A Were Story Ch 05 1

*Hi guys. Sorry for the delay, been busy with studies. I'll be taking a break on this story because my exams begin this month, but I will back to it by next month. Thanks once again for your comments and ratings. I look forward to them always.* LS

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White smoke filled the air as the potion in the small pot simmered down to reveal a bluish liquid, moss green eyes studied the outcome of the combination briefly before a bronze hand stirred the thick liquid with a wooden stick.

This had to be it. she was certain she had mixed the appropriate amount of ingredients to come up with this potion, she had previously tried to prepare it, but had failed on about three occasions, so she gave it a rest three months ago until she finally found what she needed to be sure.

Tiana closed her mother's book of spells and potions and returned it to her bookshelf, with one wave of her hand, the shelf and the books on it turned invisible. She made sure no one else knew of the whereabouts of her books, if peradventure, she was out, she didn't need such sensitive material ending up in the wrong hands and her current abode was filled with people she would term 'the wrong hands'.

She turned the potion into a small bottle and kept it on another shelf where some other mixtures were kept. The dimness in the house was enough to tell her night was approaching, she sighed to herself, thankful she hadn't received any unwelcome guests so far. Some days, she found she couldn't stand the sight of anyone from Alejandro's pack. It was one of the reasons why she made sure her house was a good distance away from pack grounds. Those useless mutts had a knack for stinking up wherever their dirty paws touched and the mere thought of having to wash their awful smell off her house after they took their leave unsettled her greatly. It was always a good day whenever they didn't visit.

She went about clearing up the items she had used for her potion as once again, thoughts of her mother filtered into her mind. She hadn't visited her mother in a while, it was almost a year ago since they last saw and as much as she hated to admit it, she missed her. Since Tiana made up her mind to stay back in South Carolina, her mother had been cross with her. not so much she totally cut off all ties, but enough so that her disagreement with her decision was always hammered upon the few times they did get to see. Their last meeting had ended up in a shouting match which neither had won, but Tiana had made sure to get the last word in.

As much as she understood her mother's reason for running away from Weres, she needed her to also understand she couldn't make such a decision as easily, she was, after all, part Were, never mind that she hated the creatures. Her werewolf side had been dormant for over twenty years, her mother had made sure to keep it so after she cast a binding spell on the animal when Tiana was just five. Some days, she could feel the animal within struggling to leave its restraints, but most of the time, she felt normal enough. To the people in this pack, she was no more than a witch and she wanted it to remain so. No one knew of her past, no one knew of her father who happened to be a rogue were, it was better that way, getting attached to these people in some way wasn't what she needed. It was bad enough they had her doing their shady business. Besides, she knew very well how werewolves treated the hybrids, she had seen the disdain they felt for part weres and part humans, she listened to their conversations, if she were to ever expose her true nature, she had no doubt in her mind that she would become an outcast in their midst and it was something she wasn't willing to risk.

Once she was done with cleaning up, she made her way to her room, a clean bath on her mind. But she didn't reach the modest chamber before a knock came at her door. She paused in her movement and inhaled lightly. A familiar scent settled into her nose and Tiana braced herself as she walked to her front door.

She didn't do this often, but whenever he was at her door, Tiana found herself wishing it was one of the smelly weres he liked to send on errands. She would much rather tolerate their stench than be in the presence of Alejandro. With the others, she maintained her composure and easily intimidated them, with him, she was unsettled and wary. Of course, she presented the illusion of composure, but inside her, she waited anxiously for his leave and her senses were sharper just in case he detected anything suspicious.

She could deal with the other mutts, but their Alpha was an entirely different case.

The knock came again and with one last inhale and exhale, Tiana opened up to find the tall and intimidating werewolf scowling down at her, damn it what was happening now? An angry Alejandro was even worse to deal with, "Hello Alpha." She greeted softly.

