Not Asking

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Seren couldn't sleep. She felt like her sternum was ripping in half with the anxiety she felt from the first, and likely last, conversation she had had with Liam. It hadn't even been a conversation so much as it had been a few terse statements thrown back and forth. It appeared that neither of them knew what to do with the confusing emotions crashing around in their bodies.

She replayed the image of him standing on the other side of that line, so close, with nothing separating them. He seemed like a completely different wolf then, not the peaceful presence that kept her safe on her journey to and from the cabin.

It would be better for them both if he stayed away.

The rain that had rolled in, pelted the roof, drumming down above her in a muffled roar. It was at least 10 in the morning, far later than she would have liked to lie there for, but McGreggor had left and she had nothing to do. She rolled to her feet and tugged a robe on, shuffling into the kitchen and putting some water in the kettle on to boil.

She peeked out the window to look at the fence, hoping the whole ordeal had all been a dream and gasped, nearly dropping the mug she held. The fence was a mess and through the gray curtain of rain, she could see Liam's giant black wolf, pacing the dark line in the ground, marching back and forth, twenty feet in each direction. From where she was, she could see he was completely soaked, his fur flat against his body, outlining his great frame, mud caking the lower half of his body. His huge muscles caught the light of a flash of lightning, coating them in silver lines that showed the arches of their shape as they flexed and extended. 

His face was set in a determined snarl, his eyes flashing pale blue as he stalked the fence line. He had utterly lost his mind, now completely possessed by his own possessiveness. He was a demon now, as much a force of nature as the tempest raging outside.

Seren pulled her robe tight against her throat, watching him move, until he seemed to sense her gaze upon him and looked toward the window. Their eyes locked for a moment, but he did not stop in his path, the look he sent her clear as any. No more games, she was his and he wanted her.

A sensation rolled down her figure, tightening as it did and she got the distinct impression that he was not planning to leave her alone. The fact that she didn't know how that made her feel caused a blush to creep up to her cheeks and she hurriedly stepped away out of sight.

He can't get me here, he can't get me here, he can't get me here, she repeated to herself, pouring the hot water in the coco mix, but for some reason, her words did not give her much comfort. He tore a fence out of the ground! A door wouldn't stop him.

The rest of the day moved by so slowly, it was all she could do not to tear her hair out. She used a considerable amount of willpower focusing on a book for a couple hours, looking out the window around 1PM, sighing gratefully that the intimidating alpha was not at his post. Though, he had left behind a rut in the ground from his constant pacing that was already filling with water.

After cleaning the entire cabin, finishing all the laundry and dishes and even making dinner for the both of them, she finally began to relax. McGreggor arrived just on time and Seren felt such relief that she was no longer alone. 

"In light of the weather, I made tomato soup and grilled cheese!"

McGreggor peeled off his soggy jacket and put his fist to his mouth as he coughed. It was horrible and watery and shook his short frame. He looked exhausted. 

"Woah, there. How long have you been coughing like that?" she aked him.

"Oh, a few days I suppose," he replied, hobbling over to the table and taking his place. "Maybe a hot meal is just what I need."

Seren watched him lift a spoonful to his mouth and groan with pleasure. She sat beside him.

"I'm glad you like it. I think that everything that has been going on has got you really stressed out. Heck, it has us both stressed out. Listen, is it supposed to rain tomorrow?"

McGreggor thought a moment. "Yes," he said. "For the next few days."

"That is great! You can stay home and I'll run the shop. That way you can rest and get better," she grinned, stuffing half a triangle of grilled cheese sandwich in her mouth, happy that she had come up with something so clever.

"What about Liam out there? He didn't look too happy when I pulled in. What did you do to get him so riled up that he is out there in the rain?"

Seren felt the sandwich plummet into her stomach like a lead weight. She got up and rushed to the counter, peering out the window. The alpha was back, trudging through his shallow trench, working himself up tighter and tighter until she was sure he would snap and come barrelling through the wall.

