by G. Bailey
“Did you sleep well?” he asks.
“Yeah, great. Well, not so great… with the whole ‘turning into a wolf’ thing coming up,” I admit, looking out the big window at the moon in the sky. I wonder if the moon is anything to do with wolves, like fairy tales usually make them out to be.
“We should walk to the woods. Turning inside the house wouldn’t be a good idea,” Nikoli says, diverting my attention from the window to him. He has a big black North Face jacket on and regular jeans.
“I don’t have a coat or anything with me to wear,” I reply, and he nods his head at the rucksack on the floor by the door. It wasn’t there earlier, so someone must have put it in here, or he could have brought it in while I was sleeping. My red coat is lying on top of it, and I pull my shoes on before walking over to it. I pull the red cloak on, ignoring how it reminds me of the wolf that bit me. I can’t see any blood on it, but the memories don’t leave me. I think I hate this coat.
“Tell me about yourself,” Nikoli asks me, as he holds the door open. I walk out and towards the stairs.
“I’m eighteen, and used to live in Stratford-upon-Avon. My parents died in a house fire when I was two. I was rescued, and then I lived in foster care until now.” I tell him the simple things; things he could find out by just searching me on Facebook.
“I’m sorry about your parents. I lost both of mine as well,” he says, but it does shock me a little. I’ve never met anyone who has lost their parents like me. Even in foster care, the other children are usually given up or don’t speak about their pasts.
“How?” I ask, and he looks at me for a second before carrying on walking down the bottom staircase.
“There are other shifters, and we don’t get along. There was a fight for this territory when I was five, and my parents died making sure me and my sister could escape,” he explains, a tad of emotion lacing his words. I get the feeling he doesn’t speak about his past often, or at all.
“That’s terrible,” I say gently.
“Yes, but the other shifters paid for their mistake; for stealing our land and killing our parents. I grew up and took everything my parents lost back,” he tells me. I wonder how long that must have taken him and how determined he must have been to come back here. I watch him as we reach the end of the staircase and continue down the silent corridor. I would undoubtedly use “determined” as a word to describe him.
“What other shifters are there, then?” I ask.
“Wolves and bears are the most common around here. There’s a bear shifter pack on the border of our lands, actually. When you go into the local town, you might meet some, and we have an alliance with them. Actually, I would consider the three alphas, friends,” he comments.
“So just wolves and bears?” I ask, and he chuckles as we get the end of the corridor. He opens the back door and leads me outside. I pull my coat closer as the cold wind hits me and makes me feel freezing.
“No. There are a lot of different shifters. We even have a different shifter in our pack, a tiger. Cats and wolves don’t usually get along, but I found Evlan in the foster system as a child. My friend works as a social carer and tells me if there are any unusual reportings.”
“Like a child turning into a tiger, I’m guessing?” I ask.
“Exactly. He shifted and ran off. I found him and then adopted him. Tigers are rare, and I was worried he wouldn’t fit in with the pack, but he did. Evlan is mated to one of our wolves, and they even have a baby on the way now,” he tells me. It’s clear how proud he is; I can hear it in his voice.
“You say our pack like it’s mine also, when it isn’t,” I state, as we get to the trees. Nikoli slides his warm hand into mine, and I freeze, not sure if I should pull away from him.
“Because it is ours. You’re my mate, and I’m alpha. You are the alpha female of this pack now,” he tells me. I go to respond when I feel pain in my stomach that takes my breath away. I wrap my arm around my waist as I fall to my knees.
“It’s normal. The pain will fade, Harper. You have to let go and trust your wolf. She will never hurt you as she is part of you. She is part of who you are now.” Nikoli’s strong words come through the haze, moments before everything goes blurry. The first thing I notice is the warm feeling of my body and the way everything is in black and white as I open my eyes for second before the colours of the forest and everything else slowly come back. A wolf is lying its massive black head on its paw in front of me. It tilts its head ever so slightly before I hear,
“Harper, your wolf is lovely. She is a deep brown, almost red, colour, with white-tipped ears.”
