INTENSE LOVE

VALERIE I pushed apart the twigs that blocked my way, jumped through the logs of trees fallen in the ground and kept running in the woods. I was happy, very happy. My mate loves me, Shawn loves me. Who knew my biggest bully would love me one day? I stopped when I looked at the white sand from the shore. I remove my wedge heels and the shirt I was wearing over my black tank top and dropped it down. I walked towards the shore and stood a little foot away from the water. The evening sun shone brightly in the sky. I closed my eyes and inhaled the salty scent present in the air, which formed a big smile on my face. I love you; I could hear him saying that, with his soft and husky voice. I have had three to four human boyfriends I was secretly dating (secret from Nathan, Donald and Veronica) in high school, all humans but I never had any love feelings towards them. My heart never skipped a beat when I saw them. We were more like friends than a couple. It never worked because I had to leave town often while going to other packs. However with Shawn it was different, everything was different. I couldn't bear the thought of leaving him or him leaving me, it hurts terribly. I don't even want to ask about the girls in his past because either way I'll end up killing him or those girls. I hated him more than anything once, and now I cannot live without him. Such a smart game played by fate. I was falling for Shawn, if I haven't already. Whoever said hate and love has a very thin line between them was speaking from experience, I thought pinching my lips together. I looked at the big waves raising and swallowing the small ones. Just then a flock of some white birds flew in the sky. Everything felt beautiful. Everything is beautiful. I was tempted to go for a swim but decided to wait. Perking my ears alert for any sounds close by, I was happy when there was no sound of any wolves from my or his pack. Looking at the water in front of me, i decided to have a little fun. I focused on the water using my mind to make sure I can control it. When the water was in my control I stepped towards the shore, a huge wave came from the ocean and using my hands I pulled it closer to me. It took a lot of energy from me, considering the wave was huge however I didn't let that bother me. When the water was ten centimeters apart from my face I used my hand and thrust it forward and it fell on the ocean with a huge splash. I did it a few times every time I would pull the water towards me then push it away before it can soak me. A few of the times I raised the water and pushed it towards the woods, the result was I could see almost thousand birds flying away from the trees. The sounds of their wings flapping and shrieking were like tunes of a song. I went closer towards the shore and when the waves came close by I would run back so that it wouldn't touch my feet. I was having fun waiting for the water to touch me, it wasn't happening though. Maybe because I was not letting that happen. When I felt a little exhausted I ran with full speed towards the ocean. Jumping high, I did a full flip before diving into the ocean. Once in, I swam with inhumane speed and within seconds I was in the middle of the ocean. I came to the surface of water and looked around; the land was not at all visible. I went back into the water and again moved inside, the big fishes and the small fishes were scared of me and would run away whenever I came close to them. They didn't like the notion of a weird creature like me in their home. The life inside the ocean was beautiful. Watching these colorful fishes living peacefully was like heaven. It cannot be described in few words the happiness in here. I was moving inside the water and felt the same wave of energy injecting me. I was getting stronger and my exhaustion was long gone. I don't know how long I was inside the water because when I came back to the surface I saw the sun was setting down and the sky was purple. Sitting on the same rock I had chosen for me, I closed my eyes. I wanted moon goddess, my mother. The sounds around me faded until they disappeared. I was passing through a different world. I was now standing in a room that had a black and white tiled floor, the room that had a balcony at the very end. The goddess was there in the balcony, she was caressing the head of a deer statue. It was strange. Her side was facing me, but I still couldn't see her face because the long hair she left loose was covering her face. I stepped closer, still no luck. "He loves me!" I said happily. "And you?" "Kind of." "Hmm." she said and I could hear the amusement in her voice. "He was honest, wasn't he?" "He was. What about you?" she asked me and stopped caressing. I froze in my place, I wasn't being honest. He doesn't know I'm a white wolf, yet he loves me. He loves me for what I am. Will he leave when he comes to know I am a white wolf? The thought hurt and I felt my eyes prickle. "I am so stupid. I am going to wreck it all up" I whispered. "Why do you think so?" "He still doesn't know about me" "Then we have to change that and the first step in the change will start now. Go Templar, Someone is waiting for you" she said and her voice faded when she said the last part. I opened my eyes and blinked a few times, for my eyes to get adjusted to the view around me. The moon was in the sky along with millions of stars. "How long was I sitting for?" I said to myself. "Almost an hour." I heard someone saying. I didn't turn around to see who was said it, I recognized that voice well. I was already sitting stiff and my wolf wasn't in alert either. She knows him; he was her sibling after all. I heard him taking a step and stopping. "Wow! No shocks now" he muttered sounding relieved and I frowned. "What do you want Jasper?" I snapped harshly. "Oh... I