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Present Day
The God Realm, where I’d be spending my afterlife, was nothing like I expected.
In fact, in many ways, it wasn’t all that different than Earth. There were cafés, restaurants, a sparkling city of white, glass, and gold, and my personal favorite—the mall. Humans and supernatural creatures lived in harmony here alongside the gods. At least, that was what I was told. It was everything I wished Earth could be.
Still, it wasn’t perfect. I’d just found that out the hard way. While I’d been warned there were dangerous creatures in the forest, I hadn't thought I’d come face-to-face with one of them so quickly—or that he’d be hellbent on killing me.
I stared at the dead creature on the ground, at its auburn fur and horns like branches. This was all my fault. I’d been lost in thought and had wandered too far from my house, which had wards around it to keep creatures like this out. I’d thought I was going to die a second time, and after my too-close call, I sure as hell wasn’t going to make that mistake again.
I had been given two choices about where to live, and I wasn't sure if I’d done the right thing when I decided to settle in The Wanderer’s Forest instead of in the big golden City of Souls.
What happens to a soul that dies here?
“You said you wanted to talk, Enchanted. Let’s go before other creatures show up.”
I turned to my mate—the mate who’d run from me earlier, yet who’d still come to my rescue when I’d needed it. He was the reason I’d been out so late—and so lost in thought—to begin with.
His brown eyes were narrowed and unblinking as he stared at me. I couldn’t take my eyes off the scar that ran through his left eye.
I nodded. “Okay.”
I stepped away and he glanced at the dead creature. His eyes searched the dark forest, as if listening for something. Then he joined me and we began to walk to my house.
A part of me still couldn’t believe I was finally face-to-face with my true mate. I’d caught his scent at the Goddess’s temple during my visit a few hours ago. And that meant that he’d likely caught mine, too. But when he hadn’t seemed interested in finding me, I didn’t known what to do. I’d become restless and preoccupied, which is how I unwittingly put myself in danger.
But now, here he was. I worried I may have imagined his scent at the temple, imagined him. But he was real.
I could sense his power as we walked in silence. He’d rushed in to save me, taking down the creature with minimal effort while I struggled to get away. His final form had been eight feet, at least—a giant wolf with pure white fur. Now, in his human form, he was almost as impressive, standing 6’10” and obviously a mountain of strength.
Time had seemed to stand still as I’d stared at him in his wolf form, awestruck. That is, until he’d walked away from me, shifting into his human form, then told me to go home as if I was a child. He’d acted as if our meeting wasn’t monumental, preordained. But there was no way in hell I was going to let him walk away from me, as if he didn’t care about our mate bond.
He ran from me once, at the temple. I wasn’t going to accept his dismissal a second time.
Night creatures called to each other in the distance and my wolf whimpered excitedly. She didn’t share my irritation with this stranger. She was just excited to have finally met our mate.
“What’s your name?” I asked as we made our way through the forest, and I did my best to try and ignore my wolf’s howling in the process.
“Lucian,” he answered. “Lucian Wolfborn.”
The indifference in his voice shook me. I imagined the moment I met my mate would be something special, where we’d both be overcome with shared relief and overwhelming joy. But Lucian didn’t seem particularly happy to meet me. In fact, he was as cold as ice.
“I’m Natalie Blackwood.”
“I know who you are,” he growled. Surprised, I looked over at him for a second and noticed his scars—three jagged claw marks that ran from his chest to his shoulders. I couldn’t help wondering how he’d come by them. In fact, I wondered a lot of things about this wolf who was my mate.
A few hours ago, my world had been upended when I smelled him. I’d chased his scent—that sweet smell that could only belong to my mate—but he’d run away from me. Tonight, however, he was back, showing up in time to save me from being killed, this time for good. So what was his deal? This was not the way I’d expected to find my mate.
“And how do you know me if we’ve only just met?” I asked.
“I know you scented me when you visited the temple today,” he answered. “But I saw you long before that. It wasn’t hard to find out who you were.”
“But still, you ran,” I grumbled as a gentle wind blew a few strands of my white hair before my face. “You knew I was here, knew I was your mate, and yet, didn't approach me. And just now, you were thinking about walking away as if I’m just some random girl.” I released a frustrated breath. “Forgive me if I have to wonder if you’re my mate at all.”
"You're my mate Natalie; there is no questioning that." His voice was low, and my skin prickled as I felt his eyes on me.
Look at him!
“Don’t think for a second that I do not feel the same thing you are. But I wasn’t expecting this, and I’m not ready. If I'd approached you at the temple, I might have lost control, allowing my wolf to take over."
