Alpha Raven | #1 in the Trueblood Series

Alpha Raven-

Sometimes, you don't need much time to understand someone's pain...A glimpse of their suffering, an unshed tear, a pained smile, a nonchalant attitude, angry eyes and sometimes just silence is enough to understand their pain.

*******

Flashes of his past were making an appearance in Azraiel's mind. His chat with Matt had turned out to be much more serious than he thought it would be.

The information that his mate was once a part of such a program made things different. He couldn't explain how it was different since he himself was once a part of it. Maybe his brain was subconsciously trying to find similarities between Charlotte and him or maybe he was just overthinking. Now, he just knew one thing. His mate needed him more than he thought. Moon knows, what wounds she has been carrying around all her life. From this moment, Charlotte has to be his only priority. Only Charlotte.

Azraiel paused walking for a second as he realized that he was about to enter the medical wing. He took a deep breath and walked inside. On reaching her door, he paused to knock and patiently waited for her to reply.

"Come in." His mate's deep yet soft voice unconsciously brought a small smile to his face. He quickly pushed the door open; too quickly perhaps.

As soon as he entered her room, her intoxicating smell and powerful aura hit him with full force. It was like getting hit with a massive ball of energy filled with lavender and honey; not hurting him but making its presence known.

His chest swelled with both pride and concern for his little human. She was strong because she has survived a lot of things.

He collected himself quickly and gave her a small smile, a thing he has done a lot since arrival. He walked towards his designated seat on the chair beside her bed. Azraiel watched as she tried to avoid his eyes at all cost. He could hear her throbbing heartbeat much more clearly now that he was sitting so close to her. The rhythm of her heartbeat was like slow relaxing music to his ears. While he was busy memorizing her heartbeat by heart she was getting more nervous with every passing second. He almost felt guilty for enjoying her nervousness.

Keyword: Almost.

Her reaction to his presence served as an ego boost for both his wolf and him.

Deciding to put her out of misery, he asked softly, "Do you want to see your home? It's almost ready. We can go there if you want." Azraiel was she would say no. He wanted to add a few things to her home before she moved.

"Maybe some other time? I have a few questions about those books." Charlotte replied softly.

Azraiel let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and nodded. Good...That's what he wanted.

"Okay...so first question. Whatever is written in these books is real, right? I mean these are not fictional? She sounded so unsure that Azraiel wanted to laugh. He controlled the laughter bubbling in his throat while she continued to play with the pen and paper in her hand.

"No...they are not fictional. Everything that is written in these books is true." Azraiel answered her, leaning back in his chair to create some space between them; both for the sake of her nerves and his sanity.

He continued watching her like an animal watching his prey, which wasn't far too far from the truth in this case. Every movement she made caught his undivided attention; especially the throbbing of her pulse.

"These books say that it is almost impossible for a human to turn into a wolf. I know that you've told me about this....but...but is it really that painful and difficult?" Her voice was dripping with fear and uncertainty.

Azraiel knew this would happen sooner or later but it still felt like he should have thought about this before giving her those books.

Of course she would focus more on parts that were related to her current situation and begin to question her recovery.

"Yes, it is that difficult Charlotte. Look you need to understand that your human body wasn't meant for this. It wasn't designed to fit another being in there. So yes it is going to be extremely difficult, almost impossible but you see you are also the first human ever to survive this long after getting bitten. So it might be possible for you to live after all." Azraiel replied with his voice void of emotions. All this while he was just dying to gather her in his arms and hug her tightly. He wanted to ease all her worries, take away all her pain. He wanted to assure her that she would live a long life with or without him. But, she will live.

Yet, all he did was stare, stare and stare.

Fucking idiot!!

Azraiel silently cursed at his wolf for urging him to touch her. No...Nope….Not the fucking time.

He continued watching her as she moved her eyes to her lap and nodded to herself. Good...She was considering his words.

He wished for this week to go by fast so he can move her to the cabin behind his house. Having her near him will not only relax his wolf but maybe it would have the same effect on her too.

Azraiel waited patiently while Charlotte gathered her thoughts.

"Did you really have a king?" The question surprised him. He was expecting more questions about werewolves and their turning.

"Yes, up until a few decades ago, we had a king. He and his family died in a fire accident. " Azraiel observed that Charlotte was lost in her thoughts again and he had no idea what she was thinking.