"Tiana." He acknowledged her as he stepped into her house uninvited- as usual, he never waited to be offered, all Alejandro knew how to do was assert his authority everywhere and with anyone. He was simply clueless where it came to basic courtesy

She closed the door softly and followed him into her living room where he stood in front of her fireplace staring at nothing in particular. Tiana maintained her distance and waited patiently for whatever he had to say, she had worked with Alejandro long enough to know when he was in a sour mood and this was one of such moments. She did a quick run through in her head to determine if she had perhaps given him the wrong information and inadvertently caused him to be so tense, but nothing came up in her head, she was sure whatever information she gave him was legit, so this was no fault of hers. Still, a side of her hated to see him tense, a side she preferred to not acknowledge. Men like Alejandro were bad people, they took without asking, they only knew how to abuse, destroy, conquer; they were undeserving of any form of emotion outside of spite and hate. Her father was one of such men, so feeling anything else for people like him was out of it. She was only here because of a debt, and once she had paid it off, she would go far away from such vileness.

"An ambush." He grated the words out like they disgusted him to even speak.

"What?" she asked softly.

"Those useless dogs from that accursed pack killed off all of my men save for one. Five of some of my best men, gone, and we couldn't even get the sisters." He ranted bitterly.

Tiana remained transfixed to her position, this would certainly take a while. The only thing Alejandro hated more than losing was losing to the Duncan pack, she thought of saying something to calm him down, but she was bereft of anything she could say.

He turned steely grey eyes to her, "Won't you say something?" he asked as if reading her mind.

"I'm sorry." She began

"For what?" he spat out.

She drew her head back like he slapped her, what the hell? She had just had a long day, she didn't need Mr. Grumpy face coming to her house to give her any form of grief, she had done her part well and good, whatever problems that had arisen certainly had nothing to do with her, "Honestly? I don't know, just like I don't know why you're in my house." She shot back at him placing a hand on her waist and waited for him to explain his presence.

"You never said Caleb would send his mutts to the sisters."

"I told you to act fast, I think that would count as a hint to most that some other party might also have plans." She replied, she couldn't believe he had the effrontery to blame her for the failure of his silly mutts.

He approached her slowly, "Are you perhaps implying that I'm not sharp?" he asked coldly.

His expression was hard and intimidating to most, but Tiana never cowered in his presence. She was probably the only person in these parts who didn't break a sweat whenever Alejandro tried to instill fear in them. Apart from the fact that she was indispensable to him for now considering she was the only one who could cast the spells he needed and see, there was also the teeny little secret she kept to herself that could always serve as a trump card whenever things got out of hand

"I am implying that you need to take responsibility for the shortcomings of your men rather than blame it on the witch like your kind is wont to do"

"My kind? Lest you forget little witch, I was the one who saved your tiny little neck when that vampire nearly sucked your soul out of you, so you have a lot of nerve running that big mouth of yours to me."

"And lest you forget, I have spent the last four years of my life doing your disgusting bidding for that, some days I wish the vampire had finished me off." She replied.

In a flash, he was on her, his large hand clasping her slim neck, "Maybe I should finish you off instead." He threatened, his grip getting tighter as he spoke. While Tiana was very much aware of the pressure on her neck, her brain had effectively shut down at his closeness. The first and last time they were this close had led to her discovering what he truly was to her and had literally caused chills to run down her spine. He never realized it of course because her mother had made sure to hide her scent with a lotion, even till this day she continued to use that lotion mostly because she was truly afraid of what would become of her if Alejandro ever found out who exactly she was.

Unfortunately, the lotion while protecting her from him, never protected her from herself. It was something she had to live with, knowing who he was but being unable to act on this knowledge. So, she did her best to maintain a distance whenever he was around...then there was that damned, insistent wolf side of her trying to force its way out once it sensed his closeness.

"I should snap your neck for your insolence." He growled, he squeezed her neck for emphasis and a sharp gasp escaped her full lips, "If you weren't so useful, maybe I would have." He continued, he raised his pinky finger slightly and she watched a sharp claw grow out of it, "...but I think I'll just finish that creature's work."

