She turned her attention back to her father, numbness filling her body and mind.
They carried his limp, nearly lifeless body to his own bed and covered him up. Atticus’ body was calming but he was still in wolf form, not enough left in him to shift back to himself.
Olivia sat next to him, patting his fur, crying more than she’d ever remembered crying in her life.
“Please, we have to do something,” she told the pack.
They stood their solemnly around his bed, no one able to do anything. She turned to Dominic. He had to fix this, someone had to fix this. But Dominic’s sad eyes only looked at her and took Olivia’s hand in comfort. She was going to have to say goodbye.
Olivia threw herself on top of her father’s body, sobbing long heaving sobs of pain, the tears wetting his fur, seeping into his skin. She didn’t know how long she laid there like that, crying on top of her dying father, but she was aware that she had soaked him completely with her tears.
“Olivia, look.”
It was Dominic’s voice she heard, possibly the only thing that could have pulled her from the misery she was feeling inside. But she looked up at him anyway and with an expression that can only be considered mystified, she followed his gaze to where her father was opening his eyes.
“Daddy?”
Olivia almost never called Atticus that, but in the moments of his near death she felt like a vulnerable child again.
“Olivia,” he said, relief in his voice.
Atticus fingered the injury to his side, a large gash that had caused him to not only bleed but also damage him on the inside. Olivia’s eyes traveled to the wound where moments earlier it had seemed much large. In fact, the longer she watched the more his body begin to heal itself.
“What’s…what’s happening?” she asked.
The pack watched in fascination and she looked at Dominic who wasn’t watching the wound but Olivia instead. His jaw looked as if it had come nearly unhinged.
“Are…are you a healer?” he asked. Dominic’s eyes were wide in surprise and she was feeling the same as he looked.
Olivia had no clue if she was a healer or not. Being a healer was an extremely rare quality and she had never known she possessed the ability. But it seemed hard to deny as his wound ever so slowly continued to heal.
“I don’t know,” she shook her head in disbelief though the proof was right in from of her. “I guess I must be?”
They said a healer’s powers didn’t begin to show until there was a maturity in the healer, a strength that would allow her to pass on to others in order to help them. Maybe it was meeting Dominic and giving into her fate or maybe it had been the strength she needed to break away from the poachers, or even risk her life to save her father’s, but her soul had decided she was ready.
She may not be a shifter and that would never change, but Olivia knew now that no matter what, she belonged in this world.
Epilogue
Dominic
Dominic knew what Olivia had done. Healing Atticus had been nothing short of amazing. She wasn’t a shifter and she never would have those abilities, but she had something far more amazing. Olivia was a healer and in all of the miles of the kingdom, Dominic knew he’d never seen anything like what had happened in Atticus’ bedroom. He’d never met someone like Olivia and he couldn’t believe that he was the lucky shifter she was fated for.
Though she had saved Atticus’ life, and the pack was eternally grateful, he wasn’t quite the same. The injury took a lot of strength from Atticus and his near death had left him drained and fragile. The pack had felt lost and empty without a strong Alpha to lead them. But Atticus felt there was only one man who was ready to step up to fill his shoes and that was his soon to be son-in-law.
So it was decided, until Atticus was well enough to take care of his pack, Dominic would be the Alpha. But as the days turned into weeks and then into months, it became clear that Atticus was never going to be the Alpha that he used to be so as it happened, Dominic’s new position became permanent. The pack sees that Dominic’s strength and ability, not to mention the lengths he would go through to protect his pack. They felt secure in the decision.
Dominic felt secure about it too, even though the responsibility was far greater than any he’d been given before. But he was ready to be a leader and in command. It was the opportunity that had passed by him when the king had decided he wasn’t the right twin to wear the crown. Atticus, the pack, and his fated mate all did see him fit to be everything they needed him to be, and he took that honor with pride.
News of the assault and Dominic’s dominance spread throughout the shifters of the kingdom and it wasn’t long before Dominic came to be known as a hero of the kingdom. The attacks had all but disappeared as his threat had been taken seriously by the poachers.
A knock at his door one day showed him exactly how much he had changed.
Olivia opened the door and Dominic watched as she immediately curtseyed. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes because he knew exactly who was at the front door.
“Mom… Dad,” he greeted.
They both opened their arms simultaneously to Dominic and he gave them a small hug in return. Suddenly their cold demeanor to him was filled with warmth that was always reserved for his brother.
Always full of business they cut right to the chase of things.
“We think it’s time that you come back to the castle,” his mother began.
“Yes, perhaps I was too hasty in naming Ronald to be the next king.”
His mother looked around the cabin, her face showing pure disgust. While his father stayed near the door, looking ready for an escape back to the fancy castle. Dominic smirked as he remembered that feeling well, the feeling that the small cabin in the woods wasn’t enough for him. But Olivia sidled up to Dominic and he put his arm around his girl— his fiancé actually.
