Spirit Tales (The Millennium Wolves AU)

After my breakdown in the infirmary, the weeks that followed came and passed in a rush. Magnus, Ryan and Bastien remained in the city for now what with the situation with Evander and the high alert, but even though Magnus tried a few times to talk to me, and like him Ryan, I avoided them both. Everything was still too sensitive and fragile for me, and I knew I couldn’t bear any more revelations.

The knowledge of who and what I was, along with my stupid past, were already told to the others, and I got pitying look from everyone, even Strider and Apollo. Strider got on my nerves and I couldn’t be around him, even though he was trying to be friendly and even apologized for his behavior. I was just turned off from him completely - and I knew that if we would ever be friends again, I would have to be one-hundred percent convinced that he wouldn’t act like a dumbass, because I couldn’t stand those.

Apollo said I needed to put my Spirit-studied on hold with everything that happened, and that my soul was too fragile and blah, blah, blah. I decided he was talking bullshit and that if he wasn’t going to train me, I was going to train myself with or without anyone’s help. I didn’t need mentore. I was fine on my own.

Meanwhile, Sally and Greg announced themselves to be Mates. Everyone was ecstatic for them, but I didn’t find it in me to be happy. I was too bitter, because at least Sally knew who her Mate was, instead of being in a stupid Mating Race and not knowing what to do.

In addition to them, Albert and Cora also announced they were Mates. Of course, celebrations followed, and I found myself secluding myself from everyone. Fred was the only who tried to approach me, but I rejected him as gently as I could, because he was the only one I didn’t want to hurt. So instead of celebrating, I looked for books about spirituality and yoga in the library, and went to the backyard, sitting on the ground, and tried to find other ways to control my powers.

Tempest wasn’t happy with me trying to control her and “her” powers, but I shut her up with the statement that I didn’t want what had happened in the city to repeat itself. I wasn’t ready to let her have such control over my body again - it was my body, and she was the one who didn’t really belong.

Yoga proved to be a success time after time again. When I was relaxed and peaceful, my thoughts clear and rational, I felt the power flowing through my blood. That sense of control was intoxicating, and I felt so proud of myself for the progress. I wanted to yell this to the world, but because I was adamant about being left alone, I didn’t.

One Saturday morning near the end of March, I woke up when Strider and Apollo were in their morning training. The only person in the room was Fred, and he was sitting with piles of papers in his desk at the room and wrote something down. Outside, Spring was in full force, with slight clouds in the sky and the sun peaking through them. When I looked at Fred, then at the window, I somewhat felt a sense of… home. There had never been a place in which I felt it was home, but now, for some reason, I felt such a thing…

Fred turned his head toward me and gave me a sudden brilliant smile that made my heart skip a beat. “Good morning, Angel,” he said quietly, putting down his pen on the desk.

“G-Good morning,” I stuttered, blushing. Why was I blushing?

“How are you feeling?” he asked, that beautiful smile still on his face. He turned to me fully with his chair.

“I’m f-fine,” I muttered, feeling myself reddening farther. He needed to stop being so attractive.

He rose and walked toward my bed. He sat at the edge, fixating his gaze on me. “There’s a festival in the city today,” he said, “it’s a festival for the beginning of Spring, which is also called the Chinese Light Festival. It’s an event that takes place once a year. I was wondering if you would like to come with me.”

My breath hitched, and I felt my face turning an embarrassing shade of crimson, because I realized he was asking me out. On a date. I opened my mouth to tell him sure, but then an old memory rose to the surface of my mind. I’d gone once in the past with Brock to the Spring Festival…

I sighed. It didn’t matter. Not really. Brock wasn’t alive. I wouldn’t betray him by going with Fred to the same even… right?

“I would love to,” I answered with a smile.

Fred let out a relieved sigh. Something inside me softened, another block taken off, and I knew that if Fred would go on like this…

“Get ready, then,” he stood up. “We’ll leave in fifteen minutes.”

This was a sign for me to dig in my closet for fitting clothes. It was a bright Spring day, and I knew I needed to find pretty clothes. I wanted to look like a woman with Fred, to look pretty… Because Fred, out of the three, was the only one I was attracted to in such a compulsive, impossible way.

I found a dark blue shirt with elbow-length sleeves and I picked up a pair of dark knee-length jeans along with it. I put on simple elegant blue shoes, and left my hair down - not after I drowned it in cream that smelled like cherries, so it would look less frizzled than usual. I debated whether I should put on makeup or not, then settled on a soft black eyeliner. I smiled at my reflection, and hoped Fred would like what he saw.