She felt a sharp sting against her neck, right at the point where the vampire had bitten four years ago, a trickle of blood seeped out of the tiny wound. Tiana steeled herself for what was coming, but was least prepared to see him wipe the blood off her neck and bring it to his lips

"I wonder what he found so delicious in your blood." He mused to himself.

With widened eyes, she watched him suck the bloodied finger, her heart beat erratically in her chest. She knew what would happen when he tasted her blood, he wouldn't be able to understand it because he wasn't aware of how these things worked, but she knew.

His eyes flashed a deep amber when the red liquid came in contact with his tongue, "Delicious." The word rumbled deep in his throat.

It reverberated within her causing her stomach to tighten involuntarily, she felt her wolf rattle the cage it was locked in, but she couldn't have it escape. Not now, not while its mate was still wrapped in a mindless vendetta. If he discovered her true nature, she would lose him...or at least that was what she told herself. Alejandro was obsessed with the idea of taking down the Duncan pack and Rinaldi Salvatore especially, he wasn't prepared for a mate, not until he had done what he felt he needed to do would he truly be ready for such a commitment

He lowered his head to her neck and took a long swipe at the trickling blood before latching his lips onto the hole, Tiana gasped and grasped the fabric of his shirt with both hands, her body lurched forward in a sharp reaction to her mate's pleasure. Her harsh breathing echoed in her ear even as she forced the guards in her mind to remain up, she had to put an end to this, there was a genuine danger that he would end up sucking her dry.

"Alejandro." His name escaped her lips in a breathy moan, her tense body warring with an unwavering mind, he wrapped a strong hand around her waist and pulled her body to his as he sucked harder. She let out a sharp cry and forced her way out of his hold. In a flash, she was all the way at the other side of the room, muttering a spell to close up the wound.

He wasn't in control anymore. The deep amber of his eyes was all she needed to know that his wolf had taken over. He hadn't transformed, but his mind had effectively been taken over by his beast. He let out a sharp growl and tried to approach her, but she shot out a hand to stop him and an incantation followed to send the wolf back to its place. "Beast be gone, let the human come forth." She chanted repeatedly. For the first time since Tiana began to cast spells, she faced some resistance from the wolf as it took a defiant step forward, her heart caught in her throat but she continued to chant. It would work, it had to work.

She chanted louder, until he let out another growl and doubled over. She slowly let her hand down and watched him cautiously as he let out sharp breaths, she wanted to approach him and ascertain his wellness, but that would be counterproductive. What they both needed right now was to be out of each other's presence

When he finally rose, he stared at her partly in confusion and partly in fear. He took a step back, "What just happened?" he asked

She watched him without providing an explanation. There was nothing she could say to him in this moment that would make any sense and she was honestly blank as to how to even explain it. Telling him the truth was out of the question, that would open her to possibilities she wasn't ready for.

He shook his head to clear it of the haze she was sure existed in it currently, he winced a little as if in pain by the action, "Shit." He cursed under his breath, "You stupid witch, what did you do to me?"

The insult bounced off Tiana just like the others he liked to throw about, when she first met him she had been put off by how easily he threw around vile and vulgar words especially when he addressed people, her mother was a potty mouth in her own right, but there was so much more venom in Alejandro's words, she had shed a tear the first time he attacked her. That was then though, "I did nothing..."

"Shut up!" he thundered. He winced again, she almost smiled knowing that he felt pain in that moment, "I'll be back by the morning, you better have something else for me when I return."

He didn't wait to get her response, of course, because he knew she had no choice and couldn't complain. She would get him what he needed when he needed it.

Tiana sighed in relief when she heard her front door close, he kept her on edge whenever he was around. Everything about Alejandro was bitter and toxic, it made her wonder if he could foster any other emotion- perhaps love. He seemed incapable of such an emotion, even more reason why she had to be careful around him and not cause him to be suspicious of her. Even as it pained her to do so most times, keeping her identity away from him was the only option she had for now.

