✖The Worst Kind of Wonderful✖
"In real life
wolves will do
anything to avoid
contact with mankind."
-Liam Neeson
Chapter Two~
We ran back through the woods in silence. No one uttered a sound but there was a mutual feeling of completeness amongst the pack. Everyone felt it and received peace from it, everyone but me. My mind was still reeling, still fighting with itself. There is a certain loyalty that you feel towards your pack. An indescribable bond that is almost impossible to break and that bond is only strengthened with the evolution and elevation of one's rank.
Now that I was beta and engaged to be Luna the bond constricted every part of me. But despite the intensity of a pack's bond my mate bond, even after just a few moments of connection, was even stronger. In the legends: thousands of years ago everyone had a mate. Every werewolf had their other half. But as we became more human and less wolf, mates became increasingly rarer. Now the idea has become nothing more than a story, a tale told by our ancestors to nourish the idea of monogamy.
But ever so often that popular belief would be challenged when someone who was particularly in touch with their wolf claimed to have found their soul mate. Now it was my turn to have my belief system disturbed.
When we reached the main pack house a group of aged wolves emerged. Parents and grandparents that worked as the highest form of authority alongside the alpha. They could contradict the rulings of both beta and alpha but one of them alone could not rule the pack, their decisions had to be unanimous.
They greeted us, bringing out our clothes when we shifted and sending off the younger members of the pack to bed. My mother's honey colored wolf had brought sweatpants and my favorite band tee shirt with the name The Black Keys across the chest to change into.
"Mia, you seem upset. What's on your mind sweetie?" Her soothing voice came through the mind link and though I hated it, I knew I had to lie.
"It's nothing, just- it has been a crazy night." I sighed and went behind a wide oak tree to change. Fingers of sunshine stretched over the hills and mountains in the distances and I could feel my body shaking in response to the sun. My bones snapped and my skin broke in uneven cuts. The fur on my body fell of in large clumps and my snout broke and bled as I shifted. I could feel my spine snapping and contorting painfully along with my teeth that were taking shape in my now human-esque mouth.
I breathed heavily as the pain washed over me. It was the hardest to shift in the sunlight but it was the only way unless you're me apparently or your life is thought to be in danger, in which case the body's ability to make an abnormal amount of adrenalin without causing the heart to give out wakes up our wolf or human side.
Now in human form I shivered at the cold wind that held me in it's grip. Sliding on my clothes I stepped out to find my best friend in the entire pack Annabelle. Annabelle and I had been friends since we were pups. Her father had been killed in a rogue attack when we were six but before that our parents had all been best friends.
"Hey Mia, congrats on the promotion!" Belle squealed running up and tackling me in a hug. "Or should I say promotions plural?" Her eyebrows moved suggestively and I couldn't help but let out a shaky laugh. "So are you staying over my house tonight? We could have an exciting evening of studying for that exam Mr. Rowley's giving us after the break."
"As appealing as that sounds I think I'm just going to go home, it's been a long day."
"Are you feeling okay? You never give up a chance to prepare for Rowley's wrath."
"I-" Looking into Annabelle's knowing eyes I caved under pressure. "There's something I need to tell you but- I can't here."
Her face became concentrated and by the way she was looking at me I would have thought she was trying to read my mind despite the impossibility of that happening when in human form."Want to change your mind about coming over? We could skip the cram session and talk about it. I have to remind you that the exam is April twentieth though."
I nodded, biting my lip at the anticipation of how she would react. "Yeah I know. Just talking sounds g-"
"Miss Cassidy!" A familiar voice boomed from behind me and I turned to see Alpha Winters, Zak's father, with a smile on his lips so wide that his face may have been in danger of cracking.
"Alpha." I bowed my head in acknowledgment to show respect.
"No need for formalities Mia." He laughed wrapping me into a hug. I stood frozen for a moment in shock before I could respond by tapping his back awkwardly. "You're my daughter now, and anyway I'm no longer alpha." His smile stayed unmoving but there was a hint of sadness in his soulful eyes.
"Sorry." I muttered, feeling uncomfortable at the suddenly warm person in front of me. My entire life he had lead our pack with an iron fist and to see him this way was strange to say the least, especially with the events of the hour before still fresh in my head.