“You can talk in my mind?” I reply to the deep voice of Nikoli. The wolf in front of me stands up, stretching.
“Yes. Let’s run,” Nikoli replies and the wolf walks closer, nudging me with its nose. It’s strange to move for the first time in wolf form; it’s like walking when you’re drunk. I do stand up a little, wobbling, and look down at the ground. I can see my one brown fur-covered paw and the ripped bits of my clothes all over the field. Well, at least the coat is gone. When I look up and back into the eyes of the black wolf, I know it’s Nikoli. The glowing blue eyes are so like his. Nikoli nudges the side of my head with his and then turns around, running through some trees. My wolf runs after him, without me thinking about it or controlling my body. I can feel her, as she takes over a little, and I have a feeling she runs on instinct and not logic. I don’t know how long we run for until we come across a river. My wolf drinks from the stream with Nikoli’s and then sits back.
“We should go back, but you did well,” Nikoli tells me.
“I did?” I ask.
“Perfect for an alpha female. You’re perfect, and I’m so happy you here. That you found your home,” he tells me, and I stare over at him, seeing the bright blue eyes that look stunning, even on the wolf. We run back to the house, with me following Nikoli the whole way. He stops just outside the back door and I watch as he shifts back, his entire body faintly glowing grey, and then he is human again. The naked, perfect human body that I can’t stop looking at.
“Shift back,” he says, standing there, not one bit bothered by the fact I can see everything. Everything looks big, and I try to pull my eyes away from all the chiselled chest, and the happy trail that leads to a part of his body which is apparently delighted I’m here.
“Harper, to be human. You need to imagine it. Imagine your body,” he tells me, apparently amused. I do as he asks, imagining my long dark hair and my round face. My green eyes and pale skin, and I feel my body moving. It’s hard to explain what it feels like, other than a wave of heat caressing my body. When I open my eyes, I lift a hand in front of myself and see it’s normal. I’m back.
“Here.” Nikoli holds out a long shirt for me, and I quickly pull it over myself as he watches.
“Are you not going to put something on?” I ask him. He slowly looks me over, starting from my feet, up my legs, my stomach, and my breasts under the shirt, and then meets my eyes.
“No, Harper,” he says and opens the door, walking in. I watch his fantastic ass as he walks down the corridor. That’s a view I don’t mind seeing often.
“Harper,” I hear my name whispered, and I open my eyes to the dark bedroom, smelling something sweet and familiar. I turn my lamp on, holding in a scream when I see a shadow just outside the window. The shadows move, and I sit up in bed, turning my bedside lamp on to see better.
“Harper, come here. It’s me.” I recognise Colton’s voice this time, and I sigh in relief. I knew I would see him again. I slide out of bed, running over to the window, and opening the latch. Colt has a black hoodie over his face and all black clothes, to blend in as it’s obvious he snuck in here.
“What are you doing? How are you?” I ask, wondering how he even got up here, and how he even knew I was here? I never got the chance to tell him. My phone charger wasn’t in my bag and Gold was asking around for me today, so I can charge it, and then get a new one in town. Colton jum
ps down from the window and closes it behind him, before pulling me to his chest. I breathe in the scent of him, which is so much stronger now than it’s ever been; he smells just like mint and something sweet that I can’t put my finger on. “I was going to call you, and asked to borrow Nikoli’s phone; but he forgot, I think.”
“Who is Nikoli? Is he the one that took you?”
“Took me? Wait, Colton, how are you here? I don’t understand,” I say, confusion spreading through my words, and he steps a little closer, further into the moonlight.
“I’m so sorry I wasn’t there before the wolves took you. They had no right,” Colton says, and I frown as I pull away a little.
“You know about wolves?” I ask, and then look up at his eyes. The light is dim in here, but I can’t miss the fact his once blue eyes are bright purple, and he has two sharp teeth protruding from his mouth. I step away, and he lets me as I take him in. I’ve never seen him like this, never at night, and I know he has been keeping something from me now. He knows about shifters, and he looks like he could be one of them. He can’t be human with the way he looks, and it takes me a second to remember him as the playful Colton, who is my friend and would never hurt me.
