Fated (The Stratton Pack Book 1)

by Stella Blue

  Teddy sat in the diner with her friends during their lunch break, satisfying herself with a plate of chili-cheese fries and a milkshake. Cora tried to get Phee to dish about her latest date with Kitt Stratton, but Phee wouldn’t say anything other than “it was nice”. Teddy laughed and sipped her milkshake. “Trust me, Cora. If Phee doesn’t want to talk, there’s no getting her to talk,” she warned. “She once iced out Tyler Bruin for three straight weeks after he lost her favorite set of pens.”

  “They were glitter gel pens,” Phee mourned.

  Cora rolled her eyes. “Whatever you say, kid. I’ve got to get back to it. I’ll see you both around?” she said, getting up from their booth. Phee and Teddy nodded.

  After she’d left, Teddy studied her friend. “Of all the Stratton men, Kitt is definitely your type. Down-to-earth, goofy, total sweetheart. Just like you,” she praised.

  Phee beamed. “He is a great guy. They all are, actually. Despite Wyatt and Emmett always acting like tough guys,” she said. “They’re really just like big, lovable puppies.”

  Teddy rolled her eyes. “I don’t know if I would describe Emmett Stratton as a ‘lovable puppy’,” she countered.

  “I take offense in that. I am undeniable lovable,” Emmett piped up behind Teddy.

  Phee laughed and stood up. “I’ve got get back, too. Emmett, you should keep Teddy company until her break’s over,” she suggested. Teddy gave her a death glare as Phee walked away. Emmett leaned against the booth.

  They sat in awkward silence for a moment. “So how’s the shop doing? I walked by the other day. Looks good,” Emmett praised, sitting.

  “It’s going great,” Teddy replied. She remembered something and rummaged around in her bag. “Speaking of the shop…I’ve been learning Hazel’s recipes, and I started experimenting. I made you a little something.”

  She pulled out a lumpy bar of soap and presented it to Emmett. He accepted it, impressed. “It’s maple-allspice soap. It’s supposed to help bring you luck,” she explained.

  He smiled, blue eyes twinkling. “Are you trying to say I’m dirty?” he teased.

  Teddy glared. “I’m trying to give you a gift as thanks for all the work you’ve done on my car,” she clarified. “Grease monkey.”

  Emmett laughed, a warm sound that brought a tingling feeling to the tips of Teddy’s fingers. “Still got that wit, I see,” he said, leaning toward her. He was just close enough for her to smell the faint blend of mountain pine and wet earth that clung to his skin. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” she replied, twirling the end of her braid.

  Emmett chewed his lip, studying her face. “You think your aunts can handle the shop for the day?”

  She shrugged. “Probably. We’ve just been making autumn wreaths for the Harvest Festival,” she explained. “Why? What do you have in mind?”

  Emmett perked up. “I’m heading to a friend’s junkyard to look for an alternator for your Beetle,” he explained. “Want to come?” She hesitated. “Come on. We haven’t had a chance to really catch up since you’ve been back. Plus, there’s this little shop on the way that sells the most amazing fudge.”

  Teddy’s eyes widened. “Why didn’t you lead with that. Let’s go!” she decided, standing. Emmett ordered a burger to-go, and they returned to his garage. After loading her bike into his truck, the two set out for the junkyard.

  As they rolled through the mountains, Teddy marveled at the natural beauty. She felt that strange energy from the night in the garden building within her, but this time it was at ease. She undid her braid, letting the cool air tousle her hair. Emmett sang along with the radio under his breath. His truck smelled of the woods, like him, and it comforted her.

  Teddy turned her attention to Emmett, scrutinizing him. “What?” he asked.

  “Nothing,” she remarked. “Just looking at you. I think you might have actually grown up to be handsome.”

  Emmett laughed warmly. “Is that supposed to be a compliment?” he teased.

  “You were just sort of an awkward-looking kid,” she pointed out. “Me, on the other hand? I was adorable.”

  “I guess,” he agreed. “That gap in your teeth was irresistible.”

  She rolled her eyes. “It got you to kiss me, didn’t it?” He chuckled, and they fell into a comfortable silence.

