by G. Bailey
“Well, there is one thing.”
“What?” I ask, laughing a little when he suggestively wags his eyebrows.
“I want you to paint something for me,” he says, and I step forward, placing my hands on his chest. I look up at him as he wraps his arms around me.
“Okay,” I reply simply, before resting my head on his chest, and we hold each other for a long time. I don’t know what changed between us, but something did, and I like it.
“That looks great on you. Red is really your colour,” Gold says, as I smooth down the red jumper and look in the changing room mirror. The red does suit my brown hair and pale complexion. As I see in the mirror more, I find it so strange to think how different I am, now I’m a wolf, but don’t look any different. I expected to have flawless skin and big boobs or something, but nope, I still look the same. It’s never like the books.
“I feel bad spending Nikoli’s money to get these clothes. I have to get a job or something to repay him,” I say, knowing I can’t rely on him; but then, I have so little clothes that are suitable for the cold weather.
Snow and Gold also took me to an art shop earlier that was a little out of the central part of town, and helped me pick out paints and brushes that I would need. We picked out a few different sized canvas and other bits.
“He wouldn’t want you to. Not yet, as your wolf is too new, and you could shift if you feel threatened. Give it a few months, and maybe you could look into the local university jobs. Or jobs with the pack? Or maybe your vampire coven has jobs?” she offers, and I nod, wondering how threatened I’d have to feel to let my wolf take over.
I feel like I can trust her, now that she is a part of me; a piece that I felt like I was always missing. I grew up so alone, and it's strange to always have my wolf with me, so I’m never alone again. As painful as it was to get bitten by that rogue, in a way, I’m thankful that he did bite me because I got my wolf from that.
I pull the jumper off and add it to the ever-growing pile of clothes in the basket. I pull my black jumper back on, and Snow uses Nikoli’s card to pay for the clothes before we leave. Snow explained how the pack all share money and get a lot from the investment shares their parents left them, so money isn’t an issue. But I still intend to pay him back for all this somehow.
“We could go to the local chip shop on the way home and get some food. Nikoli loves the fish they do there,” Snow tells me, and I give her a little smile as we walk from the shops to the car park across the street.
I press the lift button as Gold says, “Shoot, I forgot to pay for the ticket. I’ll be right back,” and she walks off. I follow Snow into the elevator, and she presses the button to go our level.
“Have you spoken to Nikoli much?” she asks me.
I woke up this morning after our Sunday pack meal, and I will admit that I looked around for him, but couldn’t find him. By the time I made breakfast and ate with Gold, Snow came in and said we were going shopping. I know I’m going to formally meet Colton’s parents tomorrow, and then spending the night with his coven, so I wanted to spend the day with Nikoli.
“No, why?”
“It’s painful for a male mate to be around his female, and not act on it. I thought you should know, as I know he wouldn’t tell you. It would be the same for Colton. A lot of people are shocked that he managed to spend a year with you, and not make a move,” she tells me softly.
The thought of Nikoli or Colton being in any kind of pain makes me feel horrible. I didn’t know that it would do that to them. I thought we had enough time to get to know each other more, and make the lifelong decision later on. It’s not like I’m not attracted to them both because I am; far more than I’ve been drawn to anyone in my life.
“Hey, little wolves,” a deep voice greets us as the lift doors open, and three large men stand in a line outside. All of them are overweight, with large stomachs and round faces. They look around forty, and I would guess they are related to each other, from the same wiry blond hair they have. One of the men steps forward, his dark eyes locking with mine.
“We have come to claim the new wolf; her. She is my mate,” he says, pointing at me. He lets out a long laugh as Snow steps forward, dropping the bags in the doorway of the lift, to keep it from closing.
“How did you come to that conclusion?” she muses, cocking her head to the side. I know he isn’t my mate or anyone I would ever be with. The lust-filled look in his eyes is creeping me out, and no part of my wolf is making me want to go to him, like it does when I’m around Nikoli or Colton.
