Enigma

Wyatt

It took everything in me to hold back from going after her as we watched her run off into the night, but I couldn’t help the howl that left me.

After hearing stories of what it’s like for fated mates from the rare few members of my pack, I decided to wait for my mate, hoping the same would happen to me, but nothing could have prepared me for this.

I was told that the connection, the pull, the attraction, everything was fucking instantaneous when you first see each other, and yet my mate fucking resisted it and me every step of the way. How?! And, more importantly, why?

‘Not entirely, she admitted she felt the pull. Her reaction and arousal towards us also gave her away, but as you said, it would have been better without her fear mixed in.’ Axel pointed out.

‘Either way, I didn’t like her begging to be rejected by us.’ He said, followed by a slight whine.

He’s experiencing a torrid mix of emotions, like relief and joy to have found her, admiration for her strength and feistiness, and sorrow for everything we’ve learned about her.

On the one hand, she’s strong-willed, stubborn, feisty, intelligent, and in some ways, not scared of me as she wasn’t the least bit phased about talking back to me as most wouldn’t fucking dare. But on the other hand, she’s very naive, confused, uneducated, and definitely scared of me. I wonder if that’s because I’m an alpha, a man, or her mate? Could be all three, but I won’t know for sure until I find out what the fuck she’s so desperate to hide.

I heave out a big sigh and scrub my face down in frustration. Fuck, I need to get her to open up and tell me so I can protect her, and maybe I can gain her trust.

‘I know what you mean, buddy. There are a lot of things about her that we need to figure out, but one thing I am certain of is that she’s definitely been abused, and the fuckers are going to die fucking painfully and slowly for that.’ I growl, as does Axel, agreeing.

I wait a few more minutes before shifting, running in the same direction she did, following her scent, but Axel suddenly stops when he hears voices. He quickly looks for somewhere to lay low, belly crawling to tall, thick bushes nearby. Due to his size, finding places to hide is difficult. He made sure to stay downwind so they couldn’t catch our scent.

Axel lifts his head and nose, seeing and smelling the bear shifter and Tess standing outside of an apartment building. We also catch the scents of other she-wolves, including the gamma, Freya, and the others I met tonight, but most importantly, the fantastic scent of my mate. She must be close.

I wonder if she lives around here?

I turn my attention back to the bear and Tess. I also wonder who she’s related to cause she has the vibe and aura of a high-ranking wolf.

Huh, interesting.

Based on the bear's body language, those two seem more than friends, but Tess’s body language suggests that she is trying to keep her distance even though she doesn’t want to, which tells me she knows the laws regarding mixed shifter mating. If the council knew about this, they would go apeshit. I internally chuckle at the thought cause I would enjoy seeing their reaction to this.

I hone in to listen to their conversation and catch the word he is about to say before she silences him, looks around in a panic, and Axel instantly crouches further down.

They’re mates?! Oh, shit.

Yup, the council would kill him and her, without hesitation, if she had accepted his mark or even had sex with him, and going off their scents, she hasn’t. I’ve spent years hearing Isaac’s stupid ranting/lecturing about all different kinds of shit, including this topic, saying that each should stick to their kind and that it’s not normal.

I mentally roll my eyes at the memory.

People get mated to specific people for a reason, and I personally don’t give a fuck cause who am I to argue with the Goddess or her plans? I meant what I said to Isaac when I said I couldn’t give a flying fuck who my fated mate was, even a different type of shifter but given his mindset. I kept that to myself. The only reason I didn’t say it out loud is cause he wouldn’t have fucking left me alone.

Another bullshit law to add to the list of fucked up laws the council has, but right now, not my problem as I have a mate I need to focus on and figure out how to get her to accept me, plus find out what exactly the fuck is going on with the she-wolves before we venture into other shit that needs correction.

This shit is never-ending, and people wonder why I hardly leave my pack. I internally shake my head.

The sound of a door closing breaks up my thoughts, turning my attention back to what’s happening, catching the bear’s words.

Well, shit.