  “I was sorry to hear about your mom,” he shared, drawing her out of her thoughts. She frowned.

  “Thank you,” she murmured.

  “I remember her. She was great,” he remembered.

  “I remember your mom, too,” Teddy admitted. “She seemed sweet. But tough, too.”

  “She had to be, raising three sons,” Emmett pointed out.

  Teddy chuckled, then went quiet. “It never really gets easier, does it?” she asked softly. Emmett tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

  He shook his head. “Sometimes I wake up and I forget, and I think she’s still down in the kitchen, making pancakes. Then, I remember that she’s gone,” he admitted sadly.

  Teddy laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I don’t think moms are ever really gone. I think they stick around in the things we do or the things we say, so we can keep them with us,” she said hopefully. He smiled at her touch.

  They arrived at the junkyard, where Teddy followed Emmett into a sea of rusting cars. With his friend’s permission, they scavenged for parts for the Beetle, striking up conversation about all of their old friends along the way. He filled her in on who had married whom, who was traveling the world, and who was in jail. She told him all about her life outside of Eaton, and how great it felt to be home again.

  By the time they finished collecting parts, catching up, and stopping for fudge, it was late in the day. Emmett drove Teddy back home and pulled his truck up to the gate. They hopped out, and he unloaded her bike. Lingering, Teddy chewed a bite of fudge. Emmett watched her, admiring the way her honey-brown eyes seemed to glow in the evening rays. “I had fun today,” she admitted, chuckling.

  “What, are you surprised?” he joked.

  “No. You’ve just changed. You’re not the goofy little kid anymore,” she realized.

  “Well, it’s been ten years since we last talked. People change,” he said.

  “Have I changed?” Teddy wondered.

  Emmett studied her. “Yeah. At first, I thought you seemed sadder,” he admitted. “But then, I realized. You’re stronger now.”

  Teddy smiled appreciatively. They gazed at each other, a silent longing between them. “Well, thank you. I really appreciate you doing all this for me,” she said finally.

  “I’d do anything for you, Teddy,” he admitted, blue eyes sparkling.

  Teddy blushed. “I should get inside. The Aunts are probably waiting for me,” she told him.

  He reached for her elbow to catch her attention. “What are you doing next weekend?” he wondered.

  “I don’t know. Probably going to the Harvest Festival,” she mentioned.

  Emmett rubbed a hand on the back of his neck. “My family is having this huge party that Friday night, up in the mountains. There’s going to be food, games, this huge bonfire. And…I was wondering if you might want to come with me,” he invited, inching closer to her.

  A grin spread across her lips. “I’d love to.” They were close enough to kiss. “I thought you only kissed in pumpkin patches,” Teddy teased.

  He placed a hand on her waist, his other hand tangling in her hair. “I’d kiss you anywhere, anytime, if you’d let me,” he whispered.

  “What about right here, right now?” she asked, laying a hand on his chest.

  “You got it,” he obliged.

  They kissed in the twilight, locked in each other’s embrace. A heat blossomed between them, but Teddy finally pulled away, breathless. She knew the Aunts would be expecting her, and the last thing she wanted was them watching her make out with Emmett Stratton.

  Tucking her hair behind her ears, she blushed under his gaze. “I’ll s
ee you around, Emmett.”

  He gave a small wave before heading to his truck. “See you soon.”

  She watched his truck disappear around the bend, butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

  Chapter Nine

  As soon as she walked through the gate, Teddy headed straight for the garden. The Aunts were already there, Andie reading a book and Seph tending to the herb garden. With a wave, Teddy went and sat in the chaise underneath the wisteria vine that wound around the side of the house.

  “Good day?” Seph asked, picking sprigs of cilantro.

  “Is that fudge?” Andie wondered, smelling the chocolate.

  “Yes,” Teddy said, nodding to them both. She offered a piece of fudge to her aunt. “What potion are you making, Seph?” She gestured toward the basket of cilantro, peppers, and tomatoes from the garden.

  “Salsa,” Seph replied, laughing. “We were just heading inside, if you want a snack.”

