One True Mate (Westin Pack Book 1)

by Julie Trettel

  It hadn't been easy losing my parents at such an early age, and while I had told him they were murdered, I still couldn't bring myself to mention the details about the wolves who attacked us. Subconsciously, I caught myself rubbing my upper right thigh where I knew the ugly purple scars would forever be. It had taken the doctors eight rounds of skin grafts to close it back up and the skin around that area was still thin and ugly. I had to be careful not to nick it or it would bleed easily. A constant ugly reminder of that terrible night and the terrible monster they had turned me in to.

  I had lost more than my parents that night. I had lost my childhood and innocence, and I had lost my future all in one.

  I could be very off about Kyle's feelings for me. Heck, I probably was. But it didn't really matter because no matter what, I could never ever let him know my secret, and we could never ever be together with that between us. Still, I longed for him to wrap his arms around me and hold me close. My body shivered just at the memory of the brush of his arm or him rubbing my shoulders after a long hard day. My body craved those little moments, but what did it matter when I could never let it go any further than that?

  I looked back out towards the woods. Still no sign of the wolf. I couldn't help but worry about where he was. It wasn't like him to go missing like this. I sighed and stood up to let myself in. The familiar comfort and smell of my home washed over me in happy greeting, but my wolf was agitated more than usual. I couldn't remember the last time I had let her out for a good run, and thought maybe it was time I did.

  In my mind, I could see her prancing for joy at the thought. So, I cracked the back door and quickly stripped, leaving my clothes in a pile on the floor and gave myself over to the change. I had barely hit the floor on all four paws when she was nosing the door open further and out, running at full speed towards the woods where the brown wolf usually stood.

  When I reached the spot he normally stood guard, I sniffed the ground thoroughly, memorizing his scent. A feeling of familiarity swept over me and I was off and running again, this time heading deep into the woods. I followed the scent to the edge of clearing. My wolf jumped excitedly and howled before I could stop it from escaping. There was a cabin in the clearing and I didn't want to scare the people there and I was suddenly very afraid of what my wolf might do to the people inside.

  It took more effort than I'd ever had to use to gain even a little control over my wolf side, but I had to do it and get us out of there. It had been a mistake to let her lose. It had been too long, and I prayed we wouldn't hurt anyone. I managed to turn us back around and head back into the woods, but not without a constant power struggle within.

  My wolf finally laid down and whined. She whimpered like that often cooped up in the den when the brown wolf was outside. I sniffed the air and could smell his scent stronger than before, and it frightened and comforted me at the same time. I had to get us home and quick.

  I managed to make us stand and started walking back towards my house, but we didn't get far before I felt eyes watching me. I turned quickly and the fur on my hackles stood up as I bit back a snarl. There was a new scent in the area that I didn't recognize, male and growing stronger, heading my way. Then another and another. An entire group of wolves were headed my way, and I instinctively knew it was too late to turn tail and run.

  I backed up into the thick brush of the forest and laid low to the ground as they approached. I could see them clearly, four in all, and watched them sniff the air, knowing they had caught my scent and were looking for me. In two years, I had only ever seen the one brown wolf in the area, but I should have known. Wolves never ran alone, always in packs, well, except me, I thought ironically. Why did I think he would be like me?

  I knew as soon as the first wolf scented my location. My back-end raised up and I snarled a low menacing sound his way. The others took notice and followed as they tried to surround me. Just as I started to pounce on the first wolf, I saw him. It was almost like a dream. That big brown wolf I had grown to love so much came seemingly out of nowhere and jumped over the first wolf to stand in front of me. His back was to me and he was growling and snapping his teeth at the others. I had been right all along. He was protecting me like my own personal guardian angel.

