Hazel
I walked through the woods with Gera flying lazily beside me, the leaves crunched beneath my feet, and the cool breeze ruffled my long blonde hair. Autumn was my favorite time of year, the changing leaves made me feel so alive, ironic considering they were dying. The shortened days made for longer nights and the stars always made me feel less alone. The other nymphs favored spring, rebirth, new life, and all that. While it was a beautiful time of year it just wasn't for me.
This part of the forest held a special place in my heart, these weren't nymph trees just regular non-magical ones that didn't mind my presence. They eminated life and freedom, there was no other life tied up in theirs beside the creatures who lived in their boughs. Envy and the unshakable boredom that dominated my days followed me, closer than Gera who flew near enough to be confused as my shadow.
Something inside me screamed that if I kept walking I might find something different. The image of the wolf popped into my mind and my stomach fluttered in anticipation. I shook my head, it was silly to think he'd be here now. Nymphs weren't supposed to come to this part of the forest, it was supposedly dangerous, but I'd been here hundreds of times and never found anything other than trees and woodland creatures. Maybe I was the danger they warned about.
At least the sweet little furballs didn't turn their heads and pretend to not notice me when I walked by. In fact, they liked me, and would often come and say hello, chirping happy songs about nuts and whatever else they liked. Except when Gera was with me, they were too smart to run toward an owl who would happily turn them into her next meal. She was a good familiar but she did put a damper on my burgeoning relationship with the chipmunks.
Gera suddenly dropped out of the air and hovered in my face flapping her wings in alarm. The wordless link between us told me she saw someone out of the ordinary. My heart leapt thinking it might be him, Gera did fear the wolves. She wanted me to turn back, but that exciting feeling of something different was too much to ignore, maybe I could see him again.
I heard it then, the sound of leaves crunching beneath feet that were much larger than my furry friends. A beautiful girl stepped out from behind a tree. My hopes to see the wolf again were dashed, but the disappointment didn't last.
Her lips curved in a welcoming smile that immediately put me at ease, but Gera hooted angrily at her and tried to convince me to turn around and run. Her long black hair flowed around her like a silk sheet, ending at her narrow waist. She wore a floor-length forest green gown that complimented the purple eyes set in her lovely face. A thick fringe of lashes matched her hair and decorated her eyes giving her a mysterious, otherworldly beauty.
"Are you a fairy?" She asked me, with genuine excitement lighting the violet depths of her eyes. She looked human, but as far as I knew their eyes didn't come in that color.
"I'm a nymph, so kind of." I told her with a shrug and fluttered my wings for emphasis.
"That's amazing!" She gushed as her eyes ran over my glittering wings. "I've never met a fae of any variety before. Are you part of a court?" Her enthusiasm was catching.
"No, wood nymphs don't have a court. We stick to the forest, it's pretty boring. You're not human, right?" I asked her, in awe of the fact that I was having an actual conversation with someone without them looking scared.
She laughed with a carefree and melodic sound. "No, of course not. I'm a witch, I live in the human town with my grandma and work in one of the shops, but I look a little different when I'm there." She waved a hand and her purple eyes turned a lovely sky blue. "My name is Carmen, by the way."
"Wow! That's amazing. I've always wanted to visit the human town but, you know…" I trailed off as I gestured to my wings. "My name is Hazel." She took my hand in hers, shaking it. I never performed the gesture before and was a little awkward, but she smiled at me warmly instead of making me feel weird about it.
"I could help you with that, you know?" She had a mischievous glint in her eye that drew me in much more than it warned me off.
"Really, how?" She looked around to make sure there was no one lurking nearby.
"Well, I'm not supposed to, but I have a potion that will hide your wings for a little while. It's not too long, only a couple of hours, but you could go to the human town and look around before they came back." Pleasure ran through me at the thought of what she described.
"What about my ears?" I asked, gesturing to the pointy things on the side of my head.
She shook her head still smiling. "It wouldn't hide those, but your beautiful hair would." She reached out to me, fluffing my hair and covering my ears.
I flushed at the compliment. "What would you want for it?" I asked her, knowing I didn't have a single thing of value, and likely wouldn't be getting that potion. I didn't know too much about witches, but they did not have a reputation for doing things for free.
