by S Cinders
“Silly wolf,” her voice was music to my ears. “We don’t need to go for flowers anymore.”
In front of her eyes I shifted, the muscles stretching and breaking as my human form came into her sight. To the girl’s credit, she didn’t run away, but the fear from that first night was present in her eyes.
“You have come for me?” her voice had softened to a whisper. “My mother told me that there would be a time when someone would come for me. The Moon Goddess foretold it.”
I stepped closer, inhaling her scent of jasmine and faint traces of citrus.
“Mate,” I said gruffly, “you are mine.”
“My sisters…” she said weakly.
But I shook my head, I had no use for the other humans, only my mate. I could see the heartache in her eyes and didn’t want to hurt her. But she was mine, I had been waiting a century for her and I wasn’t about to let her slip through my fingers.
“Your name is Trix?” I had heard the sisters call her this.
She nodded. “Beatrix, it means blessed.”
I smiled. “You are a blessing, Beatrix, to me and my pack.”
She blinked. “Pack?”
Chapter Two
Trix
Just when I had almost convinced myself that the hulking black wolf wasn’t going to hurt me, he transitioned into a man. Besides my brothers, I have little experience with men but from what I know they are cruel and only take.
My mother had warned me that a man would be coming for me, and that she would explain all when I was older. Unfortunately, there had never been time for that discussion when the fever took her along with most of my family.
I suddenly felt very angry with my mother and the Moon Goddess for putting me in such a situation. I had watched as a child when the men in the village would spit at my mother. Witches were extremely rare. My mother would tell us stories about when they were highly revered before the time of the Abaddon.
My mind flashed back to the wolf in front of me. He had said he had a pack. Just how many wolves were there?
“Who are you?”
The man was powerful in his human form, thick muscles lined his tanned skin and he stood much taller than my five and a half feet. I tried not to notice the way his massive sex lay against his leg. It was startling and something that I knew very little about.
He moved closer and I took a step back. Blowing out a small breath of frustration he raised a hand, running it through his hair. I watched as the muscles in his arm contracted. I could see every chiseled inch of his chest.
“My name is Tobias. I am the alpha of the Kencull pack.”
I couldn’t help the fear that raced through me. The Kencull pack was said to be the deadliest of all shifters.
“I will not harm you, Beatrix. I promise you that.”
I wanted to believe him. I really did.
“What are you going to do with me?” My voice was small.
“It is time for you to meet the other members of the pack.”
I nodded, terrified at the prospect.
Right before my eyes, the man shifted again into the big black wolf that I had gotten to know over the last few days.
“I need to say goodbye to my sisters.”
The wolf just stared for a long while. Eventually, he nodded his head. My sisters knew about the prophecy. Rather than wake them, I left a note by the fire explaining where I went. I couldn’t help the tears that formed and fell down my cheeks.
I knew nothing of their world or if I would ever see my sisters again. With a heavy heart, I went back out into the darkness to join my new mate.
Mate. The word seemed as foreign to me as he did.
I climbed on his back barely able to hold on before he tore off across the ground entering the dark forest. Tobias ran for what seemed like miles upon miles. I clutched him tightly within my arms and legs and allowed the tears to fall.
Before dawn Tobias began to slow, his fur was slick with sweat, and I wasn’t very clean either, from our journey. There was a large waterfall that we had stopped in front of.
Tobias transitioned again. “You can wash here.”
I glanced around seeing we were alone and knelt by the pool of water. Taking it in my hands I washed my arms and face. Tobias eyed me in confusion as he stepped naked into the pool.
“You will not be clean that way, Beatrix.”
“Do you expect me to strip down for you?” I said incredulously. “We just met and now I am supposed to humiliate myself in front of a complete stranger?”
In a second, he had his arms around my body and tossed me into the center of the pool.
I came up sputtering, “How could you?”
“Mate, you were talking nonsense. I don’t know why you are ashamed of your body. Do you have a deformity that I cannot see?”
I thought of the small birthmark on my shoulder and blushed.
He paused. “I see. Well, do not worry, Beatrix. I will still mate with you. The Moon Goddess and my wolf demand it.”
I wasn’t sure if I had ever heard a more unromantic statement in my life. I didn’t bother to respond to him. Now that I was in the water fully clothed I allowed the water to wash away the grime of the journey. I loved swimming and the center of the pond was quite deep.
I floated for a while until I felt a strong grip on my ankle.
Flailing, I sank back into the water and came up coughing.
Tobias eyed me and said, “Not much for swimming?
“I happen to love swimming,” I retorted forgetting to be afraid of him.
A broad smile flashed across his face making his harsh features rather handsome. I shook my head. There was no reason to find Tobias attractive. He didn’t care for me in that manner. I was a possession, nothing more.
“Come along, mate.” He began to move out of the water.
For a moment I was transfixed on the droplets sliding down his broad back and landing on the tightest ass I had ever seen. His thighs left the water and my core clenched. What was happening to me?