wasn't talking about you. There was this ring around you when you were sitting-" he said jumped over a rock. "Some blue colored ring, I couldn't see it until I tried to come closer to you. The shock spread so hard in my body that I think it took me at least ten minutes to recover from the pain." He said chuckling at the last part and I narrowed my eyes at him. "I called you at least hundred times but you didn't turn around, so I came closer to you and when I stepped on that rock, the shock hit me." he said pointing to a rock that was at least three meters apart from the one I was sitting in. "It was a huge blue ring, it hit me thrice and every time, it hurt like a bitch." He said sitting beside me. Many in my pack had told me about the invisible ring; it is the one that surrounds me when I meditate. Only if they try to cross, the ring will be visible. It doesn't allow anyone to come closer to me. Now he knew about the ring then definitely there will be questions arising in his head. I was already preparing myself to lie to him. Sitting on the rock, staring ahead I decided I will not start the conversation with Jasper. "I know who you are." he said and I turned to look at him, wanting him to continue. "I had seen you in the woods that day." he said. "Why didn't you tell anyone then?" I asked him. "I wasn't sure that day because I couldn't make out your smell clearly. Evie sprayed the perfume right?" he asked and I smiled. "The perfume was in her room and I knew the wolf was from your pack." "Dad always told us Mr. Austin story remember? It didn't take me long to draw a connection." he said and I narrowed my eyes because I don't remember dad telling any such stories. "Dad used to tell the stories?" "You were around three or four, maybe that's why you don't remember." he said and I shrugged. "Why have you kept it a secret?" "I don't want the unnecessary attention it attracts." I told him. "I am sorry." he said and I turned to look at him again. "Sorry for not being a good brother." he said and I saw the guilty feeling in his eyes. "Leave it, it was a long time ago." I said swallowing, if he keeps talking like that then I knew I would break down. "I should have been there for you, I wasn't. You were right, I was your own but I still didn't treat you right. I kept encouraging those who were against you and I can understand it if you don't want to forgive me now." He said and his eyes were glassy. "I could never forgive myself after you left especially knowing that you left for what i did. We searched a lot for you but could never find you. Mom and dad would be ashamed of me." he said and turned to look at the ocean. I never knew a search for me was going on, but I was happy to learn about it. It showed they cared. "No, they won't be. They wou-" I was saying while he cut me off. "They would have been. I don't deserve to be your brother." he said and I shook my head. "No. They would have been proud of you. Proud because you did try to bring me back home, proud because you are apologising truly from your heart." I said and he smiled. "You are too kind Valerie, always have been, but I don't deserve it." he said and shook his head. "I don't deserve to have sisters like you." he said. Sisters, that word brought back the memories of Sheila. "Where is Sheila?" I asked him. "Mother sent her away and I couldn't do anything to stop it." he said sadly. "Sent her away? What? She didn't find her mate?" I asked frowning. "No. After you left, mother blamed her for everything. She said if it weren't- oh, you don't want to hear the sort of things she said to Sheila." He said gloomily. "And then when her school was over she sent her to the Almonds pack" "Who the hell does mother know there?" I asked frowning. "She sent her to a hostel." "A what?" I screeched. What the hell was this? I always thought Sheila found her mate and left. "She did her college somewhere and now she is working as a fashion designer." He said and gulped when he looked at me. "Hey, don't get worried I still call her sometimes. She said she is fine." "When will she come here?" I asked him and he looks down to which I growl louder. "She didn't come here back ever since then, did she?" He just shook his head and I growled continuously. So much that Jasper had to step back. How could mother punish her like this? She didn't deserve it. Getting up i was about to dive into the ocean when Jasper caught hold of my arm. Growling loudly I pushed him away but before I could jump into the ocean he caught me by the waist and pressed me down to a rock. "Listen to me Valerie, not now." he said and I snarled at him. "You will kill her, if you go and talk to her. Don't do this now." he said still holding my arms. He was right, I would definitely kill mother if I went to talk to her now. Closing my eyes I took deep breaths and counted till twenty this time to calm myself. When I could breathe properly I pushed Jasper roughly but he was physically stronger than me so using my hands i raise the waves so high that it splashed soaking him also shocking him. "You control water?" he asked me dumbfounded getting off me and I ignore his question. "Six fucking years, she was sent away!" I said gritting my teeth. "What about you?" I snapped at him. "Uh... I- I left the house and used to stay with Shawn until I got my own place." "They were our guardians." I spat. "Not our parents." he said silently and I nodded. "Were they only ones who wanted to adopt us?" I asked frowning. I was mad at my foster parents. "You know Idris wanted to be the Beta desperately. The only way he could get the title was if he would have adopted us." "What about mother?" "She always wanted kids, and she got us. But she didn't do a great job." he said frowning and I shook my head. Why want kids if you cannot take care of them? Jasper eyed me