After gazing blankly at the paper in her hand she abruptly spoke again. "I have read about the hierarchy of a pack in these books, but they say that it might vary from pack to pack. What is the hierarchy in your pack?"

"I am the Alpha here. My mate is my equal and the Alpha female of this pack. After this comes the Beta and Beta female or second Beta followed by a Gamma and Gamma female or a second Gamma. You have already met my Beta Matt and you can meet my Gamma Theo anytime you want. After this comes other members of the pack that holds significant positions. In the Blue Orchid pack, we have two such positions. The Head Warrior is the person responsible for pack security and training warriors. Kira is the head Warrior in our pack. The next position is that of a pack Healer. Traditionally, a healer is someone who heals people. In earlier days, older wolves who lived longer than others had more knowledge about survival. Some of them were said to have been gifted by the Moon Goddess with the ability to heal others which is nothing less than magic. But with time werewolves evolved and their living span reduced drastically. So, the position of healers has been taken by the doctors. Dr. Humphrey is our Chief doctor. You met her on the day you woke up. Other than that, all members of our pack are considered equal despite their ranks."

Before Azraiel could take a pause, Charlotte quickly asked another question.

" Do you have a mate?"

Azraiel watched as she stubbornly refused to meet his eyes with that question. The red of her cheeks was now spreading all the way down to her neck and behind her ears. Her gaze was fixed on her lap. He paused for a second and gave himself the liberty of relishing at this moment. His mate was jealous and he couldn't deny that it felt good. It felt good to have someone being jealous for you.

"Yes, I do." He watched as she straightened her spine after hearing his answer. She was still not looking at him but he could see the change in her demeanor. Her mouth tightened and she was unknowingly clenching her jaw. For a second, he was so tempted to claim her lips and tell her that she..SHE IS HIS MATE. But he didn't. He wanted her to sort out her emotions first. He wanted her to want him but not because of the mate bond. She needs to figure out why she was feeling this way on her own.

"These books also mentioned Omega?" Charlotte asked again, her voice losing the softness it held before.

Azraiel's face hardened at her question.

"Yes, werewolves are powerful beings, but the magnitude of power varies from wolf to wolf. In some werewolves, their wolf is stronger than their humans. In some, their human side is stronger than their wolves. Their human nature overpowers their animal instincts. In earlier days werewolves depended on hunting for their existence. During their lifetime they had to experience wars and fights due to a lack of proper boundaries and resources. Werewolves with a stronger human side and under shadowed wolves were termed Omega so that the other members of the Pack knew who needed the most protection during wars and attacks. It was solely meant as a tool to protect everyone. But over the years, some packs started misusing this term. Omegas were deemed weak and bullied by the pack members that considered themselves stronger than others." He finished with a huff.

Azraiel instantly noticed the worry lines appearing on her forehead. Shit! Did he unintentionally trigger something for her? From the H.O.P.E. mission? He continued staring at her in hope that she would look up and tell him what was bothering her.

"So if I join your pack will I be considered and Omega too? You know since I am a human and all ?"

Oh God! He did trigger something in her...didn't he? He quickly answered to stop her from underestimating herself.

" No….no.. Charlotte. My pack does not label pack members as Omega. As I said, every member is equal. Besides, we wouldn't know which part of you is dominant until you shift in your wolf. So if you join my pack then you will be a pack member of the Blue Orchid pack, just like everyone else."

You will be there Luna, Darling. My Luna. Their Alpha female.

Azrael watched as some of the tension released from her body with the sigh that escaped her lips. Ok that's good.

"But then how do you protect your members that are not in sync with their animal side? "

Azraiel's lips lifted up from the corners at her attempt to not insult anyone.

" We train them. In Blue Orchid pack, we train every member so that they are capable of protecting themselves if needed."

Charlotte visibly relaxed at his words. After fiddling with the paper in her hand for a few seconds she spoke softly, "I had a few more questions but they were actually connected with the ones you just answered. Maybe I can ask you whenever I have any doubts?"

" Of course, you can. " Azraiel replied without missing a beat. Charlotte just nodded at his answer.

It was silent for the next few seconds and Azraiel decided to ask a question too.

" Charlotte, can I ask you something?"

She hesitantly nodded.

"How old are you?"

Charlotte finally cracked a small smile at his question.

" I am 23. You?"

" 28. "

Azraiel replied with a smile of his own.