by Alexis Davie
Madeline just shook her head. She looked at Ethan imploringly and he took over.
“We know it’s not exactly a conventional relationship, Vic, but we’ve thought this through. And with all due respect, we don’t care what anyone else says. This is our life and we make each other happy. You know what it feels like when your wolf catches the scent of your mate. And that’s what happened to us. It didn’t happen when we first met as it usually does, because Madeline wasn’t close enough to her nineteenth birthday for her wolf to be stirring. But as soon as it did… well, we just knew we were destined to be mates.”
“I don’t believe this. You two are disgusting. And I want nothing to do with this sordid relationship of yours. Madeline, I demand that you end this right now,” Vic snapped.
“No,” Madeline said.
It was only one word, but Ethan had never heard her sound so strong or so sure of herself before.
“Excuse me?” Vic demanded, raising an eyebrow.
“Vic,” Ruth said, touching his arm.
Vic shrugged her off, ignoring her.
“I said no,” Madeline said. “Dad, I love him and he loves me. This is right. And if you can’t see that, well, then I’m sorry, but we’re not going to throw away everything we have just to appease you.”
Vic got to his feet and stormed from the room. Anger radiated from him as he passed by Ethan and Madeline. As soon as he left the room, Madeline’s shoulders slumped and her eyes filled with tears.
“I guess I’ll have to face all of this on my own now,” she whispered.
Ruth stood up and shook her head.
“No, you won’t. You have Ethan, and you have me. And your dad will come around. Let me go and find him and calm him down. Once he’s had some time to get his head around this, he’ll learn to accept it.”
“Thank you,” Madeline said.
Ruth rushed from the room and Madeline fell into Ethan’s arms, letting the sobs come now. Ethan held her, rubbing her back.
“You won’t be facing this alone, Mads. I’ll be right there by your side when you turn. In fact, you won’t have to face anything alone ever again. Because you’re mine now. Forever.”
“Promise?” Madeline said, her voice sounding muffled against his shoulder.
“I swear it,” Ethan said.
19
“Well, it’s almost time. I guess my dad isn’t coming,” Madeline said.
She was sitting in Ethan’s car. He was beside her, holding her hand in his. They were in the same spot where she had first seen him turn.
“There’s time for him to come yet,” Ethan said. “My mom knows this is where I will have brought you.”
Madeline nodded. She looked at Ethan and he could see the turmoil in her eyes.
“I know I wanted to turn, but now that I know I have to, I’m scared. What’s it like?”
“The first time is pretty tough. It hurts like hell because your whole body has to change fundamentally. Bones break, sinew stretches. But it only lasts for a few minutes, and once you’re in your wolf form, the pain stops. And it only hurts the first time. In your wolf form, you will feel powerful, graceful, and free. You’ll feel a sense of freedom like nothing you’ve ever felt before. I know it sounds corny, but it’s magical.”
“It doesn’t sound corny at all. It sounds nice,” Madeline said. “Except for the bones breaking part. That sounds horrible.”
She looked at her watch.
“I have five minutes. We’d better get out of the car and I guess I have to strip off my clothes, right?”
“Right,” Ethan said. “Unless you want to rip your clothes to shreds and go home naked.”
Madeline laughed and shook her head. Ethan reached over to the back seat and pulled out two large blankets. He gave one to Madeline and kept one for himself.
“Just to protect our modesty,” he grinned. “I’ll turn first, because you won’t be in control of yourself as you turn for the first time, and if you attack me, I’d rather be in wolf form.”
“I won’t attack you,” Madeline said. “I might not be in control of myself, but I know that much. My wolf recognizes your wolf, right?”
“Right,” Ethan replied. He grinned at her. “See? You already know more about this than I do.”
She nudged him with her elbow, laughing.
“Three minutes,” she said.
She got out of the car, followed by Ethan. They both stripped off their clothes and wrapped themselves in the blankets. Ethan came over to Madeline and kissed her.
“Don’t worry about your dad, okay? My mom will make him see sense.”
Madeline nodded and forced herself to smile. She had thought she was hiding her sadness at her dad’s anger pretty well, but Ethan had seen straight through it. She opened her mouth to tell Ethan that if Ruth couldn’t get through to her dad, she would get over it. That she didn’t regret being with him.
Before she could speak, pain flooded her body and she dropped to her knees. Ethan turned into a wolf before her and he sat down and watched her as she started to turn. She felt every bone in her body snap at once and white-hot agony filled her. Her knees and elbows popped and stretched and she screamed.
Her skin felt like it was being ripped from her body as fur erupted all over her. She screamed again as her shoulders and hips broke. Her scream changed to a howl halfway through it, and then, as quickly as it had started, the pain was gone.
Madeline looked down at herself. Where she had stood moments ago now stood a small, sandy-colored wolf. She looked up at the sky and howled again, this time a sound of pure joy. Ethan had been right. She felt strong and free and like she wanted to run and run and never stop.
She moved to stand beside Ethan, marveling at how graceful she was. Ethan licked her fur and a shiver went through her. She looked into his eyes and then she turned and began to run. Ethan kept pace beside her.
She sensed movement on the other side of her and she glanced over. For a second, she felt afraid when she saw two other wolves running beside them, but the fear turned to joy as she worked out who they were. She instinctively knew they were her father and Ruth. She sniffed the air and realized she could smell them.