He looked down at her, even more gorgeous than the day they had first met. When she had annoyed him to no end and he had barely been able to contain himself. Of course, he still found it hard to contain himself most times when he was around her, she had a way about her that just drove his wolf wild inside. But now he knew what that feeling really was: love, fate, and everything a wolf could desire.
“I think I’m right where I belong,” he answered his parents.
“You can’t be serious,” his mother protested. “This isn’t fit for a prince of your stature.”
He was still a prince, this was true, even if he no longer lived in the castle with all of its shiny objects. But being a prince didn’t mean what it used to be to him. He thought royalty meant everything to him, that being able to tell anyone that he was a prince was the most important thing.
But being known as the mighty Alpha of the protector pack, the ones who guarded everything that he held close in that castle, seemed to mean more. And to have Olivia beside him, a remarkable woman, a healer, and the only person he was ever going to need, was the most important thing in his life.
Dominic was an Alpha, a prince, and most importantly, the one that would love Olivia forever.
*****
THE END
Mated to the Wolf
Description
Beauty, brains, and a killer instinct; What more could I ask for in a woman?
Doris Davis was just supposed to interview me for a story. I was fairly used to it since I became a star baseball player. I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but it sure is fun; especially when it’s totally true.
But from the moment I saw her I realized that there was something different about Doris. It was more than her killer wit, her beautiful face, or her amazing BBW curves. She was a wolf, just like me.
No wonder I’m drawn to her so deeply… I need her, I must be with her. I’ve never felt this way. I’m in love with her.
And she desperately needs my help, because there is an evil force after her who wants us both dead.
Time to howl…
Chapter One
Rob Thompson was ready.
He took a deep breath, feeling the adrenaline pouring through his body, as he got ready for whatever Greg Nelson had for him. Rob did his best to shut out the roar of the screaming fans in the packed stadium. They were all there to see the Diamondbacks win this game and move forward to the playoffs. They would not be let down if he had anything to say about it, that was for sure.
He felt like he’d been preparing for this moment all his life. Since he was a child playing little league he’d dreamt of the time when he would be on the major-league field with a crowd full of adoring fans behind him, waiting for him to make the clutch play that would send his team to the highest reaches of stardom, and he along with them.
Now he’d finally made it. He was a major league baseball player for the Arizona Diamondbacks; he was a star. He briefly replayed it all in his mind, the endless hours growing up practicing, leading his high school to their first state championship two years in a row, and then leading his college team to league champions. After his second year of playing college ball, he had been handpicked to walk on to a major league baseball field.
The fans were hesitant at first, but with his bat, his swift speed, and his uncanny athleticism he’d taken the team by storm and showed the world he was a force to be reckoned with. And it was even better than he thought it would be. He loved being a star. The fame, the adulation, the money, the perks, the parties, and the women. Oh, most of all, the women. Ever since he’d lost his virginity at a young age he had been all consumed by his desire for women. It was almost as strong as his love for baseball.
But he couldn’t say he had ever come close to being in love. Rob was not a one woman kind of man. He didn’t lie to women, but most of them automatically assumed that he cared more for them than he really did. Sex did not equate to commitment in his mind; it was just a physical good time. A lot of women did not understand that, and they were hurt by it. That was never his intention though. He was just a man who loved to experiment and chase new experiences.
And, of course, he had a secret. The secret was something he could never let anyone get close to; it would have put them in mortal danger if he did. And if it was ever exposed to the world who he really was—what he really was—then his entire life would be over. Everything he’d worked and strived so hard for would be gone.
No, he could not let anyone get that close to him.
But he couldn’t think about that now. He had to focus, had to concentrate. This was crunch time. It was like something out of a twelve year old boy’s fantasy, but it was real this time; it was here and it was happening now. It all seemed like slow motion as Rob watched it unfold.
The Diamondbacks had a one run lead. It was the top of the ninth, one out, runners at second and third bases. A base hit could score two runs and lose the lead. Or even a long fly ball would tie the game. Rob gritted his teeth. No matter what, he would not let that happen.
Andy Garvey released the pitch. It was a hard, fast ball but too much down the center; that was the wrong pitch to give Greg to hit. He swung the bat hard and connected, getting all of the ball. It was a hard line drive. It was fast, and deep. It was going over the fence. Rob’s mind made several decisions in a nanosecond. He knew that he was not going to be able to do this… as a human. Without any conscious thought, he felt the wolf emerging just slightly. He could not change, not here. It was always a slippery slope, a fine line when he tapped into the wolf’s essence to give himself the slight edge that he needed in crucial situations; and sometimes he was not able to hold it back. He had to maintain control this time.
He felt his body getting hotter, the anger and rage of the beast welling within him, a slight growl escaped his lips bellowing up from his throat and chest. His body felt lighter than air suddenly, the strength of a God surging through him as his legs moved at the speed of an Olympic sprinter moving at top speed.
