by Tamara White
“Come on then. Let’s go meet your pack.”
Colby beams at me and takes my hand, before leading me down the hallway that bisects the house. We pass by two doors which I assume lead to a bedroom and bathroom, and then we’re heading out a screen door and onto the small porch beyond.
Holy Batman… How the hell can someone’s backyard be this big?
A few feet from the back deck is a massive pool with an attached hot tub that over a dozen people are making use of. The pool area is surrounded by black fencing. Behind the fenced in area, the yard opens up to a massive open field. No back fence.
I look around and that’s when I notice that all of the other backyards are like this too. There are fences on either side of the properties, but none of them have a back fence. Instead, it leads to an open field with trees further back. So technically Colby’s backyard is completely filled with the pool, while the rest of the space is more of a communal area.
Colby laughs at my expression and eases a hand around my waist. Then he leads me down the steps, onto the path and walks me over to the back of the pool area. I don’t miss the way people in the pool stop what they’re doing to watch me as we pass.
“Katie!” Dylan comes rushing over to me as we approach a group of adults, who are all laughing about something. But when the boy in question slams into my legs and wraps his arms around me tightly, they all stop talking and watch on in fascination.
Jack isn’t far behind Dylan, but rather than clutch onto my legs like his brother, he instead grabs my hand.
I hear a few gasps and I’m guessing I was right about Jack typically keeping to himself. I ignore the adults for the moment, though, my focus entirely on these two boys. “What’s wrong, guys?”
Dylan pouts up at me. “We want to play tag but no one else wants to and we’re not allowed to play without an adult. Do you want to play?” he asks hopefully.
I glance over at Colby for clarification, unsure why they would need adult supervision to play a simple game of tag. “We play in teams of two. One adult and one child per team. We had a few children get lost in the woods when playing. As a result, my mother put this rule in place about three years ago to prevent such a thing from happening again.”
Oh, fair enough. “Okay, I’ll play. Whose team am I on?”
Jack answers quickly. “Mine!”
Colby frowns, looking at me in surprise for a moment before schooling his expression. “Okay, Dylan, that means you’re with me then.”
Dylan stomps his foot in annoyance. “But I wanted Katie on my team! It’s not fair!”
I try to think quickly, not wanting either of them to be upset. “Well, what if both of you are on my team and we make Colby ‘it?’”
Dylan’s eyes light up at this. I glance over at Colby to see what he thinks about the idea. The fond smile he sends my way is filled with enough emotion to make me flush in embarrassment.
“Yay! Come on, Katie! We have to hide before he gets to ten,” Dylan says, before grabbing my other hand. Colby removes his arm from around my waist and the two boys pull me after them.
I frown in confusion. “Why are we hiding? I thought we were just playing tag.”
“Yeah, but we have to hide first, silly. If Colby just chases us, it will be way too easy. He’s really fast,” Dylan says matter-of-factly, as if that should be obvious.
Jack, on the other hand, remains silent, at least until we walk out into the wooded area. “We hide until Colby finds us. Then we have to tag his back before he tags us. If we can tag his back, we win.”
I chuckle at their explanation. It’s like they mixed tag and hide and seek to create a more mentally stimulating game. Then again, I guess wolf children have a lot of energy and are probably not as easily entertained.
“Okay, so what if we do something different this time?” I ask with a wide grin. Both boys’ eyes light up with mischief and they nod enthusiastically.
Which brings us to now, with me leaning against a tree, waiting for Colby while the two boys are hiding in the branches above. It took a few seconds to find a spot that would work well enough for my plan, but Jack and Dylan seemed eager enough to try it out.
Apparently they’ve never actually tagged Colby because he is just that fast. I thought he would have let them win once or twice, but I guess I overestimated his generosity. That just makes the stakes higher, and the giddiness I’m feeling because of this whole situation is making my hands twitch.
After another half a minute, Colby appears through the trees. We didn’t go very far into the woods because I didn’t know what boundaries the pack held and also because I didn’t want to accidentally run across a wolf in its shifted form.
He spots me immediately and grins. “Why, Katie, where on earth have my brothers gotten to?” He glances around the area, as if expecting them to appear at any moment. I’m not surprised he’s confused. After all, I told them to rub against the trees, marking their scent in as many places possible in order to make Colby think they are here with me, even though they’re actually a little higher up than that.
I shrug my shoulders, not giving away anything in my expression, even despite the small giggle I hear from Dylan above me. I’m sure Colby heard it too, but his attention is solely fixed on me for the moment. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I tease.
The corners of his eyes crinkle with amusement and happiness. “Uh huh. So my six-year-old brothers came into the woods with you, but you have no idea where they are now? I find that very hard to believe.”
I step away from the trees, pretending to trip as I do. As I expected, Colby’s right there to try and break my fall. It takes everything in me to hide my triumphant smirk, but thankfully I manage to. Then I use his weight to pull us to the ground. My fall is soft but we still land exactly how I planned, with me flat on my back and him propped above me.
Right now, the plan is for the boys to scurry down from the trees and sneak up on my true mate while he’s distracted, with him none the wiser.