Madeline felt as though she would burst with joy as the four of them ran into the woods.
Epilogue
Three Years Later
Ethan felt like his heart would burst with pride as he watched Madeline step up onto the stage when her name was called out and receive her diploma. He clapped and cheered, his excitement matched only by that of Vic and Ruth, who sat beside him. Madeline had graduated with honors and Ethan knew how excited she was about the teaching job she had lined up for after the summer holidays.
The rest of the graduation ceremony dragged for Ethan. He just wanted to hold Madeline in his arms and kiss her now that she had her degree. Finally, it was over and Madeline was pushing her way through the crowd toward him, her face beaming with pride.
Ethan wrapped his arms around her and swung her around in a circle. She giggled with delight. He set her back on her feet and kissed her.
“I’m so proud of you, Mads,” he said when he stopped kissing her. “You so deserve this.”
She grinned at him and then Vic and Ruth hugged her too. They chatted excitedly for a bit, Madeline full of joy at the thought of her new job. Not long later, Charlie and Scott joined them. Charlie had graduated, too, and Vic and Ruth congratulated her.
“Oh, Ruth, you don’t know Scott, do you?” Madeline said.
She began to introduce them and Ethan saw his chance. He nudged Vic and nodded to a spot a couple of feet away from the group. They walked away and Vic looked at him.
“What’s up?” he asked.
“I just wanted to ask you something,” Ethan said, nervous suddenly. He took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. “I wanted to ask you for your blessing to ask Madeline to marry me.”
Vic laughed and pulled Ethan into a hug. Ethan relaxed instantly.
�
�Of course you have my blessing,” he said. “I was starting to think you were never going to ask.”
Ethan laughed as Vic released him from the hug.
“I wanted to wait until after Madeline graduated,” he said. “I didn’t want any wedding talk distracting her from her studies. Not after she worked so hard.”
“Good thinking,” Vic said. “Because you know you’re creating a monster here, right? She’s going to be a real Bridezilla.”
Ethan laughed. He didn’t care about that. Madeline could have anything she wanted on their wedding day and every day for the rest of their lives. As long as she said yes to marrying him, he didn’t care about anything else.
* * *
It had been the best day and night of Madeline’s life. First the graduation party and then the dinner they’d gone out for—she and Ethan, Charlie and Scott, Vic and Ruth, and Charlie’s parents. Madeline was sad it was ending, but she was also a little glad as the excitement of the day was starting to catch up with her and she was feeling tired as the cab pulled up outside of the apartment building where she and Charlie shared a place at college.
“I can’t believe this will be our last night here, Mads,” Charlie said as the four of them got out of the cab and began to make their way up to their apartment.
“I know,” Madeline agreed. “We had some great times here, didn’t we?”
“The best,” Charlie smiled.
Madeline pulled her keys out and unlocked the apartment door. They stepped in and Madeline looked around. The apartment was a mess, filled with boxes of their stuff ready to be collected tomorrow.
“Well, I’m beat. I reckon we’re going to hit the sack,” Charlie said.
They said their goodnights and Scott and Charlie went to Charlie’s bedroom. Madeline yawned and then she laughed softly.
“I think they’ve got the right idea,” she said.
“Actually, do you mind waiting a moment?” Ethan asked.
Madeline realized Ethan had been quiet all night.
“Sure. Is everything alright?” she asked, concerned.
“It will be,” Ethan said.
He dug into his jeans pocket and pulled out a small box. He opened it as he got down on one knee, showing Madeline a beautiful diamond ring. She felt her eyes filling with tears.
“If you agree to be my wife,” Ethan added.
“Of course I’ll be your wife,” Madeline exclaimed.
Ethan got to his feet and grinned at her. She heard cheers from behind her and she laughed as Ethan picked her up. Charlie and Scott hadn’t gone to bed. They’d been hanging back on the other side of the door, waiting for her answer, Madeline realized.
Ethan kissed Madeline and she kissed him back with everything she had. Now there was no doubt in her mind that this was the best day of her life. She had never felt happier.
“Now we can go to bed,” Ethan winked at her, setting her down.
She was still laughing when he took her hand and they ran into her bedroom.
* * *
WHAT TO READ NEXT!
Rise of the Alphas: Paranormal Romance Collection
Alphas, bad boys, and soul mates! Set your heart aflame with this hot-as-sin paranormal romance collection.
Other Books You Will Love
Bad Boy Alphas: Shifter Romance Collection
These SEXY Bad Boy Shifters Protect, Cherish, and Claim Their Mates!
Rise of the Alphas: Paranormal Romance Collection
Alphas, bad boys, and soul mates! Set your heart aflame with this hot-as-sin paranormal romance collection.
Thank You!
Receive a FREE paranormal romance eBook by visiting our website and signing up for our mailing list:
SecretWoodsBooks.com
By signing up for our mailing list, you’ll receive a FREE paranormal romance eBook. The newsletter will also provide information on upcoming books and special offers.
About the Author
Alexis Davie captivates her readers with stories that intertwine reality with fantasy, to provide an exciting escape. Davie has always had an affinity for dragons, vampires, werewolves and, of course, romance. One can truly see her passions come to life through her written words.
When Davie is not writing, she hikes, practices yoga, and frequently travels with her son and husband to find the less-traveled paths. To help the voiceless, Davie also spends her time as a volunteer with animal rescues.