Mated For Life

CHAPTER TWO Casey Waters POV

We had been out for almost an hour, doing a regular perimeter check for any enemies or hurt fae. We praised ourselves for being a neutral pack, willing to help those who never posed a threat. I quietly walked through the forest so as not to scare off harmed fae or alert foes. And that is when I smelt it, the faint scent of vanilla. It made my wolf go mad. It was not the first time either. Sometimes I would be in town or on a hunt or by the lake and any scent that held vanilla would cause my wolf to go nuts. Eventually though she would calm down when realizing that it was mixed with something else.

This time it was different. This time it was pure and it drove my wolf insane, almost to a point where she wanted to shift and take full control. I forced her back, not wanting to draw unwanted attention to myself. It was hard, making my whole body shake with the effort. I sniffed the air, easily locating my two best friends who were walking a few meters next to me. My frenzied wolf made things difficult as I tried to walk over to them.

"Hey Cas, what's up? Are you ok?" Benji asked wrapping his arm around my waist to steady me. "what's up with you? It's almost as if your wolf can smell your mate." Jess said in a joking manner. The three of us had been friends since birth because of our parents being such close friends and always being together. I guess they also hoped that Benji would turn out to be my mate but we both turned out to be gay to their accepting disappointment. "I think she did Jess," Benji told her as we all stopped. I felt so lightheaded that I could not think straight.

"what! Finally! It's about fucken time!" she celebrated. "the only problem is its driving my wolf insane." I complained. "well, what are we waiting for? Why are you still here? Shift and find her." Jess said. I nodded my head and pushed away from Benji. I took a deep breath and gave into my wolf. I felt my bones shift and my body contort as she took over. In a matter of seconds, I was a full wolf with a spotted grey and white coat standing at one and a half meters. Seconds later my friends stood by my side in wolf form.

I sniffed the air, catching the scent easily. I growled and followed it. The faint trail led me to a crashed plane, the scent of blood mixing in with the vanilla making my stomach drop. She cannot be dead I thought to myself. I ran up to the large gash in the side and peeked inside. The scent was faded which gave me slight relief. I looked down at my paws, noting the spots of blood beneath them. I growled at the sight but turned around back out of the plane, noting that they lead away from the crash.

I did not feel the need to tell my friends to follow me as they did so by nature. I was their alpha and their instinct was to follow and protect me. I followed the trail not yet covered by snow, which lead me to my cabin. What are the odds that my mate would end up in my home? The three of us shifted back into humans, our skin feeling tight suddenly. There was so much freedom in being a wolf that as soon as we shifted back we felt caged up. It never lasts for long though.

The automatic lights were on inside, making it known that someone was there. I walked up to my porch and dug around in the large chest I kept for shifting. Shifting tends to shred our clothes so it is always a good idea to keep a few spares for when it's needed, like now. I took out a pair of jeans for all of us, slipping mine on along with a sports bra before throwing on a fleece hunting jacket. I waited in anticipation as the other two got dressed, Benji not bothering to put on a shirt, before pushing open the door and stepping inside.

I spotted her instantly. She stood in the hallway; a gun pointed at me. It shook in her hand. I growled out softly, not so much at the gun in her hand but by the fact that I could tell that she was hurt and in pain. I took another step into the light that filtered through the half-closed curtains. "who are you and what are you doing in my home?" I asked her softly, my head tilting slightly to the side. She lowered her gun which caused me to smile, before taking a step towards me.