Chapter 108: Chapter 108

As Charlotte starts panicking, Theo stands up and comes to her.

“Relax!

“Relax, Charlotte!”

Theo says to her and pats her back though his eyes are stuck on her claws.

“Can you stand?” Theo offers her his hand.

Breathing heavily through her mouth, she tries to stand up, worried that she has stopped her imagination mid-shift.

Her legs wobble as she stands up taking his hand.

“Are your legs okay?”

“Yeah…I can stand!” Charlotte wiggles her toes to see if the nails have turned into claws too.

“Are you okay?” Theo asks quietly.

“Yeah.” Charlotte feels a bit shaken up but other than she is fine.

“How…How do I get them to be normal?” She asks shakily.

“You have to put your mind to it. Just relax, first.” He takes her by arm and drags her to the lake.

Charlotte walks by his side quietly, her mind occupied with the image of claws instead of her nails.

When they reach the lake, Theo makes her sit on a large block of stone.

“Close your eyes.” Theo crouches down and sits by her legs.

She follows his words and closes her eyes.

“Try to regulate your breathing. Breathe in. Breathe out. Do it a few times. Focus your mind on your breath Charlotte.” Theo starts instructing. Charlotte follows his advice to the T. The thought that she’d be stuck with claws in the human body just keeps coming to her mind again and again.

“Start imagining that the claws are going under your skin and are replaced by the nails. Imagine how it would feel. Imagine if it would hurt, or your skin would stretch. It’s all in your mind, Charlotte. Make it work!”

Charlotte does as he says. She imagines the texture of her claws, rough on her skin. She imagines the stretching of her skin, the friction against it as her claws slide inside her skin. She imagines them turning to her nails swiftly, without pain. She imagines it all. She wills her body to follow the image her mind is conjuring. Her hands with nails and not claws.

“Charlotte?” When Theo mutters her name, she opens her eyes.

Theo is smiling and he looks at her hands.

Charlotte beams as she sees nails instead of her claws.

“See…I told you!”

Theo says and stands up.

“Come…It’s getting dark.” He offers her his hand again.

Charlotte takes it and they start walking back.

She feels like this is the perfect time to talk about his mate, but she just doesn’t want to spoil his mood.

“I am going to visit my pack tomorrow.” Charlotte breaks the silence. “Azraiel will be busy with the pack business. Can you accompany me tomorrow?”

“If you want then yes.” Theo answers curtly.

“Of course, I want you to be there with me. That’s why I am asking you and not someone else.” Charlotte mutters. “But- do YOU want to come with me?”

“Charlotte.” Theo stop and looks at her. “You are my Luna. I’ll do whatever you ask me to do, doesn’t matter if I want to or not. You want me to go to your pack with you, I’ll go.”

Charlotte frowns at his answer. She’ll have to change her question.

“Okay…So, If I weren’t your Luna and you weren’t duty bound to follow my orders, then would you go to my pack?”

“No.” the answer comes quicker than expected.

“Why not?” Her voice is softer this time. She doesn’t want to force anything but she does want Theo to be happy. He has already suffered enough and if there’s even a 0.0001% chance of happiness for him, then she doesn’t want his past to hold him back.

“My fucking choice, Charlotte!” Theo grits his teeth and she can only imagine that her questions are annoying him.

“Okay.” Charlotte sighs.

“I’ll be ready by 11 in the morning, don’t be late.” She puts on her Luna voice and says even though she feels guilty about trying to set him up. But he has left no choice for her. If indeed Samantha is his second chance mate, then she’d hate for him to pass this happiness because of his past trauma.

“Yes, Luna.” Theo puts his poker face on but she can see the irritation in his eyes.

Well, too bad he’ll be with her tomorrow whether he wants to or not!

*********

Theo grits his teeth as he walks to Alpha’s house. Charlotte practically forced him to accompany her to the red-eyed wolves’ pack.

He unwillingly reaches the house and knocks at the door. Ayleen opens the door and comes out.

“Ready to go?” Ayleen beams at him and she knows he is annoyed.

“Yup.” Theo puts on his poker face. He has been a second brother to Ayleen ad she is one of the few people in front whom he can be vulnerable.

“Hm…How does she look?” Ayleen suddenly asks with a sad smile.

“Who?” He damn well knows who she is talking about.

“You know who!” Ayleen makes a face.

He is however saved from answering…or rather avoiding the question when Charlotte comes out of the door.

“Oh..you are here!” She smiles at him. Dressed in a white blouse and black pants she looks like a woman going to work in an MNC.

“Yup.” He nods and avoids looking at her.

“Ayleen, make sure to take the cake I made for Kira when you leave.” Charlotte says to Ayleen.

“Mhm…” Ayleen smiles and gives Theo a look that says ‘this conversation isn’t over yet.’

“Let’s go!” Charlotte leads and struts towards the car. Theo takes over the wheel and Charlotte sits in the passenger seat.

When they are out of the pack, Charlotte turns to him and Theo instantly knows it is going to be a tough day. For the past month that he has known Charlotte, she has never given up on anything. So, she definitely is not going to let go of that thing about mates.

