“I’m not being—” I start defensively, but Anastasia cocks her head to one side, arches her eyebrow, and gives me that scolding look she always does when she’s right.
“You’re an asshole to everyone in the human world, Henny. You’ve had to be, I don’t blame you. But Annika…she’s different. She’s not human. And she’s your fated mate. That’s special.”
“She’s special…” I whisper, my inner wolf stirring at Anastasia’s words of advice because I know they’re true.
Maybe I have been an asshole to her, and as Anastasia leaves the cabin, I sit in the kitchen and wallow in my regret.
It’s only been two days since Annika arrived here, and already, so much has happened. Not only does it seem that the demons are onto her arrival, but she just learned tonight that I’m a werewolf.
That didn’t go well, and now my wolf won’t stop worrying about her after she passed out. It’s like ever since I learned that she was my fated mate, I can’t stop thinking about her.
Truthfully, I could never stop thinking about her from the first day I met her, when she walked into my office for an interview, looking hauntingly beautiful with bright brown eyes and a fresh face void of any makeup because she never needed it to look stunning. Her hair was pin-straight, brushing her lower back, and she wore a black and white pinstripe pencil skirt with a ruffled black blouse tucked into the waistband.
She was so plain, but so extraordinary all at once. In hindsight, the pull I felt toward her back then, the reason why I hired her in the first place, was the strings of fate doing what they do best. The only reason I never pursued anything with her was that she was human.
But the universe works in strange ways, orchestrating something entirely out of my control to lead me toward her in a very sacred way. It’s why I stand up now, knowing she’s still sleeping, that pull drawing me to her as if she’s a force field attracting me like a magnet.
I make my way to her bedroom quietly, steps soft and slow until I’m at the door, sneaking a peek inside. To my surprise—or maybe not, since this might be why I was drawn here—I see her sitting upright in bed, wringing her hands together on her knees, staring blankly ahead. I know she’s going over whatshe saw tonight, the early hours of the morning offering a quiet sanctuary in which she can sit with her thoughts.
Seeing her like that pains me, my inner wolf becoming despondent in my mind, as if it can feel the way she’s feeling. It makes sense. It makes perfect sense. And so does this dire need to knock on her door and go inside and offer her some sort of comfort. Ease. Affection. If she’ll allow it.
“Annika…” I whisper softly behind the door, catching the moment when her breath hitches.
She clears her throat then and murmurs tentatively, “Y-yes. Come inside.”
I take a deep breath before entering, slightly hesitant because I’m not really sure how she’ll respond to me after what happened. As I enter, I notice that she doesn’t look my way, keeping her gaze cemented to the wall in front of her.
“How…how are you feeling?”
“I’ve been better,” she murmurs dryly, her fingers steepled on her knees now, not moving, her shoulders rigid.
“About what happened out there…” I begin, hanging near the door, when Annika snaps her head in my direction, eyes ablaze with accusation and nearly appearing scarlet.
“Nothing happened.” Her voice is flat, final, unwavering, but I sigh as I step closer.
“You can’t deny what you saw out there, Annika. I know you don’t want to believe it, but it’s true. I am a werewolf.”
Annika gulps hard, the fire simmering in her eyes. “How can it be possible? Things like that don’t exist.”
“Well, I exist,” I say, spreading my arms out, then shrugging them back down as if in defeat. “I showed you who Ireally am, and I’m sorry that it was something I sprung on you. I know it’s a lot to take in, and I will give you all the time you need.”
There’s a long moment of silence that stretches between us, our eyes locked as if we’re communicating with words unspoken, as if she’s reading the sincerity from my soul. She finally blinks and lets out a drawn-out breath before she speaks.
“What did you mean by the valley needing me?” she asks, eyes narrowed again.
I sigh, taking a moment of pause, because it’s not the right time to tell her that she’s a powerful witch with the ability to kill the demons we’re fighting. Instead, I walk in slowly, noticing that she isn’t recoiling or flinching from me, welcoming the truth I’m about to speak.
Well, half-truth, and it’s not a lie, because I’m omitting some parts for now. Until she’s able to figure that part out on her own.
I stop a few feet from the bed, pulling the chair from the side and sitting down with the backrest in front of me. I haven’t taken my eyes off her, gauging her response to my movements and what I’m about to say.
“Well, firstly, I am a descendant of a very powerful group of wolves who left the first war in Germany and found refuge in this valley. There were four main wolves in this group, and they each wielded a different type of elemental power.”
“Like water, air, earth, and fire?” Annika asks, and I nod.
“Yes. Exactly that kind of magic. Apart from being shapeshifters, my pack has the ability to wield earth magic through telekinesis through me as their alpha. Unfortunately, over the years, we’ve been faced with a threat that has beenkilling our people, and draining us of the lifeforce energy that allows us to wield this magic.”
Annika nods thoughtfully, digesting this information, and seemingly becoming interested in what I have to say. This prompts me to proceed.