He managed to cover the distance to the wall running as fast as he could. The ball was there, sailing over the top of the fence. Rob jumped as high as he could and stretched his long six foot three inch body out as far as it would stretch, his glove held out above him.
It was going to be close…
The ball landed in his glove about two feet above the top of the wall. It should have been a home run. The game should have been over. The Diamondbacks should have lost, but Rob had done it. He’d saved the score. But it wasn’t over yet.
The runner had tagged at third base just in case, but he was going for it now running as hard as he could, sprinting toward home plate. It was four hundred feet from the wall where Rob was now landing hard on his feet, to home plate. There was no way that any normal man could make that throw in time, but Rob was not going to back down now; he had to go for it.
Rob stepped, aimed, and threw as hard as he could, once again tapping into the essence of the wolf. A loud roar escaped his throat; no one could hear over the roar of the crowd though. The ball sailed through the air picking up speed traveling at well over a hundred miles per hour in a straight line flying over the heads of the cut off men who were waving their arms at him trying to assist in the Hail Mary futile long shot.
The ball hit the catcher’s glove; he spun and swept the ground with it right in front of the runner’s legs, tagging him out before he touched the plate.
“Out!” The umpire screamed. “That’s the ballgame!”
He’d done it. He had just won the game for his team. Everything was moving in a daze as if everyone was in stop motion animation. His fellow players were all jumping on each other, hugging and slapping high fives. Fans were starting to rush the field as security did their best to hold them back.
Rob was softly jogging back towards the infield. He did it mostly to avoid the rabid fans that were coming onto the field and to give himself a few seconds to get away from his fellow teammates who wanted to congratulate him. He wanted the praise; he lived for it sometimes, but he could feel the wolf roaring inside of him. It wanted to be let loose. For a few moments, he felt that he might have used too much power to now be able to shut it down and revert back to his normal self.
If he started to change he would have to duck into the dugout and run into the locker room to hop in the cool shower. That always helped cool him down and get him under control. He just had to maintain though; he didn’t want to waste this opportunity. He had worked for this very thing his whole life. His team was now going to the playoffs. If they won, they would be headed to the World Series.
“Man that was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen!” Dan Richards, their center fielder said giving Rob a big slap on the back. “That arm of yours is a nuclear weapon! We did it baby!” He said jumping on to Rob’s shoulders for a short ride before hopping down and running toward the infield.
Rob had to smile; Dan was a hilarious guy. He was one of the veterans on the field and everyone admired him; he was a great ball player and a nice guy. Rob was happy to call him a friend.
The heat wave of excitement was beginning to simmer down inside of him as he joined his team on the infield and began to endure and give out high fives, hugs, stupid jokes, and sentiments. The beer was already flowing as the team began tossing back cans and pouring half of it on each other. It was as if winning a game suddenly turned them all into college frat guys at a toga party.
Rob took a few deep breaths, feeling the cold sweat all over his body. He felt tired now, as he always did after using his wolf to gain an edge, or the certain times when he did lose control and fully wolfed out. There was something about it that left him tired and drained for several seconds.
Someone handed him a beer and he quickly tossed it back, feeling the cold liquid slide down his throat. It was actually a great way to tame the beast and stuff it back into its cage; alcohol was a nice depressant that occasionally did wonders for him when he was out of control. And what he needed now was to relax.
The next twenty minutes was almost a blur. Rob was suddenly surrounded by a slew of reporters who we
re trying to get the scoop and ask him the same question twenty times. He thought about answering and giving them what they wanted, but he figured that there would be plenty of time for that. Besides, he didn’t like to lay it all out on the table; it was better to remain a bit mysterious.
Thus was the total conflict of the man. He loved the adulation, the glory, and the attention for his athletic prowess, even when he did get some extra help; but at the same time he did not like to expose himself to people. A lot of it had to do with being born a shifter; when you were born into that you had to be careful of everything that came out of your mouth, of what you presented to people. It was like being onstage all the time, even when you were in the background and no one was looking your way.
The shower felt heavenly. He stood under the hot water, letting the steam wash over him, erasing the dirt and the sweat from his skin. Rob held his head under the water, staring downward as the water just rushed by his face, his eyes. He felt his whole body starting to calm down. He was exhausted and just wanted to go home and sleep; but he figured that the guys would expect him to go out partying with them afterwards. They had to celebrate after all.
There would be booze, which was good. And there would be women, which was great. And just maybe he would find a few curvy, voluptuous women for that night.
Rob had always had a thing for bigger women. He loved the softness, the curves, the big hips, thighs, ass, and the large, round breasts. He’d always been overtly attracted to that specific type of woman. His friends had occasionally ragged on it, especially when he would turn down a thin supermodel type at a party and go flirt with her chubbier friend. It was always hilarious to see the shock and disappointment on the thin girl’s face. But he liked what he liked and he had never apologized for it.
A lot of men were just not as enlightened as he was.
“So, you are going out with us tonight, I take it?” Dan asked as Rob was getting dressed after his shower.
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