Alpha Raven | #1 in the Trueblood Series

Charlotte.

Her name is Charlotte.

Azraiel couldn't help but repeat her name over & over again in his head. His wolf purred at the prospect of marking this beautiful woman. He knew that he was staring and she knew that, but he just couldn't help it. Sensing that his mate was getting uncomfortable with his stare, he averted his eyes from her.

Azraiel had no idea how to start the conversation. He had been to many grand conferences and meetings of both werewolf and human world and considered himself good at making conversations if not great. But right now sitting in front of his injured mate, he was hell lot of confused as to what to ask first. Should he start with how are you? But he knew she was injured. Maybe do you remember anything? Or should he just leave her to rest for a while?

"Where am I and who are you?" The sweet but deep voice of his mate ended the war he was having in his head. She sounded scared and confused.

"You are in the Blue Orchid town and I am Azraiel, the President of the welfare committee here." This was the lie they reserved for humans to conceal their identity. In Rysterbia, each town had a welfare committee, a body that independently worked for the well being of the town.

"Blue orchid.... huh..." She looked even more confused if that was possible. Two slight lines appeared on her forehead.

What he didn't know was that internally she was still stuck at his name, her whole body vibrating at the way her mind chanted his name.

"Do you remember anything?" It was Azraiel who spoke this time. He was dying to know how she came inside the woods so deep without getting killed by the super naturals lurking in the jungle.

Charlotte averted her eyes and whispered a quiet "Not really". Sensing that he was about to ask something else, she quickly added in a louder voice, "I mean, the last thing I remember is entering the woods in search of a little boy, Archie.

He is my neighbour's kid. We...we all came to Coral woods for camping. On, Sunday when we woke up, we couldn't find him so we decided to search for him in the woods. I think I lost my way and ended up here." Charlotte finished in one go all the while ignoring her inner voice that was screaming 'Liar Liar Pants on fire' on a loop. Her story sounded absurd and illogical. She knew that Azraiel probably suspected she was lying, but she couldn't trust him after whatever happened in the woods.

"Okay..So..I think you should rest for a while. I'll ask someone to bring you food. Maybe you can describe Archie to us after that. I'll put my men on the search." Charlotte nodded and watched quietly as the man left the room.

She closed her eyes while leaning back on the bed and exhaled loudly. No one should be this hot and handsome. Ugggh...

********

After instructing Rosie, his cook, to send some food for Charlotte at the hospital, Azraiel went to his study and mindlinked his beta to not disturb him for the next hour.

He sat on his chair with a sigh and rubbed his palm all over his face. He knew she was lying. But he expected that much. Anyone in her place would do the same if confronted by some stranger. But the worst thing was that he suspected she already knew who he was. He knew she was bitten by a werewolf but he had no idea if she saw him turn into a wolf or not.

The logical side of his brain knew that it was completely normal for a human to lie in a threatening situation especially when surrounded by strangers. The wolf side on the other hand felt hurt that his mate was lying to him; that she didn't trust him. Within these 15 minutes he had deduced that his mate didn't want him and was probably like other vile humans he has encountered. He could picture his wolf huffing and puffing and stomping across like an angry child who was refused his favourite candy.

Her story sounded absurd because it was a lie. He was sure of that. He knew he could get the story out of her within minutes but he didn't want to hound her like a beast that he actually was. He wanted to give her some time to cope up with the situation before questioning her.

But first he needed to ensure that she was actually safe and recovering. His wolf had only one way in his mind to keep her safe. He wanted to mark her. Azraiel too knew it was the best way. Once he marks her he'll be able to sense her emotions, trace her when she is not in front of her eyes and his mark would definitely make her stronger. But all this depended on one bloody thing; her survival. He couldn't mark her before her shift, the pain of shifting and his mark could be unbearable for her and her shifting was still uncertain.

He got up and started pacing in the room. He needed a plan, a concrete one at that to prepare her for the shift. But before that he needed to cross one more hurdle. In order to prepare her for the shift he first needed to disclose what he was. Azraiel groaned loudly at the thought of revealing his identity to her. After pacing anxiously for about 20 minutes, he made a decision. He would give his mate some time to rest and later this evening would tell her everything. Yes...that's the right thing to do.

