Holy shit was I freaked out when she manifested in my head and started talking to me! She told me all about being a wolf shifter and the Moon Goddess, Selene. How I was special and stronger than all other shifters. Because of that, I got her earlier than others normally would get their wolves. Much, much earlier.
I thought I was going crazy, so I checked out book after book from the public library on psychology and mental disorders. Just trying to understand what was happening to me.
Once the initial shock and freak out was over, I relaxed and began to hone my werewolf senses. When I focused on that instead of myself, I realized that others in my life were also shifters. It was the scent of them that alerted me to the fact that they were different than the humans. Most humans have a fairly boring and faint smell, but shifters’ scents are complex and tend to swirl. It’s very inviting and overwhelming, until you get used to it.
Patty and Stanley were the first ones to stand out for me. But so were many of their diner patrons along with some other students and teachers at Zeus Academy. I felt an overwhelming sense of relief to know that I wasn’t actually crazy.
Also, before Infinity, I never felt like I really belonged anywhere. Even at Zeus Academy. I was smarter than all my peers so that intimidated most away from me. Once Infinity came into my life, I found myself suddenly being comfortable with those around me. The realization that I would, one day, finally be accepted into a culture and society, helped me settle into the knowledge and accept that I was special, even in the werewolf world.
As the days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months with Infinity in my head, we pieced together several things. A few were incredibly disturbing. The biggest is that I am a by-product of rape.
My Mama suffered severe PTSD because of what my bio-father did to her, and that PTSD mostly manifested through her dreams. As we shared a small bed at the time, I was well aware of her nightmares already. But until Infinity came, she never really spoke much during them; just tossing and turning and heavily crying.
After Infinity, the screaming and begging began. She begged over and over again for someone to not hurt her. When she would finally jerk awake, she was always be gripping her neck and struggling to breathe.
In each instance, I always did my best to calm her down, even though it never seemed to help her all that much. But Infinity said that she wouldn’t suffer her nightmares for too much longer. That she would meet her mate soon; the Goddess said Mama was just as special as I am. She would be mated to a great Alpha and that their destiny together would positively change the shifter world. It made me so happy to know that Mama would also have her place in my new society. That I wouldn’t lose her in order to keep the shifter world a secret.
When Mama met Tyson, to say I was thrilled is an understatement. He adored her, right away and that is something she desperately needed. Her confidence was shot, and I just knew he would build her up and be there for her, like a mate should. What I didn’t expect though was to have our friends killed and to be kidnapped by my insane bio-father right after meeting Tyson.
Yeah, that was kind of a shocker.
I spent three months away from Mama and Tyson, being held hostage, in a way. I spent most of that time at Pine Woods pack. My Uncle Cain and Aunt Melinda’s pack, although they weren’t mated at the time. While there, I started learning how to spar and how to run a pack as it’s Alpha. Cain was an amazing teacher, as was his Pup Trainer, Garrett.
Unfortunately, Alpha Cain was held to contracted secrecy having me on his territory. He owed money to Kent, my bio-father, because of Cain’s brother’s gambling debts. Cain kept me ‘hostage’ for those three months as a way to pay those debts off and hopefully, save his pack from starvation and bankruptcy.
When Kent picked me up from Pine Woods, Cain immediately went to River View to ‘turn himself in’, so to speak, to Mama and Daddy. He wanted to do the right thing by me while also ensuring his pack would survive. He didn’t expect to find his mate when he went to do that, but he did.
Mama couldn’t stand the idea of Cain being executed for his violation of shifter laws by keeping me hidden. Mama and Daddy chose to help him instead of punishing him or turning him over to the council. And I am forever grateful that they spared him. Cain is an amazingly wonderful male and fantastic Alpha to his pack.
The years that followed after Daddy rescued me from Kent, and he temporarily took over leadership of my pack, Blue Meadow, were the absolute best years of my life. Yes, they were filled with lots of training and schooling, important things to learn and remember. But they were also filled with love, laughter, and acceptance from my constantly growing family.
Mama and Daddy gave me ten siblings during that time. Yes, ten! The Goddess told Mama early on, that it didn’t matter if they used protection. They were fated to have a certain amount of pups and trying to prevent was useless. She proved it to them too. After a while, they stopped trying to prevent pregnancy and just enjoyed the pack house being over filled with chaos and the proof of their love.
Daddy had to remodel the Alpha quarters and combine it with part of the Beta floor below us in order to accommodate all the pups in the house. Uncles Thomas and Adam, the beta couple of the pack, moved to another home near the packhouse when they adopted their pups so they could have enough room. As did Uncle Niall and Aunt Amanda, the Gammas, with their pups. The Gamma residence was turned into a live-in area for the nannies. We had four live-in nannies. Then add in the security teams for each heir and when we needed to go anywhere as a family, it was like bringing our own professional football team. So, as you can imagine, we didn’t go out to the human areas much.
