Chapter 3

Viola’s POV

“Why are you doing this?” I asked breathy. “You’re my mate.”

“So I have discovered.” He growls pulling his face away only to bring his lips to mine. I started to kiss him back eagerly and bring my hands to his chest. The growling in my head became louder and stopped suddenly. I froze. He removed his lips from me only to keep his nose touching mine. 

“I don’t understand.” I frowned as my body began to shake.

He chuckles and brings his face away from me. “You will.” He lets go and disappears off into the trees.

I dropped to all fours as the shaking becomes convulsive and my bones start breaking, shifting. ‘Hello Viola, I am here now.’ Her voice rumbled. ‘I’m Vex, your wolf. And this is our second shift.’ Her voice trailed off as I completely transform into a wolf. 

Shocked I take off at a dead run. My movement faster and stronger than I had ever been. I didn’t stop until I reached the river on the other side of pack territory. I stopped so abruptly that my four legs went down in separate directions.

‘How can this be our second shift if I had never gotten my wolf until now?’ I ask Vex as we lay there. Pushing our limbs under us we walk to the river.

‘We were very small. We were too much, too soon.’

I looked at our reflection in the water. Our eyes were red rather than my usual violet. Our fur whiter than the snow save for a patch of black in the shape of a diamond on our chest. ‘Too soon?’

‘We were three.’ 

‘So mother poisoned us? Bound us?’

‘Not our real mother.’ She growled.

‘But she had our mate helping her? Why would he do that?’

‘He is the son of the man who helped her before. He wasn’t there.’

I shake my large head trying to process. We stalked back and forth for what felt like forever before I realized how dark it was getting. Running back to the pack gates was effortless, it was like flying. My body began shaking as the bones began shifting and breaking back to our usual form. I began vomiting while on all fours before I hear my father and Derek yelling for me. 

“Here.” I croaked. Turning back hadn’t taken away the heightened senses. It seemed like those were going to stay at this point. 

Derek reached me first and took his shirt off to cover me up. After slipping my arms through the sleeves he picked me up and widened his eyes. “Alpha Drake!” He called. “I think she shifted.”

My father’s face was above us as I began to drift off. Shifting must make one tired, because I felt like I would go into a coma right there.

*****

Trenton’s POV

I couldn’t believe that the first time my father finally sent me in his place the target had happened to be my mate. Dalia was going to have a major shit storm, tell Jake, and then he’s going to make me into breakfast. I kicked a rock forward to the river. 

‘What the hell Trey?’ I ask my wolf.

‘Don’t ask me about it Trenton, I didn’t pick the target.’ I feel him inwardly sigh. ‘She was intoxicating though.’

Before I can agree he’s sending mental pictures in our head of her face. I’d never met a wolf with violet eyes before. Her lips were red and her body fit under mine perfectly. ‘Stop it Trey. We need to think.’

He growls. Her lilac scent hovers before us again, I thought it was because of Trey but as it happened we were suddenly downwind from her. Quickly I went behind a tree to watch her. If it weren’t for her scent I wouldn’t have thought it was her stalking back and forth, she was easily the largest wolf I had ever seen. Bigger than my father and hers. Females, even alpha females, were not typically bigger than any male alpha.

‘She’s not just a wolf.’ Trey says. 

I blinked several times as she sped off. He was right. There was no possible way she was just a wolf. ‘Do you think she’s like us?’

‘Maybe, we need to find out if she is Trenton, because if she is then she’s in danger at Shadow Pack.’ Trey sounded nervous and I completely understood where he was coming from. Just our luck to be sent to deal with a woman who ends up being our mate. And not just any wolf either, a hybrid at the very least. 

‘Only a few know of our kind Trey, I’m sure it would take Shadow Pack awhile to figure her out if she is like us. She’s probably safe for now. We just need to find out everything we can before we’re freaking out honestly bro.’

Trey sighed. ‘Did you forget that Dalia was the one she needed protection from dude?’ Shit, I totally had. Damn! 

‘We need to find her father and talk to him then.’

‘Assuming he isn’t involved.’ Trey mused.

I shook my head. ‘He isn’t, Jake was adamant that we only discuss the contract with Dalia, not her mate.’

Shifting into our large black wolf I sped off towards a safe house where I was to meet Dalia. Hopefully I could get some answers without letting it slip that her daughter was our mate. 

After reaching the safe house I sniffed the air to learn that Dalia had already been here waiting for us. ‘Let’s get the show on the road.’ Trey mumbled protectively.

“You’re late Trenton, Jake assured me you would take the contract seriously rather than gallivanting around.” Dalia’s voice was shrill with her frustration. Her golden eyes were glowing showing that her wolf was near the surface.

“Wanted to meet the contract while she was alone, get a good idea of what we’re dealing with.” I answered casually. “What exactly are you wanting done with her?”

Dalia ran a hand through her short brown hair. “Binding her with that spell didn’t seem to work in terms of keeping her that way. That witch assured me it would last a lifetime, not a mere nineteen years.” She grumbled. “Binding won’t work again, I’ve come across some witches in the Clover Pack with an elixir to snuff out a wolf completely.” She stopped pacing and stood in front of me. “I want you to get it for me.”

‘Trenton we can’t do this.’ Trey growls at me.

“Very well, who is my contact?”