AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The occasional wild stallions were out here but they knew to keep their distance. Animals were sensitive enough to sense the power within our soul-bonded forms and always gave us space.
I’d come a long way over the last year and my horse and I were stronger than ever. I had yet to hear a single word from the mate who rejected me and I was finally coming to terms with it. Life was too short to give him any more space in my mind but letting go was so much harder than I anticipated.
Now I had nothing holding me back and my horse and I had grown closer. Her emotions and presence were something I now relied on every day. We were a team. This was how soul- bonded were meant to be.
In a strange, twisted way, the breakup had led me to stop taking her for granted. My horse was strong and stubborn, but also graceful and caring. She’d reminded me how to be confident and happy, something I didn’t think possible just a year ago.
Back home, I never made the time for us to stretch our legs like this, to run free like she craved to do. The town was old fashioned and full of predators. We’d been warned about being out at night and after a few smaller prey animals were attacked, I’d always listened. Here, we had freedom and land to use whenever we needed.
We raced past the deer who was pushing herself to the limits, trying to run past us. The competition had both of us standing tall and pushing as hard as we could. The zebra stayed behind, unaffected by our playful game.
It took a few minutes to notice that the deer running beside us had given up, heading for a copse of trees instead.
We slowed to a trot, enjoying the warm sun and cool breeze as we soaked in our afternoon of peace before work. The quiet moments were something I should have taken more time for in the past.
By the time we made it to the parking lot, I was relaxed and genuinely happy. Which was a far cry better than the crabbiness I’d felt all morning.
Starting my period and being out of coffee was definitely not the highlight of my week. But it was nothing a quick change of clothes and a trip to the coffee shop couldn’t fix. Relying on myself was so much more rewarding. I was never disappointed and always knew what I needed.
When I reached the enclosure right outside the parking lot, I shifted and changed back into my clothes. The small building had barn doors big enough to fit our animals and changing stalls to give us modesty.
After changing I stepped back outside in time to see my earlier companions coming back in. I waved quickly and got a small bob of their heads in response. We weren't exactly friends, but we’d run together a few times before. It made our runs much less lonely. My horse wasn’t a solitary beast and neither was I.
Just looking out at the glowing forms of soul-bonded animals embracing their animal sides was enough to solidify my decision the first day I’d arrived. It was a sight I still couldn’t help but smile about as I climbed back in my SUV.
As far as city life went, Willow Grove was one of the safer places to live. WatchingSoul Deep 24/7cover story after story of rising gang violence and predator attacks had me thankful I’d landed here when I did. At least we didn’t have to worry about the infamous Snake Eyes Gang. Willow Grove wasn’t exactly a hub for drug trades and trafficking.
My phone buzzed on my dashboard and I clicked the screen, smiling as Zathrian’s name popped up. It was funny what some good coffee, a run, and my roommate and best friend could do for my mood.
“I’m on my way in, we got a bit carried away,” I said as I navigated out of the lot. “You want me to grab us food on the way to the bar?”
“Is this a bad time to say my raven and I caught dinner on our flight?” He let out a throaty laugh at my noise of disgust. Being friends with predator animals was always an experience. The mere thought of eating meat had my stomach churning.
“That’s disgusting, Zath,” I groaned.
“We don’t pick our soul-bonded, Ny, and I’m a happy raven,” he said easily. “You’re just jealous your choice is grass and oats.”
My horse huffed in frustration and I swear it sounded like she was telling him off. She would happily have eaten either of those options. I may be vegetarian by extension but I had way better options than she did.
He laughed, already knowing he’d offended her.
“Tell your horse to calm down,” he teased. “I know that comment riled her right up.”
“You know her so well,” I laughed as I navigated into traffic. I’d stayed longer than expected which meant this was going to be a pain in the ass drive. At least I had Zath to talk to instead of letting road rage win.
For now at least.
Zath and I were complicated. He’d gone from a random hire after I opened up Soulful Brews, to my most trusted business associate and friend.
That and we were fated mates.
Yet, neither of us put much stock in mates, so we were mainly mates with benefits, no strings attached. My heart was broken and so was his. So, instead of a happy, fated meeting we simply decided to be friends and heal in our own way. Though he healed me more than he realized just by being there for me. The boundaries we had gave a safety net to help me not hate all mates quite so much.
Then it evolved from friends, to occasional lovers, to whatever combination we were. It was hard to let him in, but everyone wasn’t going to be Lance.
At least that’s what my therapist tried to convince me.
“Grab yourself some dinner. The shipment of beer came early so I’ve got enough to keep me busy,” he explained. “I got in early, thankfully, so it wasn’t sitting at the back door unattended again.”
