Tame Me by Jayda Marx

Chapter Four

Archie

The further I ran from Evan, the more my chest ached. My body and soul called out for my mate. I didn’t want to leave him, but I didn’t know what else to do. I knew that Alpha Torrence would be angry when he found out that I’d strayed beyond our borders, and I’d rather him take his anger out on me than Evan. I didn’t want my mate to get hurt. I couldn’t do much to protect him, but I could do this.

I was tempted to stay with Evan when he asked, but I still owed my allegiance to my Alpha. I had to respect him by telling him in person that I was leaving the skulk to be with my mate. If I didn’t, I would be guilty of abandonment and could be punished terribly. I worried that Evan could be too. I was only allowed to leave my people with my Alpha’s blessing.

So I had to do this. I hoped that Evan was right, and once Alpha Torrence heard that I did have a mate and that I had found him, he’d understand why I disobeyed his rules and why I had to leave and give me his permission to do so. He didn’t want me there anyway. No one did.

I worried that Evan wouldn’t want me around either once he spent more time with me, but I put my trust in Fate’s pairing. I didn’t understand it, but I was grateful for it. Evan made me feel incredible and I only hoped that I could somehow do the same for him.

My heart pounded with both fear of facing my Alpha and excitement to get back to my mate when I reached the entrance to my skulk’s den. I leapt into the hole in the ground and followed the packed dirt tunnel until it widened into an open room where many other foxes were playing or resting.

I slipped by them all undetected and hurried to my room. Every shifter in the skulk had their own room in the den in the form of a hollowed out space in the dirt. Each one was tall enough so that we would fit inside in either our animal or human form.

As I shifted onto human legs, I dropped the pretty glass fox Evan made me from my mouth and into my palm. I smiled as I inspected it again; I still couldn’t believe he made something so lovely just for me.

I stepped across the straw pile and tattered blanket that served as my bed; it was comfortable enough, but it couldn't compare to the sofa in Evan’s home. I hoped that when I went back to his place, Evan would allow me to sleep on it.

The thought that he wanted me in his home at all was enough to make my knees weak.  I’m going back to his place. He invited me to stay with him. I’d been so concerned with what I needed to do that the magnitude of what was happening was finally hitting me. My heart pounded and my flesh tingled with anticipation to get back to my mate, but I pushed my excitement to the side to focus on my task.

I stepped to the mud wall of my room and used my fingernails to carve out a hole. I settled my glass fox inside; it would be safe there until I talked to Alpha Torrence.

I turned around and flinched when I found my Alpha standing in my doorway with his thick arms crossed over his chest. I yelped and covered my groin with my hands. I’d never given much thought to the nudity of my skulk mates; it was just a part of life, but now that I’d met Evan, I didn’t want another man seeing me this way. I also didn’t want to see anyone else, so I kept my gaze locked onto my Alpha’s.

“Where have you been?” he asked in a deep, commanding voice.

I gulped and answered, “I was out for a run in the woods and-”

“You went out of our boundaries; you reek of the outside world.” Reek? I leaned my head down to sniff my shoulder. I didn’t smell any worse than usual. Alpha Torrence stepped closer and his nose twitched. “You were close to an outsider.”

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Yes I was.”

“You are forbidden to make contact with anyone outside of this skulk! You know this! I am in charge here and you do as I say!” Alpha Torrence lifted his large hand and slapped it across my cheek. Lights burst behind my eyes and pain bloomed across my skin, but the sting died away quickly. I wasn’t strong like the other shifters, but I still had quick healing abilities.

“I do, I swear! It’s just...I smelled something great and I followed it and-” I couldn’t stop a smile from stretching my lips. “I found my mate.”

Alpha Torrence blinked in surprise before snarling at me. “You’re lying. Omegas don’t have mates.”

“But we do! Evan told me that all of Fate’s creatures have mates. He was happy to meet me and he even likes me! Look, he made me a present.” I hurried over to the hole I’d created and grabbed my glass figurine. When I returned, I proudly showed it to my Alpha. “See? I’m telling the truth.”

Alpha Torrence took the little fox, but he didn’t look happy for me. Fire burned in his eyes as he glared into mine. “You told him what you are?”

“I didn’t have to,” I replied quickly. “He knew I was a shifter because he could smell it. He’s not human; he’s a vampire.”

He spat through his teeth, “You fraternized with one of those bloodsuckers?”

“He’s not a bloodsucker!” I defended before tipping my head back and forth. “Well, okay, maybe he is, but he’s nice! And he has nice friends - he’s going to introduce me to them when I go back.”

“You’re never going back,” Alpha Torrence said flatly, and my heart dropped into my stomach.

“But...he’s my mate. I want to be with him.”

Another slap cracked across my jaw and I shook off the pain. “You want to desert this skulk. I’ve told you before - you are a lowly omega, and your duty lies in serving your superiors. You don’t deserve a mate and you can forget about ever leaving this den again. You can’t be trusted and you need to be reminded of your place. I need to check on the rest of the skulk, and then I expect you to be in my room in five minutes.”

Alpha Torrence clenched his fist, smashing my fox into pieces before dropping them on the floor. He smirked at my heartbroken expression before leaving my space.

“No, no, no,” I begged uselessly, dropping to my knees. I scooped up several bits of glass, but most of it was ground into dust. My gift couldn’t be saved.

But that was the least of my worries. Not only had Alpha Torrence forbade me to go back to Evan, I knew why he wanted me in his room. I knew what he wanted to do to me and the thought turned my stomach. I belonged to one man, and I needed him desperately. Now that I’d met him, I couldn’t be away from him. I refused to stay here.

I hated to leave my gift behind, but I couldn’t carry the broken pieces while I ran, so I quickly dug a hole and buried them inside before flattening dirt on top of them. It was the most respectful thing I knew to do. I just hoped that Evan understood. I hoped he wouldn’t be too upset with me.

I shifted into fox form and scurried out of my room, through the main den area, along the dirt tunnels, and out the hole in the ground. Once I stepped into the moonlight, I ran; faster than ever before, and I didn’t look back.