"You would just owe me a favor, that's all. Maybe I'll need an arborist." She chuckled at her joke. Two dimples apeared in her cheeks and I couldn't help the dazzling effect her laughter had on me.
"What's that?" I'd read a good number of human books but none about arborists.
"They help dying trees." She told me gently, her kindness warming the hollow in my chest. I smiled, at least that was something I could do.
"If all you want is a favor, I could do that." I smiled happily. I liked to think of myself as a helpful nymph even though no one ever wanted me to help. I could do a favor for a kind girl who was willing to help a stranger.
She pulled a little vile out of her pocket. "I just need a strand of your hair." She opened the stopper and held the bottle up to me. I pulled out one long blonde hair and dropped it in, watching in amazement as it fizzled and disappeared, a little puff of smoke floated out, the same color as my wings.
"Take this with you to the human town, and drink it right before you're ready to go in. That way you can spend as much time there as possible." Her white teeth shined as she flashed me her perfect smile.
"Would you like to come with me?" I asked in a hopeful voice knowing the answer was probably no. There was something about her that made me want to be close to her. She was being much nicer to me than anyone I knew, but that didn't mean she wanted to become best friends.
"I can't." She shook her head sadly. "I'm supposed to meet a friend on the other side of the forest, but we'll see each other again soon." She took my hands in hers and the warmth of another person filled me with such joy I nearly shook. "Have fun, okay? I have a feeling you deserve it." She dropped my hands and turned, running off toward the other side of the forest. How nice it must be to have a friend waiting.
I walked toward the human town. the possibility exploded within me. It was only midday, the perfect time to test the potion. Gera flew beside me hooting unhappily. She didn't trust the witch and I guess I understood why she was wary, but she was so nice, and this was my dream. Even if it was only for a few hours, I was getting out of this forest.
What was the worst she could do to me anyway? Even if she killed me, it wasn't as if anyone would miss me or I would miss them. A pang of guilt hit my stomach, Gera would miss me, but she would be okay without me, free to live her life as she pleased. The image of the wolf filled my mind and I shook it off, surely a stranger wouldn't miss me.
I was on the edge of the human town, far enough out of sight that no one would see me here. My hands shook a bit as I pulled the stopper out and swigged the potion. The acrid taste repulsed me, burning on the way down. I was lucky no one was nearby as I coughed, spluttered, and choked, but finally, it ended and I stood with no wings. I shivered as the anticipation raced through me, I could see him again.
Hazel I laughed in amazed disbelief. The magic was perfect, my wings were hidden, and I was free, for a few hours anyway. Gera looked me over, the concern was still heavy in her yellow eyes. "Go on, Gera. Have some fun, spend a few hours not worrying about me. I'll see you soon." I shooed her away, before I hopped out from behind the tree and started walking toward the sidewalk. "I better not see you watching overhead, either." I called over my shoulder as my feet hit the pavement. Pavement, I read a book about it once, interesting stuff, like stone you could spread. The buildings were shorter than the trees, but this was only a small town. I dreamed of going to a big city where there were buildings that touched the sky, skyscrapers sounded amazing, but this was pretty great too. I never stood in an open space like this before without trees encroaching on all
Garreth I needed to get out of the packhouse and stay out. My Beta Jackson tried to talk to me about some dealings with a nearby pack and I just ignored him. This was werewolf country and maintaining relations with other packs was a major responsibility that took a lot of careful maneuvering. I knew some saw me slipping and wanted to challenge me for my title. I couldn't keep going like this or I'd end up dead, with one of these other pricks leading my pack. Maybe I should just hand it over to Jackson and be done with it. Even if he's not the best for the job, at least he cares about our people. Unlike these grasping alphas who would abuse them and toss them away. I saw the doubt in his eyes as I turned away from him. "Deal with it." I commanded in my Alpha tone as I stormed out, slamming doors like a petulant teen. I was beyond giving a shit.