“My name is Trix,” I huffed. “Nobody calls me Beatrix and it feels strange for you to call me ‘mate’.”
His dark eyes moved to mine. They were possessive and intent. “You are mine.”
I sighed and climbed from the water. It was then that I noticed he was unnaturally still. Wringing the water out of my hair I glanced at him.
His eyes were flashing gold and I fancied that I could see a bit of the wolf in his features.
“Is everything all right?” I wrapped my arms around my waist. The fabric of my brother’s clothes had stuck to me like glue. I found that I was shivering in the slight breeze.
He blinked and his normal dark eyes were back again. But when Tobias spoke his voice was deeper, more darkness had slipped into it.
“It is time to meet your pack.”
“Tobias where have you…” the man with the dark skin broke off what he was saying when the three other wolves caught my scent. “Mate,” he growled.
I hesitated before saying, “No, I am Tobias’s mate.”
The man stepped forward baring his teeth. “Mate!”
Tobias moved in front of me. “Stand down, Cal!”
I hadn’t realized I was shaking until another man with blonde hair and pale skin brought me a towel to wrap around myself.
Tobias’s jaw was tight when he made the introductions. He indicated the dark-skinned man first, and explained, “This is Cal. The wolf who gave you the blanket is Jonah. And that is Silas.”
Silas was large with almond-shaped eyes and hair as black as night.
“You do not look like brothers,” I blurted out.
Tobias looked confused, but it was Cal who answered.
“We are brothers by the pack, not by blood.”
“Oh?” I looked up at him. “What does that mean?”
“We were not born into the same pack, Trix,” Tobias took over the explanations. “Cal, Silas, and Jonah pledged their allegiance to me. We are broth
ers in purpose, not born of the same Luna.”
I nodded slowly. “I see.”
Jonah looked at Tobias for guidance. “My wolf…”
Tobias nodded. “I had a feeling it would be this way.”
My heart skipped a beat. “What way? What is going on?”
Silas stepped forward and spoke for the first time, “Little witch you are our mate, not just Tobias’s, but all of ours.”
Chapter Three
Trix
Twelve years before
“Trixie, there will come a time when you will leave this village. Your destiny does not lie here, but far beyond the hills.”
I looked up from the drawings I was making with a piece of coal to see my mother had stopped kneading the bread. “I don’t wish to leave you, Mama.”
She sighed. “We all have our place in this world child. Yours is far more important than this small town with its simple-minded people.”
“What about all of you?” Confusion marred my features.
“What is to be will be, Trixie. You are our blessing from the Moon Goddess. Someday you will be more powerful than any witch on earth. You must be willing to go when the time comes.”
I knew that I wasn’t allowed to learn any magic until after my first menses. At seven years old that seemed lifetimes away.
“How will I know?” I sat on my hands, which had begun to shake. “Who is coming to take me away from you?”
She left the baking and I could see the small particles of flour that were stuck to her apron. Her face was lined, and I knew she was tired. I was the seventh child and my mother wasn’t young when she had me.
Cupping my face in her floured hands she said, “There is time, Trixie. I will teach you all that you should know. But I do not want you to be afraid of your path in life. Although it will be difficult at times, you have the potential to obtain great happiness.”
I awakened with a start, my heart pounding as the dream began to fade from my mind. I desperately tried to remember my mother’s face, but as it always did, time tended to erase certain details.
I had fallen into an exhausted sleep, overwhelmed with the wolves and my destiny. One woman with four wolves, how could that be? Tobias tried to explain that it didn’t need to be at the same time, but that only caused me more anxiety. I didn’t think he realized that I didn’t really understand what ‘it’ was.
We had gone into a cavern behind the waterfall where Tobias explained that this was their den. I was surprised at how civilized their home was. The rock walls and floors were a little chilly, but they were clean.
Tobias explained that while they were all warriors, each wolf had different responsibilities. Jonah took care of their home, making sure that it was clean and comfortable. Silas prepared all of the food and took care of the garden where fresh fruits and vegetables were grown. Cal did most of the hunting. Although that was something they all enjoyed, it was his job to ensure they had enough.
Like an idiot, I asked Tobias what his job was. The men grew silent and I knew I had said something wrong.
He came closer to me, his voice authoritative, “I am alpha, and you will be our Luna.”
I hadn’t the slightest clue what it meant to be a Luna and I was freezing in my wet clothing.
Jonah glanced at Tobias who gave him a nod. “Come, Trix, I will help you find something to wear and a place to sleep.”
I liked the blonde man. While just as muscular as the other three, he was smaller in stature, maybe an inch or two under six foot. I felt more comfortable in his presence and willingly followed him farther into the cavern. There was a massive room with a large fireplace. He explained that this was the common area. Then four tunnels led off, one in each direction. Grabbing a torch he guided me down one to a room that had to be his sleeping chambers.
He went to a chest and began to rifle through it. After a moment he pulled out a long gold gown.
Jonah smiled at me. “I have some things left from my mother that I think you might like. I couldn’t part with her things. She was all I had. This gown will be fine for the morrow, but here is a chemise you can sleep in.”