*****

How did it not hurt?

Kennedy's fingers danced along the tiny bruise on the right side of her neck, feeling for any pain, but she felt nothing. If she couldn't see the bruise through the mirror, she would think it didn't exist. It tingled when she touched it, but it was nothing like a bruise should feel, this tingle was...different.

She dabbed at the ointment on the counter and coated the bruised area with it, hopefully, it would fade by the morning. She had felt so awkward earlier in the day when Cassandra asked about the 'big hickey' on her neck, her hand immediately shot up to the area as if to hide it. Thankfully, Kylie's mind had been far too occupied by heaven knows what to have joined in the conversation. It was one of the few times she was glad Kylie wasn't paying attention.

Speaking of whom, she would have to go see Kylie this night, her sister had been unusually absentminded since they got here, and she seemed particularly shaken after her visit to the lavatory. She had refrained from probing her for any information, choosing to speak to her when they were alone. She didn't like to reprimand her sister in the presence of strangers and they were surrounded by them at the table. Something told her the blond giant was responsible for her sister's unusual state of mind, it was also quite suspicious that the man had left the table five minutes after Kylie and hadn't returned even after she did.

The sooner she got herself and her sisters out of this strange place the better for all of their senses. Even she was starting to question hers and that simply wouldn't do. She packed up her hair into a ponytail and walked out of the luxury bathroom into a luxury bedroom. Everything in this house oozed affluence, how did these people make their money? She was yet to find one older person walking around who she could at least say was a parent to one of the three men. They looked too young to have hit it this big, except of course they were a bunch of trust fund babies. Caleb and Rinaldi fit the bill in that aspect, Roy, on the other hand, didn't come off as a preppy kid. He reminded her of one of those people who simply refused to conform to society's whims, he was a raw one. Even more reason why she didn't want him anywhere around Kylie, he was much too rugged for Kylie.

She went to the wardrobe and opened it to retrieve her small bag of clothes that she had packed when Rinaldi insisted they leave with him. She had just thrown anything she could lay her hands on into her bag. So, as expected, she didn't have much for clothing, but they were going to be out of here in two days tops, so that wouldn't matter.

She took out a pair of shorts and a tank top; her preferred nightwear and pulled them on. she closed up the wardrobe and jumped at the sight of Rinaldi sitting on a couch across from her, "Jesus! Get out!" she screamed at him.

"You need to stop dressing like that around here, I wouldn't want any hungry dogs drooling over you." He spoke as he gave her a once over.

"I'm in my bedroom you crazy animal." She stated matter-of-factly. He just sat there like he owned the place- which he technically did, still, his mere presence unsettled her in ways she would rather not confront, did this man not understand the concept of boundaries? Even in a room she ought to have privacy, he still found some way to insert himself.

"And I'm in here, who's to say what other 'crazy animal' could get in?"

Kennedy was just about done playing nice with this man, he was a disrespectful, aggravating idiot and she couldn't understand how anyone could stand him. she marched up to him, her body trembling in barely held in anger and shot daggers straight at him while he looked on with an aloof expression, "I won't be spending more than two nights here, I would appreciate it if you didn't push me to murder for the very short time I'll be here. Now, please, get your ass off that chair and leave my bedroom the same way you got in."

Much to her surprise, he rose out of the chair. She had to step back at the imposing sight he made, hovering over her shorter frame. He was clad in nothing more than a pair of pajama bottoms, leaving his ripped torso to be thoroughly admired by her treacherous eyes. So, not only did he have no regard for privacy, he was also averse to decency- typical, whatever happened to a shirt these days. She tore her gaze away from his body and stepped to the side so that he could walk past her, thinking to herself how lucky she was that he wouldn't drag this longer than it needed to be dragged. A small part of her didn't want him to leave, it was that same annoying part that had been the catalyst for every irrational thought and action she had taken today, including that stupid kiss. It was a part she wished would just stay muted down, but kept rearing its disgusting head.