Kira Thorne by Shia Naawl (book recommendations website txt) 📖

richness. Only when the deer collapsed did I started tearing the juicy raw flesh that covered the organs and bones of the deer.

I felt my Wolf’s calmness as we ate our lunch. The flesh was hard to cut as I grabbed a piece of it with my jaws clenched down on it and started to pull until the meat fell off. After eating our lunch, all its left were its head, skin and bones. My Wolf didn’t like to waste food. I wouldn’t say the deer was licked clean by my Wolf’s tongue but it was clean enough that blood wasn’t everywhere, that much. I looked down at myself and saw the deer’s blood clinging to my fur. I start to lick my paws and anywhere I could reach. On my behalf, I forced my Wolf to look for a lake we could clean up in. Judging by the sound of water picking up, we were pretty close. Like any other animal, we both were sated and generally happy. Food does that to you whether you were human or not.

I came among a place in Epping Forest where there was only one small bit of the land beside the large lake. The earth was smooth and straight and felt the flat rocks beneath my paws. The water was in a shade of murky, deep green and trees right at edge of the lake towered the edges of the lake. The leaves of the trees were in the colour of deep green and its trunk, strong and ancient. From where I stood on the flat surface, it was a beautiful sight.

I came to the edge of the flat surface and gingerly dipped my paw, hesitantly, at first but then started to dip more confidently. When I was okay with it, I leapt in the air and dived in the lake. I swam in wolf form for a bit, hoping the dirt and blood were light enough that I didn’t need to scrub. I swerved my body from side to side and wriggled a bit, in attempt to shake off the dirt. I looked at the sky and it was already coming close to dark. I swam to the flat surface I once stood before I leaped into the lake and leaped back out with efficient gracefulness most werewolves had. I shook the remaining dripping water off me.

That was when I heard a sound. A very deliberate sound but nonetheless, I bared my teeth at the intruder. You never know if your friend is your enemy. My past has taught me to be cautious and never be naive and ignorant. The figure came out slowly with her hands spaced out, so there was a gap between her hand and hip. She wore simply jeans and a plain vest-top that hugged her slimness. Her body wasn’t curvy or chesty. In fact, she was very tall maybe close to 6ft. Her legs and arms were thin and in desperate need of more fattening food. Her face, like her body, was sharp and almost angular-looking. She had just-over-the shoulder length hair that was in the colour of deep plum. I smelt toxins in her hair, she dyed it. I could see clearly her sharp cheekbones and her eyes were a murky, deep green colour. She looked fierce and stunningly striking. Her legs long and her feet were in flip flops –hardly good walking shoes to walk in a forest, it wasn’t a beach but a place of wilderness. I felt her power radiating off her but not like Erik whom were raw and very much in-your-face sort of way. Hers were gentler, it shimmers out of her like sun rays bouncing of her. Both my Wolf and I recognized her. She, of course, was the Alpha’s mate. Natalya.

Natalya was a loving, soft creature. She was the whole structure of the pack. Her voice was soft and feminine. She wasn’t much of a fighter but she could hold her own. She was the omega of the pack. If she was in the pack, everyone felt at peace. She was neither submissive nor dominant. Omega brought peace to the pack. Something that was very hard to explain. Natalya was very protective over both submissives and dominants. Her latest subject was me. I did feel peace but I was forever cautious. I didn’t like the fact that she brought me peace. I didn’t like the fact that the only explanation why she brought me peace was only; ‘just because.’ It bothered and rattled both my Wolf and I to our core for the unusual sensation. We didn’t trust it and I always followed my gut. Even with the pack, I try to stay as far as possible away from her. If she tried to speak to me, I always made it short and get the hell away from her. I knew I hurt her with my rejections countless of times but I just didn’t trust it. She was a good mate and co-leader of the pack and most definitely one of the good guys. I knew that because I could see nothing but tenderness and concern for everyone in the pack but I just couldn’t, wouldn’t trust anyone. Not even Erik.

But you must trust someone said my Wolf. Her voice was my own but I could tell when it was me talking and her talking. A subtle difference but I felt it. My Wolf communicates with me but not frequently. It was true. Sooner or later, I would have to trust someone but I don’t. Not yet.

My eyes never left Natalya. She knew I was cautious of her and she made herself vulnerable to me, to show that she trusts me not to strike. She gave her keeping into my hands. Something I took very seriously. I was to protect the Alpha and his mate. I was Erik’s bodyguard but I knew if I let harm come to her, he wouldn’t be happy. He wouldn’t be happy at all. I felt protective over Natalya as well. It was my dominant side that felt very protective to those who were weaker than me and Natalya was the exception to it.