That hit me hard, as I completely understand where he’s coming from. Yeah, this regime needs to change or even end because it’s not just she-wolves who are suffering. It’s affecting the entire shifter community.

‘So what do you want to do?’ Axel asks, watching the cook walk away with an angry huff and shift mid-run, running off in the other direction.

‘We need to head back to the hotel and update Dean, but I’m not leaving the area.’

‘Agreed.’ Axel says while sniffing, ensuring no one was around before running off the way we came. I shift back near the hotel. Thankfully, my clothes are still there from earlier.

When I entered my room, I noticed the door had been fixed. I lifted my nose and sniffed. Good. The human who had fixed the door was the last one in here, and going off his scent, that was hours ago. Thank fuck.

I head to my little bar and pour myself a drink, downing it in one go. Fuck, I needed that while looking around for my phone.

‘You and me both. If I didn’t feel so down, I would have taken your ass out to kill shit.’ Axel grumbles in my head. I pour myself another drink while dialing Dean.

‘I know, buddy. Depending on what Tess has to say, it may be needed tomorrow. But at least Luna is a pretty and feisty wolf.’ I say, trying to cheer him up.

I feel him perk up a little. ‘Pretty? Please, she’s magnificent.’ He corrects me, softly purring.

‘True, she is. Not very often you see a white wolf. Just fucking wish I knew what her human form looked like.’

‘You better have a good reason for calling this late, and I’m going to assume the purring is for someone else. Otherwise, you and I need to talk 'cause you’re handsome and all, but I don’t swing that way.’ Dean answers with a yawn.

I scoff and roll my eyes. “Shut up, asshole, and yeah, I do. I’m staying out here for a little while, so you’re in charge.” I say, having a swig of my drink.

‘Why, what’s going on?’ He asks, all sleepiness gone from his tone and into beta mode.

“Luna and I had an interesting night. Let’s put it like that.”

‘In what way? Is she okay?’ He asks, worry coming through his tone.

“She’s physically healed, yes, but…” I rub my forehead, pacing.

‘What?’

“She’s been abused, Dean.” I sigh. “And she’s had a mate before,” I say with a slight growl.

Dean doesn’t say anything for a few moments. ‘Shit.’ He murmurs.

“Yup, plus she’s...different.”

‘In what way?’ He asks, confused.

“Well, for one, she’s fucking powerful. Her aura is fucking off the charts. If she were a male, I’d say she was an Alpha. But I can get the sense she doesn’t know or realize it, just like she doesn’t know about a lot of things.”

‘Okay, unusual, but you need to explain the rest. Things like what? I don’t get what you’re trying to say.’ Dean asks, a little exasperated.

I groan and roll my eyes.

‘Just tell me.’

I take a big swig and sit down before I reply, cause I’m going to need it. ”Fine, in a nutshell? I think she has PTSD. She’s fucking scared, confused, painfully naive, and fucking clueless about the simple shit when it comes to shifters. There, fucking understand me now?”

‘Hold up, what do you mean ‘clueless about shifters’? She is one.’

“She didn’t know that Alpha saliva heals wounds for one, and she mentioned something about never knowing, and I quote, ‘that mates were a thing’ until she met her ex.”

‘Well, fated pairs are rare, so understandable…’ He casually starts saying.

“No, not fated. Mates, period.” I cut him off.

‘Excuse me, what?’

“Exactly what I said. Mates as in chosen, fated, whatever, she said she didn’t know about mates at all.” I clarify, stunning myself all over again by that. Whoever raised her really did do a number on her.

‘How the fuck is that possible?!’ He asks, dumbfounded.

Yup, join the club. Wait, did Dean just fucking swear? I silently chuckled at that.

I shake my head. “She said something about being lied to and growing up very sheltered.”

‘Still, every wolf, heck, every type of shifter, knows about mates.’

“I know. I was, still am, fucking shocked, but other than saying she’s never lived in a pack, she didn’t say anything more. She’s been a lone wolf all her life, essentially.”

‘But how did she recognize you then if she didn’t know?’

