my eyes at him.

“He’s not a threat. That’s my mate.” I say to my brother through our link.

“Your mate’s human?” he asks shocked.

“No he’s an angel. We can hide our wings.” I say.

He raises an eyebrow. “We?”

I nod. “No one else can know about what I am. I didn’t want to tell you because it puts you at risk.”

West checks my injuries. “You’re hurt pretty bad. Your cougar side could die if I don’t stop all the bleeding soon……… I’m sorry about earlier. I’ve been taught that things born into evil are evil and should be killed. I didn’t mean to upset you. I’ve made many mistakes and don’t want to make them again.” He says.

I turn to Joshua and see that he’s been pinned down by Derek. I feel West messing with my fur and a purr escapes my lips. I close my eyes enjoying the feeling of his touch. His affect on me is strong. The urge to shift back into human form and kiss him is proof of that.

He picks me up carefully. “Let’s get you home so I can better take care of your wounds.”

My brother shakes his head. “I don’t want you to go.” He says through our link.

“I know but I will come back and see you. This isn’t that last time your going to see me. I love you Jim.” I say.

He carefully hugs me around my neck. “ I love you too.”

West walks until we’re deep in the forest. His wings appear and he flies through the clouds.

Once he lands on the ground he breaks into a jog. A door comes into view and it opens. My eyes start to get heavy. When we get inside he carefully sets me down. “Stay with me.” he says then goes into the bathroom. He comes out with a rag.

“This is going to sting a little.” He starts cleaning my wounds. He hits a sensitive spot and a low growl rumbles in my throat. He finishes cleaning all of my wounds and gets up. I go to get up but he gently pushes me back down.

“You need to rest.” he says gently.

I huff at him and pretend that I’m going to stay laying down. As soon as he goes to the bathroom I get up and sit down, my cougar is smiling. My tail flicks back and forth as I start to think about what happened with Joshua.

My thoughts are interrupted by West clearing his throat. I tilt my head at him. “You should be resting.” His arms are crossed sternly. I snort at him. He sighs. “Please get some rest?” he gives me a pleading look. I flop onto the ground and he smiles. I flinch forgetting that my stomach was injured.

West goes into another room and I hear papers being shuffled around. The front door opens and Arny walks in.

He sees me and concern etches his features. “What happened to you?” He asks.

“She and her ex had a fight!” West yells from the other room.

I roll my eyes. My nose starts to itch and I sneeze. Arny smiles and I tilt my head at him.

“Your sneeze is adorable.”

I growl at him as West walks back in with pair of clothes. “It would be great if you could leave so my mate can get dressed.” He says to Arny.

Arny nods and walks out.

West stands there looking at me. I tilt my head at him then realise he wants me to shift. I give him my best ‘your insane’ look. “Awww. Is my little Anne self conscious.” He teases. I growl at him.

“Stop being stubborn. With the injury on your shoulder I’m going to have to help you get changed.” I sigh and let my bones shift and crack. He hands me the white clothes. “I’m going to have to bandage your wounds first.” He gently grabs my arm and leads me into the bathroom. I sit on the toilet and he goes into the medicine cabinet.

“It’s my fault this happened to you. If I hadn’t have been so thoughtless you wouldn’t be hurt right now.” He grabs the badges and starts covering my injuries.

“You were drilled to think that way. I’m just glad I caught you in time. She smelled like Derek. I think that was Derek’s sister.” I say then flinch when he tightens the bandage.

He looks at me shocked. “Really? Last time me and Derek had at it he didn’t have a sister. Well at least not that I knew of.”

I raise an eyebrow. “You know Derek?”

He nods working on my shoulder. “Me and Derek have been around for a long time. He was the first battle I ever fought and let walk away alive. That was a mistake I should’ve killed him when I had the chance. He killed my previous mate. He let the devil take her. He smiled and waved at me knowing that I knew that it was his doing.”

“You had a mate before me?” I look at you confused. “I thought you’re only supposed to have one soul mate.”

“We are. That soul can become reincarnated. I believe you are a reincarnation of her. You and her are so much alike. Your both very stubborn.” He says smiling.

I frown. “I am not stubborn. I just choose to ignore people when they’re telling me what to do. I get it enough at home.”

