The Silver Siren
Chapter 17

My hands started their own exploration of his body, running down his broad shoulder and down his back. He licked, sucked and nibbled each nipple with expert attention, sending zings of pleasure shooting through my body. He turned his attention back to my neck at a super sensitive spot just above my collarbone. He licked it slowly, and I let out another little moan. I could feel him breathing into my neck and felt his heart thumping in his chest. He licked it again, lightly scraping his teeth over it this time. It had me feeling dizzy, almost drunk. My legs had wrapped around him as if independent from my body, and I felt how aroused he was through his boxers. I’d never done anything like this before, but instead of feeling scared or nervous, I wanted more. More of his touch, more of his mouth, more of everything. I was in such a daze; I hadn’t realised that his canines had elongated and pressing into my neck. I tensed up immediately.

“Reece!” I cried, “No!”

But it was too late, feeling his sharp canines sinking into my skin, I cried out. Hot pain seared my skin, lasting only a few seconds and then it was gone. In its place was a feeling of pure ecstasy. Reece withdrew his teeth and licked away the blood to seal the wound. Anger flared inside me. I pushed him away, hot tears filling my eyes, making my vision blurry. How could he mark me when I had already told him I wasn’t ready?

“Allie,” he said, “I’m sorry.” He tried to pull me towards him, but I was already scrambling off the bed and running for the bathroom. I locked the door behind me and let the tears fall. How could he do that to me? The anger I felt had vanished and all I felt now was sadness. Everything was moving so quickly, it was overwhelming. The tears kept falling, and soon I was sobbing uncontrollably. Not just because of what just happened, but because of everything. Crying for the life I thought I had, crying for the future I now had in front of me, crying for my parents.

I could hear Reece banging on the bathroom door, begging me to let him in. I felt a strange pressure in my head and looked into the mirror. My eyes were glowing again, but only slightly this time. I was tingling all over and felt weirdly powerful. I stopped crying and the glowing in my eyes faded to a soft glittering. I felt calmer, but could still hear Reece pounding on the bathroom door, trying to get in. I ignored him, much to Lana’s displeasure. The mate bond was stronger and, even though I was upset by what he did, I still felt the need to be close to him.

My eyes were almost back to normal now, although red and puffy from crying, and I felt calmer. I looked at my mark in the mirror. It had almost completely healed now, which was pretty fast! It was now only a slightly red scar. I decided to have a shower to clear my head. I turned on the shower and let it warm up. Reece had stopped banging on the door, but he was still right outside it. I could smell his scent on the other side of the door. I took off the gown and threw it in a ball on the floor and kicked it across the bathroom. I’d had enough of those gowns. Time to be Allie again!

Standing under the hot jets of water was making me feel much better. My head started to clear, and I knew I had a choice to make. I could be miserable and sulky about being marked, replaceing my mate, missing out on the future I had planned. Or I could try and embrace what was happening to me and get on with my life, whatever shape it takes. I couldn't change the direction my life had taken. I suddenly remembered that Reece and I were training today, and I instantly felt much better. I finished washing, rinsed my hair and switched off the water. Grabbing a towel, I dried myself thoroughly, and then relished every moment putting on my own clothes. I hoped I never had to put on one of those hospital gowns again as long as I live. I towel dried my hair, brushed it out and twisted it into a knot on the top of my head, securing it in place with an elastic band. I looked at myself in the mirror and took a deep breath. Time to suck it up now. Sure, reaching adulthood hadn’t quite started the way I thought it would, but I couldn’t change the past. I had to move forward with my life and the first thing I needed to do was get out of here.

I moved to open the bathroom door when a bright light filled the room. After a few seconds it faded, leaving Melissa standing there smiling. I jumped a little at the sight of her appearing like that. She was a witch, remember?

“Oh, it’s you! You scared me,” I said smiling, “That is going to take some getting used to!”

“Sorry, sweetie,” she said, giggling lightly and hugging me. “How are you feeling today?” As she released me from the hug, I saw her eyes fall on to my neck. My cheeks burned.

“Oh,” she said, answering her own question. “You ok?” She could see I had been crying and she sighed.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said quietly.

She gave me a look to say she wasn’t convinced.

“I know that everything that has happened over the last few days has been unexpected...especially replaceing your mate. But it is your destiny, sweetheart. The Moon Goddess wants you to take this path. Trust her,” she said softly.

“I know. Time to get on with my life. I’m ok. Really,” I reassured her, “I’m actually discharging myself right now.”

She looked a little surprised at first, but then said, “Well, if you’re sure?”

“Yes, I am. The Doctor said that I could leave today anyway,” I said, shrugging my shoulders, “So I may as well just leave now. I feel perfectly fine.”

“Ok then,” she said, smiling, “I will be going to the pack house to help Alpha Spencer and his team today. Shall we walk there together?”

I nodded. She opened the bathroom door, unclicking the lock. As the door swung open, Reece was standing in the doorway, arms braced on either side of the door frame. His head hung and he was pale. At least he had the decency to get dressed, I thought, as I eyed his shirt and pants he’d thrown on. He lifted his head and stood up straight when he spotted Melissa.

“Allie, let me explain!” he begged.

“I’m leaving,” I told him.

“What? Where are you going?” he said quickly, panicking.

“I’m going to the pack house with Melissa,” I said before he could protest any more. He instantly relaxed.

