by Shelby Lynn
“We are very careful about who we bring into our world. Because we are different than other humans, we normally stay away from anyone outside of our own group, or Pack, as we call them.” He knew by the look on Mandy’s face that he was really starting to confuse her.
Mandy was getting more confused by the minute. Haven had lost her with the “Pack” comment. The only things she was aware of that lived in packs were some types of animals. She knew for a fact that these guys were flesh and blood men in front of her. Haven trusted her with something he felt was important, so she needed to listen to him and hear what he had to say.
“My family members, as well as the others, are different than most people, Mandy. We have the ability to become something different. It is a gift given to us from our Warrior Spirits. I know this is going to sound like something straight out of a science-fiction movie. Although, I promise everything I am about to say is the truth. We are Shifters, and we were blessed to take on our animal forms as well. I am a wolf shifter first, but when I mated to my soul-mate, Garrett, we were also able to shift into another animal as well.” Haven stopped talking. The look on Mandy’s face was one of shock and amazement. At least she didn’t look scared out of her mind.
Mandy looked over at her boss. Was he pulling my leg? she thought. When she looked over at Garrett, there was no humor on his face, so she didn’t think they were playing a practical joke on her. Besides the fact, Simon was still in the room as well. He was watching her very closely it seemed like. Just how am I supposed to reply to these things? she thought.
“Mandy, I don’t want to scare you, but I don’t think you are going to believe us until we show you. To do this, we would have to get undressed in front of you, and that isn’t something you would be comfortable with. We had planned on Garrett going into the other room and changing to show you. Now though, I think it would be better if I did it myself, since he is holding the baby,” Haven told her.
“Alpha, if it would be okay. I would like to be the one to change and show Mandy the Shifter transformation,” Simon told him. His wolf wasn’t happy his mate would be around another male while she was unclaimed.
“Mandy, is that okay with you?”
All she could do was shake her head in confirmation. Mandy didn’t know what to believe, but she wasn’t going to miss out on something amazing. This was something she had only dreamed about her adult life. The possibility that there were special people in the world. She watched the handsome man walk off into the other room. It was the sound of clothes rustling that picked up her already fast beating heart. A few minutes later, a huge black wolf slowly came into the room from where Simon had just gone. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
The same green eyes looking back at her was what truly convinced her she was not dreaming. They were filled with so much emotion she couldn’t even begin to describe it. When it was just a few feet away from her, it suddenly lay down and showed its belly. Mandy didn’t understand what was happening so she looked over at Haven.
“He trusts you with his life by showing his vulnerable belly, Mandy. That is an honor that very few people will ever get,” Haven told her.
“May I touch him,” Mandy asked.
Simon couldn’t believe his luck, as his mate asked to touch him for the very first time. His wolf wanted to howl in happiness, but he knew it would scare Mandy. He slowly walked toward Mandy, and came to a stop right before the stool she was sitting on, watching as she slowly reached out her hand to touch his head. If he could have groaned at the first contact, he surely would have. Mandy’s hands were gentle, as she felt his head and then leaned forward to stroke his back. He was truly putty in her hands.
Mandy couldn’t believe she was petting a wolf. Even if it was Simon, the handsome man she had met earlier today. She didn’t know what it was about this man, but she felt a pull all the way to her soul. It only deepened as she stroked his fur.
“You are taking this really well, Mandy,” Haven told her.
“I think I am truly still in shock, Haven. I can honestly say it has always been a hobby of mine to read anything out there to do with the paranormal. Maybe that helped me take it all in. Honestly, I think it is the most amazing thing I have ever seen, Haven. I want you to know your secret will always be safe with me,” Mandy swore to him.
“Thank you—Mandy, we already consider you a member of our family. I do have a few more things to tell you, though,” Haven told her as he watched her stroking the wolf. He didn’t even think she realized just how close she was letting herself get to Simon.
“Jasmine is a shifter as well. She has been a very good little girl not to do it in front of you. As you have already seen, she is more advanced than the normal baby is. She can communicate as well, and is dying to talk to you, Mandy,” Haven told her with a soft laugh.
It was a quietly spoken ‘I love you,’ from the soft baby voice Mandy could hear in her mind.
“Oh my Goodness—was that Jasmine?” Mandy asked aloud, only to hear soft giggles in her mind. “Wow—she is amazing. I love you, too, baby girl,” Mandy told her. She didn’t notice the black wolf stiffen at the voicing of love for another.
“Jasmine is a Dream Weaver Shifter like Garrett and I. We have the ability to turn into a wolf, and a Dragon. Although we promise to never do that in the house,” Haven told her.
“A Dragon—oh my goodness,” she told him. Then she went on to ask the next question that came to her mind. “Is it normal for all of you to turn into Dragons, then?”
“No—it is only a part of Garrett’s Dream Weaver Legacy. He was the one who gave us the ability after we mated. Although, every mated Dream Weaver is different,” he told her. “When Tyler mated with Shannon, and they adopted a son, they were transformed into Phoenixes through their Dream Weaver ability. Therefore, we think the Dream Weaver Mate is the one who will determine the second form. We are honestly still learning about this side of my mate, and his incredible ancestors,” Haven told the young woman.