“Colt, what’s going on with your eyes and teeth?” I ask quietly, and he sighs, rubbing his face.
“We need to leave, and I can explain everything then,” he says.
“I can’t leave, not really. I’m a wolf now, and I need a pack,” I tell him, and he nods.
“I knew they had turned you, you smell too much like a wolf,” he says, his voice deeper and scarier than before. “And no, you don’t. You need to be around supernaturals of any kind. Being around me would stop your wolf from going mad.”
“Being around you? What are you, Colt?” I whisper, and he steps forward, sliding his hand into my hair and moving that inch closer to me, so I have to lean my head back to look at him. His lips part to say something as the door behind me smashes open behind us.
“Vampire, you chose the wrong pack to break into,” Nikoli says behind me, walking into the room. I step away from Colton, who moves in front of me. Don’t vampires need to be invited into a house? Or maybe that’s just because I watch too many vampire tv shows.
“You need to make your pack harder to break into. I just walked in. Lame for a pack this big,” Colt laughs out, winding Nikoli up. What the hell is he doing?
“Don’t worry, we keep stakes in our rooms for your kind,” Nikoli says, and with speed I didn’t know he could run, he charges into Colton, and they both fly out the window, smashing it pieces as I tuck down and hold my hands over my head. The glass sprays all over me and the floor, as I listen to them thumping around and land outside.
“Nikoli, no!” I shout, running over the glass and screaming a little as bits cut into my feet. I suppress the pain the best I can, knowing that if I don’t get down there quickly, they might kill each other. I pull myself through the broken window, trying to ignore the glass that cuts my arms. I look at my arm to see the cuts healing quickly and pushing the tiny bits of glass out of my skin. Just outside the window is a ledge, and below are Nikoli and Colton, beating the crap out of each other like I knew they would be. It's odd to see because they both move so fast with every hit, and neither of them pause as they fight back. I look down at the ground as I pull myself onto the ledge and know if they made that jump, I should be able to as well.
“Nothing to it, just jump,” I tell myself, and then push off the ledge with a scream. I don’t like heights. I roll when I hit the ground, hitting my side, surprised how it didn’t hurt that much. I look up from the ground as Colton throws Nikoli across the grass. He lands smoothly and then gets up, smirking as he wipes some blood off his lip, and runs at Colton, landing a hard punch to his face, as Colton punches Nikoli’s side. Neither of them seem to have noticed I’m even here. I look over to see Gold running out the door, Erik and another man I don’t know at her side.
“Don’t. Let me deal with this, but no one hurts the vampire,” I shout at them, pulling myself up off the ground. They all look at me like I’m mad.
“Colton is a friend of mine, I can’t let you hurt him. Let me stop them.” The guys ignore me, but Gold pulls two daggers out of a holder on each of her thighs and raises them in front of Erik and the other guy.
“The alpha female will be listened to,” Gold warns them and nods at me. “Go,”
“Nikoli! Colton, stop!” I shout at them as I run over. They both ignore me as they keep punching each other and rolling around on the ground. Both of them are covered in mud and grass, and blood. Nikoli has blood all over his face as he holds Colton down on the ground and punches him hard enough to break something. Colton is holding him off, but I watch as Colton uses his legs to push Nikoli off him, and they both jump up into standing positions. I run over, stopping in the middle of them, and hold my hands up. They both stop, staring at me, both making growling noises that would scare most people.
“Stop, both of you!” I shout, and they go quiet. Only the sound of our heavy breathing pierces the cold night.
“Colton is my friend. My only friend, and I trust him. I didn’t know he was a vampire, and he is just upset that he thinks you took me,” I tell Nikoli, who doesn’t say a word as he stares at Colton.
“Colton, they didn’t take me. Well, they did, but it was to help me. A rogue bit me, nearly killed me, and Nikoli’s betas saved me. Nikoli has taken me into his pack and helped me shift. He isn’t a bad person,” I say, and Colton sighs, stepping close to me and sliding his hand into mine.
