Ryker slipped his arm around my waist and pulled me to my feet. He was speaking soft words of encouragement to me as he helped me to stand by myself once more.
“There is nobody for miles around, we are safe.” Christian said as he emerged from the treeline fully dressed.
That was quick, or did I lose time? My head felt fuzzy and I was having trouble concentrating on anything other than the painful static electric sensation on my skin.
Kerry told everyone else to stay put and walked me over to the treeline. She told me to strip before she turned her back on me and started walking back towards the cottage. I did as she said, trying my best to ignore how even the feel of the fabric against my skin was causing me pain.
I had just slipped off the last of my clothes when the first jolt of pure pain passed through me. It felt as though an electric current had passed through all the bones in my body simultaneously. I fell to the floor and cried out in pain.
“No, she is fine. The first time is always painful.” Christian said.
Oh now they tell me I thought as I felt another current pass through my body. It hurt so much that I couldn’t move, I just laid on the floor whimpering in agony.
The currents started coming more quickly until they started to coalesce. I could feel my bones starting to snap and change position bringing a whole new dimension of pain along with it.
I tried to breathe deeply and ignore the pain but it was useless, there was nothing I could do other than endure it until it was gone.
The end of the pain wasn’t gradual but instantaneous. One second I was in more pain than I could deal with and the next second I felt great. Better than I have ever felt before.
I stood up and looked down at myself. My paws are black, it wasn’t really a surprise because most werewolves had fur that matched their hair colour. I shook myself to get rid of any leaves that might be stuck to me then headed back towards the cottage.
I thought that I might struggle to walk on four paws for the first time but I didn’t, it felt natural. Everything about my wolf form felt natural and perfect.
‘That is because I am perfect.’ said a voice in my head, making me jump. What the heck?
‘I am your wolf silly, my name is Onyx.’ She said.
As I approached the cottage I could feel the presence of Christian and Kerry’s wolves before I could see either of them. I could also sense Ryker’s wolf even though his wolf was currently dormant.
It was a strange feeling, I wondered why nobody had mentioned it to me before. It was almost as though I was connected to them by an invisible force. I wondered what else there was that I didn’t know about yet.
“Wow, your wolf is huge.” Ryker said.
He was right. The only way I could judge my height was from where my eyeline was but from that I could tell I was much bigger than Christian’s wolf. I was much bigger than any of the alpha wolves I have met too. As the size of your wolf was a physical representation of their power I guessed I was quite a powerful wolf.
“Her mom was the same, it is in her genes.” Kelly said. She looked sad.
So, it looks as though her fears were confirmed. I was the same as my mom although I am still not exactly sure what that meant. Other than danger and pain, that part had been made abundantly clear to me already.
I stayed with them for a short while before going back into the forest and behind the tree where I had left my clothes. The transformation back into my human form was a lot faster and easier than my original transformation. There was no pain either even though I could hear my bones cracking and changing position. Once I was dressed I walked back to the cottage and we all went back inside.
“It feels strange being connected to your wolves. Does it take a long time to get used to it?” I said.
Even though I was in my human form now I could still feel the connection. It almost felt as though my mind could reach out and touch their minds. Perhaps that is how the mind link thing works.
“I don’t know. That is something only your mother could tell you. Most werewolves don’t have a connection to others of our kind the way you do.” Kerry said.
“We should all get some rest.” Christian said.
He looked visibly shaken and I could feel his unease coming through whatever connection I had with his wolf. I could understand where he was coming from. He was responsible for protecting me and the pack and yet I was in danger in a way he couldn’t understand and he couldn’t prevent. This must be very difficult for him.
Christian and Kerry walked down the corridor which led to their room but Ryker stayed behind. He took hold of my hand and looked at me hopefully. He wanted me to tell him that I was his mate. I wished that it was true but I couldn’t lie to him.
“I am sorry.” I said. My voice was so quiet that it was almost a whisper.
“Don’t worry, I am not going to give up that easily.” He said.
