The rain hammers down at such a ferocious pace, the plants bending at the onslaught of rain as it buffets down on the leafy greenery. The limbs of trees aren't granted any reprieve as they too nearly fold in on themselves.

I won't be surprised if big balls of ice start falling down from the angry heavens above, bonking a few people on the head and rendering them speechless at the sudden intrusion.

"Excuse me," I stop a woman wandering down the hall. The poor woman nearly jumps out of her skin, bones and all as she bats big wide eyes at me.

"Have you seen a tall man? Covered in all black and bearing uncanny resemblance with the Harbinger of Doom."

Once again, I'm subjected to big round eyes blinking a few times and then some more for good measure. Thin lips part as if she goes to answer but then snap shut once more. Instead of answering me verbally, she points one arthritis riddled finger down the remainder of the hall before hobbling away without a glance back.

Hmm.

At least she didn't show me the middle finger and where I could shove it.

By the time I'm down the end of the hall, my once kind feelings towards the pleasant woman turn into distance at the numerous corridors that line the hallway, each one leading to more and more doors.

I don't even have a sharp sense of smell like the wolf folk do. Probably a good thing since my Familiar's farts have singed my sense of smell over the years.

A familiar soft brushing against the calf of my legs has me glancing down with a grin, bright green eyes staring up at me and answering all the unspoken questions I had.

"You heard me thinking about your farts, didn't you?"    

I'm rewarded with a soft nip at my legs before he swishes his bushy orangey tail dramatically, strutting away from me and down one of the hallways.

I don't need to be told twice and rush after the animal, it's nose low to the ground and even though the animal has a sharp nose and can scent things buried deep underground but he seems to be struggling now.

The matter leaves me confused and I'm left wondering how the vulpine can't scent the mysterious man out.

"Did you not catch a good sniff like I told you to?" I question the animal but it falls on deaf ears as he trots forward, finally catching a scent through the current flowing towards us.

Rushing after the swift fox, I nearly trip over the animal as he comes to a sudden halt. Too focused on my own feet, I don't realise my surroundings until I whip my head up after apologising to a disgruntled familiar.

My eyes partially widen at the sight before me. The narrow corridor opens up into a circular room covered in pristine windows with even the room transparent so as to let the room be visible from a thousand glass panes. I would've thought that it was a sunroom had the bright rays of sun in the Realm of Tenebris not been a miracle in itself.

There's only a singular settee bench in a grey colour, blending in with the grey of it all except it's not boring. The lack of colour is a stark contrast against what lays on the other side of the window. Bright green plants and flowers blooming in a myriad of colours. Ferns, bushes and plants alike practically glow with contentment at receiving such nourishing treatment.

Past all the green, pinks and yellows, a single muddy path makes its way between all the plants, leading to a single circular marble platform with a thick wooden fence going all around it and a canopy to shade one from the water pouring down around everyone. A lone intricately carved bench from green stone sits in the middle but no one sat atop it.

No.

The man I'm looking for stands with his back facing us, safe from the rain but paying no heed to the bench behind him. He doesn't even move, simply stands there with his arms at his side and body taut, even when he's not surrounded by anyone, he doesn't relax.

Not letting any time go to waste, I sneak the door open, glad it doesn't make a sound which probably wouldn't have mattered since all one can hear is the deafening sound of rain hitting matter.

Luckily, although I'm not as stealthy as a wolf or a highly trained assassin, sneaking up on your unsuspecting mother to slit her throat has garnered me enough practise to sneak up on people while going unnoticed.

My soft soled shoes make no sound against the muddy track, my scent diluted and washed away as the rain attacks me from every end, leaving me a sopping mess even when it was barely a minutes walk to the covering.

Stepping onto the reprieve, my arm stretches out and I stop myself from breathing, so he doesn't hear me coming. I want to catch this poised man off guard whether it's the last thing I do.

Spreading out the tips of my fingers, I can almost feel the buttery leather of his cloak against my fingers, his shoulders within reach. Dropping my hand down, I let it fall onto his shoulder only for it to meet air. The limb falls uselessly through air and the close contact that I so desperately craved meets nothing as the man leans to the side, missing me by just an inch.

With a huff, I take a step back, deciding I should give him some space.

But not peace of mind. Oh no. Definitely not that.

"Excuse me," I chirp politely like I hadn't just tried sneaking up on the wolf.

Nothing but silence.

How new.

"I said; Excuse. Me," My words come out appointed and ready to take aim at a man who doesn't pay me the light of day.

A sharp bolt of thunder strikes in the distance but the noise that follows is anything but quiet, the rumble of the lightning drumming against my ears and nearly making me run back inside.

I love the rain but not when there's a chance of being struck by lightning.

It hurts like a bitch.

My aunt was rumoured to be struck by lightning as a witchling, hence everyone calling her Aunt Twitchy. She could never sit still, always buzzing around.

"Look, I'll be out of your hair any second, if you have any under that cloak," I add in at the end.

The man could be completely bald, not a hair on his head and I would be none the wiser. The thought doesn't sit kindly with me. For some reason the man having no hair just doesn't fit with his vibe.

He doesn't give off a baldy vibe.

"I need to know."

