by B F Worlds
"That's history." Viktoriya stepped closer, leaning down so their eyes were level. "What I don't understand is why you keep bringing it up. The two of us are done, have been for a long time. So why won't you just leave me alone?" she hissed.
Rachel flinched at her obvious anger. "Don't worry. I know exactly how you feel. But that doesn't change how I feel. It never will." She reached up, cupping her face. "I still....care about you."
The touch was warm and comforting. Viktoriya couldn't help but turn into it, nuzzling the palm. Her wolf cooed at the familiar smell of fruit and cinnamon. She wanted to stay right where she was, but there was too much between them. The past. The present. Her future.
Reluctantly, she pulled away. She couldn't tell which of them was more disappointed. "I've moved on," she whispered softly.
"And that's what you don't get puppy. There isn't any moving on from me. Something tells me you'll understand soon." Rachel patted her cheek and brushed past her. It took considerable will for Viktoriya to let her go. Just to be safe, she waited until the other girl had left the hallway before she headed for her next class.
-
Madness, that's what it was.
Dean thought she understood the mate bond. A crush, a longing, but no stronger than any other emotion, not so easily conquered through willpower. Dean managed to stay away from Viktoriya, consoling herself with the knowledge that what she was doing served a higher purpose.
That all went out the window when she ran into Rachel.
She understood that what she had been feeling was an incomplete bond. The real thing was a hundred times stronger. All she could think about were the girls. She saw them out of the corner of her eye, on the back of her eyelids, in her dreams. She smelled them everywhere she went and missed them every second of the day. It was so bad, she locked herself in her room, afraid of what she would do if she got too close to Vikky.
The separation didn't help. It hurt being away from them. Physically. It started with headaches and muscle pains. Then came the nausea. A week in and she found herself bent over a toilet, throwing up anything that went down.
All day long, her wolf howled in her mind. The poor animal was crying for them. Its despair leaked into her own mind and, to her horror, she would wake up with tears running down her cheeks in the middle of the night. She hadn't cried since her pack was destroyed. It was only the thought of Lucien dying in her arms that allowed her to keep control, allowed her to keep her distance, but everyday her reasons for doing so became more and more vague.
Two weeks passed like that. Dean was locked in her room, buried under her cover, when she heard powerful knocking on the door. All she wanted to do was snarl at them to leave her alone, but that would go against the persona she was portraying and she wouldn't let the hell she was going through be for nothing. With an aggrieved groan, she slipped from the bed and opened the door. "Yes?"
Viktoriya brushed past her, a tray in her hand. She moved to the bed stand and kicked it with her foot until it was positioned in front of the bed like a table. Then she slammed the tray on it, pointed at the food, and demanded "Eat."
"Thank you for coming all this way, Viktoriya but I'm not really hungry."
"I don't give a fuck what you are. Dean, I don't know what's wrong with you. I...get it. You don't want me for a mate. But I'm not going to let you sit in this room and waste away. So, sit down and eat!"
So strong willed. Her wolf was throwing itself against the wall in her mind and her skin tingled with anticipation. Viktoriya's smell flooded her nose and, like magic, she was cured; her dizziness faded along with her headache and her stomach pains eased.
Dean didn't know which of them was more surprised by the laughter that bubbled out of her, but Dean couldn't stop herself. She doubled over in her fit, slowly sinking to her knees as she gasped for breath.
"Are you laughing at me?" Viktoriya asked in disbelief and that only set Dean off harder. She grabbed Dean's head and forced their gazes to meet. "Will you quit laughing and talk to me!"
Dean bit down on her lower lip and her shoulders shook with the effort to contain the noise. It took a minute for her to regain herself and when she did, she had come to a conclusion. The old way wasn't working. She was going to have to find a different approach to controlling her wolf. "I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing at myself."
"What? Why?"
"Because I am so completely screwed." Then she reached out and kissed her.
Viktoriya froze initially, but Dean kept up the gentle contact. Her wolf was finally placated and the noise in her head finally stopped. It was so wonderful, her knees almost gave out in relief. Why was I fighting this again?