He pulled me into a warm hug, I could feel my wolf’s discomfort at his closeness. He held me for a few moments longer then was comfortable before kissing my cheek and walking down the corridor to his room.
‘You shouldn’t let anyone but our mate touch you like that.’ Onyx growled.
Elijah’s POV
My emotions had been all over the place today. For some reason I have been feeling really anxious and unsettled since around lunchtime and there was nothing that seemed to relax me. Leaning on the desk in front of me I rubbed my temples, trying to relieve some of my tension. The words on the screen in front of me were nothing but a blurred mess. I was just about to close my laptop and head to bed when my phone started ringing.
“Alpha Vaughn, long time, no speak.” Alpha Fuller said once I picked up the phone.
His tone was bright and his words seemed innocuous, it was such a shame that both of them were a lie. Alpha Fuller was the alpha of one of our neighbouring packs who had been trying to get me to take his daughter as my chosen mate for years. I had told him many times that I would not accept anyone other than my fated mate but he wasn’t willing to accept that.
“How can I help you?” I asked, trying to keep my tone neutral.
“Have you put any more thought into my offer?” He asked.
“I’m sorry, I can’t accept anyone other than my true mate.” I rolled my eyes, how many times did I need to have this same conversation with him?
“I’m so sorry you feel that way but you leave me with no other option than to report you to the council. You are in your mid twenties and still mateless. I have tried to be understanding because of the respect I have for your father but we can’t ignore your mateless status anymore.”
That fucking asshole, I could almost hear him smirking at me down the phone line. He probably thought that I would cave instantly and accept his daughter as my mate, but he didn’t know me as well as he thought he did. I wasn’t going to give up on my true mate or my pack. His attitude made me even more determined to find my mate and make her mine before anyone could come between us.
I hung up the call and slammed the phone down on my desk. I needed to come up with a plan. I probably only had a couple of weeks before the council showed up at my pack and tried to force me to take a chosen mate. I couldn’t let that happen, I had to stop it.
I woke up before sunrise, just like I usually do when the nightmares come. The dream was just as painful as usual but there was something different about it now. When it got to the part where we were all in the kitchen working out what to do next I heard my mother talking to me through mindlink. “There is so much that I want to tell you little one but if I don’t make it look for the box in the attic of the cottage. It is hidden in a hidden compartment inside the chimney. The key to the box is your favourite smell.” She said. This must have been the missing piece of the puzzle that my brain was trying to work out. When I woke up feeling sad but also relieved, like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Some part of me must have recognised that she was trying to tell me something. I just had to wait until my wolf was awake before I could hear her message. Maybe I should have been worried that my mind was playing tricks on me but I wasn’t. I was 100% certain that what I heard i
When I opened my eyes the light was already streaming into my room through the curtains. I can’t remember the last time I woke up feeling so refreshed and revitalised. Heck, I can’t remember the last time I woke up after the sun had come up. I glanced over at my phone on my bedside table. It may have been later than I usually wake up but I still had some time before school started. I had never bothered to set an alarm before. I could always count on my nightmares to wake me up before dawn anyway but last night there was no nightmare. If they really were gone and this wasn’t a one off freak event then I might have to start thinking about that kind of thing. I dragged myself out of bed, showered and got ready for the day ahead. Once I was dressed it became clear that I only had enough time to make myself breakfast or apply my makeup, not both. I guess I was going to have to go into school looking a mess because there is no way I could get through the day without coffee. It just wouldn’
It was a good thing that I am ahead in all my classes because I couldn’t focus on anything all morning. My brain was split between too many different things and none of them were algebra or what I wanted to do for my English project. I was too busy trying to work out what the code could be, worrying that my mate might be around any corner and worrying about training tonight. It is a shock that I didn’t end up walking into a wall or something with how many different directions my mind was going in. I knew that if I was going to meet my mate at school it would most likely be at lunchtime. So when lunchtime arrived I wasn’t sure if I should be relieved for the break or worried about meeting my mate. I walked to the dining hall as quickly as I could, only stopping when I reached the entrance. I looked around the room, expecting to lock eyes with my mate but nothing happened. I breathed a sigh of relief. I was the first person of our group to arrive in the dining hall so I sat down at