UNKNOWN POV I watch from the tree top where I’m perched, just on the edge of Blue Meadow’s territory lines, but safely inside ‘no man’s land’. The safe zone, where I won’t be detected and hunted by patrol wolves. I see Alpha Madison leading her pack to the large granite stone in the middle of the blue dahlia field where they hold their funerals. Walking next to the little runt shifter is a man I never expected to see on Blue Meadow territory. I never expected to see him on any pack territory. Anywhere. Ever. Joshua Logan. We received word that she found her mate and shockingly, he is human. I came to investigate myself instead of sending a lacky spy in my place. I had to know for sure, with my own eyes, if our information is correct. It seems our informant wasn’t lying. Famous NFL star Joshua Logan is her fated mate. She wouldn’t be holding hands like that if he wasn’t. This poses a serious problem for
JOSH POV Holy fuck! I have magic?! Seriously? This can’t be real! Can it? I guess it can, since werewolves are real. Soulmates are real. My life being turned into a supernatural shit show is real. So, why CAN’T I have magic too? Fuck. My. Life. Why the hell was I the one who was given this… what even is this? A curse? A gift? Right this very minute, it feels like a curse. All of a sudden, I am feeling incredibly overwhelmed. I’m overwrought with anxiety and sexual tension. The last few days have been a lot and I’m really not sure I can handle much more at one time. I just thought I was helping Maddie with her own grief, simply by being by her side and holding her hand. I didn’t know I was doing all of that magical emotional morphing stuff. I run my hands over my face and up into my hair. How much weirder can my life get right now? I really miss the days, which were not that long ago mind you, when all
MADDIE POV “We can get into MI a little more later on. Right now though, I want to fill you in on something that happened at the funeral stone tonight. The reason I kissed you and thanked you after the howling.” I say as I come out from behind my desk and sit on my sofa. I pat the cushion next to me, inviting Josh to sit with me. Josh sits beside me and takes my free hand, “You know, I was curious about that.” He says as he leans over and gives me a little kiss. “However, whatever the reason may be, I’ll never deny you a kiss, Maddie.” I know I begin to blush. I don’t know why either. “Well umm,” I have to clear my throat, giving me a moment to get my hormones back under control. A simple peck brings my desire for Josh roaring right back to the surface. Unfortunately, this isn’t the time, but it’s coming. Fin begins wagging her tail and purring a bit at the thought of finally having our mate. “I haven’t fully explained the Luna position t
MADDIE POV The feeling begins while I’m standing on the funeral stone reading off the names of our fallen. My heart is heavy and aching. I can feel Infinity whimpering in pain and sadness inside my head, our guilt overwhelming us both, because we didn’t protect our whole pack from the torturous pains of death. But as I near the end of my list, I feel a pull, a tug on my despair. As it leaves my body, my voice gains strength and my emotions of peace and serenity coat my prayer to Selene. I know the pack feels the change too. As they lift their heads to howl their final goodbye, their wolves move forward, wanting to acknowledge the impact their Luna is having on all of our grief. I hear their gruff animal voices in the pack link, almost bringing me to my knees in shock and surprise. Our wolf spirits don’t choose to communicate with many other than their human counterpart and their mate. Even our pups don’t hear their wolf parent’s voice very many times
JOSH POV This is quite the experience. I’ve never witnessed something of this magnitude before. Yes, I’ve been to funerals, but I’ve never seen one as big as this. Not only is it a large crowd, but everyone is walking to the funeral site. All the funerals I’ve attended in my life, everyone drove to the cemetery. And they were usually in the morning or early afternoon, not at night. It is pitch black out here. All I can see are our candles and the faces of the people nearest to me illuminated by their own candle’s tiny flame. But far in the distance, I can see larger flames lighting up the night. I’m just thankful that Maddie has a hold of my hand, or I wouldn’t be able to find my way. As we get closer, I realize the flames I saw are torches. Fires blaze at the top of long wooden poles that are standing tall from being secured in stone holes. The stone in which these holes are carved stands high above our heads. It looks to be at least ten foot tall a
MADDIE POV“Sweet pea?” Mama calls out, checking to see if I’m here. I step into my bedroom from the bathroom with my hair done and clothing in hand.“Hey Mama. You and Josh have a good afternoon?” I ask. She still looks tired but she’s moving around much better than she was earlier today, so I know she’s recovering fairly well.“Yes. I filled him in on a lot of things today. He seems to be absorbing it all pretty well. I guess that’s to be expected since he’s your fated mate. Selene wouldn’t gift you someone who fought the existence of shifters too much. He looked through the photo album several times and each time he had many questions. But he never seemed scared or repulsed by anything, so that’s good.”“Honestly, I’m surprised that he’s taken everything in so well. Most humans run away when they first meet a shifter or see us shift. I just knew seeing the battle would make him run and reject me, but he didn’t. I am pleasantly surprised by him each time we talk. Where is he, by the