curiously "Blood red!" he muttered referring to my eyes. "Where did you hide this temper all these years?" he asked oddly and I growled at him to which his eyes widened. "I was just curious!" he said raising his palms next to his shoulder. "I got it ever since I shifted and killed the rogue." I muttered. "You kill?" he asked shocked and I frowned at him. "I have lost count of the rogues I killed." "Oh! and what about Evie?" he asked worried and I simply nodded. Evie had killed wolves but her count was below ten because Oscar and I never let her kill so far. "You all were trained?" I nodded again. "Look, this is how life is in our pack. We want revenge for what happened and we won't rest in peace until we get it. I am not going to force you to do anything so if you want you can tell everyone about me." I said my tone self-justifying. "I won't." he said and I was surprised by that answer. "If you don't want anyone to know about it then I am sure you have a good reason for it, but please don't allow yourself to be disrespected either. Your wolf, it's... it's-" he said but I cut him off. "It's just like any other wolf, the only thing different is, its color is white." I said and he nodded. "I am sorry, I know it is wrong of me to ask for your forgiveness now, but please can you give me a chance to prove myself that I can be a good brother to you." he said and I looked away. "Please just one chance." he said his voice hurt and I had to close my eyes at that. "I can now feel how much it hurts when you avoid admitting someone as your own." he said and tears rolled down my eyes. "I am sorry." he said and got up. Three steps were all I let him take before asking him to stop. "I have already forgiven you. No need to bring that up, it's all past. The reason I left the pack was not just because of you or anyone in particular, I was bound to leave this place and discover myself. So don't blame yourself." I said and took a step closer to him. "I want your help as a brother now." I said. "Anything." he said quickly. "I want you to help to get Sheila back." He chuckled and shook his head "You are too kind Valerie." "Is that a no?" "It's a yes." he said quickly and hugged me. "I promise you are not going to regret this." he said happily. "I missed us." I say and hug him back. "I missed us too." he said and pulled a strand of my hair. "Hey." I said frowning. He always used to do this to me and Sheila when we were kids. "Old habits die hard." he said chuckling and I elbowed him playfully in the ribcage. I looked at the crescent moon in the sky and smiled. "Is he giving you tough time?" Jasper asked, the 'he' here referring to Shawn. "Not as much as your mate." I said grinning and he scowled at me. "I heard about your car" I said laughing. "I paid a fortune for it." he said scowling. "That's Evie, my bestie!" I said proudly. "How long have you known each other?" he asked curiously. "I met her hours after I left the pack, she thought I was killing myself." I said and recalled the memory how I met Evie and then Zelia popped in my head. "Take good care of her, she deserves it. She has been through a lot in her life, my problem is not even five percent of what she has been through." I said and he had a confused look in his face. "She didn't tell you?" I asked him and he shook his head. Now that Jasper knows I am a white wolf, I will not ask Evie to hide anything from him. 'Hey Evie... come to the beach.' I said through the link. 'Why?" she asked lazily. 'I shifted.' I said and cut her off. "Who were you talking to?" Jasper asked me. "Your mate is waiting for us in the shore." I said and dived into the ocean. "How about a competition?" I asked him when I reached the surface of the water. "You ready to lose?" he asked me smugly and I rolled my eyes. He dived into the ocean and we both swam away from the rocks. When we were at least thirty meters away from the shore we began the swimming competition and obviously I won, maybe because I caused huge waves to fall on Jasper. "Cheater!" he yelled. Now where have I heard that before? I saw Evie standing in the shore with her jaws dropped open, "what is this?" she asked me surprised. "It's called brother-sister bonding." I said and picked up my shirt from the beach. "So he knows everything?" 'He doesn't know I am the Alpha.' I said buttoning my shirt. "Did you ask him?" "Do you think I would ask?" she said cocking an eyebrow and I rolled my eyes. Right, Evie would not have asked, she would have forced him. "You were right; I shouldn't judge him on what he did to you, so I never forced him. It was all up to him and thank goddess he was man enough to apologise." she said and Jasper growled. "Just kidding!" She said walking close to him and pecking his lips. 'I am glad you made up.' she said through the link smiling. "How is it going with the Rhino?" she asked me and I blushed, to which Evie's eyes widened as saucers. "Tell me everything, from the start!" she said and I turned and walked away. Running she came and entwined her hands with mine. "Now!" she urged and I rolled my eyes. "Cherry told me she saw you in the supermarket with him." she said grinning. "We were shopping for food, the guy's fridge was empty!" I complained and Jasper rolled his eyes. "Speaking of shopping- we have to go with Edith to shop for her dress, the girl is driving me crazy all thanks to her pregnancy hormones!" "We?" I asked narrowing my eyes at her. "Oh right! I told Edith you have a good taste in dresses." she said grinning and I scowled at her. "What? I didn't want to be stuck there alone!" "Hey Jasper, scratch the part where I told you she is my bestie." I said to which both of them chuckle. We were now walking in the road when a white Lamborghini came and stopped right in front of us. I looked at the driver and my heart skipped a beat.