*******

Matt was delighted at the news that his Luna was now conscious. After ensuring that no one would disturb his Alpha, he decided to check the medical wing. He was made aware of his Luna's powerful aura the second he got close to the wing. His whole body humming at the power radiating from her room. It was like she was letting her position known through her aura. It wasn't just strong but it also made him feel strong and secure.

He crossed the corridors in swift motion taking mere seconds to reach her room. He nodded at the guards and positioned himself so that he could see her. She was awake and eating something. Good..he thought to himself. His wolf was wagging his tail like a small child craving for his Luna's attention.

He was about to turn around when he noticed that her attention has now shifted on him. He knew she couldn't see him properly but she definitely knew he was standing there. Great, now he was afraid that she would get anxious by his presence. On a whim, he decided to go in and introduce himself, of course as his human version of the tale.

He knocked twice on the door and then peeked inside. She gave him a nervous stare and stared at him with wide eyes as if asking, " Who the fuck are you?".

"Hi..I am Matt, Azraiel's assistant. Just wanted to see how you're doing?" Matt said with a small smile still standing outside the room. She looks better, he thought to himself.

"Oh..I feel better..I suppose." She said in a croaky voice and then cleared her throat as if preparing to say something more.

"Great.." . It was getting awkward with every passing second so he decided to give her a nod and then leave. Just as he was about to leave he heard her say , "Can you...Can you please stay? I wanted to know something."

Now that made Matt stiffen in his position by the door due to two reasons, first his Alpha would be furious if he caught his scent in Luna's room; second because he had no idea what his Alpha had told his mate till now. What if he said something that triggered her ? His Alpha would bury him alive. With tons of different thoughts in his mind, he entered the room and closed the door behind him.

Charlotte watched as he nervously came forward to stand by the side of her bed. She jutted her chin towards the chair to ask him to sit.

"Can you tell me how you guys found me? I mean..I know I was in the woods but it is pretty much hazy after that." It was a lie..she remembered everything...she just wanted someone to verify that she wasn't crazy. She wanted someone to tell her that whatever she saw out there in woods wasn't a dream and that she wasn't a fool to trust these people. These people have been nothing but friendly and helpful from the moment she woke up. They not only took care of her while she was injured but they haven't threatened her in any form. However, her subconscious still didn't fully trust them; at least not until one of them told her the truth she already knew.

"We take the town's security very seriously. Yesterday evening, our guards were patrolling outside the town's border when they saw you lying unconscious. We tried to locate anyone else but it was only you there." Matt's wolf was surprisingly calm and collected. He felt proud of himself that he was the one his Luna has chosen to interact with. His wolf was now sitting with wide eyes staring at his Luna, his chest puffed outside and tongue hanging outside.

"Do you remember who attacked you?" Matt asked in a low voice nervously. He didn't want her to think that she was interrogating her.

Matt noticed the change in Luna's behavior immediately. She had balled her fists around the bed sheet on her side. Her breathing became labored and her heartbeat increased. Two thin lines appeared on her forehead. Her eyes fluttered and

Matt could clearly see her in pain. She wasn't here anymore. She was reliving the moment when she got attacked. Matt kept his eyes on her but kept silent for a few seconds to give her some time to collect her thoughts.

After what felt like 10 minutes but were actually a few seconds, she blinked her eyes for around five times and gulped hard. Matt could see her count her breathing to five. He waited patiently for her to calm down. He just wished he had something to say to make her relax but he knew he couldn't cross any boundaries; especially not today. He knew she was a human unknown to their world. He didn't want her to freak out on her first day here, especially after getting injured so brutally. He just wanted to protect her at all costs.

A few seconds later Charlotte replied to his question and her answer left him speechless. After hearing her answer he just kept staring at her with his mouth hung open until he heard his Alpha's loud voice.

"Matt...what the hell are you doing here?"

**********