The Alpha's Omega Mate-Chapter 179: The run.

~Dahlia’s POV~

"Zarek is sick!" The words repeated itself over and over again in my head as I leaned it against my windowpane, staring out at the lush green grass outside, and the birds chirping away... and the children outside playing about with loud excited squeals. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

My mind was in turmoil. On one hand I wanted— no, I needed— to help Zarek, and on the other hand— the more rational one, I didn’t want to return to Shadowfang pack. The place held too many bad memories. Moreover, I wasn’t sure I wanted to go back to the place where I almost lost my life countless times.

A tired sigh slipped past my lips at the thought, and that was when I heard the knock on the door. I turned.

"Come in!" I drawled when Kai’s sweet scent wafted into my nostrils.

He pushed the door open at my command and stepped in but didn’t come any further; And I couldn’t help but frown when he leaned close to the door, his arms wrapped around his chest as he regarded me solemnly.

"Will you go back?" He asked— no preamble, no nothing. But I instantly knew what he was asking about.

I didn’t think about it. I simply said; "I don’t want to."

He too didn’t miss a beat. He answered; "Then you shouldn’t go."

But I didn’t feel better after saying that. If anything, it felt as though a large boulder was pressing against my chest, suffocating me. I let out a ragged breath as I pressed my head into the wood and then I closed my eyes.

But I made a grave mistake by doing that. Or let us say, I fucked up when I squeezed my eyes shut because the next thing I saw was Zarek face... pale and blue. He stared straight at me with no emotion. His chest rising and falling slowly as he took small measured steps towards me.

And I realized— he didn’t recognize me.

He had gone feral.

"Bloody hell!" I screeched, jumping in fright when I felt hands on my shoulder. I hadn’t noticed Kai came to stand beside me. I hadn’t even smelled him.

He turned to me with a look of hurt and confusion, his eyes slowly trailing along the lines of my face. "You seem distracted."

"I am distracted." I concurred.

"Then should we go for a run?" He asked now, sounding serious, and for some reason, that question brought colors to my face.

I have never gone for a run with anyone before.

In fact, no one’s ever seen me in my wolf form— well besides him on the very first day we met.

I ducked my head shyly, a blush painting my face in the shade of a beetroot. And then I whispered; "I don’t think that is necessary."

Kai stuck his index finger under my chin, and using it to tilt my face toward his, he drawled; "it isn’t necessary, but you can use the time to think... you can just run then mull over everything... and trust me, by the time you’re done, you’ll feel better."

"Are you sure?"

"A hundred percent." He smiled, tucking my hair behind my ear.

The feel of his fingers brushing against the shell of my ear made the smile on my face freeze momentarily as a jolting electricity shot through my spine. I stiffened.

"I always go on runs whenever I have a lot on my mind. And I always feel better afterwards." He added, completely unaware of the turmoil squeezing into my heart like sharp talons.

I nodded. "Fine then. Just wait, I need to change into something more..."

"Comfortable." Kai finished for me with a smile. "I need to go do that too. My clothes are a bit too much." And with that, he stalked out of the room, giving me space to finally breathe.

I didn’t even know I had been holding my breath until he left and I let out a long deep sigh. And I didn’t even know how attracted to him I was until the tingling in my back wouldn’t stop even now that he wasn’t here anymore.

Shimmying out of my dress and changing into a free pant and an undersized shirt, I tamed my wild hair into a ponytail and strode out of the room, only stopping when I saw my father and Amara by the living room engrossed in a conversation— he was teaching her how to read and write.

I smiled. "Sometimes it feels like the both of you have more catching up to do than you and I." I said to my father who instantly lifted his head to look at me.

When he saw me, the corners of his lips spread out, and a more relaxed, more confident smile graced his face. "You almost sound jealous."

"What if I am?" I sassed back, my eyes hurting from smiling so much. "What if I want you to teach me how to read and write instead?"

Now, my father’s grin widened. "But I already did that. I used to do that before I went to war and... everything else." He answered too, still smiling. But by now, my smile had faded, replaced instead with a small sad frown.

