Chapter 4

By the time morning roared it’s bright head, I was beyond livid, annoyed and extremely pissed. My body was in the beginning phase of breaking the bond. A mate bond was like being born with an extra organ, or limb (a part of you) once you have it severed it felt liking you were physically getting cut, it started mildly, as an itch, then it got hot and burned before the true pain came along. I’ve seen it happen, heard the cries and the pitiful begging’s of different shifters. I had even witnessed a mate take it back.

But to experience this shit? Nope. Not me.

I slammed the caravan door so hard the wind chimes screamed. The sound didn’t soothe me like it usually did, it grated, sharp and metallic, echoing off my anger as that stupid itch around my back, thighs and feet reminded me of what that dipshit did.

My fists throbbed, still aching from the fight with Desiree. Her shriek and the way John stood behind her, smug and loyal as Haden reeled me in like a little puppy. What the fuck was Haden Horn doing here?

Weren’t he supposed to be mated to a white wolf from another pack up north?

I kept replaying the night before in my head like a curse I couldn’t shake.

The worst part? I didn’t regret it. I have wanted to put Desiree on the ground for years. She grated my wolf, and lived on my freaking nerves. And it wasn’t because she decided to shack off with my mate.

I walk around the caravan toward the small brick enclosure I built with a shower and toilet.

I grabbed a towel off the wooden shelf I made from old pinewood I got from Ike. The bathroom was the one small luxury I had. Something no one shared with me and a little reminder that although we were wolf, we were also human.

Steam encased me as I stepped in the shower, the black porcelain tiles matted with a thin layer of steam from the heat, as the gold metal shower head worked its magic. Scalding heat licking at bruised knuckles. But it didn’t wash anything away, not the humiliation, not the betrayal. And certainly not the flash of satisfaction when I saw Desiree stumble. Nor did it scrub away the annoying itchiness I couldn’t get rid off.

After my shower I slipped on a denim shorts and tank top before grabbing my small basket and made my way to the veggie garden I kept not too far from my caravan. It had a few good roots, namely potatoes, lettuce and cherry tomatoes. The rest were still a work in progress. The climate didn’t allow for too much crop, the grounds soil wasn’t healthy enough with all the wolfs marking their territories or the beaver shifters who lived near us making holes every where. But I made due.

I loved the mornings it brought many new perspectives. Firstly, most of the pack didn’t interfere in the fight, so not all were against me taking my due of Desiree. Secondly Haden Horn was around so we had two future Alphas in a close proximity which meant a fight was bound to happen unless he was just passing through (please don’t pass through, please stay and kick Johns ass). Thirdly, bitchface could possibly charge me or complain to the elders which could mean anything from kitchen duty to patrols of the west gate.

We didn’t have many enemies but the Lion’s and us have been at war for three generations now. There was no reconciliation in the near future. They took my mom, killed two of our Alphas and one Beta, 4 Lunas and many cubs. They were evil incarnate.

But still, I didn’t want to get stuck on patrol when I was due to go to the Rinks for testing. I loved the action and fighting, and wanted to be part of the sentinels for years. It was the one reason I never go rogue. The sentinels were our soldiers. They made sure our packs around the globe were safe and secure. But until I reached twenty three I couldn’t join.

But Haden and John were almost fixing age, and before either became our Alpha they would join the Rinks. A military training centre. It turned normal shifters into Killers. It was a place where only the most Elite shifters made it through. Many got kicked out. But it wasn’t only for wolfs it was for all shifters apart from the Lions. None of us liked the Lions. Not even the bears.

I was cleaning my kitchen counter when a loud knock came. Three knocks. Shit. My summons to the elders had arrived after all. Which meant duty and punishment. I groaned as the pain started in my chest. But pain or not no one ignored an elder.