“I smelt her, and I know,” he says, still watching me.
“I’m not your mate,” I say to him, and he laughs, just as Snow shifts suddenly into a giant white wolf, her clothes ripping to pieces on the floor around her. I know why she is called Snow now. Snow lets out a loud growl as she crouches down, and I turn slightly when I hear Gold’s heels clicking across the car park. She walks over from the stairs and stops right next to us.
“Now, now. If you believe Harper is your mate, then issue a formal challenge to our alpha, as he has claimed her as his. As I’m sure, you already know,” she says.
“On the next full moon, we will attack your pack. We will take back our lands; our people and my mate will kneel for me,” the man says, and find myself growling as my wolf pushes against my mind. Her only thought is attacking him and getting rid of the problem, and I have to force her to stop when I see my arm starting to grow fur. It’s a real fight, and I end up closing my eyes, hardly hearing Gold as she speaks.
“It’s not smart to tell your enemies when you’re going to attack, boys… but the challenge is accepted. I speak as one of the betas of the Forest pack,” Gold says, placing her hand on my arm. The simple touch seems to reassure my wolf, as she stops pushing. I open my eyes to see the three men step away slowly.
“I will never mate with you. I would die first,” I say, a growl slipping out my throat as I speak, and the man gives me a slightly creepy smile, stopping in his tracks.
“Is that a promise, little wolf? You can run all you like, but I will find you,” he says, his voice echoing around the car park.
“Leave before I decide to kill you myself and screw the rules,” Gold snaps out, taking a step in front of me, trying to block the man from seeing me, but I still hear him.
“Remember to run, little wolf. Catching you will be fun,” he laughs, before turning around and walking away.
“What are they?” I ask Gold when they have left. Snow pushes her head against my hip in a sign of comfort, and I slip my hand into her fur. The man’s last words are racing through my mind. Run, little wolf.
“Hogs, which are basically massive black pigs. Disgusting shifters they are, and there is no real use for them. Wolves, on the other hand, are natural hunters, and we balance out the countryside. Hogs; well, they can kill you by running into you, but have no real brains to speak of when they shift. They just kill. The only issue is that they have a high reproductive rate, compared to other shifters, so their pack is massive,” Gold tells me.
“Why would they say I’m his mate?” I ask, knowing it isn’t true. It doesn’t feel right.
“They had wanted a reason to attack the pack for a long time because Nikoli killed their last alpha’s when he didn’t have a choice. He did let them live, and this is how they repay him. Some laws stop them from attacking us now, like their parents attacked Nikoli and Snow’s parents years ago. We have a royal family who enforces these laws after so many of our kind was killed. There used to be thousands of breeds, but now there isn’t. The only reason a challenge is allowed is that of a mate.”
“How long until the next full moon?” I ask, dreading the answer.
“Ten days, Harper. We need to go and tell Nikoli. We need to plan, and our pack won’t be strong enough to win this alone,” Gold says, picking up the bags.
I hear a woman scream before I can think about her words. I look over to see a middle-aged woman watching us – well, mo
re looking at Snow – with evident fear, as she comes out of the stairwell.
“It’s okay. This is my dog, and she escaped my car. I’ve been looking everywhere for her,” I say, stroking Snow’s head. The woman nods, not moving, as she plants herself as close to the door as possible.
“Come on, Little Snow, time to go back home,” I say, and Gold chuckles as we walk away.
“Little Snow? Are you kidding; she is a huge white wolf!”
“I couldn’t say Big Snow; it just sounds strange, and would have freaked her out more,” I laugh back. The humour of the situation slips away as I realise much danger we are in now, and the Hog’s words move around my mind one more time.
Run, little wolf.
“What’s wrong?” Nikoli asks as we all walk into the gym, his eyes meeting mine. I don’t know how he can tell something is wrong, but he does. I watch as he drops the weights he was lifting and runs over to us. The gym has five men in it that I haven’t seen before, and they all go silent as they watch us.
