My vision changed, and the scents of the surrounding forest became sharper. I inhaled deeply, smelling the fresh grass, the flowers, and even the lingering scent of a nearby sprite, but underneath it was a faint, disconcerting scent of something…dark. It wasn’t a familiar scent, just…wrong. My spine stiffened, but I couldn’t sense another living being. It was…odd. I bared my teeth. If I didn’t know better, I’d say there was a vampire somewhere nearby, but Originals, and even Made vampires, had a sense of energy, of life—and this didn’t. Besides, Made vampires couldn’t get through the portal. It sent them straight into the void beyond its confines when it sensed their life energy was—wrong. There was much in Faery that was dangerous, but between my Fae senses and my wolf, I could avoid it or deal with it before it could cause Shan or me any harm. I made a note to ask Ventry if he’d ever encountered anything like it. But right then, my mate needed me, and I could keep her safe until we’d dealt with what was worrying her.
My head was as high as Shannon’s, her eyes wide with a mix of challenge and relief. It was a heady mixture and one my wild side instantly reacted to. My wolf was intimidating to most creatures. He was large even for a shifter wolf but was much bigger here in Faery, where he absorbed the life force of this land. As I stepped forward and bared my teeth, it was like I’d flicked a switch in Shan. Her eyes narrowed, and for a split second, she studied me intently. I held my breath as she decided: fight—or run.
I grinned as she spun, leaving a dent in the grass before she ran. I didn’t even give her a second. There was no way she was leaving my sight. Not out here. Instinct told me she wanted to shift, but her wolf had been trapped by her physical weakness. Now that her body was strong again, it was likely a mental block; she’d convinced herself she couldn’t.
I intended to disabuse her of that. So would my wolf. If she wouldn’t do it herself, I’d be the Alpha she needed and force it.
A bitter scent of fear lingered in her wake. Yet I knew her well enough to understand it wasn’t terror of me; it was of herself, of the fact that she was a shifter who couldn’t shift. She was scared she couldn’t do it even with my power to bolster hers.
I ran on her heels, giving her the illusion of escaping me before I nipped at her ankle, catching it between my teeth and pulling. I made sure not to tear the material of her jeans and kept my hold light enough not to bruise. Momentum sent her tumbling forward. Opening my jaws gave her enough freedom to roll onto her back. Arching her spine, she flicked to her feet and aimed a kick at my nose. It connected, but I shook it off and used my head to knock her entirely off her feet, leaping and landing on top of her. I didn’t snap my jaws or throw my weight down. I didn’t want to hurt her, but we both knew her wolf would submit to mine. Not only was he a powerful Alpha, he was her mate. I’d use that to make her wolf pay attention, to force a shift.
With my front paws on either side of her, I lowered my head, baring my teeth and letting my wolf rise fully. Taking a back seat didn’t worry me, not when I knew he’d never harm her. Together, we gazed deeply into Shan’s eyes. Normally, she’d look away, but she fought her instincts. Fuck, I was so proud of her. She’d spent her life fighting against her need to submit to the Alphas in her life, and it showed. Right now, though, if she wanted to connect with her wolf, she needed to let him in.
I felt his power rise and mixed it with my Fae magic, stunned by the force and ease with which it pushed into Shannon. There! Deep inside her soul was a faint glow. I felt it the moment he connected with her.
Shannon gasped, her eyes never leaving ours. I pushed to the surface so she could see me, too. My wolf rumbled. A warning to let him work. Pulling back a little, I watched as he firmly coaxedthe female spirit forward, not being aggressive, but soothing and encouraging. He’d sensed Shannon’s fear as readily as I did and didn't want to scare that beautiful spirit back into hiding.
Come on….I willed.Trust him.
A deep, throaty rumble shook his body as amber stained my Butterfly’s irises. As soon as he’d coaxed her to the surface, I took back over. It was gratifying that he trusted in our combined power to force a change. I stared deeply into those amber eyes and sent a surge of energy into Shannon. Her eyes widened and her bone structure changed.
That’s it, little wolf, you can do it. Come on…
I padded backwards to give her room to shift but didn’t drop my gaze, forcing Shannon’s wolf to look at me. With a howl, the change took. It wasn’t clean or smooth. No, it was a painful, forced change, and I hated the agony it caused. I wanted to tell her to stop with every fibre of my being, but if I eased off, her Omega wolf would hide away forever.
Shannon had wanted to fight, but not physically. She’d wanted to fight for her wolf. She needed this to reconnect with the other part of her soul.
My wolf tensed, a low rumbling growl shaking our chest as we watched Shannon transform from human to wolf. Panting and trembling, she lay before me, her gaze lowered. For a moment, we just stared. She was stunning. I’d seen her before, of course, but not for years, and I’d forgotten how slender she was, how fine and soft her thick ice-white fur was. Emitting a soothing rumble, we firmly nudged her with our nose, nipping at her fur until she took the hint and shakily stood. That muscle memory for standing on four legs instead of two needed to be triggered. She didn’t need to do anything else this time, not when her exhaustion was so apparent. The shift had taken every reserve she had.