“I feel like I have stepped into the middle of a whole new world. Haven, I can’t even begin to tell you how much it means to me that you trusted me with something so personal to all of you,” Mandy said in awe.
“You are a part of our Pack, Mandy. Unfortunately, with the good also comes the bad. We have run into enemies of our own as well. Even other Shifters covet what they can’t have, but the worse are the Demons, as we call them. They have attacked our kind before, and if I am correct, I think one was in Jasmine’s room earlier. We think it was the reason for her screaming at the time, as they can obviously spy on us.”
“Are we in danger then?” Mandy asked. She needed to know how to protect the baby.
“Not at the moment, we don’t believe.”
“I need to know how to protect her,” Mandy told him. It was the slight growl from the wolf in front of her that made her draw away her hand.
“Simon would never hurt you, Mandy. He was just reacting to the possible danger. It's in his nature to protect.” Haven left it at that. It would be up to Simon when he told her of their bond.
Mandy asked a million other questions as the other men started to arrive back at the Pack house. They were all relieved to see their new member was taking the news so well. She amazed them with her understanding and willingness to accept them. It was late in the night before she had asked her fill of questions from all the men. When she found out that Sawyer and Johnny were Dream Weavers as well, she couldn’t wait to hear about their second form.
She found out a short time later they had just transformed once into their second form. Mandy was still in shock, as well as the other men. They hadn’t gotten around to telling the others just what their second form was yet. It was a magical creature straight out of the storybooks. The mythical Unicorn, known for its magical healing properties, which with Johnny’s gifts, it shouldn’t have been a shock, she found out. To be a part of something so wonderful was amazing. Although she could never be a part of thei
r magical destiny, she was determined to do everything in her power to help, however she could.
It was with a happy smile Mandy went right to sleep that night. Never once knowing her mate was guarding her door.
Chapter Twenty
It was late by the time Teddy walked into his apartment. Although he wanted nothing more than to call Alpha Haven, it was too late. Tomorrow would have to come soon enough. He had waited a long time to carry out the promise to his best friend and Mandy’s father. It was time to once again join the Pack, and tell Mandy about her heritage, even though she was only half-shifter and wouldn’t be able to shift. She needed to know how much her father would have loved her. It was with those thoughts that Teddy went off to bed.
***
Sawyer looked over at his handsome mate. He was still sleeping after the late night answering all of Mandy’s questions. For someone who had no idea they existed just hours before, she was quite the curious soul. They could all tell she was fascinated by everything she learned. They had no worries though. She was the type of person that would take their secrets to the grave. Mandy was a trusting soul, and she was a member of their family.
He placed a soft kiss to his mate’s lips to wake him out of a sound sleep. Only it didn’t wake him; it only increased his breathing and rapid eye movement under his lids. Johnny was in the middle of a dream, and it didn't look like a pleasant one at that. Sawyer gently shook his shoulder to try to wake his mate. The dream had him tight in its grasp. It made his protective side come out to play.
Johnny was having the same dream again.
He was running through a dark forest, the tree limbs so dense that it was almost impossible to see anything in front of him. He could hear a little one crying and screaming, "Help me," over and over. The closer he would get to the where he thought the voice was coming from the farther away the voice sounded.
Then Johnny would hear evil laughter as the child screamed louder for help! In all of his dreams, he had never been able to find the child. He would run and run until he would come to a small stream, and he would lean over to get a drink.
At first, the water would ripple with the vision of a small boy, only to change to a man with flowing white hair and amber eyes, filled with such pain and loneliness, as his athletic body leaned over the water. Every time the man would look further into the water, it was to see the reflection of another man over his shoulder. He was laughing and saying, “You really thought you could get away from me. You are mine, Johnny, you will always be mine!”
Johnny shot straight up in bed. His handsome mate was sitting there beside him with a look of worry on his face.
“That must have been one hell of a dream. I couldn’t even wake you, my love. If you need to talk about what happened, just know that I am always here for you.
“Thank you, Sawyer. I do finally need to talk about it. It is the same dream I’ve had again and again. It’s about me trying to get away from my brother, but I never seem to make it happen. At first, I am a little boy and then a grown man, but still feeling as helpless as that young boy. It is usually a sign that I am in danger of some kind from my brother,” he told his mate.
“If your brother is able to find you here, then he will have to go through me to try to get to you. Johnny, you are no longer alone, and I will do everything within my power to keep you safe,” Sawyer told his mate as he reached up and smoothed his beautiful white hair out of his eyes.
“I think we need to go for a run,” he suggested. It would help clear out the negativity of the bad dream, he hoped.
“That is a great idea. It has been a while since I’ve let my wolf loose. He is eager to come out to play.”
They felt the change come over them, and in their place stood two beautiful white wolves. Well, it looked like turning into a magical creature wasn’t the only change about them. White wolves were very special to their people. They were signs of goodness and hope for the future. It would be interesting to see if they had gained any other powers to go along with their new color. They raced through the house in the early light, and headed for the huge doggy door. It was often a cause for laughter in their human form but a must in their wolf form.