“Oh,” he said, “Good, I’ll walk with you and show you the way. I’ll let Doc Stevens know you are leaving.”

He walked ahead of us, and I noticed his hair was messy and his shirt was creased. We walked in silence, and within a few minutes, the corridor opened up into a large lobby. Several other corridors branched off the lobby, and two large mahogany doors stood at the front of the building. The lobby felt spacious and light, decorated in cool colours and delicate furnishings. On the left side of the lobby was an enormous marble staircase that wound its way up.

“I’m meeting Alpha Spencer in the Oak room,” said Melissa when we reached the centre of the lobby.

“Allie, I’ll show you to your room,” Reece said, sounding thoroughly unhappy.

“I’ll see you later,” said Melissa, as she kissed my cheek. I stood and watched her walk away from me, and it occurred to me that I might not see her every day from now on. My life would look very different from what it once was. It was a sobering thought. I know Melissa is right. This is my destiny chosen by the Moon Goddess. But it will take some getting used to. Reece started towards the staircase and now watching them both walk away in different directions; I knew what I had to do. Reece had climbed a few stairs before he noticed I hadn’t followed him. He turned back towards me.

“Allie?” he said, looking concerned, “What’s wrong?”

When I didn’t answer, he walked back down the staircase and returned to where I was standing. He searched my face, his eyes filled with worry. He took my hand in his and simply said, “Everything will be ok. I promise.” He squeezed my hand and led me towards the staircase. We walked hand in hand up the stairs and I felt strangely content. A smaller lobby greeted us at the top of the first floor, with corridors sprawling off in different directions. This place was huge. It would take me a lifetime to learn my way around. We took a left and Reece stopped outside a room about halfway down.

“This is the guest room on this floor. My room is next door, right there,” he said, pointing to the next door down the corridor. I could tell he wasn’t happy about the sleeping arrangements, but I needed a little time to adjust to all of this. I’d never had a boyfriend before, never even had much interest in boys at school. I was always too busy studying or training, so this was a big step for me. He opened the door to the guest room and motioned for me to enter.

Walking inside, I was met with a beautiful tranquil bedroom. Mint green drapes hung ceiling to floor from a bay window overlooking the dense forest. To the side was a walk-in closet and I could see some items hanging up in there. I walked over to take a closer look. The rails were full of clothes. They were my clothes! My shoes neatly lined a shoe rack underneath the rail. I came out of the closet and saw that my phone, alarm clock and wireless speaker were sitting on the nightstand. All my things were here.

“How did all my stuff get here?” I asked, stunned.

“I asked Melissa to bring it all here. I wanted you to feel at home and have everything you need,” he replied, smiling shyly.

I smiled. Strangely, I did feel at home. I looked around the rest of the room. Matching bedsheets adorned the bed, and the en suite was bigger than my bedroom at the cottage! Fresh lilies sat in a jar on a white side table and the contemporary white feather lampshade hung above the bed, blanketing the room with a warm glow. My feet sunk into a deep pile luxurious white rug in the centre of the room.

“Do you like it?” asked Reece.

“I love it,” I said, smiling. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.” We stood there in silence for a few more agonising seconds. I had no idea what I was supposed to do now.

“So, what now?” I asked, awkwardly.

“Well, training sessions are taking place all day over at the training centre. Brad is leading them for now, but I will need to take over from him in the next few days. Did you want to start your training today? Do you feel up to that?” he said.

I nodded enthusiastically. He laughed. “Good. After some training I have a meeting with my dad to discuss next steps and any developments in the investigation. I will grab a quick shower first though.”

“Ok, I just need to change into some training gear,” I said, walking to the closet. I quickly threw on some workout clothes and sneakers in record time. “Ready!”

“Ok,” he laughed, “I’ll be back in 10 minutes.” He went next door to his room, and I looked around my room some more. He returned after exactly 10 minutes.

“Let’s go,” he said and turned to leave. A loud grumble from my stomach echoed around the room and I remembered I hadn’t had any breakfast this morning before we left the hospital. “Hungry?” he said, chuckling. I loved it when he laughed. I nodded. “A little,” I said, sheepishly.

“Let’s grab breakfast first. We can’t train on an empty stomach,” he said, walking over to me and planting a kiss on my forehead. Striding down the corridor, standing over a foot taller than me, I had to almost jog to keep up with him. I finally caught up to him at the top of the staircase and had the urge to hold his hand. I slipped my hand through his and enjoyed the buzzing tingles of the mate bond. It surprised him a little and he looked at me inquisitively. A small smile crept on his face, and he gave my hand a little squeeze. We walked down the stairs and Reece led me to the biggest kitchen I have ever seen. An entire row of refrigerators lined one wall behind a row of kitchen islands. The opposite wall housed stoves and sinks. It was impressive!

“What would you like?” Reece asked me, pulling out a stool for me at one of the islands and gesturing for me to sit.

“Just some cereal would be fine, thanks,” I said, choosing something that can be prepared quickly. He opened a door to a pantry, revealing an extensive collection of cereals. I chose one and he found some bowls, spoons and the milk. I finished my bowl quickly and rinsed my bowl in the sink, and then placed it in one of the dishwashers under the counter. I was itching to train and wanted to get going. A few minutes later Reece finished his bowl.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I said, beaming as we left the kitchen and headed for the training centre.