  The first remained, even as the other three turned and ran off. The first growled back at my brown protector and started to make a lunge, but the brown wolf moved just in time and jumped on top of him, snarling and snapping his jaws. Leaping back, he started to come at him again, but the first wolf did the strangest thing. He looked right at me, then he stopped still and looked back at the brown wolf before lowering his head to the ground, then bared his neck to the large brown wolf who made a snorting sound and seemed to motion with his head for the wolf to leave. Their actions were almost human-like, and I was fascinated by it. Never once did I consider they too might be werewolves.

  The large brown wolf turned toward me. I was surprised at just how much bigger he was than my own wolf. I kept my head lowered and averted looking directly into his eyes as I scooted out from my hiding place and stood before him. I dipped my head lower and bared my neck to him as I had seen the other wolf do. Something inside told me it was the right thing to do, that this wolf was something of importance. I couldn't begin to say how I knew it, I just did.

  When I finally chanced a look, the wolf sat back on his haunches and quirked his head to the side studying me. Something about the motion reminded me of Kyle Westin and I laughed, but in wolf form it came out as a weird growly sounded that startled both of us. After the initial shock, I could have sworn the other wolf smiled. Can wolves smile? Surely, I must have imagined it.

  I stayed mostly still as the wolf began circling and sniffing me. It irritated me feeling like I was being treated like a dog, and so I turned and huffed off, clearly surprising my self-appointed guardian. He snapped out, but I kept going. He growled, and it scared me, causing me to take off in a full sprint. It wasn't long before he had caught up to me, though, and the beast jumped on top of me, knocking me to the ground. I'm not sure if it surprised me or him more, but I pushed back and soon had him pinned to the ground on his back. His hazel eyes full of shock, but not of aggression. I no longer felt any threat from him.

  He knocked me off balance and pinned me to the ground. I responded in kind before allowing him to stand as I began a slow trot back towards my home. He followed, keeping pace beside me. When he moved to brush the full length of his body against mine, a shockwave hit me. I felt a connection like I had never felt before. Like I belonged here with this beast. I had missed him while he was away and wondered why he had not come to see me the past two nights. I wished I could ask him. A part of me wanted to remain in wolf form forever, knowing he would keep me safe. I rubbed up against him and curled my head into his neck taking a deep breath and allowing his scent to wash over me. The wolf sat back and howled at the night sky. I had never seen anything more beautiful.

  We spent the remainder of the night running and splashing in a narrow creek. I could not remember ever having so much fun in wolf or human form, but as the moon lay low and the sun began to rise, I knew I had to leave him. I had work in a few hours, and I would not be late.

  I tore off at full speed giving him chase, heading for my house. We stopped at the edge of the woods and I sat back and howled. He responded the same, only when I moved to head towards the house, he remained at the edge of the woods. I prayed we'd be able to meet up again sometime soon.

  Once inside the house, I wasn't sure what to do. I was still in wolf form and while I could change from human to wolf form with ease, I had never consciously changed from wolf back to human form. I had always stayed in wolf form until I fell asleep, waking in my naked human form. I looked up at the clock and knew I didn’t have time for that. Pacing back and forth across my living floor, I began to panic.

  I closed my eyes tight and thought of what I could possibly do while a strange, somewhat familiar ripple coursed through my body. I felt disorient
ed and cold. Opening my eyes, I realized I had shifted back to human form. I was naked, still on all fours on my living room floor.

  I laughed out loud. "Well, that wasn't too bad," I announced to the empty room. Jumping up I ran for the shower and dressed as quickly as I could for the day. It was 8:01 when I sat down at my desk. Exhaustion nearly crippled me. Note to self: next time I decided to run with a wolf, do it on a weekend so I could sleep the next day.

  I didn't really think Kyle would say anything about me being one minute late, even if he was used to me being at least a half hour early. I quickly started up my computer and ran to make coffee while it booted. God, I needed it if I were to survive the day.

  With two fresh cups of coffee in hand, I headed for Kyle's office and knocked on the door. No answer. I set my coffee down on my desk and knocked a little harder. Still nothing, so I opened the door and peeked my head in. The lights were still off and there was no sign that Mr. Westin had been in so far that morning.

