“Ethan? What did you come here for?”
The fear in her voice evident on the lilt of the last two words.
Fuck me. I’m an asshole.
He reached for her and pulled her into him. He could hold her. Maybe he could show her she was safe. She was his destiny. Maybe he could show her, he’d never hurt her on purpose.
“I would never come to you just for sex, although that’s pretty fucking amazing.”
The tiny vibration of her body the only indication of a laugh.
Should he tell her now? No. He needed her to trust him first.
Shit, what do I say now?
“So. Isn’t this against health code?” he said, as he looked around the kitchen, cupcakes on the floor.
She pulled away and instantly he missed her.
“I suppose so.” Her eyes lit up. “Just don’t tell anyone.”
As he watched her, her lips moved and as she stepped around the cupcake mess seemed to disappear.
“That’s pretty helpful, maybe you can...” he stopped. He was going to say she can teach his daughter, but not yet. That was much too soon.
Olivia thankfully didn’t notice. “This is simple. Anything organic I seem to be able to manipulate. So, moving the cupcakes from here to the trash is basic. I’m not very powerful, nothing of notice in the witching world.”
Ethan wanted to scream at whoever these stupid witches were. No one was allowed to make her feel less. She was his mate. She would not be made to feel like she was less.
His hands began to tingle as his wolf reared its head to play.
Fucking wolf. Settle down. I’m getting there.
Ethan ran his hands through his hair. His mouth opened, then it closed.
What the hell could he say to her?
Olivia studied the small iced model of what he imaged he looked like.
How could he tell her about his daughter?
“Ethan?”
He took a gulp of air, a hint of caution in his answer. “Yes?”
Maybe she really could read his mind?
“This pack. The one that came in? Do you need me to meet them? It sort of seems like I don’t have any choices or way of out this gig.”
He watched her lips pucker and a shimmer of air turn around the wolf. It yawned and started to pace.
“This would be a fun cupcake, don’t you think? Maybe I can bring a three-tiered cupcake tower with this little guy guarding it?”
He couldn’t turn away. If she were useless in the eyes of witches, she’d be a damn goddess to his three-year-old.
“What were you saying?”
He shook his head, clearing out everything but her.
“Wouldn’t he be cute on a cupcake tower? Maybe to meet the pack?”
Right. Pack. She needed to meet them. They needed to accept her.
“Right. About all that. Uh. Have you changed at all yet?”
She gently let down the little tiny canine and smiled over her shoulder.
“Change? I usually do that several times a day. I don’t enjoy my work clothes all day. I smell like icing.”
Fuck.
“No. Not that. I mean. Well. Have you felt the need to go running, or found yourself smelling things you’ve never noticed before?”
She turned around and crossed her arms. His pants tightened as he found himself struggling to look up and away from her perfect cleavage.
Fuck. What?
He needed to get his shit under control. He couldn’t bring her to the pack or his daughter if all he wanted to do was bury himself balls deep into her.
“Ethan? Hello? You still there?”
He nodded. Stupid dick. The damn thing needed to start thinking if it was going to hog all the blood.
“Any strange new stuff? Habits maybe?”
“I suppose so. Should I be worried? I also make it snow now too. Well once. I think I can keep that to myself.”
“I meant have you shifted into a wolf yet? I would assume you’d be a lot more freaked out if you had. Wait, what the hell does snow mean?”
She flashed him a puzzled glance. “Why would I shift into a wolf?”
“Let’s get back to that in one second. What the hell does snow mean?”
Her nose scrunched as she started to talk. “The other day. It started snowing in my house. I have no idea what it means, it's something else new. That wolf? He's new too. He's almost real. It's like ever since meeting you something woke up in me. "
“Watch this.” She held out a hand and whispered something he didn’t hear. Rain fell from midair into her palm.
"That's not normal for witches then?"
Her eyes didn't leave the tiny storm. "Not for me it's not." Something ghosted across her face, but he held back from trying to get into her head. They were making some progress, alright maybe a lot of development.
“You okay?" he asked.
She bobbed her head.
"You sure?
"Yes. I promise. I'm fine. What were you asking?"
"Have you shifted? Or felt something odd lately?"
She laughed. "Define odd. I mean. Everything has been odd."
He drummed his fingers on the counter. "Like your skin tingling. I always say it feels like a million bugs crawling up your legs. Just something that doesn't feel right. ”
She shook her head. “If that's what shifting is, then no wolf shifting.
"So tell me, why would I shift to a wolf?”
Her eyes narrowed, and the rain stopped.
“You've heard of a werewolf bite?”
That got her attention.
“Not worried though. I'm not a werewolf, that’s like a whole dark magic thing. But all shifters bite for mating, and I think the reason is the magic. How else would you claim your mate for your own? Anyway. You’d need to be a wolf too. I don't get it either. In fact non-shifter mates are rare. Someone outside of the pack is rare.”
Slowly stepping back, he felt his wolf cowering in the corner of his soul. Retreat was about the only logical thing to do right now.
Full retreat.
Her nostrils flared. Ethan's senses hit high alert.
