Chapter Five

Tara

Trinity shook herself and stretched, then stilled, pulling a scent into her nose. Something smelled amazing! She searched for the source, while I tried to get used to being in this strange space, struggling to surrender control of my body to my wolf.

I could hear everyone cheering, excited chatter about how beautiful she was, and that made her happy. She strutted proudly until she located the source of the scent.

That scent overpowered every other sense, trampling any rational thought. One word stuck on repeat. MATE!

Wait a minute—MATE?

This crazy wolf of mine started running straight toward the Lycan King! I tried to get her to stop, but she ignored me.

"What are you doing, Trinity? You have to stop! They are going to think we are attacking the Lycan King! Have you lost your damn mind? Are you trying to get us killed?"

Then, suddenly, I understood.

The smell of caramel popcorn, roasted marshmallows, and a hint of campfire finally reached me. The realization hit me like a double-decker bus.

The Lycan King WAS my fated mate! How could this be happening? It was just a silly crush! I could feel intense joy squeezing into a single point, ready to explode like a supernova.

Trinity slowed, now standing before him, her head cocked to the side, completely oblivious to the warriors who had shifted and were watching her every move, ready to defend their King.

He signaled to the guards to stand down, and they quickly shifted back to their human forms. His Beta, Alexander, finally broke the silence, taking a step back as he gazed at Trinity, grinning from ear to ear.

"You are the cutest wolf I have ever seen! Look at her, the way she tilts her head! She’s fantastic!" he gushed. Trinity stood taller, soaking up the praise. "Our queen!"

My fancy-pants wolf was just eating it up! Prancing around, head held high, relishing every compliment, every bit of attention! I burst out laughing, calling to her as I adjusted to her world.

"Trinity, you're a superstar!"

King Maddoc snapped out of his trance-like state and growled, "MINE!"

He shifted into his wolf, who stared at Trinity, radiating love. At that moment, her heart filled with such joy, such pure happiness, that it filled my heart too. The supernova exploded, like an emotional orgasm that wouldn’t stop. So beautiful. Words failed.

Before me stood a splendid wolf with shiny black fur and purple eyes. I could hear his voice, in Trinity’s mind. "Hi! I’m Koda! Your mate!" There was something primal, yet innocent, about him. "You are the most beautiful wolf in the world!"

The King's wolf was as beautiful as he was, and a total sweetheart! Trinity dashed towards Koda, joyfully proclaiming, "MATE!"

I was aware of Alexander shouting at the warriors as they shifted again, still ready to protect their King. "Idiots, that’s our queen! That’s his mate, stand down!"

Fear flooded through me, but Trinity just ignored them. A growl from Koda was all it took. Relief replaced the fear coursing through me at the sight of those gigantic Lycan beasts.

They were beautiful and terrifying, like nothing I had ever seen in person. None of the images I had stored in my mind of the Lycan form from books and movies did them justice.

But Koda, in his wolf form, was on his own level. Trinity fell head over heels in LOVE, just like that, and she chucked caution into the wind.

She tilted her head, looking at Koda and pondering her next move. I couldn't see her yet, but Trinity was a fluffy (of course) white wolf with black paws, one black ear, and a black-tipped tail. She was also huge! Not as big as Koda, whose head was high enough to stand eye to eye with a tall human, but she was as big, if not bigger, than any Alpha.

Trinity, in her newborn state, seemed to glow in the moonlight. Goddess, was she happy! She jumped up and met Koda mid-air in a weird sort of aerial hug, then inexplicably veered off toward the woods and ran like the wind.

Wave after wave of euphoria hit me. She and I became one, both experiencing the joy of paws on the ground and newly sharpened senses. We ran, and Koda chased after us. We could feel how much he loved to chase us. It matched our love of being chased! We jumped over fallen trees, smelled all kinds of new smells, including some sleeping squirrels and a few possums. The forest came alive with smells, as we came alive within the forest.

Behind us was the delicious smell of our mate, in hot pursuit. I could smell a few warriors from both the King’s group and Blue Moon keeping their distance behind us. Was that deliberate or because Trinity could run so fast?

Finally, we came to a stop near the river, badly needing a drink. How did we get there so fast? Koda caught up to us, and after we drank our fill, we rubbed our nose against his, brushing against his sides, wagging our tail like a happy puppy.

Koda lay down in the grass to catch his breath, so we flopped down on our side, facing him so we could look into his lavender eyes. What a sight we must have been—two huge wolves flopped on the lush grass by the river, panting, tongues hanging out the sides of our mouths, two tails that couldn't stop wagging.

"Mate," Koda’s voice spoke to Trinity again, and he was rewarded with sloppy wolfy kisses that probably tickled his face.

I chuckled, as I pulled back a bit, letting Trinity have her moment. My brain was too tired to process anything, and I think I passed out before she did.

"Mate," Trinity agreed. She laid her head against Koda's side. "Mate's fur is so soft," she purred, suddenly realizing how tired she was. She closed her eyes and blissfully fell asleep under the stars and the smiling moon.

Koda made sure we were properly guarded before he allowed his own eyes to close. He made it clear that the warriors were to keep them safe and undisturbed.

He curled his body protectively around his sleeping mate and followed her into dreamland.