"I...I told him I wasn't going with him. And I told him I would reject him if it came to that. I mean, of course he was mad, but I didn't expect him to be out there pacing like that. What good does he think it will do?"

McGreggor sighed. "Rejection is just about the worst thing you can do to a wolf, Seren. You know that. As an alpha, it's not just insubordination, but unfathomable to him. He's been looking for his mate for so long, since he and his siblings moved here when he was just fifteen. He has traveled all over and now that he has found you, you want nothing to do with him except to see his back as he walks away. You can imagine it is probably driving him mad and his wolf side is consuming his better judgment. In the wolf's eyes, you are his and should be with him. As you have said all along, Liam gets what he wants, by any means necessary. And now that he knows you planned to hide from him until the bond fades, he just might do whatever it takes to stop it. You may have pushed him too far."

Seren didn't say anything and they ate in silence for a while. Why does he even care? It's not as though he has any sort of feelings for me aside from anger. If anything, he should be glad to be rid of me! He should just find himself a different mate who will conform to the pack ideals and wants to be a part of all of that awful stuff. He's only trying to get me because I got away and it is making him look weak.

Her mood shifted as she finished her meal. She found herself wondering how long Liam planned to wait out there and if he was cold or even hungry. Should she take him something to eat?

No, she decided. If she got close to him, he just might do something crazy like McGreggor had said. It would be better to let him tire out and go back to the pack house for dinner and if he returned the next day, he would think she had stayed inside once more. Really, she was itching to get out of the house and work at the store to bring any sense of normalcy back to her life. 

She washed the dishes and saw McGreggor to bed, turning off the lights before slipping into her own. She tried her hardest to keep her mind away from the raging beast that coveted her like a piece of meat dangling on a string, but in the end she failed and slipped into a heated revisiting of their contact in the basement, the only time she had touched him. The aching desire she felt was not something she was entirely excited about.

Liam knew about what time Seren woke up, and she knew that was when he would arrive, if he did. She made sure to be up a few hours prior, before it was even light outside and climbed into the old truck without notice. When he came, he would see that McGreggor had gone as usual and assume that she was house bound and hiding. 

To her extreme surprise, and relief, nobody she knew from the Wind Runners came to the store. She did her best to scent each customer, but not all of them came close enough. She was glad Max hadn't tried to check in on her, it could have made things problematic. Seren was glad McGreggor would have time to rest up, even if it meant taking risks.

With a huge smile, she locked up, victorious and drove home with the radio turned up, shaking her head and punching the steering wheel all the while. When she made it home, she didn't see Liam walking his path and quickly rushed inside.

"How did it go?" McGreggor asked, lounging in his chair in pajamas, slippers on his feet.

"Perfectly. How do you feel?"

"Much better," he said. Then another fit of coughing rattled his chest and she frowned. 

"Hmm. Perhaps another day off would help. Besides, it's Friday. Then you will have the whole weekend to kick back and watch TV."

He thought about it for a moment and sighed. A grin split her face and she knew she had won. Seren made dinner and restrained herself from looking out the window even once to see if Liam was out there. Exhausted and content, she fell onto her bed with a huge sigh. 

This could work, she thought. I can just avoid him and work some days and soon the bond will fade enough that he will just give up.

She ignored the uncomfortable knot of protest in her belly at the thought.

In the morning, she pulled on her jeans, slid a belt through the loops and threw on a tank top. She snatched up her hoodie as she ran out to the truck, ducking through the slight rain. As she drove, she tied her hair in a ponytail so the humidity wouldn't make it so curly. But by the time she unlocked the front door and got inside, her hoodie was wet enough that she had to hang it up.

As she turned on the lights, she estimated that she still had enough time to stock the shelves and bring out the refrigerated goods before the usual influx of people swarmed the store. Fridays were the busiest days and sure enough, as soon as she switched the sign to "OPEN" on the front door, the townspeople came filing in, filling the space with their voices and tracking water all over the floor. 