“I’m a witch. What the hell, Ethan? So now you tell me that not only am I married to some testosterone-laden man and his lumberjack brothers but now I’m going to be hairy?”
He pursed his lips, hooked his thumbs in his pockets, and rocked back on his heels.
“Yup. About sums it up.”
That sounded better than what he might have said.
“You're kidding right?”
A flash of thoughts, disjointed and half animal rage flashed through his mind. Not his thoughts. Not her entirely. The wolf in him sat up, waiting.
Ethan sniffed the air.
“Maybe you should just take off your clothes. You know, incase you like them.”
“You are turning my life in all weird directions, and all you can think about is me naked?”
The trembling started with her hands, traveled up her arms, and slowly seemed to spread like electricity hitting lines of a fuse.
“I’d take you any way you came, but...” He pointed at her. “I smell your wolf Olivia, the animal side of you and she wants out. Let her.”
Before Olivia could say anything further, she cried out in a muted voice as the wolf within her took control and pulled at her.
Ethan shifted, furious and fast. Praying to meet her on the other side. His head down, watching, waiting for her. Olivia would fight it, who wouldn't? It was against nature.
The ripping of fabric was familiar to him, and the only sound until she emerged as a white wolf.
His wolf slowly approached one paw in front of the other.
There would be no words, animals had no words. He pushed an image of her and her beauty. She cowered, her tail low.
The last thing he wanted was for her to fear him.
He nuzzled her, first nose to nose. Her head slowly rose to face him, and she whined. He tried to push more images to her,
tried to communicate through their mated connection. Her thoughts were confused. Slowly as she accepted him, feelings flashed into his head of her. Confusion. Anger. Exhilaration.
He licked her and pushed his massive head against her shoulder. A picture of the nearby woods surfacing.
Yes, a run. That was the only thing to do now. He followed her to the back door where she pawed at the curved handle. It opened and out she ran, into the dark of the night.
He chased her, a freedom coursing through him. Down alleys and streets. Her pace quickened as they neared the boundary between civilization and the tree-line.
The land butting up to the city had no claim and they were free to run. He let out a howl as Olivia's white fur blurred the quicker they ran. He flanked her, keeping her safe as well as enjoying the company of his mate.
Chapter 11
“Ouch,” she said in response to a sting.
Blindly she swiped at it, her hand rubbing against soft flesh.
“Oh, God.” She bolted upright. “Oh, God. That wasn't a dream. That wasn't a dream.”
Ethan's gravelly voice cloaked in sleep responded. “Not a dream. Now get your warm body back here. The sun’s just barely rising.”
She blinked, although it was probably more to try and clear what she couldn't believe. She was in a small outcropping of stones. Not really a cave, but it held the same rough facade. Bits and pieces of the night filtered through the fog of memories.
“Why are we outside?”
Her back flexed as his hand trailed along her spine. “We aren't outside. See?” He pointed up but didn't bother stirring much more.
“That's an overhang. Like a crappy awning over a store. That's not going to protect me.”
He cleared his throat and finally sat up.
“Apparently we aren't sleeping anymore. Do you want to get going?”
She shifted, and the crisp chill of the morning dew hit her. She squealed in surprise. Bringing her knees to her chest and held tight.
Good Lord. She was naked too?
“Okay. I'm going to take your silence as a bad sign. So, let's see. You took off for a run, I followed. You know, after you shifted. It's only gentlemanly. At some point, you decided you were tired. Probably somewhere between the rabbit you caught and the fox you tried to pick a fight with.”
She bristled. “I do not pick fights. That fox started it.”
Turning her attention back to him, a smile broke the surface of her confusion.
“Do you remember then?” he asked.
A slow shake of her head and she analyzed her thoughts. “Yeah, I guess bits and pieces. It seems like a dream though. ”
She stared off into space. The cool breeze of the morning feathered across her cheek. Taking in a deep breath, she recalled the fingers of the wind running through her fur. Her skin peaked in little bumps. The absence of clothing or fur left her exposed. She sidled into Ethan, letting his warmth penetrate her skin.
"Why can I remember some things and not all things? Or rather, why does it all seem like a mess in my head? A dream, but without detail?"His hands rubbed up and down her arms.
"It's the wolf. Even new cubs that shift have a hard time remembering everything that happens at first. It's like you’re two halves of the same soul and the two need to feel their way around each other. She, your wolf, was in the driver's seat while your human side came along for the ride. You'll figure out how to be more present as time goes on. You did really well though. For your first time anyway."
She laughed and punched him. "Hey now. I think I did very well regardless of my first time. I'm still here aren't I? And I figured out how to get back to this form. That's got to count for something."
His chin rested on her upper shoulder. Kissing the skin, he pulled away.
"You did amazing for anyone. If I'm honest, I was afraid that maybe you being a witch would stop the shift somehow. No one knows every law, every rule."
He moved closer, pulling her towards him.
"I know you're the one my wolf's been searching for. I've been searching for."
He said all the right words. Did all the right things. She was putty in his hands if he only knew. Maybe he did, and that was what she loved. He could control her, he could take away her freedom, and yet he didn't seem to want to.
