The Forsaken Mate

Chapter Two.

I felt more alive than ever, and free- completely and utterly free. Keeping my eyes closed I stretched my limbs and sighed- a whimper escaped my lips instead. My eyes snapped open and in front of me were two furry black legs complete with paws and sharp claws. I yipped in surprise, craning my head to get a look at the rest of me. Something wasn’t right- apart from the fact that I was a giant black wolf. I was in a bedroom, resting on multitudes of blankets- this was most definitely not my room though and I was definitely not in the pack house.

The same scent of male rouge, the one from the clearing was heavy in the room. I sprung up on unsteady legs and spun around to where the scent was heaviest. My hackles were raised threateningly as I bared my teeth at the male sitting in the chair who appeared completely disinterested.

His hair reminded me of my father’s; thick and black. His eyes were the darkest green I’ve ever seen and were trained on me with such a piercing stare it felt like he could see right into my soul. His thin pink lips were pursed, stubble covered his sharp narrow jaw and strands of his thick, jet black hair fell over his forehead.

He stood, narrowing his stare and growled low in his throat. He was easily over six feet tall and packed with muscle- he could never be mistaken for human for he practically commanded attention, standing proudly, head held high.

This strange man had a commanding aura, like an alpha- it was clear he was trying to intimidate me. Any lesser wolf would have cowered before him, submitted to his authority- but I wasn’t a lesser wolf, I was an alpha, born from the single most deadly, she wolf to have ever roamed the Earth and the most powerful alpha male in the packs to date. I would not cower before a rogue, albeit a very tantalising one.

I glared at him, a loud growl building in my chest as I began backing towards the large window on the opposite side of the room. I knew that I would lose a fight if it came to blows; I had only just shifted and as much as it pained me to admit it, as a female I would be smaller than most males. I’d had no proper training and the only fights I had witnessed were the ones I watched on the training grounds from my window. I had never been allowed to participate, no matter how much I wanted to; I guess my father had been scared that I’d turn out like my mother.

Before my eyes the man morphed into the same onyx wolf that had found me in my first shift. His bones broke and realigned, muscles tearing to take a new form, features stretching into that of a wolf. His limbs morphed into legs with paws as he fell onto his hands and knees and in seconds he towered over me by a foot, muscles trembling as he crouched, mirroring my posture, growling and baring his canines.

I could see that I was pushing him and by trying to escape, igniting his natural instinct to chase his prey. I didn’t care though, I just wanted away from this guy- his mere presence was unnerving.

The rogue moved towards me with supernatural grace, so agile he almost seemed cat- like- ironic since he was anything but. I skittered back and was pressed up against the window when he launched himself at me.

Glass shattered around me as I fell from the second story window, my heart beat in my ears as he tried to cling to me, trying to gain the upper hand in our struggle. The wind was knocked out of me as I landed on the ground, though the brunt of the impact was absorbed by the wolf that I’d landed on.

Gathering my wits at the heat coursing through my body I stood, shaking the glass from my fur, and took off running towards the trees. At first it was awkward running on four legs but I quickly adapted.

I could feel him hot on my heels as I weaved through the trees, gaining speed with each step. I made the mistake of looking back and just as I reached a break in the trees, my foot caught under a branch and I went flying.