Once school was over I didn’t have a whole lot of time until training was due to start. Just enough time for me to go home, make a quick snack then change into my work out clothes. Black leggings, pink sports bra and black strappy t-shirt. It wasn’t exactly the height of fashion but it hugged my curves in all the right places, even I had to admit that I looked hot. I guess it wouldn’t be too bad to meet my mate wearing something like this. I pulled on my trainers and ran out of the house before I could overthink things and get myself worked up. I thought that I was arriving to the training session early but it looked as though my training group were an eager bunch. I was one of the last ones to arrive. Most of them had already arranged themselves into pairs and were practising sparring with each other. “I was worried that you weren’t going to show up.” Felix said. He was smirking at me, this jerk actually believes that he is going to beat me. I would enjoy kicking his ass and wipin
Elijah mostly smelt of the first after a heavy rain to me but there was also a faint smell of roses. I didn’t think anything of it at first but as I was talking it reminded me of my mom. She always used to wear a perfume that smelled of roses. Now even all these years later I still found the smell of roses comforting. I had been trying to work out the code based on the smells that I liked now, that was why I was struggling. It made sense that the code would be something I liked while my parents were still alive. This had to be the answer, it seemed so obvious now. I ran all the way from the hall to my house and straight up to my room. Ryker, Christian and Kerry watched me running up the stairs with interest but they didn’t make an attempt to stop me. I could only imagine what they must be thinking. Once I was in my room I closed the door and sat down on the floor in my closet. I worked out the numeric code which would correspond to the word rose. I typed it into the keypad and tur
I woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. I had solved the puzzle of the safe and my nightmares had stopped. Now the only problems I had were finding these keys and working out what to do about Elijah. The second of these problems was probably going to be the most painful. After all my talk about not accepting my mate I guess it serves me right to be paired with someone who didn’t want me. Nicely played moon goddess. The thought of my imminent rejection weighed on my mind but I wasn’t going to let anyone else see my pain. I showered and got changed for school. As an act of defiance I wore a black lace dress rather than my more usual t-shirt and jeans. The dress came just above my knees. It was tight until it reached my waist where it flared out. It was a bit too dressy for school so I paired it with my converse trainers and my leather jacket to dress it down a little. At least this way I would look good while I was getting painfully rejected. Maybe if I was lucky I could sto
If I headed straight to school I would be there far too early so I decided to take a bit of a detour on my way. I walked through the town centre, most of the shops were still closed at this time of the morning but the local coffee shop would be open. That was at least one thing I could rely on, even if the rest of my life had been turned upside down. The street was a hive of activity as people were getting their shops ready to open in a few hours time. There were delivery vans parked in the streets and people rushing around to offload the stock. I ducked down one of the side streets to keep out of everyone's way. I weaved through the side streets until I reached the edge of town and the coffee shop I was heading for. It was a lovely family owned coffee shop. Some people might call it hipster in style with its fake rustic aesthetic and quirky elements throughout the shop. I don’t normally like this kind of place but as they do the best coffee in town by far I just ignore how pretenti
I normally walked around school with my head down but even that didn’t stop me from noticing that there was something different. At first I thought it was all in my head, Then I remembered the woman at the coffee shop and I started to pay a little more attention. Over the last few years I had grown used to the other students calling me a rogue and generally making fun of me. I had a small group of friends but other than that I was ignored by most of the school. The only other people who didn’t ignore me were Felix’s crowd. They knew that Felix had a problem with me and they wanted to show their support by bullying me. Today however, everything was different. Every lesson I went to that morning the other students would glance in my direction and whisper when I walked in the room. People were stopping me in the corridor just to talk to me. Some people even lowered their heads to me as I passed them. Apparently everyone in the pack knew I would be their luna soon. When I walked into