CHAPTER SIX: THE PAST

Dalton’s P.O.V

I couldn’t stop thinking of the wolf. I can’t define it; it’s just there. I’ve been sleeping at the Troubled Waters for about 2 weeks now, and she just shows up every day to curl up beside me. I swear I’ve never felt so much at peace in my life. Sometimes it feels like I've known the wolf all my life, like I grew up with her, like I’m connected to her. I used to feel like this for Caitlyn, but that was understandable; she’s my mate.

Up until I came across the wolf, that is. It wasn’t possible for a shifter to be gifted with two mates. What am I even thinking about? I wasn’t even sure she was a shifter and not a pure wolf. Goddess, I need to figure this out soon before I go mad. My thoughts were interrupted by the list of chores handed to me. What an irony life was, a pure Alpha Bloodbeing asked to wash toilets, but I’d do anything for my son, so off we go.

It was already nightfall by the time I finished all the chores on the list and slowly made my way in the direction of the Troubled Waters. To be honest, the Troubled Waters is starting to feel like home to me, all because of a certain Canine.

On getting to the gate that surrounds the Troubled Waters, I walked in and gingerly shut the gate. I had made the mistake of startling her last week, and she growled at me all through the night.

“Wolfy, Wolfy,” I called, looking around. Where was she? She would normally have crawled out from wherever she was by this time. Still calling out loudly, I walked around the shrubs and trees that surround the waters where she sleeps during the day. She would usually run out growling at me because I used the name “WOLFY.” She hated the name. The day I had first called her the name, she just looked up at me with a nauseating expression and trotted away. It took almost two hours of cajoling to get back into her good graces.

I remember that day clearly. I already had a shitty day at the pack, or at least one of my shittiest in the pack. James usually allows me to see my son at the end of the month and even spend some time with him if he was in a good mood. However, he refused by the end of the past month. He even went as far as proclaiming that I would never be allowed to see my son ever again. For the first time in the two years since I gave up my position, I was angry enough to fight back, and I did. I fought with all the strength I had, but it was not enough. The strength he got from the Alpha position and the strength of being an Alpha blood-born wolf made him nearly invincible and definitely out of my league. I couldn’t even cause a scratch on his body. So yes, it was safe to say I had lost on both sides. I gave up my birthright and position to save my son, a son I would no longer see. No matter how gloomy life seemed, I don’t and never will regret any decision I made to save my son’s life. I knew from the very first day I held him in my hands that I would always love and protect him. I would give anything to see him again, but I could live with the knowledge that he was safe somewhere. James might be a sick bastard, but he would never hurt a child, at least I hoped so.

I was cut short by a loud growl that sounded like it came from the waterside. Only the Goddess knows how she does it; she just shows up conveniently at her own time. One of the things I’ve noticed is that Wolfy is a very prideful wolf. She does things at her own pace slowly and gingerly; she trots instead of galloping, she even drinks water elegantly. I walk out to the water bed, and there she was sitting in her self-proclaimed corner, elegantly licking at her paws. On seeing me, she nodded at me in acknowledgment before going back to licking. Shaking my head in acceptance, I start creating my makeshift bed. It soon became dark, and I laid down on my bed to rest, and soon wandered into my thoughts. I saw her stand out of the corner of my eyes and trotted gently to me. She stopped beside me, stared at me before plopping down beside me and making herself comfortable, and suddenly the peace was back.

I don’t know how she does it, but the peace she brings makes all my demons go away, and with that peace, I closed my eyes and slept off.

I was not supposed to wake up by this time, but I just couldn’t explain it, something was different. I didn’t even have to open my eyes to know it was barely an hour past midnight. I was so reluctant to open my eyes, but the change I was sensing made me so uncomfortable. I rubbed my eyes open, and there it was. There was a woman sleeping beside me. Not just any woman, sleeping beside me was the most beautiful, most stunning woman I have ever seen. From her head to her feet, she looked more and more stunning. She was sleeping where Wolfy slept yesternight, and I couldn’t explain it, but she reminded me so much of Wolfy. She had the whitest hair I have ever seen in my life, she had the same symbol on her forehead. She looked like the human form of Wolfy. Oh goddess, I had always had the feeling that Wolfy was behaving to be just a wolf. She behaved too much like a werewolf, and from the looks of it, this was her human part. I was convinced. I spent over thirty minutes staring at her before she woke up. She looked confused that I was staring at her before realizing why. With a panicked expression on her face, she tried to get away, and in an equally panicked reaction, I grabbed her arm, and that moment sealed our fate.

The reaction was instantaneous, the sparks were consuming, an invisible thread tied together. She turned around to look at me, and we both spoke in conjunction with our wolves, a word we never thought we could ever say. “MATE”.