“Well, Luna said she kinda suspected from the moment she smelled me, wolf’s intuition and all that shit, as she put it, but her human still had to ask how mates are confirmed.” I sigh.

‘I just don’t know what to say. This is…Wow….’ He sighed, and judging the thud I heard, he had to sit down.

“Yup, it’s going to be hard work. She’s also very stubborn, and she’s definitely hiding something. So, between her hard head, traumas, and secrets, it’s not going to be easy to get her to lower her guard and gain her trust.” I scrub my cheek and forehead.

“I’ll be honest, dude. I have no idea how to go about this.” I sigh.

‘You think she’s hiding something? And sorry, man. I guess that Tess woman wasn’t exaggerating when she said she’s been through the wringer.’

I let out a humorless chuckle. “That’s putting it mildly. Going off the bits and pieces she said, the names she called her ex, and what I saw in her dreams, one of the bastards who hurt her was this previous mate. I don’t have to tell you that the moment I find out who it is, he’s dead.” I growl.

“And yes, I do. What, I don’t know…Yet. Dean, she’s gone to great lengths to hide herself from me, going as far as refusing to show me her human form, so I mostly talked to her wolf. She even refused to reject me and kept begging me to do it. So what does that tell you?”

‘Oh yeah, she’s definitely hiding something. That’s extreme.’ Dean says, bristling his lips. ‘I honestly don’t know what to say, man. It sounds like it will be a difficult hurdle, that’s for sure. I hope she allows you to prove you are not like the others.’ He sighs.

I hear a scrape. ‘Hold up! You talked with her wolf? How?! I’m assuming from what you told me, there's no way she would let you mark her.’

“Oh yeah, that was the other weird thing. Turns out we could mind link without being marked. I assume it’s because it’s a fated mate bond.” I shrug, even though he can’t see me.

Truthfully, I have no idea how, let alone how to explain it or even how we could mind link, and until Dean brought it up, I kind of forgot about it. I was just happy that at least I was able to talk to her, feel her out, and see what the fuck I’m dealing with.

‘Well, fuck, that’s...I wonder if others could do that.’ He murmured more to himself, but I could still hear him.

“Damn, Dean, haven’t you heard you swear this much like ever? I mean, two fucks in one phone call. Do I need to rinse your mouth out with soap?” I chuckle. "Good Idea, ask them."

I occasionally enjoy teasing him. Goddess knows I could use a laugh right now.

‘All due respect but fuck off, Wyatt. You’ve dropped a few bombs on me, okay? I’m allowed. And I will, mostly because I’m curious now.’

He starts chuckling out of nowhere. ‘This is going to be fun.’

“What?”

‘I was thinking about what you said about her being a hardhead. Sounds like this mate of yours will give you a run for your money if she’s as stubborn as you say. Finally met your match.’ He laughs.

“I’m not that fucking bad,” I grumble.

‘Oh yes, you are.” He chuckles before clearing his throat. ‘Anyway, so what’s the plan now?’ He asks.

“I plan to go back in the morning to stake out the apartment building where her scent is and maybe, hopefully, see what she looks like in her human form. After everything that happened earlier, we need information, so talking to Tess is also a MUST now. I suspect all of them will have a story similar to what we heard of that young gamma. If so, this shit needs to end now! Not just for my mate but all of them.”

‘I agree and stand behind you, Alpha.’

We stay on the phone for a few more minutes, working out some details, before we hang up. Since it’s the middle of the night, I doubt anyone will be awake, so I have a quick shower and catch some sleep before I head back out in the morning, as I plan to be outside bright and early, and I hope FINALLY to see what my mate looks like in human form.

After my shower, I lay in bed, dissecting everything that happened again, and I couldn’t help the smile that crept up when my thoughts turned to her.

If I could describe her with just one word, it’s enigma. That’s what she is. A magnificently beautiful enigma, and despite the challenges, a part of me can’t wait to unravel every little thing. The good, the bad - bring it on because there’s no way I will give her up. If she thinks she can scare me off, she’s sadly mistaken.

That’s my last thought as I drift off to sleep.