She studied Ethan, the man. She racked her brain for Ethan, the wolf. Both seemed to be content near her, letting her explore. He might have looked like he had it all together, but deep down she could feel his fears, his weakness.
Reaching out she rested her hand on his bare chest. The beat of his heart was the rhythm of her own. Trust. She had to trust him.
There would be no walking away, even if it were physically possible. She didn't think she could emotionally survive it.
Ethan gave her a sidelong glance. He didn't know what to make of her, and that was a bit reassuring. Keep him guessing and he wouldn't get bored of her, right?
She stopped at the thought. Maybe she'd keep her new found feelings a bit longer until she genuinely accepted her own emotions.
“You okay?" he asked.
A short nod and she dropped her hand. She really was okay, now if she could just get a handle on everything else outside of her and Ethan she'd be even better.
"Alright then."
She turned towards him as he spoke.
"If you’re ready to go maybe it’s time to meet the pack. At this point, you’re fully connected to the pack and they know you’re here. Probably should just get it over with.”
Was she ready to meet a new family? She'd just come to terms with being Ethan's mate. What if they judged her? What if they didn’t like her? Like being judged was new.
The rustle of dried leaves behind her made her stop going down the metaphorical rabbit hole.
“Olivia? Don't worry. They will accept you as their beta, and they will respect you. I need to warn you, though. There is another pack. I’ll have to explain a lot to catch you up, but maybe not right now. You’ll feel their pull, but they aren’t loyal to you or to me. Just know that.”
"Okay. This sounds very political. I always imagined packs like families."
He gave a snort. "If you mean huge dysfunctional families, then yes. Honestly, though, there are politics and disagreements like any other society. It's part of why I work at the fire station, to get an outside perspective. Be a better alpha. See the world as it is and bring the pack up to modern times. That and I needed to find my beta."
Olivia had too many questions to pry further. Ethan shifted in front of her. She dug deep within herself. Imagining the wolf. Imagining the shift. The tingle of magic swirled within her. The transformation wasn’t painful, the magic was different though. Strong, unique, and not entirely hers. She snorted as her muzzle itched. This was never going to be normal, was it?
She quickly pawed at her nose and then focused on the world around her. Ethan’s brown wolf stood a few feet away, and she remembered thinking he was majestic in wolf form. A nod of his head and they headed off.
Their pace calm, leisurely. Taking in the forest as they went. Olivia felt a new force within her, working with the wolf. The calmer her emotions, the more she felt a part of this, rather than being the host to a parasite.
Olivia tried to focus, but she was tired. The high of the night still hadn’t worn off. Had she transformed into a wolf, or was that a dream? Had she really just run miles with Ethan by her side? He’d barely let her understand what had happened before they'd taken off again. The sun was just now starting to rise, orange and yellow in the horizon.
The truck bumped down the deserted road as they headed away from the city.
“You’re okay, right?” He glanced away from the road, and any last feeling of doubt disappeared. He cared for her. He cared about her, even if he’d been an ass. Running alongside him, she’d known everything he felt.
“I will be. It’s not every day the only one night stand you’ve ever had turns you into a wolf,” she paused. “But
yes. I’m okay.”
She swore she could hear Ethan nearly choke.
"How many one night stands have you had?"
She giggled at the growl in his words.
"What's it matter? You're still my first shifter."
"Olivia? Don't you play with me. You brought it up. I might need to go hunting later." His knuckles whitened against the steering wheel.
"Seriously, calm yourself. I've told you several times I've never done anything like this. One night stand, shifter, random marriages, none of it."
She placed her hand on his thigh, and the anger flowed from him.
"I'm sorry. I'm nervous."
She coughed mid-swallow. "You're nervous? I'm going to be introduced to a bunch of strangers as your mate. I don't think many families would be great with the equivalent to an elopement. And, sadly I'm sure they will blame me."
He quickly glanced at her before going back to watching the road. "One, you already met my brothers. That means everyone knows and is expecting you. Two, they aren't like your humans and witches. When we know who our match is, we know. This isn't exactly unexpected. I'm more concerned with how they will welcome someone outside the pack. It's not customary for an alpha to go outside of the species."
Olivia rested her head on the window.
"For what it’s worth, I'm just as nervous. This has never happened to me before either."
She smirked, her eyes half-lidded. “The one-night stand? Or the turning a woman into a wolf?” Olivia hoped he said no to both as a foreign feeling of absolute possessiveness hit her. Deep within her soul the wolf—her wolf—howled, and she had to bite back against the need to reach over and grab Ethan. How funny would this be that she no longer was the prey, but now the hunter?
“You’ll figure out how to hide some of your thoughts in human form, but as of right now, calm yourself. If you tried to act on what you're thinking I’d crash this damn truck. And yes, that was the first time I have done either. I might be impulsive, but I have never felt ...” he trailed off. “Olivia, control your wolf, and you’ll be able to control your thoughts better.”
Icing On His Mate (A Move Over Fate Novel) Page 9