  “Thanks. I think I’m just going to go to sleep,” she said, stretching. She gave both of her aunts a kiss and headed up to her bedroom. As she lay in her bed, Teddy could hear the happy sounds of the Aunts puttering around in the kitchen and laughing together. She guessed that the home must have been filled with light and love when all of the Kane women were alive.

  Teddy fell asleep thinking of her mother.

  I sit on a fallen log, watching the babbling brook below. The last light of sunset dusts the tops of the trees, casting shadows all around me. The moon is rising, and all is at peace. Suddenly, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I hear a piercing howl in the distance.

  It’s him.

  Teddy jolted awake, still dressed and in her bed. She hadn’t gotten through the rest of the dream due to the energy that surged within her. She felt drawn toward the woods. Throwing on her shoes and grabbing her phone and a flashlight, she padded through the house and ran out into the woods.

  As she followed the energy pulling her through the woods, Teddy found herself standing in Hazel’s garden. The honeysuckle vine had flourished in the few days since she’d last seen it, and it looked as if the rest of the garden was slowly coming back to life. A single red rose stood in the center of the garden, and Teddy knelt beside it.

  Behind her, in the dark, wild woods, something in the woods moved. Teddy tensed, turning around to see her visitor. As if emerging from the dream itself, a large wolf slunk out of the shadows, its eyes focused on Teddy. The energy inside of her grew stronger in anticipation of the animal’s first move.

  The wolf paused close to Teddy, studying her. Timid, she reached a hand toward it. Inching its nose forward, the wolf met her touch. Immediately, Teddy felt her energy settle into a peaceful lull, and the wolf grinned and licked Teddy’s hand. As she laughed at the tickling sensation, the wolf let out a happy bark and lunged toward her.

  Teddy fell back to the ground under the wolf’s weight. The wolf playfully rubbed its head over Teddy’s face, neck, and belly. She laughed again and let her hands run through the wolf’s soft fur. Black spots of fur dotted its gray body along the neck. It paused it’s licking assault and stared her in the eye. Teddy lay there, staring up into iridescent blue eyes and smelling the familiar combination of pines, earth, and hints of maple and allspice.

  She gasped, scrambling to her feet. The wolf stood, studying her face with attentive blue eyes. A distant howl sounded, and Teddy watched as the wolf darted back into the woods. Before it disappeared, Teddy saw those blue eyes glance back at her, and her heart skipped a beat.

  Somehow, Teddy was certain that the wolf was Emmett Stratton.

  Chapter Ten

  It was the first time that Teddy didn’t dream of the wolf chasing her through the woods. When she woke up the next morning, she replayed her encounter with the blue-eyed wolf again and again. The intensity of his gaze still burned in her brain.

  She sat at the breakfast table, chewing absentmindedly as the Aunts argued about an old friend from high school. “Andromeda, I’m telling you. Lucy Eckhart was a witch,” Seph assured.

  “As hard as it may be for you to believe, not all of us had to use magic to pass our classes, Persephone,” Andie countered. Seph rolled her eyes.

  “Do wolf shifters exist?” Teddy interrupted.

  “Why do you ask?” Andie wondered.

  Teddy shrugged. “Just curious,” she mumbled. Seph shot Andie a knowing look, and Teddy sighed. “You can tell me. I’m not going to freak out.”

  “Long ago, there was a very powerful witch,” Andie began, staring into her tea. “She loved a man, an ordinary man, and he loved her. He was strong and kind and loyal to her, and they were happy.” Teddy opened her mouth to interject, but Seph held up her hand, warning her to be patient.

  “The people in the village did not trust the witch. They wanted her dead, and they plotted to attack her on the night of the full moon. Her lover vowed to protect her, preparing to face the villagers on his own. She knew he would not survive, so she cast a spell to transform him into a powerful wolf. Under the light of the full moon, the man became the beast, and the villagers departed in fear. By morning, he returned to his human form, and all was well.

  “But the villagers plotted to attack again, and he was forced to transform once more. Each attack came sooner and sooner, and the witch granted the man the ability to transform into the wolf at will. Slowly, he began to lose himself to the wolf, giving into his wild instincts. He destroyed the village, and when the witch tried to call him home, he ran away.”