“The Hogs have claimed that Harper is their mate. They declared that they are going to attack us at the next full moon,” Gold says, and a ripple of anger flows over Nikoli’s face as he steps closer and puts his hands on both my arms.
“Are you okay?” he asks. “If they hurt you, screw the rules, I’m going to kill them all.”
I can sense how worried he is without listening to his threatening words; the slight growling I hear only confirms what I can detect. I move closer and wrap my arms around him, laying my head on his chest.
“I’m fine. They didn’t touch me. We just spoke, that’s all.”
My words seem to have the desired effect, as the light growling stops, and Nikoli wraps his arms around me, kissing the top of my head.
“Then we fight them. They have wanted this since I killed their parents and took back the land they stole. This is personal between us,” Nikoli shouts, and I hear growling replies scattered around the room.
“I’m sorry you have to be involved,” Nikoli whispers to me.
“I’m here now, and I want to help,” I say, making Nikoli tense up a little.
“Gold, call a meeting for the whole pack tonight. Snow, could you find my betas and tell them to go to my office.”
“We can’t win this alone. Maybe I should call Colton, as his coven is in town and might be willing to fight. The Hogs would never expect vampires,” Snow says.
“Fine, call Colton. I will be there soon, but I want a moment alone with Harper,” Nikoli says, holding me close the entire time he speaks.
“Sure,” Snow says.
I hear everyone leave, but we don’t move. I feel safe in his arms, secure, and that’s not something I remember feeling growing up. The very thought that someone could take this from me just panics me. I can’t lose him, or Colton. Not now; not ever.
“Let me take you somewhere. I want to show you something,” he says, and I nod, stepping away and letting him take my hand. I’ve never had someone this close to me; no one other than Colton. My friend Skye was close to me, but I doubt she will miss me much. We only saw each other once a week after school finished, and I never trusted her like I should have. I never let myself get close to anyone other than Colton; now I have a whole pack. I have Gold and Snow, two women I consider close friends. And two destined mates, I can’t forget about those. We walk out of the training room and around it, towards the gardens at the side of the house.
“I grew up here; my mother loved these gardens. She had a thing for The Secret Garden fairy tales, and recreated her own one with my father’s help. He would have done anything for her,” Nikoli tells me as we walk down a stone path, filled with flowers on each side. At the end of the short path is a big vine-covered door.
“This is yours now,” Nikoli says, and pulls a necklace out his pocket. There’s a medium-sized old-looking key on the end. The necklace is silver and has roses engraved on it, with an ‘F’ on the handle. I’m sure it stands for the Forest pack.
“I can’t accept that,” I say, as he presses it into my hand.
“My mother put this around my neck when she made me run from the pack as a child. I will never forget seeing her for the last time as she pushed us into one of the old tunnels in the woods. She crouched down, with tears running down her face, and Snow holding on to my hand. She told me to give it to my mate and to have a future. That, no matter what happens, she wanted me to be happy, and I am with you, Harper. Please, let me fill her wishes,” he confesses, making me want to cry myself for him. That must have been horrible, knowing he couldn’t save her, and having to protect himself and his sister instead. Nikoli steps closer as we both stare at each other. The emotion in his eyes is hard to see, but I don’t want to look away. I want to be here for him.
“I’ve worn this for many years, waiting to give it you, Harper,” he tells me, forcing me to stare into his bright blue eyes, like he is everything to me as I am to him. Except it isn’t just him wanting to be with me anymore; it’s me. I want to be with him more now than I ever have. This means a lot to him, and I don’t know how to feel about it. I never had anything from my own parents; there was nothing left in the fire, apparently.
“Are you sure?” I ask him gently.
“I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life,” he tells me, making me wonder if he means more than just the key. I close my hand around it and walk towards the door, feeling him watching me. The key is hard to turn, as it’s so small for the large door, but I finally manage and push the door open with my shoulder. The garden is impressive, just like the secret garden in the fairy tale, complete with a swing in the middle of it. I don’t know where to look, there is just so much colour in the garden; it’s so alive. There’s an arch in the corner, and I put the necklace on before walking over to it, with Nikoli following me. The arch has dozens of roses around it, and I go to touch one, pricking my finger on a thorn.
