Stella laughed. “You should see the look said wolf is giving us right now. Maybe we should be shaking like scaredrabbits.”
Heather waved her off. “Nah, the only one in danger of being pounced on and eaten by that oneisAnna.”
A fit of laughter broke out amongst all the girls, which caused the tightness in Heather’s chest to loosen its hold a tiny bit. Somehow, things would be okay. They would get out, they would meet these wolves that are meant for them, and they would defeat Volcan. That’s just the way it was supposed to happen. Heather was not about to be a part of some tragedy. If she was going to play a part in fighting to save the world, then she was going to be on thewinningteam.
“You’re thinking again.” Stellahuffed.
“I was just thinking that you guys better be ready to go to war when we get out of here. There’s a crazy high fae dude out there who needs his ass kicked, and I do not liketolose.”
“Does anyone ever really like to lose?” Karaasked.
“Kara,” Heather pointed in the direction of Kara’s voice. “Do notstart.”
“What?” Kara asked innocently. “I’m just making an observation. It seems redundant for a person to declare that they don’t like to lose. I’m pretty sure no one in the history of ever has stood up and declared, ‘I lovelosing!’”
Heather knew what the younger girl was doing. It was what she’d been doing continually since they had realized they were stuck—Kara was trying to distract them. For whatever reason, she had taken it upon herself to keep everyone else at ease over the situation. It spoke volumes to Heather that Kara, the youngest in the group, was the one who was trying to console all of them. It meant that in Kara’s short life, she’d continually been called upon to be the protector for someone weaker.Who had she had to protect? And from whatorwho?
“You do have a point,” Stella joined in. “But for arguments’ sake, let’s say there is some strange person out there who does like to lose. Would it be necessary for them to say, ‘Hey, people, we are going to war, and you had better throw in the white flag and turn belly up because I do not liketowin!’”
Heather smacked herself in the head with her palm. “Okay, now I know we must have started using up all the oxygen they have in this realm because we’re talkingnonsense.”
“Or, do we make so much sense that it’s blowing your mind?” Crina jumped in, unable to hide her laughter as shespoke.
As the girls’ laughter died down, Heather realized there had been no sounds of male laughter. “Are all the guys dead? I don’t smell any decay so I’m guessing no. But I didn’t hear themlaughing.”
There was a loud sigh and then footsteps started in her direction. The movement stopped, and Heather could tell that someone now sat across from her, probably on their own stump. Considering the quiet, confident way he moved, it must have been Gustavo. She sat and waited to see what he woulddonext.
“All of this is to distract, no?” Gustavo said, his thick Spanish accent and deep voice made her wanttosigh.
Heather heard the others move and guessed they were all gathering around theAlpha.
“If it is a distraction you require, and I, myself, need one as well, then I will tell you astory.”
Everyone grew quiet, even their breathing was nearly silent. It was interesting to see the kind of attention an Alpha male commanded. He held her attention completely, even though she couldn’tseehim.
“Long ago, there was a goddess whose heart broke for the humans who fought amongst themselves,” hebegan.
Kara satdown on the ground and leaned back against one of the large logs upon which Crina and Adam were sitting. All eyes were on Gustavo as he commencedhistale.
“She was the creator of the wolves, and as she saw the way her wolves interacted with one another, she saw their own weaknesses as well. It was then she decided to create a new race. A race with the intelligence of man and the loyalty of the wolf. She created the Canis lupus—part man, part wolf. Like wolves, the Canis lupus thrive in a pack, a family. They are fiercely loyal to those in their pack. They are strong and protective. And like men, they have intelligence and emotions. They are driven to protect the weak and help those who can’t help themselves. She also gave them soul mates, or what she callstruemates. The males of the Canis lupus, because of the beast inside mixing with the emotions of the man, have a tendency to give into the darkness that lives inside them. Because of this tendency, the Great Luna decided to give the males a female counterpart—a light to his darkness. The female keeps the darkness at bay. She pulls him back from the edge of madness. Together, as a mated pair, they are powerful. They share a bond, put in place by the goddess, that then grows into something more because of their ability to love one another. That is how my kind came to exist,” Gustavo said, his voice filled with emotion. “The males of my species are lost without their true mates. If we do not find our mates, eventually the darkness will overtake us and we will become feral—an animal acting on his basest instincts, without thought, kill or bekilled.”
“So, you literallycannotchoose to reject your true mate?” Karaasked.
Gustavo looked over at her. The tenderness that filled his dark eyes was breathtaking. “No, Chiquita, we cannot. And though you, as a female, will not be given over to madness if you do not find your true mate, you will sufferstill.”
“What?” Kara, Stella, and Heather all said at thesametime.
“You are the other half of the true mate bond. If you do not find your true mate, there will always be something missing inside of you. You will always feel as though you are incomplete. You might take someone else as a … husband, but he would never be able to satisfy you. His touch would never truly reach your heart. His kiss would be lacking. His very countenance would feel small. Because he would not be meant for you. There is one who has the other half of your soul, and only when your souls are rejoined will you ever feelcomplete.”
Kara’s mouth was ajar, just hanging open as if she’d just witnessed a horrific automobile accident.What a terrible fate. To feel empty, to feel like half aperson.
“What would have happened to us if Peri had never found us?” she asked, suddenly a tadangry.
Gustavo chuckled. “Your mates would have found you regardless. Their wolves would have begun to sense you as you came of age. The Great Luna would not leave you to suffer. You would one day meet your true mate and be given the choice to join with himornot.”
“We can choose?” Stellaasked.
The Spanish Alpha nodded. “Of course, you can. No one will force you to complete the bond. I cannot guarantee he won’t follow you around like a lost puppy for the rest of your life, albeit a puppy that turns into a rabid beast anytime any other male gets near you, but he would never force anythingonyou.”