“You know why I insisted on you accompanying me?” She asks with a childlike glint in her eyes that makes him fear of what she going to do today.

“No.” Theo straight out refuses to acknowledge that he understands her tactics.

“Great!” She squeals and he knows that she is just acting. Of course, he knows why he is here.

“When did you meet her?” Charlotte sobers up in some minutes and asks quietly.

Theo’s grip on the steering hardens at the question.

Damn it!

“I really don’t want to talk about this.” He says stubbornly. He knows she is just worried and wants to comfort him but that’s how he likes his pain.

Alive and concealed!

“It’s not fair, you know!” She says in a hard voice.

Theo doesn’t get what she is saying so he glances at her with the question in his eyes.

“It’s not fair that you don’t want to share your pain with us!” She turns to him with blazing eyes. “We all care for you. What’s worst is that you have been there for every single one of us. You had stood by offering support and love when we needed it, but you refuse to let us do the same for you.”

“Do you think we are not capable of being the Theo you have been for us? Is that why you don’t open up to us?” Charlotte’s throat chokes up as she finishes her question.

Theo is stunned by her question. He never thought about it this way. His reasons for not telling the truth were entirely different. The pain made him sane years ago.

Even today, his pain is the only thing keeping him sane. He always thought that telling the whole story to everyone will somehow make them pity him and the effect of pain would refuse. The people who love him will then definitely try to lessen his pain, never leave him and always keep an eye on him like he is a time bomb about to blast.

Just like Kira!

“N-no! That’s not why, Charlotte!” He doesn’t know how to tell her his reasons. If he tells her the truth, she will try to be her shrink from the very moment.

“Then why?” There’s a desperation in her voice. Maybe, her Luna instincts are heightened right now.

“Let’s-let’s leave this conversation for some other time, Charlotte. Please?” Theo pleads with her, not wanting to be vulnerable before reaching her pack. They are going to be in unknown territory and he has to be alert.

Charlotte doesn’t say anything after that. She looks out of the window the whole time.

When they reach her pack, both of them get out of the car quietly. Nicholas and Jamie are already there waiting for them.

They greet Charlotte and Theo and then the four of them make their way to where the rest of the pack is currently settled.

Theo watches as a group of children is running around them. They all have red eyes and even though he has seen them before, it still feels strange to see them with red eyes.

They have barely taken a few steps when he smells it.

Her!

Her intoxicating smell reaches his nose and he clenches his jaw so the growl doesn’t come out of his throat.

“Let me out” His wolf harshly says to him.

“No. We are not going to make a scene here.” He snarls at his wolf.

His eyes flicker from one end to another to see where she is. He is not naïve. He knows that the wolf means something to him but he is not sure about her being his mate.

“Have you made a list of pack members?” Charlotte asks Nicholas and he hands her a few pages.

“And what about the list of things you need?” She asks while looking at the names.

Jamie hands her another list.

Ever since she has realized that her pack indeed could be therians and could possibly turn into other beings, she has started organizing things. She is afraid that if something goes wrong during her shift and she is no longer able to lead her pack, then they would be left unattended, even though Azraiel has promised that he wouldn’t let it happen.

She has asked Nicholas to maintain a list of details of pack members…their names, family background, abilities etc etc, so that she could organize them as a pack and they wouldn’t have to be dependent on anyone else. She has also asked them to find what are the things they have and what they need so that she can bring them those supplies before her shift.

Nicholas and Charlotte talk some more about the pack but Theo has stopped listening to them.

His eyes are trained on the red-eyed wolf that has been on his mind ever since he first saw her.

She is standing sideways and he can see a part of her face. She is standing with a group of men and two females. She is talking animatedly to the female next to her. Theo knows she is aware of his eyes on her. She was standing facing him at first but as soon as she saw him, she turned away.

Theo further tuned out of the chatter around him and focuses on her.

He wants to hear her voice.

“and then suddenly he came up…” her sweet laughter fills his ears.

For a brief second, his heart flutters and he gulps.

God..!

Is this really true?

Am I really that lucky?

“Theo…come on!” Charlotte’s voice pulls him out of his thoughts. She and Nicholas have walked forward while he was staring at the girl.

Theo nods and walks to them.

Charlotte’s voice not only brought him to reality but it also gathered the group’s attention.

The whole group moved towards Charlotte and started greeting her. She was again at the last, hiding behind another female.

“Alpha.” She says to Charlotte and bows her head.

“Samantha! How are you? Nicholas told me that you have been patrolling the area, I hope there are no concerns.” Charlotte’s voice is extra cheerful and sweet when she answers.

“I am good, Alpha and everything is great. There are no dangers around the pack!” Her deep voice penetrates his ears and his eyes are trained on her face, enjoying the way her lips move while she speaks.

“Well, great work! Do let me know if you guys need anything!” Charlotte says and smiles.

That girl smiles back and for a brief second her eyes flicker to him.

Her red eyes clash with his hazel ones!

Again…

And his wolf screams in his head…

MINE!