He smiled through the awkward silence that came after, seemingly unfazed, before Annabelle stepped in."Hey Alpha Winters?"
"Please Annabelle, it's Mister Winters now. Alpha Winters is my son."
"Sorry Alph- I mean Mister Winters but do you think I could steal Mia away? We have a History exam that we need to study for."
"Yes of course, but Mia we really do need to have a talk soon about your Beta and Luna responsibilities. How about in the morning before orientation we can have a conversation just me you and Zak." His smile finally fell and his tone turned serious.
"Yes sir, thank you."
Belle and I stumbled away to avoid any more unwanted conversations but couldn't manage to have one of our own due to shock. After five minutes of walking she finally broke the silence.
"Who was that and what did they do with our ex-Alpha?" She whispered seriously.
"I don't know but they were seriously creeping me out." I shuddered at the memory of his smile. It was as though the expressions to correlate with happiness and content had rusted from his mind at lack of use.
"I know! I mean, not to be disrespectful but was he on something? He was acting like Zak when he wants something from an adult." I laughed at how true her statement really was. "I mean, I guess it kind of makes sense though."
"What do you mean?"
"Well after you and Zak get married," She paused batting her eyelashes dramatically and pretending to swoon over Zak before continuing. "You'll be Luna and have more power than any single member of the COE." She explained, referring to the Council of Elders.
"I guess." I sighed finally realizing how much it would affect my pack if anyone knew about my mate.
We finally arrived at Annabelle's house, collapsing onto the couch. "So, what was that thing you were going to tell me?" She asked slipping on a pair of turtle shaped slippers.
"I don't know if I can tell you Bells."
"When have you ever not told me something?" She looked hurt but the expression quickly passed and she continued. "We don't have secrets Mia. I know about Andrea throwing your Spongebob undies at that hot counselor at summer camp in eighth grade, I was there guarding the door when you had your first 'practice kiss' with Zak, I helped you get the mysterious tramp stamp that turned out to be an airbrush tattoo from the carnival off your back the first and last time we got wasted, and I bought you a pregnancy test when you convinced yourself you needed one after swimming in the recreational center's pool. What's so bad that you can't tell me after all that and the other heaps of crazy I've helped you out of?"
"I know." I muttered into my fingers that had been pressed against my lips.
"C'mon M, don't be a spoil sport."
"This is different Annabelle."
"How so?" She pressed.
I took a moment to gather my thoughts, I tried to avoid saying this but she needed to get a grasp on what kind of situation we were dealing with. "People could die..."
"Are you serious?" Her eyes widened and the carefree air she held vanished. "Well, no matter what, I'm here for you. So is Zak, and Andrea is always there when you need her even if she's a pain in the ass. I mean, she's your sister your blood and you and I are closer than blood we're like the same person I'm just hotter and crazier than you." I laughed in spite of myself at her insanity.
"I'm with you on the whole 'crazier than me' thing." I let out a stream of stress relieving laughter before noticing her sudden somber expression and sobering.
"You know if Lacy was still here she'd support you with her fairy tale ideas of love and life too." It was painful to hear my sister's name even after all those years. Lacy was my twin but a few weeks before our fifteenth birthday she disappeared. The going theory was that she ran away to go rogue, shaming our family without so much as a goodbye even for her sisters. The thing that bothered me most about the whole thing though was the lurking suspicion that someone knew something and wasn't talking. The idea never really retreated from my thoughts but I could never gather enough information to do anything about it.
I took a moment before sucking in a breath of air and telling my newest and most terrifying secret to the only person I could. "When I killed those rogues-"
"Like a total bad ass." She added softly as if I'd forgotten to.
"Sure Bells, when I killed those rogues like a total bad ass... I didn't do it alone."
She looked at me confused, waiting for elaboration.
"Well, I was running with the pack when I smelled something. It was embarrassingly attention grabbing and the strangest thing I had ever come across; I couldn't help but follow it. But something strange happened. Without thinking about it I shifted into my human form. I grabbed some supplies from one of the emergency supply storage units, took out that revolver in it to be safe and followed the scent to a clearing where I saw this guy-- who looked more like a god to be frank--holding a crossbow. I thought he was human because he didn't have a pack smell to him but then I noticed the tip of the arrow that was loaded in his bow."