Viktoriya came out of her stasis and started to respond, wrapping her arms around Dean's waist to pull her closer. Dean kept it slow lingering, for several minutes. When they finally pulled away, both of their eyes were lidded and Dean's heart was beating hard enough to bruise a rib. "So screwed." Shaking her head, she moved past the girl, grabbed the tray, and started shoveling down the food as fast as she could.
She was scraping up the last scraps when she noticed Viktoriya was still standing where Dean had left her, her jaw slightly dropped in shock. Dean waved her fork at her. "You alright Vikky?"
Viktoriya jumped, blinking rapidly. "You just called me Vikky."
"Yes, I did. Hey, what was on those sandwiches? It tasted a little like steak but softer? That's not really a great way to describe it. Anyway, it was good and I want more."
Dean lifted the tray and placed it in Viktoriya's hands, who was staring at her and failing to form words. "Would you mind making seconds? I'd really appreciate it."
"Okay..."
"Thanks."
"But-"
Dean grabbed her by the shoulders, turned her around and marched her out the door. "I'm sorry, but right now I can't really talk. I've got homework to do. Could you cut the meat a little thicker? I'm starving."
"But-"
The door cut off the rest of what she was going to say. Dean leaned against the door, smiling to herself when, after a long pause, she heard Viktoriya's footsteps slowly moving away. I'm terrible. But she was coming to like throwing the stiff girl off her balance. I better break this habit before it gets me in trouble.
Her head was clear and she felt more energized than she had in several days. Unconsciously, a finger went to trace her lips. They were still tingling from the kiss. Yes, she was definitely going to rethink her plan. She needed her mates. Now she just had to figure out how she could keep them both and keep them safe.
CHAPTER 15
Rachel was on the verge of exploding. Two weeks she'd waited, very patiently, for Dean to come to her. Two long, frustrating weeks of being avoided by her mate. If she got any angrier, steam would be coming out of her ears. Even Leo wouldn't come near her, but he stayed a few paces behind her. His sister got unpredictable when she was in one of her moods and if she injured a human, his mother would ground him for a month.
"She thinks she can just ditch me, huh?" Rachel stomped down the hall, grumbling loudly. "Well, that's it. That's it! Just wait till I find her. The gods be my witness, I'm grabbing her and dragging her back to the house."
"Rach, that's kidnapping."
"Do I look like I care?" She reached her locker and angrily threw her bag in. Across the hall, a group of guys laughed to themselves while eyeing her. Leo spotted them and moved in front of his sister, blocking their view while she continued to rant. "We are talking today. I don't care if I have to tie her to a chair!"
"Sounds kinky."
Rachel and Leo both jumped at Dean's voice suddenly being so close. Dean grinned at Rachel, her slightly large canines making it look predatory. "Morning gorgeous."
Rachel's eyebrows rose in surprise, but she quickly recovered, posing herself against the lockers as she returned the smile with a flirtatious grin. "You trying to get on my good side Dean? Cause its working."
"Flattery will get me somewhere then?"
"Honey, flattery will get you everywhere."
Dean rumbled in pleasure. Her attention was distracted by Leo as he placed himself between them. "I don't believe we've met."
"I'm-"
"Nobody important." Rachel pushed him aside, shooting him a dark glare. "Scram," she hissed dangerously.
"Fine." Leo stared Dean down. She tried not to be too aggressive, but she did stand on the tips of her toes. The two of them were exactly the same height, a fact that annoyed her. Some of her feelings must have slipped through, because Leo started looking very nervous. "I'll just, uh, leave then. Bye Rach. Catch up with you later."
"Bye already Leo." She waited impatiently for him to leave them alone. "So, we going to have that talk you promised me?"
"You have time right now?"
Rachel popped up, not caring how eager she looked. "For you? Always."
Dean turned and started walking quickly. Rachel scrambled to keep up with her.
-
Once Dean found her way to all her classes, she used the breaks between lessons to map the school. She had found that there were several empty classrooms that were left vacated for the dozen or so clubs in the school. They were unoccupied for most of the day and Dean dragged Rachel into one of the rooms. "Here we are. Nice and private."