It's as if the world is eager to listen in on our conversation. The heavy bouts of thunder going off ceases abruptly and the howling wind soaring through my ears sizzles out to a quiet moan. Even the rain doesn't hit the ground as hard but still pours as a catastrophic downfall.

I would have thought I was being ignored but the distinct way in which the concrete statute stiffens up even more is my indication.

He heard me all right.

The man doesn't move but tilts his head slightly, the hood obscuring my vision but I can tell his side profile has been carved by the higher up themselves.

"Wolf. Kier. Whatever your actual name is."

Ever so slowly, the sordid man turns around. Each muscle locked in place as if he's forcing himself to give me the time of day. His muscles bunch up and tense together, cloak swaying gently regardless of the heavy material.

With him facing me, the eerie glow from the moon and surrounding lamp posts seem to cut off. The only thing visible now is a dark outline that gathers all of my attention.

I so desperately want to reach up and pull off that damned hood. To tear his cloak away so I can confirm what has been plaguing my mind this entire time.

"Take off your cloak," My voice comes out demanding, as if it's my right to ask another to undress. "Please."

Maybe that'll help.

I wait with bated breath, hoping that he listens to me. That the words bouncing around in my head aren't a figment of my imagination and that I have something I've never known I truly wanted.

The movements are forced but smooth as he reaches his hands out. It's only now that I realise his usual gloved hands are now bare. The pale skin garnering my attention, contrasting against my darker skin. With large hands and long fingers, the man grabs the hood, tugging it off in one swift movement.

Beautiful.

That's all that runs through my mind.

The trained assassin that hid in the shadows and brooded whenever someone talked to him was a beautiful being.

I wouldn't have thought otherwise but the conjured image in my mind is a severe letdown to who stands in front of me.

Tall yet powerful.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that the man is skilled and dangerous, probably armed to the teeth not only with weapons but with his own sheer strength. A tall straight nose and firm eyebrows. His cheekbones sit high on his face and jaw increasingly sharp along with full lips. His hair is slightly long, pin straight just like his sisters but such a deep shade of black it's almost vantablack, sharp against his pale skin.

I'm taller than my sisters, something that I held with pride and even envied for but that doesn't seem to matter compared to his sheer height. I have no idea how tall he is but he's certainly over six feet, towering above me as I reach a dab below his collarbone. The rest of his body is covered by the cloak but I can tell its packing with muscle enough to kill a man. However, not so much so as to look like he downs steroids for days. Angular eyes are what captures my attention, hooded and sharp as they taper off in a catlike shape. His eyes are a stormy grey, so dark it consumes one entirely.

My breath catches in my throat as my eyes lock with his, completely taken by the sheer depth they hold. My brain goes blank and it takes me a few seconds to kick start it back, trying to rummage for words to reach my tongue and for the wetness to glide down my throat unless I want to choke.

Taking a deep breath, I ready myself for something that has been desperately trying to creep its way past my throat ever since I saw the man.

"Are you my mate?"

The once muted sounds of the rain now hit my full force, each drop against the petals of flowers like deafening booms of thunder in my ears. The cold wind finally gets to me and I shiver slightly, running my hands up and down my arms from the chill, or rather the lack of reply that I'm getting.

The man in front of me stands as still as ever but his eyes narrow ever so slightly and his shoulders tense. I nearly let out a laugh of disbelief as he takes a miniscule step back.

"Do not play mind games with me, witch."

I nearly collapsed onto my knees then and there, the sound of his deep baritone developing a flare of dramatics within me that I didn't know I possessed. I would get on my knees just to hear this man speak my name.

"It is true. You're my mate, aren't you?" I whisper, a bout of feelings flaring in my chest and nearly knocking me off guard.

The man takes another step back, shaking with unrestrained effort.

"I have no mate."
His short answers leave me feeling frustrated as I huff in response.

"That is a lie and you know it," To add emphasis on the certainty of my words, I take a few steps till I'm standing so close, if I reach forward a few inches, I could touch him.

"What proof do you have," The man doesn't even bother looking down at me, instead staring straight ahead over me.

Although I must admit, I cannot say with certainty whether he is or isn't my mate since witches don't have tell tale signs. It is mostly the other species that confirms or denies the bond but something tells me deep inside that this man is my mate and he is denying it for some God forsaken reason.

"What proof do you have that I'm not?"

The words I utter aren't taken in the way I want them to be, offending the man as he takes a step back. Raising his hands, he places both on my shoulders and shoves me away gently before recoiling from my touch.

Pure anger takes over his otherwise schooled features. Brows dipping low and eyes narrowing while his lips thin into a line of anger.

"Because my mate is dead. Dead before I even met her," He spits through gritted teeth, peering at me as if I'm but an ant crushed beneath his shoe.

My mouth drops open and I try to form words but it's too late. He's already walking off without another glance back.

Truly meaning what he said.

——————

AN: Okay so apparently my exams were a lot tougher than I gave them credit for. I nearly broke down in the middle of one but it's all good! They're done and I'm grateful for it.

That means I'm finally on my break so frequent chapters galore!

Question: What skill would you love to have?

I'd love to be able to paint and draw but I suck at it :(

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