The Gift chronicles novel Chapter 1

Book 1 Chapter 11

I woke up completely confused.

I sat up quickly, checking my surroundings. I was in Alpha Cain's room. I began recalling the events of earlier, and looked down at my hands to assess the damage done.

To my surprise, they were wrapped with cloth, and I could tell that there was burn cream on underneath to soothe the burns I had received from my loving, gentle mate.

Of course I would have to be mated to an Alpha that has the ability to summon and control fire. He must be able to put a charm on things to keep them warm too, since he would make handles warm when he didn't want me to touch them.

"Don't take them off. They'll heal faster if you just let the burn cream take effect." I turned my head to the side of the room, where Alpha Cain was sitting in a cushioned chair.

I stared at him blankly, not wanting to give any indication how I was feeling.

I waited for him to yell at me for running, but to my surprise, he just sat in the chair and continued to stare at me.

"I realized something when you bolted, little mate," Alpha Cain continued, not breaking eye contact. "I had no way to contact you, and if you had gotten into trouble, you couldn't have gotten ahold of me."

I broke eye contact, scared of what he might say next. I was hoping he would offer to give me a cell phone, but I knew it was much worse.

My eyes snapped back to look at him as I heard him get out of the chair.

I watched him walk towards my side of the bed, and sat on the edge next to me.

His hand reached out towards me, and he cupped my cheek, stroking it with his thumb. The action should have been soothing, but I was too on edge for whatever he was planning to do next.

"I am going to mark you now. It is the only way to establish a consistent communication link between us," Alpha Cain met my eyes, and he almost looked apologetic.

I began thrashing in the bed. I would rather die than be marked by this heathen.

I was no match for the Alpha as he roughly held me down by my soldiers. I couldn't wield a weapon right now due to my injuries, and that confirmed that he had aimed for my hands intentionally.

Alpha Cain's eyes darkened, and I knew it wouldn't be long until his wolf surfaced. Alpha Cain stroked my hair, and leaned closer to me. He kissed my forehead, and then peppered more kisses along my neck.

Tears silently were streaming down my face as he reached the part of my neck where he would mark me. He opened his jaws, and I could see that his canines had descended. A sob escaped my mouth, and I closed my eyes, internally wincing at the pain I knew would come.

To my shock, moments went by, and I still wasn't bitten. I opened my eyes, and saw Alpha Cain looking at me sadly.

His eyes were no longer as dark, and his canines weren't out anymore.

I stared at him in confusion.

"Is the idea of being mated to me really bad enough to make you shed tears? You didn't even let a tear fall when you took the full force of my fire, only teared up a little, but you cry at the idea of being marked by me?" He asked, and I almost felt guilty by how hurt he sounded.

I averted my gaze. I would get burnt by his fire again if it meant not being Marked.

He abruptly left the room, and slammed the door on his way out.

I anticipated that he would be gone for the rest of the night, but to my surprise, he came back a few minutes later.

He tossed a box at me, and I caught it with ease.

I raised an eyebrow. "Open it," Alpha Cain ordered.

I opened the box, and inside, there was a brand new iPhone. I had an old iPhone at Red Crescent, but rarely used it.

"You can only use it to call or text numbers that I have already put in there. I put in all of the pack member's numbers and names in, so if they ever come by and visit the Pack House, you can communicate with them. Go ahead, text something to me."

I turned on the new phone, and typed Cain into the recipient bar, and his contact popped up. I texted him: thank you for not marking me.

He pulled out his phone and read the text. "I only didn't Mark you because I didn't want to upset you so much you felt the need to run." I was surprised by this admission. "I will give you two weeks to adjust, and by the end of those two weeks, I will Mark you regardless of how many tears you shed. The only condition is that you have to behave during the two weeks, or else the deal is off and I will Mark you regardless."

I considered fighting him on this, but then realized that pretending to be a loving mate may be my best option at escaping. If I could get him to trust me, then I would be able to escape much easier.