“Ouch,” I say, pulling my hand away. Nikoli takes my hand in his, putting my finger in his mouth as I watch in shock. What feels like years later, but it must have only been seconds, he lets go, and I look at my finger in shock. There’s no cut anymore.
“It’s strange to get used to, the whole healing thing. Everything is hard to get used to. I don’t know how to imagine never ageing and being immortal,” I say, and he steps closer, pulling me into his arms.
“Immortal life isn’t easy, but you have the pack and me. You have Colton and his coven. You won’t be alone.”
“Do you mean that?” I ask him gently, not trusting my voice. I don’t want to let them down.
“Harper,” Nikoli says my name slowly, as he pulls me closer. I look up, not moving, as he lowers his head. The first brush of his lips across mine is sweet, tender almost, and then he slides his hand into my hair, kissing me like a starving man. His lips battle against my own, almost punishing me, but in the most seductive way. I can’t seem to get enough of how he tastes, or how good his hard body feels pressed against my own. Nikoli pulls away, breathless as I am, and runs his finger across my bottom lip.
“Whatever happens in our future, I’m fighting for you. I’m here for you, and even if you decide not to mate with me, I will be at your side as your friend, as anything I can be for you,” he declares, looking into my eyes as he speaks, then letting me go and walking out of the garden as I watch him leave. I want to call him back, to tell him that I want him as much as he apparently wants me, but something stops me. I guess it’s a worry of everything being so new and I’m in a world I don’t understand. I know I like him, and I want another kiss, but something stops me from running after him. The same part that thinks of Colton.
“Where is she?” I ask as I burst into Nikoli’s office, after Snow called me and told me what had happened. I don’t pause as I push past the giant wolf and take another step closer. I get that they think I’m a threat to their alpha or whatever, but Harper has been threatened, and I won’t have that. No one threatens my Harper.
&nb
sp; “Don’t,” I warn him, and he moves out the way. I reach Nikoli, who is leaning over a map of the house, the forest, and the town. The pack lands actually surround the town; I learned that when I researched everything I could about this pack before I came for Harper.
“Harper is fine, don’t worry. I would be out there killing them now if they’d touched her,” Nikoli says, and I take a deep breath. As much as I trusted his sister when she told me Harper was okay, I still needed to hear it from her or Nikoli. The rest of the wolves in the room seem to relax at Nikoli’s words, not seeing me as such a threat anymore.
“What’s the plan?” I ask him, and he nods, looking back at the map. The big guy from before comes over and stands next to me. On the other side of the table is Gold, Harper's friend, and a blond guy I would guess is her brother. The guy who tried to stop me, with dark hair and darker eyes, stands next to Gold.
“Everyone, this is Colton. As you know, he is Harper's other destined mate, and I trust him to help us. We will need this help as we cannot call other packs in to help us. The rules say nothing about covens, or other beings helping us because they wouldn’t expect them to help wolves over a mate dispute,” Nikoli says, and there’s whispered agreements in the room.
“They wouldn’t expect vampires; plus, they move so fast at night, they could kill a lot of them quickly with some weapons,” Gold’s brother says.
“Who are you?” I ask him, but it’s Nikoli who answers.
“That’s Erik, and his sister, Gold.” He then points at the guy next to me. “This is Lewis. These three are my betas.”
“I’m Tam, the pack healer,” the other guy next to Gold introduces and I nod.
“Can you help us? From what you have told me, you have a small coven,” Nikoli says, and I nod.
“I have family, distant, but they would come here to fight for my mate,” I say, after thinking about it for a moment. My mother’s sister was turned, and they had many kids, who mated and have their own children now. I know they would come and fight for me, as we stick together. The only reason we aren’t in a coven together is that they are old school vampires, and still hunt humans.