‘Easy Kira.’ She said softly. ‘I’m only here to see if you were alright and I’ve brought you some clothes.’ She lifted my backpack into my view.

I gestured to her, which meant a thank you. Natalya got that and slowly put the backpack down, still cautious of my uneasiness.
‘I’ll wait for you. Shout when you’re ready.’ She only said as she started walking away. I shifted as quickly as possible, one eye on the backpack and another on Natalya. I didn’t want her to walk too far. I had to be in reaching distance if there was an attack.

I unzipped the backpack and found wash-out jeans and a loose, plain black, long sleeved shirt. It was a fitting one so it was tight on my arms and hugged my waist. To my surprise, Natalya put in my wrist sheaths. Knives were my backup plan but usually when you’re a werewolf, you’re a weapon itself. I saw my Nike trainers in my backpack but I decided to go barefooted. It was quicker to protect Natalya that way. I was a werewolf, so nature was basically on my side.

Quietly, I paced up with her and slowed when she was only a couple of paces in front of me. I steadily looked at our surroundings and carefully looked if there were any signs of danger. My backpack was securely on my back as I walked steadily. I knew she knew I followed her because she would’ve smelt me but she didn’t comment. She didn’t push. She walked relaxingly through the forest.

‘You know, it wouldn’t hurt to walk next to me’ she said in amusement. Her back was still faced me.

‘I know.’ I only said. I didn’t know what to say to that. I knew it was a hint but I decided to play ignorant.

‘Then why don’t you?’ she said casually.

I thought about it for a moment. Why?

‘I don’t know’ was all I could say. I didn’t want to lie to her because, one, she could smell lie (any werewolf could) and two, I didn’t want to. ‘I don’t know’ was the truth. I knew I didn’t want to but why? I had no idea.

‘You don’t trust me. I won’t hurt you.’ She said sincerely.

‘I don’t trust anyone.’

‘You should, Kira. What happened to you was unimaginable and I can’t even relate-’

‘No you can’t relate to it. You don’t know how far you are from even relating one-tenth of what I have been through’ I interrupted.

‘I know I can’t’ she said quietly. ‘I just want to help.’

‘I know but I don’t want help. Just stop pushing.’ I said gently. Then I continued on to say ‘You can’t heal everyone –or at least, not me’

I knew what I said hurt her but it couldn’t be helped. There was really only two options, say it bluntly and hurt her a lot or say it gently and hurt her less than option one. Natalya had a nice gentle soul. She stood up against her mate but she cares about us, something that doesn’t happen often for me. But I didn’t want her help. I knew that it was just how she was and of course she would want to help me but I didn’t want it or need it. I was doing fine on my own. I’ve accepted my past and don’t so much as hate it. My past was forever with me alone, no one else has to know. I don’t want them to know.

‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to push.’ She said.

‘Don’t apologize. It’s in your nature to help’ I said reassuringly and managed a smile that made her relax herself a bit.

‘When we arrive, there will be new members in our pack. Be sure to remember that before you go all protect-the-Alpha-and-his-mate mode.’

‘I do not go all protect-the-Alpha-and-his-mate mode.’ I objected with dignity.

That was when she paused to face me, with one of her eyebrows raised.

‘I don’t do it much’ I admitted.

‘You protect those you feel you owe debt to. That’s in your nature.’

‘Yes, I guess it is.’ I finally said.

We walked in silence for the rest of the way.


Chapter 3

The house was within four acres of land. It was detached and the walls were black. Black roof tiles and black-painted wood. It was modern and yet, it had essence of the old. By looking at it, the house looked at if it was divided into four separate blocks vertically. A balcony that covered two blocks, were stationed in the middle. The pyramid-looking roof that was placed in the middle of the balcony sheltered the wooden seats and table. The top half of the house had four squared windows that were spread evenly. The bottom half had seven small rectangular windows that were also evenly spread out. At the end of one side of the house held a wooden door. It was our house. It was Pack’s.

I inhaled various scent of people but most of all, werewolves. Natalya was right, there were new wolves in our pack. The thing that was alarming was that I recognised them. My Wolf went utterly still. I didn’t feel alarm in her but the coldness. She didn’t speak, move or even feel. I was the one that felt alarmed. Closing my eyes, I left her move closer to my skin. I strengthened and became unwavering cool because