I took a deep shaky breath unable to meet Annabelle's eyes though I could practically feel her curiosity encouraging me to continue. "It was silver and I could smell that it was dripping with wolfsbane." She gasped and I simply nodded in confirmation. "My first thought was that he had to be a rogue, but he was nothing like any we've encountered. He was awe-inducing and obviously didn't smell like death. I thought he would kill me but then when the real rogues came he helped me and even saved my life. And to make things even more surreal... I saved him from the leader without my life even being in danger, I shifted in midair!" I was on a roll now, unable to keep my mouth shut as information poured from it. "But the weirdest part was that he kept saying things about 'my kind' like he thought wolves were the scum of the earth. I didn't know what to think until I touched his hand- without even really meaning to- and my wolf went into overdrive telling me he was..."
"He was what?"
"My mate."
"Your mate!?" She grasped my wrist with needy force as if my dreamlike story would suck her into the atmosphere. "There's no such thing, and even if there were there are no reports of there ever being a non-shifter who's a part of the mate bond... Wait!-" she gasped putting her palms over her mouth to stop herself from releasing her theory, the punch line to fate's sick joke. "You said you shifted... But he's not a-- oh god! Mia! What is he? He has to be a shifter, right? He has to be or else you broke one of the most well-inforced and severely punished law in the entire werewolf society! Other than abandoning your pack but..."
"Keep your voice down Annabelle!" I whispered in a tone that held warning.
"Oh dear God Mia, what are we going to do?"
"We? You mean you're not horrified?" I asked, shocked at her support.
"Of course not! We don't even know for sure that he's not a shifter, it's rare but everybody knows that some weres shift into creatures that aren't wolves. We just have to pray to Selene that he's one of those. Mia?"
"Yeah?"
"I don't think you should tell Zak or Andrea."
"That's probably a good idea, but what am I going to do? I can't marry Zak if I have a mate. If he marks me than I could die from the breaking bond and my mate could become depressed or even..." I didn't want to think about it. My heart felt like it was quite literally breaking at the thought of putting Alexander through that.
"That's only if the legends are right." She tried to comfort me but there was no hope of that happening.
"They've been right so far: the overwhelming need to keep him alive, the attraction, the scent, the sparks, my wolf's reaction!" I was going into full blown panic-mode as the situation finally sunk in. "I need to be with him Belle, no one in the stories ever lives a long or happy life without their mate."
"But the law. Even if you never shifted in front of him if he's not a shifter you can't... Be with him properly without him turning into one of us and only a handful of humans-- assuming he is human-- have survived the first shift if they weren't born part Were, besides you know as well as I do that mating with a human is illegal for exactly that reason."
"I know that but what choice do I have? If I just stay here I'll have to marry Zak and get marked in the ceremony, if I run away I'll be considered a rogue and no doubt be killed which could kill my mate, and if I tell Zak than he would be obliged as Alpha to order my execution! I have to find Alexander though... I just-- I have to."
"Alexander's his name?" I nodded slowly wiping renegade tear from my cheek.
"Well that's a start. I think we have to do more research, the only people who really know all the species out there are the COE... you have that meeting thing with them soon, right?"
"Yeah, the orientation's tomorrow."
"So at your Beta and Luna orientation, ask about them until you find one matching Xander's description."
"Xander?" I asked, trying the name out.
"Who knew I would be the logical, quick-thinking one when it came down to it?"
"Hey! That's my job, you already dubbed yourself as 'the hot one'."
"Fine fine you can have it." I watched as a creeping smile found its way onto her face.
"What is it?"
"You have a mate Mia! Your other half, I think we need to take a moment to marvel at how beautiful it is that you met your soul mate. Call me sappy, but... For that we need to take a second to look at it for what it is without the other complications."
I let out a soft laugh. "Always the optimist." She was being corny but I couldn't help but smile at the rarity and power of the bond. With Annabelle on my side there was hope. She had a way of always getting what she wanted, but at the same time I felt a weight on my shoulders. There was a cloud of impending doom that went beyond my usual teenage pessimism. Something was horribly askew and the only thing I could think of was that Xander had to be in danger.
❂