A Were Story

The silver wolf moved with great speed past the trees of the forest, it's gray eyes settled on a destination that lay ahead. The aim was to be distracted enough to forget the happenings of the week, whether it was being achieved or not was yet to be determined.

It moved stealthily past errant branches and crushed twigs beneath its large paws as it searched for a place of peace- the meadows. There it was that the insanity of the world could be blocked and sane thoughts given freedom to roam. There it was that tranquility reigned, giving every creature of the earth that much sought after moment of peace and security. Where worries were forgotten and a certain sense of joy shadowed all sadness.

As it neared the meadows, keen ears just barely made out the sound of a snapping twig. It paused and listened on, it's nose sniffing for any foreign scents. Nothing. It thought of going on to its much-needed point of peace, but the gnawing feeling that it was being watched prevented it from putting thoughts into action.

And then it picked up the sound. The faintest sound of breathing, followed by the snapping of a twig. Before the large wolf could spot where it's attacker would be moving from, a smaller wolf with reddish-brown fur leaped from the trees and pushed it, not hard enough to send it flying onto its back, but enough to send it a few feet away from its original position.

The brown wolf snarled at the silver wolf, baring its sharp canines as the silver wolf circled it, watching for any sudden moves, but not making any attempt to retaliate.

One of the hind legs of the brown wolf was injured, noticeable by the way it avoided leaning on it. Perhaps to a younger Were it was unnoticeable especially as this wolf made sure to be as conspicuous about that one disadvantage as possible- smart....almost, but this Were had mastered the art of battle long enough to note its opponent's weaknesses before it attacked. This wolf wasn't part of this pack- or any others within this region, surely all Weres knew not to trespass on the territory of the Duncan pack, even less attack it's Alpha. This could possibly be a rogue Were- one with a death wish even. It wasn't even half as large as he was, it was far from a fair match.

The silver wolf sniffed the air again. Still nothing. How was it possible......? The brown wolf attacked again. This time, not fast enough, as the silver wolf moved out of the way.

With its moment of analysis gone, the silver wolf attacked, sending the brown wolf flying with a shove. It moved toward the tree where the the brown wolf lay on its back at the foot, pinning the smaller wolf with its large paws, it watched as the wolf went into unconsciousness.

And then it shifted to its human form.

Caleb's wolf watched the brown fur recede into skin the color of caramel, the snout was replaced by a button nose on an angelic, oval-shaped face, full, perky breasts came into view tipped by light brown nipples. Without looking further he knew the female beneath him was totally naked- and that wasn't all she was.

An agonized howl echoed around the forest as the Alpha of the Duncan pack realized who he'd been dueling with, just a little too late.

*****

The entire house was at a standstill, the present emotional state of the pack leader resonated in the compound, even his betas did everything possible to keep their distance. The alpha was not to be disturbed. This was more of an emergency than whatever else anyone had to bring up.

No one knew the identity of the female the Alpha had run into the compound with, he had taken her into his chamber before anyone could even make out her form. Speculations were rife still, within an hour of his entrance, the entire house and compound had been filled with whispers and murmurs; could it be her? The long awaited mate of the alpha? The one who he had given up hope of ever finding after over a century of searching? What were the odds? Only this morning, he had called a pack meeting solely to tell everyone in no uncertain terms to get the fuck off his back, from betas to omegas, there was one clear message. Talks of a mate as regards the Alpha were to seize, anyone, caught having discussions on that topic would be punished. What the punishment was, he had left to their overactive imaginations.

Now, this same Alpha was fretting over some woman he had found in the forest. As excited as the pack members were at the thought of finally having an Alpha-Bitch to soothe their Alpha- who was in desperate need of a woman that meant more than a one-time roll in the sack, they managed to keep their excitement at bay until they heard from the alpha himself or one of the betas.

Magnolia; the witch who only visited on rare occasions, had been invited and was in the Chamber with the Alpha and the female. Whatever was going on there couldn't possibly be good.

Caleb paced the length of his bedroom, it was obvious he was wearing out the rug, but that was the least of his problems.

