Louisa's POV
Vincent poured the compote into a bowl and murmured, "Ah, young lovers and young love. Till death tear us apart."
I rushed at Darren, who was boiling the spartina plants on the other side of the yard.
"Darren..." I completely freaked out.
I didn't even know where to begin.
"Lisa, what happened?" he frowned.
"I have a bad feeling. I don't know why..." I bent over because of the butterflies in my stomach.
I couldn't even catch my breath.
Then, I realized that I was going through a panic attack.
The thought of Alpha Lucas lurking around in the darkness and watching me made me sick, just like a pair of invisible hands, choking my neck.
"Lisa, talk to me. What happened?" Darren held me in his arms.
"Lucas... My mate... He's here! He wants to kill me!" I looked up at him and exclaimed.
Darren stroked my hair gently and said in a calm voice, "Lisa, don't be afraid. I'm here. Master's coming back as well. We won't allow anyone to hurt you."
I shook my head and held his arms, "No, you don't understand. He's a very bad guy. He's the Alpha of the White Walkers and he kills people for a living like farmers cutting off crops. He's watching me all these days and he's preying on me!"
Darren said, "Lisa, I'm not saying you're paranoid. But please don't panic. I understand your stress and frustration. A werewolf shouldn't stay away from their mate for long. What you're feeling right now probably is the stress caused by this. Master's coming in anytime and let me talk to him and see what we can do..."
As he was talking to me, I saw Finn walking into the yard with a deer's body in his mouth.
I charged at him, held him in my arms, and started to cry.
He dropped the deer on the ground and grunted something.
"I miss you, Finn. Please don't go anywhere without me again." I wept.
Holding him in my arms, I felt much relieved.
Darren said behind me in a low voice, "It's been a long and exhausting day, Lisa. Master wants you to go lie down for a while."
"But I need to cook for us..." I said.
"Please leave everything to me. I'll make sure everyone is fed and taken care of," he said.
Then, he lifted me up and put me on top of Finn's back.
He carried me into the room and flipped me on the bed.
Then, he lay down next to me on his stomach, licking my hands and arms.
I felt so itchy and started giggling.
I rolled down from the bed and fell on top of him.
I enjoyed lying on top of him. He was like a giant cushion.
His fur was soft and warm. He smelt like thyme and rosemary.
The fire in the furnace was burning cheerfully.
I rubbed my head against his fur and said, "I have a mate, Finn. He's Alpha Lucas of the White Walkers. I really miss him, but he hates me for being so weak and useless. I guess he just wants to kill me. That's why I run away with you. Finn, Alpha Lucas is a formidable man. Eventually, he will come and take me away from you. When you see him, please run away as fast as you can. I don't want him to hurt you. This is very important for me, Finn. I'd rather kill myself than see you getting hurt by him..."
Finn turned his head and looked at me.
Then, he grunted something and licked my face.
My skin was burning.
The rush of adrenaline kicked in and I remembered the day I was in the tent.
I remembered Alpha Lucas' cruel smile on his face and his commanding voice -
"Don't stop touching yourself, she-wolf."
I was so humiliated and ashamed by his blunt stare.
I touched the branding mark on my chest.
My skin was shivering. I couldn't even feel my legs.
I buried my face in Finn's fur and said in a trembling voice, "I want to get closer to you, Finn. I can't control it. I don't know what to do..."
I didn't even finish my sentence before Finn stood up with me on his back.
He turned back and looked at me, flicking his ears.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and said, "Where are you going?"
"I'm taking you... to the woods..."
I heard a hoarse voice.
I was shocked.
"Finn, are you... speaking?" I couldn't believe what I'd just heard.
"Yes," he said.
"But Darren told me that your voice was burnt in a fire..."
"I can... speak... But it's... painful."
Having said that, he strode out of the room and dashed into the dark woods.
The cool night wind was blowing into my hair.
It was so dark everywhere. I couldn't even see a thing.
My heart was pounding faster than ever.
"Finn, it's so dark. Let's go back to the cottage..."
"Close... your eyes. Don't... open," he said.
I was terrified. I didn't know what was going on. I shut my eyes closed.
Then, I felt like I was put on the ground.
A pair of hands stroked through my hair gently, moving all the way through the side of my ears down my neckline.
His touch was electrifying.
It almost felt that he was... flirting with me!
I wanted to hold his hands, but he stopped me by locking my hands above my head.
"Don't... move..." he whispered near my ear.
My body was turned on immediately. I didn't know what happened to me.
"Finn..." I whispered.
He moved his hand in front of my chest and adeptly peeled off my blouse.
His hands were accidentally flickering through the skin on my chest. The warmth of his body made me thrilled.
"Finn," I gasped and wanted to push myself up.
He pressed me to the ground, wrapped my blouse around my eyes, and whispered, "My face is... burnt. Don't... look."