"Sneaking into an empty classroom?" Rachel hopped on top of a desk, kicking her feet. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you wanted to take advantage of me."
"You got a problem with that?"
"Hell no."
Dean snickered, but then she forced her face to be serious. "Before any that, I need to talk to you about something serious. I thought I should start with you because the other person involved might be a touch harder to convince."
Rachel sighed. She was being put off again. "Counter offer. I listen but you have to go on a date with me."
"What? You want to know what date it is?"
"No, a date." Rachel watched Dean's growing confusion with disbelief. "You know, two people going out together? Dinner and a movie? That awkward moment when you're saying goodbye and you don't know whether or not the girl wants you to kiss her goodnight? Ringing any bells?"
"I've never been on a date before."
"Unbelievable. Was everyone around you blind? And deaf?"
"No, they had other things to worry about. Look, if you hear me out then we can go on one of these dates. Deal?"
Rachel slid off the desk, swung one of the chairs around so It was facing Dean and sat down with her hands folded in her lap. "I'm all ears, Ms. Rock."
How do I say this delicately? "I have another mate," Dean blurted suddenly, snapping her mouth shut afterwards in a panic. That was not delicate. Not delicate!
Rachel was unfazed. "Okay. And?"
Dean blinked. "Um...."
The other girl rolled her eyes. "I swear, wolves. All of you are so stuck up. Multiple mates isn't exactly unheard of. I've got a great uncle who has four and one of them’s a guy."
"Oh."
"I'll do you one better." Rachel stood from her chair and put a hand over her eyes. "Let me guess. Our third is another wolf, a girl from the Freewood pack."
"Yeah. How did you-"
"Her name's Viktoriya Volkov."
Dean frowned. "Is there something you need to tell me?"
Rachel started to laugh. The sound grew louder and louder, until the room was filled with the joyous sound. She jumped and began to dance, reaching out to drag Dean into her celebrations. "I knew it! I knew it, knew it, knew it, knew it, knew it, knew it, knew it, knew it!"
The taller girl couldn't help smiling at her enthusiasm, but eventually she had to calm her mate down, placing her hands on Rachel's shoulders to keep her still. "I'm glad your happy but I'm not done yet. There's more I need to say. I can't until all of us are together and something tells me Vikky won't quite react like you did."
"Oh, yeah, no way." Rachel's smile deflated like a popped balloon. "Franklin practically brainwashes his people. And if it this goes down anything like the last time, it's going to get ugly."
"Last time? What do you mean las-"
Dean's words were cut off by the door being slammed open. They turned around to see Viktoriya standing in the doorway, nostrils flaring, her eyes narrowed in anger. Her eyes landed on Rachel and Dean, widening in surprise. Oh, the animal just figured it out. Dean turned to look at Rachel and frowned when she noticed the girl was pale and shaking. She feels it too but something's wrong.
A low groan brought her attention back to Viktoriya who was stepping backwards while shaking her head viciously. "No, no, no! That's not possible. This can't be happening."
Rachel recovered from her shock and sneered. "Well, I'll be damned. Funny how things work out, huh Vikky?"
Viktoriya jumped. "This is your fault, isn't it? You did something to cause this."
"Wow, I didn't know I could form mate bonds. Stop kidding yourself. This isn't up to us. It just...is. And if you would just stop fighting it then-"
"NO!" Viktoriya angrily kicked over a desk. "I'm not mated to a damn cat. I can't be! I won't be!"
Dean was starting to get worried. With all three of them together, the magic between them was running at full strength. She could feel her mates' emotions. Viktoriya was not as angry as she portrayed; she was scared. What of, Dean didn't know but when she found out, she was going to tear it apart. Rachel, on the other hand, was hurt. Each word Viktoriya said pushed the knife in her heart deeper and twisted. Unconsciously, she moved closer to Rachel until she was rubbing the smaller girl's arms comfortingly.