  "Okay, well, I guess he won't even notice I was late."

  "Why were you late?" Came a sweet voice I loved, but nearly gave me a heart attack.

  "Don't sneak up on me like that, Lil. You nearly scared the daylights out of me."

  She just laughed. "Did I really hear you say you were late this morning?"

  "Yeah," I scowled. "I got here at eight oh one. Don't worry, I'll tell your brother as soon as he gets in."

  The last thing I wanted to do was lose this job. I had just graduated a few months earlier with my business management degree and knew eventually I would move on, but I couldn't even think of it yet.

  Kyle and Elise had taken me out to a fancy dinner the night of my graduation and told me how proud they were of me. It had been one of the best days of my life. Lily couldn't make it as she had already taken off to Europe to spend the summer with friends. I didn't envy her, though. I much preferred home to traveling, but I was thrilled when she returned just two weeks earlier.

  "Eight oh one," she said in mocked horror, "surely he must fire you for such insubordination." She giggled. "I don't know anyone else besides you and Kyle who arrives before eight, Kels. I promise you it will be fine, though someone might actually believe you're human!"

  Lily laughed. Little did she know just how much truth was in that statement.

  "Who's human?" Came a deep voice behind me, causing me to jump for the second time that morning.

  Kyle's eyes locked with mine and I couldn't have looked away if I'd wanted to. There was something so familiar in them, and I got the feeling he was waiting for me to say something. He looked like a man with a shared secret, only I had no idea what that secret was supposed to be.

  "Mm-Hmm," Lily cleared her throat, dragging both our attention back to her. "Kelsey just might be human after all, big brother," she announced with authority and I couldn't stop the color from creeping up my neck and into my cheeks.

  He laughed a deep bellowing laugh. "Yeah, fat chance of that." He winked at me and headed for his office.

  "You're in too good of a mood to be strolling in this late. What's up with you?" I heard her ask as they entered his office and closed the door behind them. Even with my enhanced wolf hearing, I could never make out anything behind Kyle Westin's closed door, except when I knocked I could clearly hear him respond, and it drove me insane trying to figure out how he did it.

  The day passed as any normal day, though Kyle seemed to grow grumpier as the day wore on. I had no idea what was up with him, but decided it was in my best interest to steer clear of him.

  For the most part, I was pretty worthless throughout the day, surviving on caffeine alone. Over lunch, I chose to stay in and, pulling out a piece of paper, I began to sketch an image of the big brown wolf as he howled at the night sky. I added some trees behind him and knew it was a good representation.

  Suddenly, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it too.

  The day couldn't end fast enough, and as soon as it did, I was racing for my car, leaving before Mr. Westin even, which was something I rarely ever allowed myself to do. Excitement had me speeding down the road and stopping in front of the Painted Dragon. I didn't hesitate, worried fear would set in and I'd chicken out.

  A little chime above the door sounded when I entered.

  "Just a minute," I heard a male voice call from somewhere in the back.

  When he stepped in, looking enormous in the small doorway and covered from head to toe in tattoos with this black hair slicked back into a ponytail, I almost turned tail and ran, but I had made up my mind and this was something I had to do.

  "Oh, it's you," he said, sounding confused.

  "Uh, yeah, I guess. I'm sorry, have we met?" I asked him hesitantly.

  His responding laugh set me at ease instead of fleeing for the door.

  "No, I'm Cole Anderson, and you're Kelsey Adams. Everyone knows who you are. Everyone knows everything about everyone around here." He gave me a smirk and I felt more vulnerable than I had ever felt in my life. "So tell, what brings you into my humble abode today?"

  "Well, it's a tattoo parlor, right? So I'll give you two guesses."

  That caused a full laugh from him. "You've got spunk, I'll give you that, girl. For the mysterious little lone-wolf you appear to be, I sure didn't expect that. Come on in, and tell me what you have in mind."

  "Now?" I said, suddenly feeling nervous and put off by his wolf reference.