Seren was constantly running from the back to keep up with demand, mopping the floor (all of her wet floor signs were in use) or sprinting to the cash register to check customers out. At one point, she caught enough of a break to use the restroom but only got one bite down of a granola bar before she was right back to the rush of activity. 

At the house McGreggor was rather enjoying a relaxing day to himself, eating cereal and watching TV. Giddy, he decided that since Seren was not there to chastise him, he was entitled to a second bowl of ice cream.

He set the tub on the counter and was scooping the bowl high with mounds of the delcious stuff, watching it rain and rain outside. He wondered if Liam would still be out there and craned his neck to see. As soon as they saw each other, Liam turned and sprinted off into the woods. 

I guess he knows that I would go out there with my shotgun and threaten him to leave!

McGreggor put away the ice cream and shuffled back to his chair humming, turning the TV to the movies channel. A few minutes later he nearly spit out the ice cream in his mouth. Liam wasn't running from McGreggor! He was running because McGreggor was home and the truck was gone! He knew Seren had left!

McGreggor rushed to the phone and called the store.

Seren looked at the clock as she put on her dry hoodie. Wow. Only an hour until close. Today has been crazy! 

She finished bagging an elderly woman's groceries and then ducked under the counter for more receipt paper, brushing a few strands of stray hair out of her eyes when she stood up again.

"Seren?"

She turned around quickly and met Max's eyes, sucking in a breath so quickly she thought she would start coughing. She had completely forgotten that he came in every friday to pick up all the beer and sodas.

"Wh-what are you doing here? Everyone's been looking for you...Why did you run away? Twice?You...You're our L-"

"No," she said, holding up a finger to stop him and shaking her head. "I'm not. I don't want to be. I... Hi, how are you?" Seren helped the man and Max stood uncomfortably by, waiting for her to finish. They didn't say anything until he had left and the store was empty and quiet, the first time that day. "I feel like I should have a choice in my own life, Max. If I don't want to be in a pack, I shouldn't have to be. I'm asking you as a friend not to tell anyone in your pack that I'm here. Look, I'll even give you a discount."

The phone suddenly rang and Seren reached for it, but Max slammed his hand down on top of it, his expression angry. "You lied to me for years by not telling me you were a wolf. How is that friendship?"

"Because I chose not to. It was none of your business and you should respect that!"

"You should be in my pack, Seren. Now that you are Alpha Liam's mate, you definitely should be. Do you know how lucky you are to have found your mate, to be wanted like that?" It was clearly a touchy subject for him. Max was of age and unmated.

"Liam wants me because I am a rogue and because he always gets what he wants. That's it. This isn't some lovey dovey shit," she snapped at him. "You don't understand, Max. This is real. I've gotten roughed up each time I encountered a pack here so, for me, yeah, this is kind of life or death."

Max growled and his eyes glowed briefly. "He's not the one being unnecessarily stubborn. You are. You don't even know him and you won't give him a chance. How is that fair? He is your mate, whether you like it or not, and it is his right to pursue that. You are his other half, his future!"

"I'm not!" she yelled.

"Yes! You are! And if you just gave him a chance, you would see that we could keep you safe!"

She rolled her eyes. "Ha! Keep me safe!? My wounds have barely healed from your pack fighting the Gray Paws over who gets to kill me!"

"Nobody in our pack wants to kill you! It's not like you've been tortured-"

Before she could stop herself, her arm jerked back and shot forwards, her fist colliding with his nose. He fell backwards and tripped over a wet floor sign, gripping his face as blood spilled over his lips. "WHAT THE HELL!?"

The door opened and someone else burst in, clearly in a hurry. Seren turned on them in fury, about to tell them to get the hell out, but she stopped and stared in shock.

Derrick.

His eyes found her, then turned to Max who nodded to something unspoken and back. "I'm sorry about this," he said, moving toward her, reaching out with his large hands. 

Seren didn't give him a chance to explain what he meant by that, because the next thing she knew, her body was scrambling over the counter to get away from him and dodging Max's bloody swipes.

"Get back here!" Derrick shouted.