“Alright. I trust you if you say this idiot is a good person. You’ve always been a good judge of character,” Colton says, and Nikoli growls.
“Do you want to say that to me again, Vampire?” He snarls. “In fact, get the hell out of my pack,” Nikoli shouts in anger, and I sigh.
“Then we will leave, Harper,” Colton says, stepping closer to me. His whole body is pressed against my back and his arm slides around my waist. I have no doubt Colton will pick me up and fight every wolf to get me out of here at this rate.
“She is my mate, and not going anywhere,” Nikoli says, taking his own step closer to me, so close his whole body is pressed against my front. Both of them aren’t looking at me as they stare each other down above my head. Short girl problems right here.
“Harper is my mate. I knew when I met her a year ago,” Colton snaps.
“What?” I stare back at Colton as his words process through my mind.
“When we met, I knew you were my mate, Harper. I’ve known for a year,” he says, gentler this time.
“Both of you, let me go. I need some space to process all this. Please,” I ask them, and they both instantly step away as I think about what Colton is telling me. He is my mate, too. Another mate and I’m a wolf now; he is a vampire. It's like Twilight, but the jokey movie version of it.
“Why haven’t you turned her yet? That makes no sense,” Nikoli says, and Colton groans when he sees the look on my face. I don’t know why I feel betrayed, like our friendship was nothing more than him thinking I belonged to him as a mate.
“I was going to give Harper a choice after she turned eighteen. I’m not like the rest of my kind; we don’t force our mates to turn,” Colton says, anger in his words.
“Didn’t know you vampires even had any morals,” Nikoli growls, and Colton moves closer, his chest brushing my hand that I automatically put out to stop him.
“Want to say that again, Wolf?” he spits out, his purple eyes glowing brighter in the dark night.
“Look, this isn’t getting us anywhere. So, you both think I’m your mate, right?” I ask.
“Yes,” they answer in unison.
“Well, what if I don’t want to be either of your mates?” There’s silence as I look between them. “Colton, you have lied to me, time and time again, since we met. I don’t even know who you are,” I whisper.
“You know who I am. Nothing about the year I spent with yo
u was fake,” he tells me.
“But it was based on a lie. And how do I know anything you told me was true? You’re a vampire, from this world that I only just found out existed as I was thrown into it,” I say gently. I don’t want to think of any of time as fake, it just couldn’t have been. He was – is – my friend.
“Give me a chance. I will tell you everything about my kind. Anything you want,” Colton says, stepping closer, and Nikoli growls louder behind me.
“Nikoli, I don’t know you, but if you hurt Colton… I could never forgive you for that,” I tell him, knowing if he ignores me now that he isn’t the kind of mate I need; the type of person I could be with.
“I won’t hurt him, not unless he hurts you. That’s the only thing I wouldn’t forgive,” he assures me as his eyes lock with mine. I nod and give him a thankful expression.
“Tomorrow. I will come back here tomorrow, and we can go out. We need to talk. Alone,” Colton says.
“You’re not leaving this pack with him,” Nikoli tells me, and I step away from Colton just to calm Nikoli down a little. I can feel how stressed he is from here.
“Nikoli, if this was the other way around and someone you thought was your mate was taken from you, wouldn’t you do what Colton did?” I ask, his glowing blue eyes never leaving Colton.
“Yes,” he answers eventually, like he doesn’t want to admit it.
“Colton is part of my past, the only part I care about. Please don’t take him from me or force me to choose right now.” I move closer and place my hand on his arm. Nikoli seems to get some control over his wolf, as his eyes dim a little and he looks at down at me.
“Fine. For now. You will need to choose, Harper. I will never trust a vampire with my mate,” he tells me angrily and then walks off into the house, slamming the door. I feel like part of my heart breaks in that moment, and I hate he has that effect on me already. Gold, Erik, and the other man follow Nikoli into the house.
“Tomorrow at ten, I will come back.” Colton steps closer when he sees how upset I am. “He is just angry.”