He doesn’t know that I do not have my memories from that time.

He doesn’t know that I do not even remember anything before the fire.

I squeezed my eyes shut, contemplating on whether to tell him about it or not when suddenly, Kai materialized beside me clad in a grey tunic and grey fitted pants which surprisingly complimented his red eyes.

He smiled like a proud child. "How do I look?"

I briefly ran my eyes over his clothes, shrugged and then looked away. "Like a child." I said stiffly, then turning to my father, I muttered; "I have something I need to talk to you about later."

Kai puffed from beside me but I ignored him.

"I think we have so many things to talk about at this point.. so tell me, what’s this one about? And where are you both off to, dressed like new day bandits?"

A dry chuckle slipped out the back of my throat at his words. I smiled. "We’re going for a run... also what I want to talk to you about is about me. About my childhood memories..."

Now, Kai stiffened beside me.

"You cannot remember them." My dad drawled knowingly, his expression shifting into that of undisguised pain. And then under his breath, so low that I wouldn’t have heard him if not for my overly sharp hearing, he whispered; "Logan’s taken so much from this family."

"Yes, I also grew up thinking that my name was Dahlia, and not Nyx’ara, and I never even knew until I met Kai here, and until I began to have dreams of my past... dreams of the fire."

Father visibly froze, obviously still uncomfortable with conversations about the fire. He asked; "Really?"

"Yeah," and then suddenly like a light bulb had been turned on in my head, I gasped, "my wolf’s name is Nyx’ara too!"

At least, that was a lighter conversation!

Now Kai turned to me with a confused frown. "Is that possible?"

"Yeah, she told me when we first met!"

Kai’s frown deepened. "But I haven’t heard anything like that before."

"Maybe... maybe it isn’t her name... she just said it to remind you of your real name."

’It is my name.’ Nyx’ara drawled lazily through our mind link, and I smiled warmly before turning to my father. "It’s her name."

"But that’s..."

"We’ll talk about it later," I rushed out, interrupting him. "I really need this run right now!"

My father nodded in understanding before turning back to Amara, but I didn’t miss the shared look he and Kai gave to each other, or the unspoken question that hung in the air between them.

"Later?" Kai finally asked, tilting his head to the side as he stared at my father.

"Yes, later." My father responded. "I’m not done reading through all the details yet, but I will be done by the time you come back."

I was lost, confused by their cryptic words, but deciding to let it slide, I started walking to the door, feeling a little hurt when Amara didn’t even try to come with me like she usually would.

She was so engrossed with whatever she was doing with my father that she paid me no heed.

And I should be glad.

I was glad.

But it doesn’t change the fact that I am jealous.

—

Upon arrival at the clearing at the back of the house, I stopped and turned to Kai, my lips curving into a smile. "Now, turn around." I said softly, grabbing the hem of my blouse with the intention of tugging it off.

At first, he looked confused, his brows furrowed, coming together until they were almost a unibrow, but when his eyes drifted to my blouse, his frown dissolved, replaced instead by a smirk that made my insides turn to jello.

He drawled; "I don’t want to."

A fierce blush colored my face and I glanced away in a mixture of excitement and mortification. "Then I’ll find somewhere else!" I shrieked.

I had just turned away from him when his hand suddenly clamped down on my arm and pulled me into his chest. His breath was hot against my neck, his fingers— light but there— trailed along my spine as he drawled; "I want to watch you shift."

Usually, those could be passed off as innocent words but I didn’t miss the mischievous glint in his eyes or the way his eyes locked down on my lips, stressing at it hungrily, like he wanted to devour it.

I shifted uncomfortably but that only made me brush against his body, and now, I couldn’t help but feel his hardened bulge pressing against my stomach.

I squealed; "Let go!"

But Kai only chuckled. "Pretty please."

I opened my mouth to speak, to tell him off, but as soon as my lips parted, Kai leaned down and slammed his mouth against mine, swallowing my protest, and swallowing the stupid moan that almost escaped my lips.

Gosh, this man would be the death of me.