She could hear their footsteps thundering behind her, too close, and put the first door between them she could- the bathroom door. One of them jiggled the handle and then pounded against the solid wood.

"Seren?" It was Derrick. "Unlock the door. You have to come with me now. Don't make me be the bad guy and break this door down....Seren?"

Seren pressed her back into the wall and slid down until she was sitting with her knees to her chest and put her face in her hands. How had it come to this? She felt tears stinging her eyes, but refused to let them fall. 

It was silent in the hall except for Derrick and Max's hushed murmuring. 

"Hey, Seren? I'm going to put a wad of cash in the cash register drawer for the beer and soda. If you aren't coming out. I got to get this stuff loaded like usual," Max said, sounding nervous. It was obviously his duty, just as it was for a few of the females to come to town for groceries early in the week.

"Fine," she muttered. As long as there was a door between them, she didn't care. 

A few minutes later, she could hear Max returning, his shoes squeaking on the floor from being so wet. Seren sighed, imagining how that would get mopped up. 

"All loaded," he said to Derrick.

"Good, Alpha Liam is almost here."

Seren's heart jolted and picked up its rapid and frantic beating while an unfamiliar feeling tugged behind her belly button. She stood up quickly, staring at the door like it was growing arms. She had to make a break for it. There would be no fence to keep the beast at bay this time and she doubted he would be in his wolf form. His human form was far more threatening to her, which would seem strange because he would not have claws or fangs, but in that form, he could do other things to her that she didn't want to think about.

The lock popped on the door at the same instant she pushed the handle down, lunging out into the hall, the squeak and thump of Max's sneakers telling her he'd slipped and fallen into a wall. There was a growl and a large hand closed around a bunch of the fabric of her hoodie, pulling her backwards, but with her momentum, she was already at the back door, throwing her shoulder into the metal bar. 

Derrick's strength became more insistant then, as her face made contact with the rain-chilled air, and she felt her body being pulled toward him. Seren wrenched her arms free of the hoodie, toppling forward in her frenzy and falling into a deep puddle. The cold water soaked right through her flesh and down to the bone, making her gasp. The rain drummed on her back as she scrambled to her feet and headed for the truck. 

Derrick's huge body slipped between her and her destination, his light brown eyes reading her body language carefully as they stood defensively, each waiting for the other to move. His hand shot out for her arm and as she jerked back, it closed around her wrist, but they were both so wet now that it slipped through. The door boomed as Max thundered out and Seren turned to sprint away, her body trembling to shift, only stopping when a car sped into the tiny parking lot and spun in a half circle with a squeal muffled by the water so the driver door faced her. The door flew open and a long pair of legs swung out, the rest of the tall body unfolding from the seat to stand his full 6'5" like a warrior, prepared for battle.

Dressed in only jeans and a tight gray T shirt that hugged the contours of his bulging shoulders and pecs, he was still more terrifying than anything Seren had ever seen. His pale blue eyes locked on hers and a jet of heat shot down her neck, into her stomach to writhe around as her heart hammered loudly against the inside of her chest. Already, the shirt he wore was becoming so wet it began to hug his sides and the water ran over his raven black hair and along his face.

In that second of hesitation, Derrick's arm had fastened around her stomach, keeping her back tight against his chest, though she didn't think she could move if she had tried. Seren's feet seemed rooted to the ground, his eyes sapping her of all her free will. She felt the tug on her waistband of the shop keys being unclipped and heard them jingle as they were thrown to Max, but all she could do was stare as Liam strode powerfully foward, closing the distance between them in two seconds.

She cringed back into Derrick, but his presence fell away as Liam's fingers closed around her upper arms, his scent, magnified by the rain, hit her like a train. All at once, fireworks exploded inside her body, shooting down her spine and through her limbs, making her lightheaded and aware that their bond was very much alive. Still unable to tear her eyes from his, she drew in a ragged gasp as the sensations assailed her every sense and tried not to let her knees give out from beneath her. There were so many emotions swirling in his eyes at that moment, anger, frustration, the desire to chastise her, and, as his eyes moved to

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