  "Yeah, now, or do you have a better time in mind?"

  "No, no this is great. I just didn't know you'd be able to take me back so soon."

  "Nervous?"

  "A little."

  "First tattoo?"

  "That obvious?"

  He chuckled again. "Have a seat." He motioned me towards a chair that looked a lot like an old dentist chair, but the place seemed clean and I couldn't help but notice the wolf drawings on the walls in the lobby. If those were his, I needn't worry. His art was so much better than mine.

  "So, what did you have in mind, and where?"

  "Well, first I need to ask you a question."

  "Okay, shoot."

  "Um," I started nervously. It wasn't something I ever talked about and certainly never showed anyone.

  "Can you cover scars with your tattoos?"

  He frowned, "Scars? Yeah, no problem."

  "Um, how about skin grafts?"

  His eyes widened as he came to understand what I was asking.

  "How bad and how long ago?"

  "Bad, and it's been ten years."

  "Let me see what we're talking about."

  I hesitated.

  "It's okay, Kelsey, there isn't too much I haven't seen in this line of work." His grin was meant to set me at ease, but it wasn't working this time.

  "It's just, well, um, I've never actually showed anyone since I left the hospital. It's a little nerve wracking even considering this, but I'm so tired of being scared and having this ugliness as a constant reminder. I thought maybe a tattoo, something that makes me happy, would help?" I shrugged, feeling incredibly vulnerable.

  "That's pretty normal, Kelsey, but I won't know what I'm dealing with until you show me, but most of the time scarred tissue and skin grafts can easily take the ink."

  I nodded and slowly began to lift my skirt up, then stopped. "Promise me you won't freak out or call me a monster." I was already fighting back tears.

  He looked at me gently, understanding I had been through something very traumatic and spoke softly. "Nothing could make me think of you as a monster, and whatever it is, I promise I've seen worse."

  I nodded, feeling only slightly better, and lifted my skirt the rest of the way tucking it into my panties so he could look at my entire right thigh.

  I heard his breath catch and his eyes widen.

  "What did this?"

  "A wolf. It was a long time ago." I suddenly couldn't stop talking. Everything I'd been keeping inside of me burst forth to this one stranger. "I was twelve. Two of them attacked, killing my parents. I got
away, but barely." I motioned to my leg for added emphasis. "It took eight rounds of skin grafts to get looking this good. But every time I see it, it reminds me of that awful night. I don't want that constant reminder, Cole."

  "I'm guessing my lone-wolf comment earlier was a little uncalled for."

  I snorted. I liked Cole Anderson immensely.

  "Okay, well, did you have something in mind already or want to look at some books? If you want that fully covered it's gonna be something big and will take more than one session."

  "Did you draw those wolves out in the lobby?"

  "A wolf? You want a wolf to cover the scars left to you by a wolf?"

  I grinned and nodded. "Not just any wolf though." I unfolded the paper in my pocket with the picture I had drawn of the big brown wolf and handed it to him. "I want this wolf."

  Amusement flashed across his face. "This wolf? You're sure this is the wolf you want covering your body?"

  "Absolutely. It has to be this wolf."

  "Tell me why."

  "My entire life I've been terrified of wolves, even before the attack." He seemed surprised to hear my admission. "This wolf, I've seen him in the woods behind my house. He's there almost every night, and there's just something about him. I don't know how to explain it, but I'm not afraid of him. He's big and should be terrifying, yet I'm not scared. I feel comfort knowing he's out there, kind of like he's protecting me. So yes, it has to be this wolf."

  Cole looked extremely amused by my story.

  "Okay, one more thing, did you draw this yourself?"

  "Yes. I know you'll do a far better job."

  "Uh-uh girl, this is amazing work. You ever want a part time job coming up with tattoo ideas, you just let me know. People pay a lot of money for designs this good. Maybe we could even cut the cost back some in exchange for a couple drawings. I really like this. Of course, the wolf would look a whole lot better being black." His grin was almost irresistible.