How could he not have known? Scent or not, he should have recognized her! A part of him tried to exonerate himself from any blame, but there was still that major side that made him want to hit himself against the wall until he was as hurt as she was, and his agitated wolf seemed to agree with that part.

Once he realized the wolf that had challenged him was his mate, all sense of rationalism had fled him. All he could think to do was pick up her frail body and run as fast as he possibly could to the compound while hoping he had done minimal damage if any at all. He had spoken telepathically to his Beta, Roy, ordering him to call the witch. Roy, never one to question a direct order, had done as he was told and the witch arrived only minutes after Caleb did.

Now he waited with bated breath for a feedback, he was thankful to Luna that he hadn't let his anger over ride his patience, he could have killed her. But how had she gotten here? Was she a stray? How was it that he hadn't sensed her? Several questions swarmed his head, and he intended to get answers- but not before his mate was completely healed.

He stopped pacing when he heard her mutter something, he turned and was by her side in seconds, whispering soothing words in her ear to stop her trembling. It seemed to work.

He took the time to study her features. The goddess had blessed him with this one. She was a beauty, he wondered what shade her eyes were, if they were the lightest shade of brown or deep black, it really didn't matter, she would still be beautiful with either color. Her head wasn't crowned with the silky strands he was accustomed to, rather a mass of umber-colored thick dreads framed her face, it was just a few inches past her shoulders. And her body....neither he nor his wolf could wait to claim it. Even in a frail state, he couldn't help his arousal; he chastised himself for being insensitive, this was hardly the time for such..but he couldn't help his reaction to her

"You know you've been here long enough, you can go for a short run to clear your mind" Magnolia suggested. She hadn't even been aware Caleb could be this soft. He seemed to have lost his ability to feel over half a century ago. She guessed one's mate could produce that effect. But she had her reasons for asking for his leave.

Caleb glared at her like she had just spoken a forbidden word- well, it sounded that way to his ears. Leave his mate? That was near impossible, he wanted to be the first person she saw when she opened her eyes, he could miss that opportunity if he left.

"Short runs will do nothing for me Magnolia, only the wellness of my mate will calm my heart now." He replied steely.

Magnolia nodded in understanding, but failed to relent, " I know that Alpha, but I believe, you'll need to gather your thoughts...."

"No Magnolia." He said with a bit more edge to his voice. This time, Magnolia heard him loud and clear- and she wasn't the only one who did.

He felt the woman beneath him begin to stir, his eyes moved to her face just as hers shot open. Gray met gray and held for a brief second. And then it came. She let out an ear-piercing scream that had him flying off the bed as the woman scrambled away without taking her terrified eyes off him.

Caleb could only stare in shock as the one who should be his mate moved away, rather than toward him. He didn't understand, what happened to the mating pull? Could he be wrong? No, neither he nor his wolf had felt this strongly for another female, this intense need to be in her presence and touch her. She had to be his mate. So what was wrong now?

He snapped out of the trance once he realized Magnolia was speaking to him, "You have to go now"

"But Mag...." He began to protest, but was cut off. "Leave now Caleb, she's frightened."

"She's my mate! She should not fear me." He insisted, his frustration evident. His mate was trembling visibly, her lithe body pressed close to Magnolia and her slender fingers holding the old witch's garment in a steely grip. What the hell?! This was NOT how he had imagined their first meeting, this day just kept getting worse.

Seeing that there really was nothing he could do presently to remedy this situation, he stomped out of the room. With one last look at his frightened mate, he banged the door shut behind him. He only wished he could reverse the day and start afresh *****

Cassandra didn't understand.

How did she get here? The last thing she remembered was...it was kind of blurry, but she knew something had happened to her- something really bad. She could remember walking down the street in her neighborhood, she wasn't sure where she had been coming from, but funny enough she remembered the song she had been humming to- Bob Marley's 'Everything's gonna be alright'. She was just a few blocks away from her house when someone- or was it a something? She knew it had an odd form to it, and it had jumped at her. That was as far as her memories went before she found herself here.

And then she saw him.

She had never met the grey-eyed, silver-haired man before today, she had felt a sense of peace when their eyes met, but only a brief second passed before the terror overtook her, she couldn't say why she was so afraid of him...again, her memory failed her, but it seemed like the fear was planted in her subconscious. She knew she felt safe with the elderly woman, so maybe it was a fear of males, but why?

