Ivy's POV
"Ivy, you need to come see this,"
I whipped my head towards the door in surprise only to see Stella standing there, grinning ear to ear. Eagerness shone through her eyes as she stared at me with a beaming expression.
"What happened?"
"You'll know when you see it. Come with me, please. "
I wordlessly got up and followed her without another question, not wanting to keep her waiting for long. A frown crept into my face as I thought about all the possible things that could make Stella want to come and get me to see. It was hard to stop my thoughts as nowadays my brain only thinks about the worst things that could possibly happen. I think I worry too much.
My feet stopped immediately when I stepped out of the front door and I think for a moment my heart did too. Because there in the front yard was a gigantic wolf, fur black as night and eyes glowing gold. The scent of wild herbs and something that I could only describe as the smell of freshly rained forest ground hit me with full force, instinctually making me breathe it all in. I didn't need anyone to tell me who that wolf was.
Something stirred in my chest and my eyes widened as I held my breath, waiting to see if it was my wolf calling to her mate. But nothing. That fleeting feeling was gone before I knew it.
Cassian's wolf was standing still as a statue as if it was waiting for me to make a move or do something. The intensity of his gaze only increased now that he was in his wolf form. Gleaming eyes stared at me for minutes and studied every expression on my face curiously. I think I was so surprised to see him in his wolf form that I failed to notice the small animal hanging from his mouth.
A hare.
Confusion was the first thing that hit me. Why did he catch a hare? Was he hungry? We have a lot of meat stocked and hunted so what was the reason to catch that small animal?
"Go on," Stella whispered from behind me. "He's been waiting for you for about an hour,"
"Huh?" I whipped my head towards her, feeling confused. "Why?"
"Can't you see why?" Stella laughed. "Go to him and accept it," She gently pushed on my shoulder, urging me to go to her son. I swallowed drily before looking around.
It was at that moment I realized the amount of people gathered to watch the weird thing happening here. They were looking at me and Cassian back to back and something about this whole ordeal made my nerves rise. I wanted to turn around and run back into my room and curl up on the bed, away from all the prying eyes and hushed whispers of the people.
"Go on, Ivy." Stella gently reminded me again. I took in a deep breath before walking towards Cassian. I wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.
I came to a halt in front of him and raised a brow, silently asking him what's this all about. Cassian stared at me for a moment before stepping closer. My soul nearly jumped out of my body when the animal he had in his mouth moved. I let out a shriek that was embarrassing enough to make a few people around us chuckle. My cheeks grew warm and I knew they were red as a tomato. I took some breaths to collect myself before looking at Cassian again and stepping closer to him.
I noticed that the hare in his mouth was still alive and there wasn't a single drop of blood on its fur nor around his mouth.
He didn't kill it?
The animal was alive and neat.
Cassian stepped closer again and moved his head as if he were waiting for me to take it from him. I did as he wanted me to and the little animal tried to jump right out of my hands as soon as it was in them. I held on to it tightly, not letting it escape before I found out what the hell was going on.
Cassian let out a sound that almost reminded me of a purr. He gently pushed the scared animal in my hands even closer to me until it was pressed to my body. I sat there frozen in my spot all the while his snout softly pressed against my hands for a minute before he stepped back. He looked at me expectantly but I only frowned and gave no other reaction because I didn't know what to feel other than confusion.
Cassian lowered his head before he turned around and took off towards the woods, leaving me confused and clueless with a scared little hare in my hands.
"Let me see!" Stella's exciting voice is what made me snap out of my thoughts. "Oh, he caught a pretty one! Not a spot in sight and its fur is so soft."
"What does it mean? Why did he—why did he suddenly give me this and run off?"
Stella paused for a moment before she looked at me with wide eyes. "Oh, dear, you didn't know? This is your courting gift!" Stella announced excitedly with a smile so bright it could rival the sun.
I looked down at the hare in my hands, my brows pinched together as I asked, "Courting gift? We're already mated. What's the need for courting after being mated and marked?"
"There's no need, Ivy. But courting is a tradition most omegas or wolves love.
That's how the alpha shows they're a capable partner who can protect and provide. Cassian must've felt bad because you've never got to experience it. He might just want to rectify his mistake and I love that he chose to do it. You deserve the gifts and attention just like every other wolf."
I chewed on my lips, looking down at the animal in my hands and then at the woods where my mate had run off to before looking back at Stella. "Why this?"