We locked eyes, and my chest was simultaneously filled with warmth that I could connect to her on such a level and worry about the exhaustion my mate was experiencing. Her wolf whimpered and sank back down to the ground. I let her. She was weak and overwhelmed. Instead of forcing the change back to human, I padded closer and lay down, curling around her. My much bigger body would act as a layer of protection from the creatures of Faery who’d come to see what all the commotion was about. I snarled viciously when any came too close, but I didn’t sense any real danger or malice from them. Within moments, Shannon’s wolf relaxed and was breathing deeply and evenly. My senses stayed alert while she slept. I’d kill anything that came too close, whether they were an actual threat or not.
The small hairs on the back of my neck bristled, and my danger gauge pinged to the point that, glaring through the brightly coloured flora of the Spring Kingdom as we walked, I expected to see an enemy rush me.
Throwing my senses out, I inhaled deeply. Bluebells, damp undergrowth, sunshine, grass, rabbit, sprite—and the heady scent of my mate. I loved it and wished it could fill my senses every minute of the day. But under that welcome fragrance was the sour odour that followed the oily sensation of being watched. My fingers grazed the handle of the Fae gun tucked in the holster on my hip. I pulled my wolf nearer the surface, even though, like every other time I’d had this feeling, I couldn’t sense anyone near. I hated having an awareness that danger was close but not knowing where it might come from or what form it would take, especially when my soul mate was by my side.
I hadn’t let her out of my sight for the past week and only allowed her into the woods to shift when I was with her. She’d defied me once. My cock twitched as I remembered the fun we’d both had with her ‘punishment’.
She’d surprised the hell out of me since then by complying with my wishes. Part of me wanted to just enjoy that she wanted to be by my side as much as I did hers, yet in a twisted way, I missed her defiance. I'd always loved our fiery, even aggressive, interactions. They’d made me feel alive when not much else did. But this? Spending time with her, enjoying her easy smile and laugh, her teasing, and even the comfortable silences we’d lapse into left me with a strange sense of warmth and calm. I shook my head, unable to reconcile the change from our bitter, often hateful arguments to two people who enjoyed each other’s company.
Even when we eventually returned home to Scotland, having this peaceful time together was something I’d never forget. I’d learnt more about Shannon in the past few weeks than in all the years I’d known her. We’d talked about everything from our favourite foods to heavier things like our childhoods. It was only fair that if Shan was going to reveal the pain of her past, I did, too. By the time I’d finished, I think Shannon found my father almost as despicable as I found hers.
I smiled, trying to stop my heart from tumbling in my chest. I loved her. More than I’d believed myself capable. Even now, before we’d mated, I’d do anything for her. If she asked, I’d leave the compound in Scotland and set up a home with her somewhere else. The thought of leaving my brothers and even my King, who was my best friend, didn’t leave the bitter taste it used to. I’d do anything Shannon needed to make her happy. My footsteps faltered at the realisation of how deeply I was in this. I reallywoulddo anything for her.
Her gaze flicked my way, small creases appearing on the bridge of her nose. I wanted to smooth them away before kissing her into oblivion.
“You okay?” she asked.
I grinned, and I reached for her hand. Who knew I was a hand holder? I chuckled. Who knew Shannon was? “Yeah, I’m good.”
“Do you think the school will be open today?” Shannon’s voice held a note of hopefulness that made my smile widen.
We’d visited the village two days ago, and Shannon had been drawn to the small school where the happy laughter of small children filled the air. I’d let her go, watching as she wandered closer to the playing kids. A soft smile had curled her mouth, a wistful look softening her features. It was a longing look, which I’d never seen before.
My stomach clenched. Was it because she wanted kids of her own, or was it just the innocent joy of the children’s laughter and antics? Either way, being near the school made her happy, so I’d suggested another walk into the village. We didn’t need food from the stores, not really, not when I was hunting daily to make sure Shannon had enough to eat like a good mate should.
We’d spent most of the other day just watching the children play and having fun. The teacher had noticed us, with a look of utter surprise on her face when she recognized me. I’d tensed as her gaze fell on Shannon, and her look turned curious. As with most small villages in Faery, the only humans they ever saw were under the influence of a High Fae, slaves to their whims. Yet Edvina accepted my explanation that we were here for some respite for Shannon after an illness. I hadn’t bothered hiding that we were under the Prince Regent’s protection. Vina’s eyebrows had disappeared into her hairline, and I’d had to hide my smirk. Yeah, no one would mess with Shan if they thought she was under the Prince Regent’s protection.
For some reason, I was reluctant to introduce my mate with the name we’d decided on. Butterfly was my nickname for her, and I didn’t want to share it, so I’d quickly settled on Hunter. Shannon had raised a brow, her eyes sparkling with mirth as if she’d realised exactly what was going on in my head. As soon as Shannon had commented on how happy the children were, the two had hit it off, talking about anything and everything to do with teaching young children, while I’d sat there content to listen quietly and watch the children play their games of tag.