Neither noticed the lone man watching them as they raced off into the forest for some much-needed running time.
***
Slater watched his quarry run off into the woods. With one glance at the newly transformed white wolf, he knew his plans were going to change once again. His superior was determined to get his hands on the healer. Only that was before he found out the man turned into a white wolf. They were the things of Legend to the Demons. The “perfect blood source,” was whispered about. Up until now, Slater had never seen a white wolf in person.
He wanted nothing more than to keep this a secret for him alone. Unfortunately, he knew his boss was keeping a close eye on his comings and goings to this realm. He would know something was off after a while, and there would be hell to pay.
***
Teddy was so nervous about his friend finally knowing about his counterpart. He hadn’t even gotten a wink of sleep. Even his love of writing hadn’t helped with his nervousness when he sat down to try to work throughout the night. Not one single word had come forth from inside of him. Finally, he sat down with a cup of coffee and just watched the hours slowly pass.
Finally at six-thirty in the morning, he couldn’t wait another second as he called Alpha Haven’s phone. It was a tired hello from the other end that caused him to sit up even straighter as he started talking into the phone.
“Is this Haven Storm?” Teddy asked.
“Yes—what can I do for you?” Haven asked.
“My name is Theodore Ramsey, but my friends call me Teddy. I am calling about our mutual friend Mandy. I have something very important to discuss with you, Alpha.” Teddy knew the reference would tell Haven he was a wolf as well.
“I have heard a lot about you from Mandy. I feel like I should already know you, and I am thinking Mandy doesn’t have a clue you are Pack either,” Haven asked.
“No—honestly, I didn’t know how she would react to the news. When I found out she was living within your Pack, I knew it was time to tell her about myself. I have known her since before she was even born. She doesn’t know this though. Her biological father was my best friend and also a shifter. Although, her mother was human,” Teddy told him.
“Wow—now I can honestly say I wasn’t expecting this at all. Mandy is part wolf. Her mate is going to want to know about this as well,” Haven told him.
“Her mate, shit, I have been gone too long. When did she find a mate?”
“Well, it is more like her mate found her. Simon is from another Pack, and he is up here bringing Johnny’s things from his old Pack. He hasn’t told her about himself yet. Honestly though, after telling her about the whole paranormal world last night, I really don’t think he will take too long wooing her in the human way.”
“How did she take it when you told her about Shifters?”
“Mandy was amazing! She took it all in with wonder and acceptance. We were all amazed at the way she handled the whole experience. All the men have grown quite attached to her and they wouldn’t want to see her upset for the world. You really do have a remarkable friend, Teddy,” Haven told him.
“Thank you—I am truly blessed to have her in my life.”
“Will you tell her about your part in her life all these years?” he asked.
“Actually, that was one of the reasons I called. I am done touring, and I would love to join your Pack. I have done well for myself over the years with my writing.”
“Oh my—I just realized why your name seemed so familiar. You are Theodore Ramsey, the mystery writer in the M/M Genre. Just wait until Wolfe finds out. He is one of your biggest fans. He is going to be so unhappy when he finds out he didn’t get to meet you first. Wolfe is gone on a mission for our Councilmen Jackson. Could you join us for supper tonight at the Pack house?” he asked.
; “Sure—I would like to have a few private moments with Mandy.” Teddy wanted to be the one to tell her about himself.
“If you can keep her mate away,” Haven teased.
“All the other Pack members should be here to put in a vote on your joining the Pack. We do things a little differently in our Pack. Everyone has a vote and a say in anything to do with the Pack. In the next few months, there will be a lot of changes happening within our Pack. We are opening the Pack up as a Sanctuary to anyone in trouble.
“There is actually a lot more to it, but we can get into it later tonight. I will let Mandy know you called and are coming to supper. Although, she will probably give you a call beforehand anyway,” he said with a laugh. He knew how much she was looking forward to having her friend home.
“I will see you tonight then,” Teddy said before hanging up. He had a good feeling about tonight. He couldn’t wait to meet Mandy’s mate. She deserved someone who would treat her like the Queen she was meant to be.
Chapter TwentyOne
Slater teleported into the home of his “blood slave,” as he liked to call Chad. When they had been blood-bonded, he had come to care for this man, more than he would have ever thought possible. For one, Chad was one major pain in the ass most of the time. Even with the blood-bond between them. Chad was still obsessed with his adopted brother and his abilities. It was all he wanted to talk about. How he would use it to his advantage, once he found him.
His parents had tried talking to him about the destructive way he was treating people. Slater had sat in on more than one of those conversations unseen. He could tell they cared for their son. This was still another oddity in his life. Demons were a lustful bunch, be it for blood or sex.
“Did you find him?” Chad asked. His frustration apparent in his voice as his looked over at the handsome man who had changed his life. Ever since Slater had beat the shit out of him in the parking lot after he was waiting to show him who was trespassing on whose territory, Chad couldn’t explain the feelings of lust, and sometimes hate, he felt for this man. He had always been in control, and bullied anyone weaker to his way of thinking.