“What do you mean?” He asks.

“My mom has hated me ever since my dad faked his death. It feels like she somehow blames me for what happened to him. She tells me to do things and if they aren’t done her way I get punished for it. She tells me that my mate will reject me because i am a cougar he for a brief time was a wolf.” I look at my hands.

West puts his hand under my chin and lifts it so I’m looking at him. “You are beautiful and amazing. Your smart and agile. When you smile I can’t help but smile too. Your contagious and I love you more than anything.”

I look into his eyes. “You really think so?”

He nods and gives me a quick peck on the lips. He takes the shirt from my hands and helps me put it on. He helps me put on the pants and helps me stand on my feet. I watch as the shirt and pants change into a beautiful white gown. I look at it stunned. West smiles. “It changes to fit the wearers specifications. I think you look extremely sexy.”

All of a sudden a man walks in the bathroom startling both of us. West’s eyes widen as he looks at the man.

The man is wearing an older looking style gown and has bright blue eyes that look like their glowing. He has a beard and his hair goes to his shoulders.

I give him a look of suspicion. “Hello Anne. I’ve been waiting for you to come. I didn’t know that it would be this soon… though I was prepared in the event you did come early.” the man says.

I raise an eyebrow. “Who are you?”

He smiles. “Of course, I’m sorry. I sometimes forget to introduce myself. My name is Jesus.”

I almost laugh but the sword comes out of its sheath and flies into the man’s hand catching me off guard. I stare at him.

“My father made this sword. It’s more than just a sword. It can be anything you need it to be. No sense and carrying around your waste when you can hide it in plain sight.” He says. I watch as the sword spirals. He slips it onto my arm. “Like perhaps a beautiful bracelet.”

I look at it in fascination. “It can also be any weapon you prefer. A bow and limitless of arrows for example. If you prefer a sword then a sword it will stay.” He says.

He looks at West. “I’ll leave you two to your training. I know you will do a splendid job training her.” he says then walks out.

Wests eyes meet mine as we are both left confused.

“What just happened?” He asks.

I’m still too stunned to speak. I shrug. I look down at the bracelet. My mind goes back to the underworld and my vision. My vision hasn’t fully been accomplished. I’m still going to be tortured by the Dark angel.

My thoughts are interrupted by West covering my bracelet. I look up and see concern in his eyes. “What’s wrong?” he asks softly.

I look away. “Nothing.” He cups my cheek and turns me back to face him.

“What’s wrong?” he asks again this time more forcefully.

“Right before I was taken by the demons I had a vision. I thought it was just a run down of what was going to happen to me. But now that i am reviewing the vision. I had this bracelet on when I was……...tortured. Which means the full vision hasn’t happened yet.” I watch anger flash in his eyes.

“That will not happen.” as if to try to reassure me he places his lips on mine. I instantly lose any trace of thought that I had. He pulls away and I try to pull myself back together. He chuckles. I glare at him.

“Whether you want it to or not it is going to happen. It’s feeling I have in my gut. My gut has always been right.” I say when I finally get my thoughts back together enough to make sense.

Before he has a chance to argue I hear footsteps approaching. I look over and tears spring into my eyes as I see who’s in the doorway. “Daddy.”

He engulfs me in a tight hug. “My sweet girl I missed you so much.” He pulls away and looks at me. He catches sight of the bracelet and I watch him tear up. “ I knew you were special. My little girl alter. I’m so proud.”

I wipe the tears from my eyes. “I missed you so much. Mom hasn’t been the nicest since you left.” I say.

He flinches. “I’m sorry meus fortis puella.” (my strong girl)

“Ego scio.” (i know)

West stands next to me. “Cur tu hic?’ (Why are you here?)

My father looks at me and smile. “Video meus filia.” (To see my daughter)

My head starts to pound and images go through my vision of my brother surrounded by demons. “Ego habeo eo terra. Iam.” (I have to go to earth. Now.)

I don’t even wait for an answer and run to the stairs. I hear West and my father shouting my name but I ignore them leaping into the air.

I summon my wings and flinch as the wind catches them. I slowly descend and run as soon as my feet hit the ground.

I am coming Jim.