My hands trace up Colby’s arms and I flutter my eyes up at him. “My hero,” I murmur and then lean up to press a kiss against his cheek.
He chuckles and goes to move back, but I hold him there. As I watch, his eyes begin to change, going from playful to filled with desire.
He leans forward and runs his nose along my neck, breathing in my scent.
“Colby?” I look over his shoulder and see the two boys stalking closer, their hands outstretched.
“Hmmm…?” He hums against my skin.
I can’t hold back the laughter any longer. He pulls away, looking down at me in confusion. “We win,” I say, grinning broadly.
Then both boys land on him, crying out that they got him.
Colby groans and presses his forehead against mine, chuckling softly. “You are such a cheat, Katie.”
“Ha! It’s not my fault you let your hormones control you like that. If you were more aware of your surroundings, then you would have noticed how unusually strong the boys scent was and how it was obviously masking the fact they were hiding right above you. But no, my mate let his…” I hesitate, not wanting to say ‘cock’ in front of the children. “Either way, you let yourself get distracted. Don’t blame me,” I tease, flashing him a wink.
“Fine, you’re right. Happy?”
“Yep!” I grin as the two boys who had been high-fiving and laughing push Colby to get him off me.
These two. I swear I am going to want to visit these boys weekly at this rate. They are so damn adorable and the fact something as simple as defeating Colby in a game of tag has them shining with such joy makes me love them a little bit already.
Colby rolls to the side and I get to my feet. I open my mouth, about to ask the boys what game they want to play next, when something inside me suddenly snaps to attention. My power, that ball of rage within me, rises up, alerting me to nearby danger. Colby must sense the shift in me, because he is right there at my side, standing at the ready.
<
br /> We both scent the smell of ash at the same moment. Neither of us hesitate, quickly turning and scooping up a boy each before running back in the direction of his house. I have Jack in my arms and Colby has a hold of Dylan. Both of them stay silent, obviously sensing the danger.
I panic as we near the tree line, sensing how close the witches are. Now more than ever, I wish I had the ability to shift. I would do anything to protect these two boys.
Suddenly, a searing pain begins in my lower back, near my left hip. I pause to lower Jack to the ground, fearing I’m being attacked with magic. However, the moment I set him down, I realize nobody’s attacking me. No, the pain is coming from magic swelling within me.
I crouch down to my knees in front of Jack, ignoring the pain and power as it swirls within me, focusing instead on his innocent eyes. “You need to go with Colby. Run and catch up with him. Don’t stop and don’t look back.”
He doesn’t look like he wants to leave me, but nods in understanding and takes off after his brothers. The moment he’s far enough away, I get to my feet, a soft cry escaping my lips as the pain in my back throbs in time with my heartbeat. The magic is changing me somehow. Whether it’s trying to help me shift or something else entirely, I don’t know, but the power that pulses within me tells me this is a magic far older and more powerful than anything I could imagine.
I know Colby has probably noticed my disappearance by now, and even if he hasn’t, he will as soon as Jack catches up to him. I know he’ll be upset I fell behind, but the most important thing is to make sure those boys get to safety.
I know Jack and Dylan will be okay with Colby, but I follow after them just to be sure, taking the path I can sense they took. I don’t want anyone sneaking up on them and getting hurt.
When I am almost clear of the tree line that borders the massive paddock Colby likes to call his backyard, I begin to hear the telltale grunts of pain that signals people shifting. My guess is that Colby gathered everyone in the pack who were eating and asked them to shift and be prepared to defend the pack.
As I step out from the trees, my magic is still riding me hard, building within me, ready for me to release it. But into what, I have no idea.
My head is pounding and my hands start to tingle. As I look down at them, I see a golden glow enveloping them and my eyes widen.
I look up and sigh in relief at the sight before me. Colby is approaching, walking through the shifted wolves and looking at the forest with an angry glare the likes of which I’ve never seen on his face before. The wolves all look like they’re braced for battle, waiting for the threat to appear.
The moment Colby sees me, his face softens and the tension leaves his body as if now that he knows I am safe, nothing else matters.
I slowly make my way forward, moving to stand beside him. Then I offer him a small smile before we turn to face the oncoming threat together. My back pinches a little, but I ignore it.
Colby gazes down at my hands with a look of wonder in his eyes, but neither of us has a chance to comment on it, because just then, five witches step out from the trees.
Four of them are women that look like they could be clones of each other. Blonde, blue eyes and stick thin. There’s nothing much distinctive about them, other than the red cloaks they’re all wearing. The fifth appears to be the leader of the group: an older looking man, who smirks as he steps forward. His gray eyes are filled with such evil that it sends a shiver through me.
“Who are you and what do you want?” Colby demands, crossing his arms across his chest. But despite his feigned confidence, I can feel the fear radiating from him. I wonder when he last knowingly faced a witch. He’s probably worried about the pack being hurt.
The male witch bows deeply, his eyes twinkling with glee. “Oh, how rude of me. I’m Travis and I’m here for one reason only. Her.” He points directly at me.
I manage to hide my surprise, but Colby can’t stop his reaction, his eyes going wide. I don’t think he expected that at all.