Viktoriya saw the action and went berserk. With a scream, she threw herself at them, tackling Rachel to the ground. Dean dove into action, wrapping her arms around Viktoriya's waist and dragging her back, ignoring her punching and swearing. "Cut it out Vikky!" she yelled but the girl kept fighting.
"Shut up! You fucking asshole! I thought that we might actually work out and you hook up with a goddamn cat and try say she's our mate? That we're both your mates? Fuck you! Fuck you both! I can't be mated to a cat!" She stopped fighting and broke down into tears. "He...won't ....let.....me."
Dean shushed her, brushing her hair out of her face. "It's alright. Who? Who won't let you?"
"Alpha....won't....like....cat."
Rachel picked her self off the ground, dusting off her clothes. There was a cut on her forehead but she ignored it as she put her hand on Viktoriya's back, rubbing small circles through the material. "Told you. The Freewoods are assholes…Present company excluded of course."
"Someone explain what the two of you are talking about!" Dean snapped.
"Wolf changers have this kind of superiority complex. Franklin Freewood has plans to unite all the packs in North America under him. They use their 'tradition' to condition their children to think like them. To continue their same rigid bullshit. Part of that is excluding the other species, especially the felines."
"Or...female....commander," Viktoriya sniffled. "But....my...father....died for....my pack. Duty....to protect it."
"Alright," Dean whispered. With barely a grunt of effort, she scooped Viktoriya into her arms, tucking the girl's head into her shoulder. Rachel looked miffed, but Dean bumped their foreheads together, making her giggle. "I think we need a day off, hmm? Rachel?"
"Yeah, no can do. If my mother finds out that I skipped school, she'll hang me off the roof by my ankles. But go, take care of her. We'll talk later. You still owe me a date."
-
Dean decided she needed a car. Walking off school grounds wasn't a problem, because everyone was indoors, but once she'd gotten a few blocks, people started to stare. Still, she kept going. Viktoriya was completely silent, curled into Dean like a cat by a warm fire. Dean thought she might have fallen asleep, not that she minded. She preferred the peace to their constant fighting.
Her plans were constantly changing. At first, it was get out as soon as she was strong and healthy. Then, Viktoriya made her curious and she decide
d she was going to stick around, long enough to learn what she could before moving on. Then Rachel came along and the plan changed again.
There was no way she was leaving her mates behind. The question was: should she leave Franklin alive? Her animal half drooled at the thought of tearing him apart. Anyone who caused one of its loves that much pain didn't deserve to keep living. But, his ambitions were interesting. If she let him be, he would be erasing the changers' biggest weakness.
She growled in annoyance. A hand reached up to brush her cheek and she looked down to see Viktoriya peeking up at her. Dean spotted a bus stop and plopped down on one of the benches. "You feel better?"
"Hmmm. A little."
"You want to get up?"
"No. You want me to get up?"
"No." They both sighed and relaxed into each other. "So, what are you going to do now?" Dean asked.
"Me? Don't you mean we?"
"Well, I've got a good idea what I'm going to do. But it depends on what you're going to do so I would like to know what you're thinking."
Viktoriya rubbed a hand over her eyes. "I don't know Dean. I really don't." She sighed. "I need to tell you why I got so upset earlier today. But you have to promise not to judge me! I feel stupid enough as it is."
"I can't tell you how I'm going to react without knowing what you're going to tell me, but I will listen until the end."
"Fair enough." Viktoriya snickered. "You're very blunt, you know? Not at all good at comforting."
"Yeah? So what am I doing cuddling you? Guess I should just drop you on the ground." She screeched as Dean pretended to drop her, digging her fingers into the taller girl's arm. Dean gave it a few moments before she pulled her up and both of them laughed. "Get on with the story."
"Right…You might have guessed this, but I know Rachel from before. That school…you’ve met the vampire in charge. A neutral meeting ground for the younger generations to meet so their won’t be so much animosity. Franklin thinks its a joke, but couldn’t appear to be openly hostile. So, he sent Kyle, and I was supposed to guard him, in case it was a trap.