  “No one knows for certain what became of the witch and her wolf,” Seph concluded.

  Teddy tried to absorb what they’d said. Accepting the existence of witchcraft came naturally to her, but the idea of shifters left her feeling lost. “What’s wrong, Teddy?” Andie wondered. “Your aura is filled with anxiety.”

  Teddy sighed, not wanting her aunts to know about the wolf in the woods. “Nothing,” she muttered. “Look, I’ve got to get into town before the shop opens. I’ll see you both there?” They watched her as she hurried out of the house and hopped on the bike, making her way towards Emmett’s garage.

  Her mind raced as she pedaled through the foothills, trying to come up with a strategy for questioning Emmett. At the Stratton Auto Shop, Emmett was bent over the engine of Teddy’s Beetle, hard at work. Teddy leaned her bike against the wall and strode into the shop in a fury. She noticed him tense as she drew near, and he stood.

  “Teddy?” he greeted brightly, walking over and wrapping his arms around her waist. “I didn’t expect you so early.”

  “Are you a shifter?” she cried, yelling more than she’d meant to. He stared quietly, not offering a denial.

  “Teddy…” he began.

  “Because last night,” she ranted, “this giant wolf showed up at my grandmother’s secret garden. And, at first, I thought I was dreaming. But then I saw the eyes, and they were your eyes, Emmett. I swear. And the wolf had these black spots all over his neck, just like your freckles. And when I asked the Aunts about it, they tell this whole story about a witch and her wolf.” She stared up at him. “So can you just tell me? Is it true?”

  Emmett rubbed the freckles on his neck, sighing. “It’s true. I wanted to tell you, Teddy,” he whispered, looking her in the eye. “My dad…He ordered me not to. I physically couldn’t go against him.”

  She stared. “What?” she breathed. The realization that all of the Strattons were shifters sunk in.

  “My dad. He’s the Alpha of our pack. Going against a direct order is seen as a challenge. Depending on how big the issue is, a challenge can get you killed,” he explained. “But since you figured it out without me telling you, I’m in the clear.”

  Teddy backed away, and Emmett looked hurt. “Please don’t be afraid of me,” he begged. “I would never hurt you.”

  She shook her head. “I’m not afraid,” she promised. “I’m just trying to understand.”

  “Then, let me show you,” Emmett offered, walking toward her. “Do y
ou trust me?” He held out a hand to her, waiting for her. That familiar, warm energy began to bubble within her. She took his hand, locking eyes with him.

  Emmett closed up the shop and led her around to the back of the building. He took off his clothes, handing them to a blushing Teddy. “You may want to look away,” he warned.

  “I’m actually enjoying the view,” Teddy joked.

  “Suit yourself,” he said, as his body contorted. His bones snapped and rearranged, and canine teeth sharpened in his jaw. Fur exploded from every inch of his body, and in moments, Teddy recognized the wolf from the night before, the wolf from her dreams, standing before her.

  He inched his nose toward her, breathing in her scent. A lopsided, wolfy grin spread on his face, and Teddy laughed. “You’re still the same, old Emmett, aren’t you?” she said, stroking his fur. He nodded his head toward the woods, and Teddy frowned. “What is it, boy? Did Timmy fall down a well?”

  Emmett released a warning bark. “Okay, okay. That was in bad taste. You want to go in the woods?” she asked. He nodded and lowered himself so she could climb on. “You’re not serious. I’m not going to ride you!”

  He nudged her toward his back with giant head. “Fine,” she grumbled, grabbing his fur and hoisting herself up onto his back. Once she was secure, he stood and darted off into the woods.

  The colors of the woods were a blur around them as he ran at lightning speed. Teddy leaned her whole body against him, clutching him tightly. She could feel his heartbeat, and she smiled into his fur. Emmett came to a stop at a clearing where wild strawberries grew. She climbed off and handed him his clothes after he’d shifted back into human form.

  They sat in the clearing, watching each other silently. Emmett laid on the ground and traced patterns on Teddy’s hand while she studied each freckle along his neck. She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it. “You have questions. Ask them,” he prompted.