"Huh? The hare? Oh, a hare is the most common starter for courting gifts. It's what alpha's do to feed the person they're courting. We can make a soup out of this guy for you." Stella said with a soft smile but my eyes widened at the information.
"He gave me this hare, spotless and neat because he wanted me to kill it and eat it?"
"Yes?" Stella gave me a confused look.
"N-No way, I can't…can't I keep it or something? Is it necessary for me to kill it or eat it?"
"We'll, no, because technically speaking, it's your gift so you can do whatever you want with it."
"Then…then I'd like to keep it…alive. We already have enough food so I don't think there's any need to kill this poor thing,"
"Sure," Stella chuckled. "But you might want to relay that information to Cassian before he thinks you've rejected his courting gift."
"Y-Yeah…"
"Okay, then, I gotta go tell my mate about this exciting news! Take care, okay? Ruth is on her way here. She called me because you didn't pick up your phone,"
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't check the phone," I said sheepishly.
"That's fine, dear. Take your gift and go inside, okay?"
"Okay,"
____
"You know you can tell him that you don't want to be courted if that makes you uncomfortable. I was so excited for you but after hearing everything I don't think you have to go through this," Ruth huffed, crossing her arms and glaring at the wall in front of her as if she's trying to burn it down by her gaze.
"And then what? Have the whole pack wonder why their alpha has stopped courting his mate out of the blue?" I tilted my head before closing my eyes and letting out a deep exhale of defeat.
"Fuck the pack, Ivy. I care about your feelings. You should too. You're always thinking about what other people might think. You should stop doing that. This is your life. Let them think what they want. Be selfish for once. Besides, Alpha Cassian didn't give a shit about what people thought when he did all those terrible things to you."
"It's not easy, Ruth. I'm an omega and only accepted by the pack because I'm mated to Cassian. If they come to know that I'm being hostile towards him and making him do all this, they're going to think I'm ungrateful. I cannot go through that anymore. I've had enough."
Ruth sighed. "I understand. I just…I just think it's so unfair. I was really happy for you when I heard that you were marked and mated but now it's…you deserve better and I just hope Alpha Cassian makes up for everything he has done."
I stayed silent, only focusing on feeding the hare some herbs and twigs. It was reluctant to eat but caved after a few minutes and nibbled on the small stem of an herb I offered.
"What do you plan to do with it?" Ruth asked and I knew she was referring to the hare.
"I don't know. I might release it back into the woods a few days later or keep it as a pet. I haven't decided yet." I shrugged. "I'm not going kill it, that I'm sure."
"Good decision," Ruth nodded as she stood up from the chair before taking a few steps towards me and putting her hand on my shoulder. There was something comforting in the way she gave me a soft squeeze. "Everything will be alright, okay? Don't worry. You deserve to be happy and I'm sure the goddess will give you the happiness you deserve. Just…just hang on and trust her. I know you're strong enough to do that." Her words were soft, gentle as a cool breeze after a night of rain. I closed my eyes and stayed silent.
She wasn't upset with my lack of reply and I was thankful for that. Ruth didn't linger any longer. She bid me goodnight before walking out, leaving me alone with my thoughts and a trembling hare.
—--
"Did you not like it?" Cassian's voice was soft as a feather. I almost thought I imagined it, if it wasn't for the scent of wild herbs reminding me that he was standing only a few feet away from me.
My eyes immediately went towards the hare in the corner of our room. It was trembling while trying its hardest to make itself look smaller.
"What?" I asked, acting dumb.
"The gift." I heard him say after a few minutes. The bed dipped as he sat down but I didn't dare turn to look at him. "You didn't eat it."
"We have enough food. I didn't see the need for killing a small animal."
I could already imagine the frown on Cassian's face as he talked. "But it's a gift…. it's meant for…"
"It's my gift, isn't it? Then can't I do whatever I want with it?" I asked, staring at the animal who hadn't stopped trembling since the moment Cassian handed it to me. I knew it wanted to run away but decided to stay still because it probably knew that it was impossible to escape.
"You can…" I heard him breathe out. "I'm sorry, you're right. I shouldn't have questioned it…" He apologized before lying down.
I didn't reply but only stared ahead at the window as various thoughts rushed into my mind. I knew what he was trying to do with this courting drama but I don't know if it's even possible to get things back to the way he wants. My wolf…it's not here. I feel empty…like I'm a shell of a person I used to be. Every moment I breathe feels so agonizingly slow that feels like I'm trapped in a prison with no one and nothing to hold on to.
I just want all of this to end soon.