I take a step away from Colby towards the witches. “What do you want me for? I don’t know anything about you or your kind.” My hands clench at my side, the glow still present. My inner power is pushing for me to reach out and touch Colby. While I want to, some instinct is telling me to hold off.
“Ah, well you see, we got a tip off that the reincarnated Goddess of Love had been found and that she would be here. And wouldn’t you know it, here you are.” The man’s expression sours as he says ‘Goddess of Love.’
I glance back to Colby, wondering what he makes of all this, and see that his eyes are filled with wonder again as he looks at me.
“I’m not a goddess,” I say, turning back to glare at Travis. “I’m a wolf, and a pretty pissed off one at that.”
Colby moves forward, returning to my side. His hands hang loose at his sides and I find myself reaching out, about to grab one of them, but stop myself at the last moment. My heart tells me wait a moment more before touching him.
Colby growls at Travis. “My mate won’t be going with you, so I suggest you get the hell off our land before the Directorate finds out about this.”
Travis laughs loudly, the sound echoing through the trees and making the wolves behind us growl menacingly. His expression clears and he meets our gazes with a wicked glint in his own. “The Directorate won’t know what happened here, boy. All they’ll see is a pack, tragically massacred by the supposed goddess that was meant to save them all.”
Now! a familiar voice whispers into my mind, signaling it’s finally time. I grab Colby’s hand, watching in surprise as some of the golden glow leaks from me to him.
Colby gasps softly as the glow encases his whole body. The witches are distracted enough by this that they don’t notice me as I slowly step away from him. I use my wolf abilities to slip into the trees unnoticed.
By the time the witches finally notice me missing, I’m already behind the leader, my arm wrapped around his neck. My power is pulsing within me, keeping his magic restrained. The female witches around him all move as one, but before they can do anything, Colby is there with a sword and a confused, but furious, expression. Where the hell did he get a sword?
He decapitates all four women in a matter of seconds before turning to hold the tip of his sword against Travis’ heart. “How did you know we were here?” Colby demands, his eyes blazing with anger.
The only people who knew we were coming here were members of the pack. Well, that’s not entirely true. There was one other person… Emily.
Travis chokes out a breath under my arm and I ease up my hold just enough for him to be able to speak. “It doesn’t matter who told me where to find you. Sooner or later, our master will have her. The goddess will fall in the face of Fear.”
His body heats under my touch, becoming so hot that I have no choice but to let him go. A second later, he bursts into flames, along with the bodies of the fallen witches Colby dispatched of.
I look down at the pile of ashes in confusion before my gaze goes back to Colby. As I watch, the sword in his hand vanishes into thin air. “What the hell?”
He looks just as gobsmacked as I feel. But before either of us have a chance to say anything else, another voice speaks up. “You made my son your Guardian. You truly are the goddess reincarnate.”
I turn, watching in disbelief as Sarah bows low to the ground, the wolves around us doing the same. I have to fight for air, panicked by the sight. No, I’m not a goddess. Just a wolf that can’t shift. Still, there’s a little part of me that wonders if there might be any truth to it.
The pain in my back flares up again and I drop to my knees, unable to hide my agony from Colby.
“What is it?” he asks worriedly, quickly coming to kneel beside me as he tries to figure out what’s wrong.
Sarah gets to her feet and comes over to us, putting her hand on her son’s shoulder. “She has accepted the power of the goddess and is now receiving the marks that will call those she needs to her side.”
In a war between the gods, a child of power will be born. She will absorb the power of the gods, and when the time is right, she will rise to rid the world of her enemies. Death and destruction follow in her wake, but through that death comes life.
The words are whispered into my mind, the voice that of my dead mate and it’s the last straw in my fight against unconsciousness.
I have been reborn.
The thought startles me awake. I roll over to stretch out, only to find someone’s arms wrapped around me, preventing me from moving an inch. My eyes snap open and I start to panic, noticing I’m naked and spooned between two very male chests. Who the hell are these men and where the fuck am I?
I struggle to sit up, my power rising in me and sending both bodies flying off the bed. They both hit the floor with a loud thump.
I start to hyperventilate, freaking out at the lack of memory I have. Where am I? I should have woken in the embrace of my Guardians, not a pair of strange wolves.
The door opens with a slam and four males rush in the room, moving to help the fallen men. They’re all complete strangers to me and I come to the conclusion they must have all taken me against my will. But why am I naked?
I wrap the sheet around myself and get to my feet. One of the males who burst into the room takes a hesitant step forward and his energy brushes against me. The thought is instant. Guardian.
“Katie, you need to calm down. Your magic is still new and overwhelming to you. Just relax, sweetie. Can you do that for me?”
I frown at the man, who’s trying to offer me peace. I know I should trust him, but he has befriended two males who clearly took advantage of me. “You are supposed to be my Guardian. My protector. But you left me with two males who clearly took advantage of me. I should kill you for such betrayal.”
The Guardian blanches and looks back at the rest of the men, his eyes filled with a mix of confusion and worry. I feel a strange niggling in my mind. I investigate that feeling, surprised to find myself sharing a body with another soul. No, two souls. I close my eyes and focus my magic, feeling the two babies in my womb.