Her eyes darted to the woman who was watching her like a hawk as she drank the concoction she made her, it tasted awful, like someone threw a gym sock into a mixture of garlic, curry, and asparagus, but the old woman promised it would numb the pain in her leg and her back and she would take anything for that.

Her right leg was wrapped in a bandage, she was clothed with an extra large tunic she assumed belonged to the gray-eyed man, but didn't ask. She liked the feel of the cloth against her skin and the smell of it soothed her oddly.

Her eyes once again studied the magnificent room she was in, the size of it marveled her. It looked like something out of the 17th century, the architecture, the paintings, the doors, everything reminded her of a 17th-century castle with its pristine walls and golden arcs.

She noticed the elderly woman smiling warmly at her, she gave a sheepish smile as she realized she must have been caught wide-eyed. Her thought changed when she realized she had miraculously finished the soup albeit absent-mindedly.

"Thank you for the soup" she said, her voice barely audible. It was much better now, twenty minutes ago it had been a croak, and eight minutes before that, she hadn't even been able to emit a sound.

"You're welcome child. And I am called Magnolia." The woman replied softly, her warm smile unwavering.

Cassandra nodded, "Thank you Magnolia"

"And what may I address you with?"

"I'm sorry. I'm Cassandra; Cassandra Patrice"

"Patrice?"

She smiled, "I'm part Creole" she supplied to Magnolia's silent question and got a nod of understanding in response. There was a moment of silence between both women which Cassandra finally broke, "So, how long have you been in Michigan?"

Magnolia raised a brow at the girl, "Michigan?"

She nodded, "Yes, this is Michigan....right?" she suddenly looked panicky, now unsure of her current location.

"Child, this is Connecticut, not Michigan"

Cassandra looked confused and then amused. It couldn't be, how did she get here? She couldn't even find her way out of Michigan, how could she possibly have gone as far as Connecticut? "No, i...it's Michi....it's Michigan"

Magnolia placed a comforting hand on Cassandra's shoulder once she noticed the girl getting agitated, "You need to sleep now child." Magnolia said, her eyes staring directly into Cassandra's troubled ones, she was casting a temporary sleeping spell on her. This was not the time to tell her all that had happened, a few more hours of sleep was sure to prepare her psychologically even if just a little.

Cassandra stared at the old woman until her lids grew heavy and she drifted off to sleep wondering what could have possibly gotten her here.

***** "You need to relax Caleb, you're really agitating the entire pack with your fretting" Roy, Caleb's beta said, in what he knew would be a wasted attempt, he had been saying the same thing for over twenty minutes and he could still hear the turmoil going on in his Alpha's head.

"she doesn't recognize me, she doesn't fucking recognize me!" Caleb bellowed, more to himself than anyone else in the room.

"You don't know that yet, she just woke up, she could've screamed for any reason." Roy once again tried to reason with his best friend.

"And then she ran away from me. I'm her mate, she ought to be instantly drawn to me as I am to her." He continued like he hadn't heard a word Roy said. In all honesty, he couldn't hear anything beyond his wolf's howling and growling. It was even more agitated than he was.

"Listen, Magnolia will soon be through with her, then, we'll know what's truly wrong with your mate"

Caleb nodded absent-mindedly, but said nothing.

A few minutes later, Magnolia came into the room.

Caleb suddenly became alert and grabbed onto the woman's shoulders as soon as he was close enough to do so, "What is going on Magnolia?" his face was a mixture of various emotions; fear, apprehension, anger, confusion, sadness....

Magnolia knew he was in shambles right now and the worst was that she wasn't about to make things any better, "You should sit first, Caleb" she suggested

"I don't want a fucking seat!" he growled, as he turned away from the elderly woman, "All I want is my mate. Tell me what I want to hear"

His shouting didn't really seem to effect Magnolia who didn't so much as blink at the intensity of his voice.

"Caleb, just sit first, I beg you." Roy implored calmly.

Caleb growled as he plopped onto the closest sofa, his eyes on the little woman in his presence, "So?" he asked impatiently.