He pulled out another light slide dress with faded embroidery on the bodice. It was far lovelier than anything I had ever worn.
“You must miss her,” I said softly.
Jonah nodded. “My pack was ambushed when I was still a boy. My mother smuggled me out and we lived off the land until we found the Kencull pack. My mother was ill and didn’t live more than a year with Tobias’s father's pack.”
“What happened to them?”
He shrugged and looked away. “More followers of Abaddon. The Kencull pack used to be large with many mated wolves and cubs. We are all that remain. But do not let yourself be afraid. We have Tobias and he is the fastest, fiercest warrior wolf in the world.”
I nodded as if I understood, but I didn’t. Jonah handed me the chemise and turned his back so that I could change. I felt another rush of affection for the man. Once I had removed the wet clothing I told him that I was decent.
Jonah’s breath caught as he stared at me wearing the thin chemise.
I covered my breasts and blushed. “I know that I don’t do it justice. I am sure your mother was very beautiful.”
Jonah swallowed, his voice sounded hoarse when he said, “She was incredibly beautiful, but she didn’t hold a candle to you.”
I felt heat wash over me at his compliment, and a shy smile broke across my face. It was the first time that I had smiled since I had arrived.
Jonah started tripping over his words, “I will just, how about I, well then, lovely.”
My smile only widened and I saw a flash of yellow in his blue eyes.
Jonah closed them and seemed to be counting to ten. When he opened his eyes again they were back to the blue color from before.
“I am on watch. Why don’t you lie down here and take my bed. Things won’t seem as strange in the morning.”
I didn’t think I could possibly sleep. But the rich furs were so warm and comfortable that I dozed off almost immediately.
Now that I was awake again, I wanted to explore my new home. But I was also worried about running into Cal, Silas, and Tobias. They were so big. I could feel the power radiating off of them. It was so different from Jonah’s which calmed me.
Looking around I saw that Jonah had left a torch burning on the wall. I went over and tried to reach it but it was far too high. However, if I moved the chest over I could get it down. Once I had the torch in my hand I wandered back down the tunnel to the main area. There wasn’t anyone there.
I looked at the benches and table made of thick wood. The craftsmanship was amazing and I wondered who had made them.
The huge fireplace had a roaring fire and I wondered how they were able to pipe the smoke out to make a chimney. I had decided to investigate. Tipping my head toward the fire, I looked up to see if I could see anything.
Huge hands wrapped around my body and yanked me into what felt like a brick wall.
“You will not harm yourself, mate!”
It was Cal. His teeth flashed brilliant white as he spoke. His hair was coarse and cut close to the head. I found myself wanting to touch it.
“I wasn’t going to hurt myself.” I wished that my voice sounded more indignant and less like a scared child. “I wanted to see how you managed to create the fireplace.”
He eyed me with disbelief. “There are cracks in the rock and the current pulls the smoke out of the room.”
“Like a flue?”
He nodded. “Yes, do these sort of things interest you?”
I shrugged. “I like knowing how things work. Who made the furniture? It is beautiful.”
Cal glanced at the table. “I did. I could tell you about it. That is if it wouldn’t bore you too much.”
I noticed that he wasn’t truly looking at me. His eyes would linger above my face or he would turn away. It bothered me because I didn’t want to be repulsive to any of the wolv
es. It wasn’t as if we had asked for the situation that the Moon Goddess had placed us in. The longer he spoke the more I felt uncomfortable that he wouldn’t look at me.
My pride had been pricked. I knew that I wasn’t the most beautiful girl in the village. But I wasn’t a mud fence either.
“Look at me!” I demanded, interrupting his sentence. His eyes were so dark that they appeared to be black. The moment his eyes locked on my body I felt an intense heat in the pit of my stomach. My nipples beaded underneath the thin chemise and I felt like rubbing my legs together. What was wrong with me?
His breathing had increased. “Yes, mate?”
“Why don't you look at me?” I had come this far; I had to finish what I started.
Cal swallowed and I imagined myself licking his neck.
“You are innocent in the ways of love, kitten. It is best that I do not look directly at you.”
What?
Chapter Four
Tobias
I watched the girl as she laughed at something Silas had said to her. I felt the wolf pressing at my skin. He wanted to touch her, be next to her, even if it was only in sleep. I had allowed the others time to get to know her. A good alpha knows the importance of keeping his pack content and happy.
However, the more comfortable she became with the others the harder it was for me when she shied away from my presence. I craved everything about my mate and it was only through my strength of will that I had stayed away from her these past few days. But I wouldn’t any longer.
“How do you know when the plants are ready to harvest if they are under the ground?”
Her sweet smile was directed at Silas and I could tell he was drinking in the attention that she was giving him.
His deep voice was kind as he responded to her, “One must watch with their eyes. Do you see the beets here? When you see the shoulders poking out of the soil the vegetable can be picked. However, the greenery on top can be harvested as you thin out the rows.”