AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Nine
Oz
“There’s room for another.” I was startled by seeing someone else in the dugout. Yes, I knew the Xs in the dirt were a sign for everyone that protection was near, but I hadn’t seen that many people in the days since I’d left my home.
“Thank you. Did anyone leave food?” I scrambled into the cave and pulled the large piece of bark mostly over the opening, leaving a bit of room for fresh air, not to mention, the other shifter in the place had already started a fire and it was overly toasty even given the severe switch in weather.
But the Earth did that now, shifted from cold to hot in a moment’s notice, much like we changed from man to animal in the blink of an eye.
I had once worn my long sleeves and hat to protect me from the angry sun, but now I did it to protect me from the night snow. It helped to keep the day cool, and I could collect snow for water, but I could barely travel in the night for the blizzard that kept my vision locked to only a few feet in front of me at a time. Storms with any form of precipitation were very rare; usually it was just more wind to dry out what was left of the plants of the plains. So, I should be glad to see the moisture, but it was hard to when my sense of urgency drove me forward.
“Someone left some canned fruit but I don’t like the looks of it. Last thing I need is botulism. But you can have some of this. I’ve only got a few days of my journey.”
He jutted out his gloved hand to reveal a piece of stale bread, along with some dried berries. I took them without hesitation but smelled them before eating. My wolf smelled nothing off, thank goodness. I was tired of dried meat.
“Think this blizzard will last awhile?” I asked, hoping for some good news from my fellow traveler. The view from the splice in the opening showed a dismal outlook for the rest of the night.
“I don’t know. I’d been traveling by night to outrun the sun until this snowstorm put everything on pause.”
“Where are you traveling?” I had to be careful. Just because this person appeared friendly on the surface didn’t mean he wasn’t protective of his privacy and was probably equally as apprehensive of me as I was of him.
“I don’t know, to tell you the truth. At least, I don’t know my destination. Only the direction.”
I perked up hearing that. Maybe this was a shifter searching for his mate like I was. It would be nice to share the experience with someone else. “A mate?”
He scoffed and released a chuckle. “I wish. My pack threw me out for something I didn’t do. My parents died when I was little, so I was placed in the care of another family. Their oldest son accused me of trying to take his mate away from him.” He was breaking a stick into tiny pieces and throwing them into the fire as he spoke. I detected no falseness in his words, but I had limited exposure to liars.
“And did you?”
“Did I what?” He raised his voice a bit, and I knew I had to tread carefully. Yes, I was a fierce predator, but the last thing I wanted was to waste my energy on a frivolous fight.
“Try to take his mate? I mean, that’s impossible, right? Mates are mates for life.”
He squinted at me over the light of the fire as we both tightened our jackets around our torsos when an icy wind penetrated our cave. “They don’t believe in fated mates. They gave that up a long time ago. His mate was chosen for him by his parents and the pack council.”
“Ah, that does pose problems.”
He huffed out a laugh. “You know how some people are attractive and then once you hear the things they say and they begin to reveal their personality more, they become ugly? That was her. The more she talked and complained and criticized and judged others from her throne, the more I hated her. I wouldn’t mate or flirt with Izzy if she was the last female on the planet. But…they didn’t believe me, so I left before I could face the council. The family I was taken in by was high up in our pack and it didn’t matter what I said, I would’ve been outcast anyway.”
“I can point you in the direction of my pack. They would take you in.”
He cocked his head and stroked his growing beard. “I might just do that. Can I tell them you sent me?”
I gave him my name and the history of my pack, which led into a conversation of why I was there.
He listened intently, but I could tell it wasn’t his cup of tea. A few days with my parents, if he decided to go to my pack, would change his mind. I actually hoped it did. Everyone deserved their true mate, and settling for someone else would never be enough for their wolf. They may love the person, and the relationship would be fine, but inside, their true soul, their animal, would know the difference.
And eventually that feeling would be tragic, empty, lacking.
Stars forbid your mate show up while you’re in a relationship with someone else. I can only imagine the heartbreak on all sides.
That wouldn’t be me. I would search for her until my dying day.
Maybe beyond.
“I think I have to just brave my way through it. I can’t be here one more day,” I blurted as the moon rose in the sky on day three. My wolf didn’t care one iota that there was a snowstorm that nearly blinded me the times I tried to venture on. Or that the aftermath of the storm left it even colder than before.
He had tunnel vision when it came to his mate.
Couldn’t blame him. She was the only thing on my mind as well.