Hazel His strong hands on my body made me feel a hundred times more alive than I ever imagined I could feel. The hole in my chest that had been there as long as I could remember was hardly even a memory. My blood sang in my veins as his scent invaded every part of my being like the proximity to him strengthened me. No amount of reading could have prepared me for the intensity of the desire coursing through me. He called me his mate when our eyes met. I didn't think nymphs could have fated mates, but the way our souls seemed to twine together made it seem believable. There had to be a reason his face drifted back to me time and time again. He was more boyish when I saved him, now he was undeniably a man. His hands were large enough to wrap around my waist. The tightness he held me with made me feel delicate and possessed. I never felt like I wanted to be owned before, but I wanted it badly now. I would happily be his, forever. His heat soaked through t
Hazel My hands shook as I walked the familiar path back to my tree. The cold wind whipped against me, and I was certain it was never this painful before. It reached inside me, chilling down to my bones. The image of the river nymph I left lying dead in the forest, and the awfulness of that act dug out my insides until I was hollow. There was nothing else I could do, I repeated to myself as I moved my listless feet across the forest floor. I had no friends, no loved ones, not even a community to reach out to in a time of crisis. My magic was fading fast and the strength to bring her back to her home was beyond a fantasy at this point. I thought of the gorgeous wolf who stole my heart the moment our eyes met, would he be waiting for me? For all I knew I imagined him and his golden eyes, there was nothing in my life that good. I couldn't tell if Gera was still beside me, the link that always existed between us see
We arrived at the packhouse, leaving the owl outside where she belonged. I pushed the door open with my foot and tried to carry her smoothly up the stairs. She winced slightly as the light hit her eyes and I turned her body to protect her from the discomfort. My beta Jackson watched me from the landing above us with a concerned look in his eyes. "Is that?" "Sh, she's sleeping," I answered more calmly than I had in weeks. He smiled ever so slightly but the doubt in his eyes didn't leave. I brought Hazel into my room and laid her on the bed. I watched in awe as my mate slept. Her tangled hair was crusted with bits of the forest and her face was stained with mud and her tears. All I wanted to do was clean her, wash her body, comb her hair, and care for her. I had other base desires of course but seeing her now caring for her was all that I truly wanted. I laid down beside her, pulling the length of her soft perfection against me, shuddering at the feeling her ne
Hazel Garreth lifted me into his strong arms, I stared slack-jawed at the rippling of his muscles as I laid my head against his sculpted chest. His warmth invaded me, soothing away the worst of the pain. He was more delectable than I could have imagined even with the help of my books. He'd filled out well in the years we spent apart. I'd read that women felt nervous and ashamed of their nakedness the first time a man saw them undressed. I didn't know how I might feel in someone else's arms, but with him, I felt nothing but secure, like I was exactly where I belonged. From the way his eyes ran over me, desired more than anything else. He kept one hand on my back and the other beneath my knees as he gently placed me in the tub. I was used to bathing in rivers, and the steamy hot water was a surprise. I gasped as it touched my skin. “Are you alright? Is it too hot?” He asked, preparing to pull me back out. The ala
The waves of pleasure crashed through me. My limp body shook long after I landed from my jump off that impossibly high peak. The phantom of his fangs haunted me in the most amazing way, my neck throbbed with something between pain and pleasure. I felt Garreth in every part of me, not just because he laid so close and had touched me like no one ever had, but his being felt like one with my own. His emotions poured into me and I was overtaken by his lust and worry. The intensity made the breath catch in my throat. My mate felt things so deeply and that fact endeared him to me even more. I was sure that my life force was tethered to his, it no longer faded into nothingness but anchored to the only person left in this world that loved me. My strength still suffered, that would not be restored unless my wings were returned to me, but the bond served th
Garreth Indescribable joy filled me at finally being bonded with my mate after all the years I'd spent searching for her. What I didn't expect was the sickening feeling of sharing my magic through our bond. Werewolves aren't magic users, we just are magic. Our blood is gifted with the same magic that hangs the moon in the sky, our ability to shift tied to its ever-changing nature. We were right in assuming that completing the bond would strengthen her, but I never anticipated the sickening effect it would have on me. I didn't mind though, as long as she was alive, gifting me with her smiles and gentle touch. This bought us a little more time to figure out a way to save her, save us both. It was obvious from the way I felt that this was no permanent solution. The madness was cleansed from my mind, the only evidence that remained was a scar on my soul. We slept in each other's arms that night, too tired to even move to clean ourselves up. When the sun rose we t