His Innocent Mate (Unforgiven Country 1)

I hear Wyatt’s voice in my head, and I close my eyes, exhaling slowly and feeling the wash of power run through me. The tingling starts in my fingers and toes, moving up my limbs, settling in my core. And then I feel it finally claim me.

Bones break and realign, skin is replaced with fur, and my face transforms so it is now one of a wolf.

There is no pain, only an intense need to do this, to let my wolf take over, to submit to her. And then I fall on all fours, my senses heightened. Smells, sounds, even my vision is crystal clear, everything in startling clarity.

Wyatt is right beside me, butting his head against mine gently, his voice in my head praising me, his wolf smelling me. He is pleased. I feel it as if it were my own emotions, as if I were the one experiencing them. Just like I know his wolf is happy too. Just like mine.

Mates.

Then I run, not to get away, not because I am frightened, but because I just feel I have to.

My legs start moving before I even realize what I am doing. I run through the woods, my paws hitting the ground with precision, accuracy. I can hear Wyatt behind me, know that he can overtake me, but he lets me lead the way, lets me explore and experience this.

And then he is right beside me, both of us running in tandem, my pleasure so intense I can barely contain it, barely understand it. We run for hours, and I feel no exhaustion. I only experience pure freedom.

Eventually we slow and I follow Wyatt, instinctively knowing where he is taking me. He wants me to see his pack, wants them to recognize me as his mate.

I’ve been so worried about being with him, letting a shifter claim me. I knew his pack would never accept me as a human. But it looks like fate took care of that for me, solved my problems.

I trot quietly alongside of Wyatt, stopping only when he does. He keeps his body in front of mine and I know it’s to protect me, a territorial and possessive instinct.

Then we stand here in the clearing, just the two of us, the wind picking up. Immediately I smell them, the others, his pack.

Now my pack.

They step out from behind the trees, some howling, some making low sounds. I know what they mean, feel them as if we are all connected as one. They are nervous, excited. They feel anticipation, hesitation.

“My mate.” Wyatt address everyone. “As Alpha of this pack, you will respect her, accept her, and know that if anyone has a problem with it, they will challenge me, and me alone.”

Wyatt speaks these words in each of our heads, this link that tethers all of us together.

It is so strange, yet incredible at the same time.

And then one by one they lower their heads and surrender, accepting me, accepting that I am the mate of the Alpha. There is no challenging, no resisting. I feel a thrill as it moves through me.

And just as each one starts to rise, there is one wolf, stark white in coloring with bright blue eyes, who takes a step forward. His head is lowered, his focus on Wyatt. He says nothing but I sense his hesitation, his anger.

I sense his hurt.

He doesn’t want this. He wants to fight, challenge Wyatt. But I can also sense that it isn’t because of me, but because of some underlying rift between them.

“Colt, stand down,” Wyatt says in each of our heads, his warning growl low, his hackles rising.

He takes a threatening step toward Colt, but the other wolf doesn’t back down. He makes a low rumbling sound. I feel the moment of a fight happening, of bloodshed, and my fear spikes.

“You always get what you want, don’t you?” Colt’s voice drips with ice. “Taking the title of Alpha after my father passed away, even though it was my rightful place.”

“Now is not the time,” Wyatt replies. “I was cited in as Alpha fairly. You submitted in the challenge. What’s done is done.”

Colt growls low again.

“You must accept me as your Alpha and Kendra as my mate. If not, you know the other option.” There is a moment of tense stillness. “You leave the pack for good.”

Colt doesn’t move, and I could swear that he doesn’t even breathe for long moments. He looks at me for a second, his icy blue eyes piercing right into mine. I feel a chill wash over me, his hurt, sadness, even his sense of betrayal. It is all absorbed into me and I feel them as if they were my own emotions. My heart races, because it feels like the air is being sucked from my lungs.

“It’s not worth it. It’s never been worth it,” Colt finally responds and looks back at Wyatt. “You’ve got what you wanted. I’m gone.” Colt turns and leaves, disappearing into the woods.