"Caleb, she's been hurt..."

"I fucking know that already..."

"Not by you"

Caleb looked on intently as his mind tried to come up with what Magnolia was trying to say, "Who by? And how?" he asked, all set to find the bastard who had the nerve to harm his mate and end him.

This was the hard part, Magnolia thought as she took in a deep breath, "Caleb, you need to rela...." "Who by? And how, Magnolia?" his voice more insistent, hiding the havoc he would cause if not given the answer he sought.

"I do not know who by...exactly, but I do know that she was....she may have been raped." Magnolia finished.

Caleb could only stare in confusion at first, different thoughts stormed his mind, each one causing himself and his wolf more agitation. How? Where? His eyes turned stormy, "When?" he wanted to say more, but those were the only ones that came to mind as of now.

"Sometime within the last six months. All I can say is, she wasn't born Were, and from the looks of things, she must have been a virgin as well."

She had been changed? She was a virgin? Caleb fell whatever confusion he had been plagued with dissipating, quickly replaced by rage. Some nut-job had taken not one, but two of his gifts from his mate forcefully. He should have been her first, he should have been the one to turn her, the thought that he had been deprived of both by no will of the person who held the power to determine it's recipient made him so.....the sound of wood hitting wood reverberated in the room as he flung a nearby chair at the door, the weaker entity- the chair, broke into different pieces

The entire room was silent as both Magnolia and Roy were smart enough to not speak as Caleb vented. They both knew this was something he had to get out in any way possible.

Caleb crashed into the nearest chair and dug his fingers into his hair, what the fuck? He had been waiting for her for centuries; his other half, his missing piece and now that he had finally found her, some idiot had to fuck her up. He swore he'd find that beast and rip its head off if it was the last thing he'd do.

"I need to see her"

"She's resting"

"I won't awaken her, I just need to see her" he stated

Magnolia nodded, realizing there was nothing she could really say to dissuade him from doing as he pleased- he was, after all, Alpha.

******

She skipped over the puddle by the road, making sure to navigate her way through the wet pavement with the grace of a seasoned royalty and the speed of an athlete.

It was too late to be out, she knew that, but she had been caught up with reading for her mid-terms that she hadn't realized time had flown by. The streets were now deserted mostly and as much as she tried to distract herself by singing along to her favorite Bob Marley song, she couldn't stop the eerie feeling she got.

She was just two blocks away from home when she saw 'it'.... First, she saw its eyes- an amber glow. It was watching her keenly. She took a step back, her eyes never leaving it, she took another step, unaware of how tightly she was gripping her books. One more step and it made its first move toward her. The stream of light from a street-lamp caught what seemed to be an abnormally large paw.

She lost it.

She dropped her books and ran, but whatever it was that was after her was much faster and before she knew it, she was more or less body slammed into what was luckily, a grassy land, and pinned by this enormous creature. She screamed wildly and tried to beat it off, but it was much too strong.

She was suddenly hit with the soothing smell of cinnamon and...the earth? She could hear a deep, calming voice that sounded so far off, yet so close, what or who was that?

Cassandra's eyes shot open and there he was again. That same man she had seen when she first awoke, concern was etched all over his gorgeous face and soulful gray eyes. Her first instinct was to run away, she didn't know this man, what if he knew that thing that had attacked her in her dream? Was that really a dream? Instead of running, she found herself calming down as she stared deeper into those eyes.

So beautiful.

Those were the only words that came to Caleb's mind as he looked upon his mate. He had been watching her sleeping form from a distance when he noticed her struggling and mumbling incoherently. He rushed to her side and was speaking to her in seconds, forgetting whatever promises he made to Magnolia. Even though she had now calmed and was awake, he couldn't bring himself to leave her side still. He wanted to give her the space he knew she needed, but his wolf was adamant, wanting to bask in the closeness of their mate. He stared into her enchanting eyes for what felt like forever, when they finally left hers, they moved to her lips.

Perfect. She was just perfect. As if conscious of his hungry eyes devouring the inviting pair, her tongue snaked out to wet them. He watched the entire action, both mesmerized by the sight and struck by jealousy of the lucky appendage.