When I left the bathroom, Fred waited to me near the door, dressed in an indigo-colored shirt with folded sleeves that put an emphasis on his abs. His hair was longer than ever, tickling his neck, and brushed in a way that made it seem even smoother than before. His black jeans fitted him like a glove, as if he was a model. When he gave me that small, gorgeous smile, I knew it was going to be a fun date. Or so I hoped.

After we checked each other out, he asked, “You ready?” and when I nodded, he said, “then let’s go.”

He took us in a low-key car and parked next to the entrance of the festival. We exited the car and walked next to each other, following the stream of people into the festival are. Booths were spread around us, and on the nearby treed little lamps were hung, which were currently turned off since it was morning. Everything was so bright and colorful and happy, I couldn’t hide the wonder that spread over my face.

“Do you want to go there?” Fred asked me, pointing at a group of people that were circled around something me. Curious, I nodded passionately. He let out a low, sexy laugh that made me blush at once and he led us to the crowd. Of course, since he was the Alpha of the Millennium, he made way for us through the people until we saw what the fuss was all about, and when we saw the cause, both of us couldn’t hide our smile.

An old, short Chinese man was playing a flute, and the melody was so beautiful, I felt my heart squeezing in my chest. Behind me was a small lake with clear water, and people threw coins in it, making wishes, and when I looked expectantly at Fred, he understood what I wanted, as though he’d known me for years. While the Chinese man played in our ears, we went to the lake, and Fred gave me a silver coin. I took it, closed my eyes, and made a wish. Afterward, I threw the coin into the water, while I saw Fred doing the same. We exchanged glances, our eyes locking one another, and the electricity in the air between us was felt.

We kept on walking then toward the booths and studied many of the things the vendors were selling. I laughed when I saw someone carving a piece of wood into what seemed to be a wolf with its teeth bear, ready to attack, and Fred smiled as well. We barely talked at all, but I felt so comfortable with him that the silence didn’t bother me. Besides, I felt like we understood one another, without the need to speak everything out. Fred wasn’t a great speaker to begin with, and before my life all changed, I hadn’t been so big on talking too, so we were both easily comforted by the silence.

Noon arrived after hours of moving from booth to booth, and around three, Fred suggested we ate lunch. We walked toward one of the food stands, and while we walked, our hands mere inches away from each other, I felt like I wanted to hold hands with him. I’d never before thought about holding hands with a man, but I wanted to now, intertwining our fingers, like I saw many other couples do. But the thought of instigating the move made me blush and turn into a coward, so I balled my hand into a fist.

Fred told me to sit at one of the tables, under a Sakura tree that was planted for the festival, while he went to buy us food. I waited for him mere minutes, and when he returned with a tray in his strong hands, I saw many a woman studying him. Fred was hot, there was no doubt about it, but suddenly I wanted him to be less hot or something, because the looks the girls sent him made me want to go on a spontaneous killing spree.

Fred put down the tray on our table and I saw the girls looking at me with jealousy. I didn’t bother hiding my smug smile. Fred stared at me in confusion as he took the chair next to mine. “What makes you smile like that?” he asked, his low voice made my stomach quiver and not from hunger.

I shrugged, flushing a little, and found myself leaning my head on his broad shoulder. “Nothing,” I said, feeling his arms suddenly wrapping around me, which caused a pleasant feeling to curl in my stomach.

He said nothing, and I felt his hand playing with my hair, caressing my shoulder, as though he was trying to show I was… his, or something. The thought made me flush again. There was nothing I wanted more than to be his, to be Fred’s.

When I saw what he brought us to eat, I smiled again. “I didn’t know you knew I liked noodles,” I said, taking my head off his shoulder and well-aware that his arm was still around me.

He glanced at me. “And I didn’t know you had it in you to be jealous,” he smirked then a sexy smirk that I’d never seen on his face before, and which made me blush deeper and farther. When he wanted to play, he really played.

And when Fred was flirting… God help me, my heart almost stopped beating.

I chose to ignore him and instead slurped some noodles into my mouth very un-femininely. Fred stared at me and arched an eyebrow before he chuckled that deep, low chuckle of his. I felt my heart dancing happily because, for a change, he didn’t seem so serious. He looked more carefree, even younger, happier…

It made me unhealthily happy that it was me who put this expression on his face.