I was eight when I first crossed paths with a supernatural being. Not that anyone believed me. To them, I was just a silly kid with an overactive imagination. My claims were pushed aside under the assumption that too many books and movies had corrupted my brain.
The older I grew, the harder people pushed back until they began to ignore me entirely. Every time I would bring up the subject of fairies, werewolves, or vampires, eyes would roll, and people would walk away. They didn't want to encourage my behavior.
They thought I couldn't hear them, but I was aware that they called me crazy behind my back.
I learned long ago to keep it to myself. If I didn't talk about it, I wouldn't lose friends for being the weird girl, and my parents wouldn't keep sending me to therapists. They all thought I was acting out for attention due to my parents separating. It turned out the stress of having a clinically deranged daughter brought them back together nicely as they had the common goal of trying to fix me.
I knew I wasn't crazy though. I remember that day as if it were yesterday. He was a small creature, his fur a deep black with haunting red eyes. His snout pushed up against my arm as I sat at the base of the tree with my book. The dampness of his nose left a small mark on my baby blue long sleeve shirt, but I didn't mind.
He was the most beautiful animal I had ever seen. I was fascinated. The only animal I had been around of his size was a fully grown dog, and he was certainly no dog, nor was he fully grown. His paws kicked up dirt as he began to jump happily around me, his tongue hanging from his mouth.
"I found you!" The excited, child-like voice filled my head "I found you! My wolf told me to find you!"
I recoiled in shock when the animal spoke, confused that he was able to. His muzzle didn't move, nor did sound come out, but somehow I was still able to hear him. The creature did not seem to notice my reaction as he used my stunned silence as a chance to swipe his long wet tongue against my cheek.
"Gross!" I giggled as I wiped the saliva off with the sleeve of my shirt. "Stop that! What do you mean you found me?"
The prancing puppy stumbled and then stilled. His head cocked to the side as if he were listening for something as he continued to stare at me.
"You… you can hear me? I thought humans couldn't hear us." There was a hesitance to his tone that made him sound vulnerable and scared.
Before I could express my confusion, a howl filled the air. The deep, threatening sound was close. Too close. I jumped to my feet, making sure to grab my book. I couldn't leave it behind, it was my favorite. The wolf nosed me happily as I stood, his head coming to my waist.
A matching set of piercing red eyes glowed from the depths of the forest. Excitement at seeing another wolf filled me, only to be squashed when the hulking animal sulked out of the tree-line. A large jagged scar covered the right side of its face, and the grey streaks that littered its body made him look all the more terrifying.
He circled around us as the younger wolf stood against my leg with his tail wagging. Instinctually, my empty hand fell to my side, intertwining with the pup's fur for comfort.
The large beast snarled in my direction when I touched the smaller creature, only to pause and turn to face the wolf at my side. The yard was silent for a moment before the large wolf huffed and began to nudge their pup away from me. Unsure what to do, I watched as the smaller wolf put up a fight until he was grabbed by the scruff and carried off.
Darkness fell rapidly, and soon I was no longer able to see either animal.
"Olivia, time to come inside, dear. You know not to stay out after dark!" My mother yelled.
When I had sat down for dinner that night, I told them of my experience with the wolves. At first, they were fascinated by my story but quickly became annoyed and dismissive over the years. They referred to that night as a hallucination.
I waited out back for the wolf to return, but he never did. It was ten years of hoping to catch a glimpse of him again and never doing so in person. He frequented my dreams, but he never spoke to me again.
I did extensive research over those ten years. So much so that my parents described it to my many therapists as an obsession. Werewolves, witches, fae… the whole deal. I had looked into all of them, trying to prove that they did exist. How else would a wolf be able to talk to me telepathically?
Eventually, I had become tired of waiting for him to return and began my search for him.
"You are going to get us shot." My sister Elena said before loudly and dramatically trying to spit a piece of overgrown grass from her mouth. Her long dirty blonde hair that was only a shade or two from being considered a light brown, was pulled back elegantly in a long braid that ran down her back to her hips.
I glanced over at her from under the bush as we continued to crawl our way through the foliage. I had been searching the vast forest around our town every chance I could and finally narrowed the location of the pack down to one option. The vegetation surrounding it was thick and unforgiving as thorns and branches ripped into my skin.
As we got closer, we began to hear noises that were not natural to the forest.
"Don't be ridiculous," I whispered back to her. "They won't shoot us… They're werewolves. They would just rip us apart and eat us for dinner."
The sound of her shuffling stopped, and I glanced back at her with a mischievous smile. "That isn't funny, Olivia."
I snorted with laughter when she began to move again. Unable to hold back my sarcasm, I muttered, "Oh, pulling out the full name. I'm in trouble now."
"Mom and dad are going to kill you for dragging me into this! You know that, right?" Elena huffed as she crouched behind a boulder. I moved up next to her, grimacing when I saw the scrapes on my palms from our journey through the low bushes to stay hidden.
"That would mean they would find out. Besides, haven't you heard? I'm clinically insane. You're the one who would get in trouble for encouraging me." I rolled my eyes at her, receiving an elbow to the gut in return.
The sound of liquid hitting the ground piqued my curiosity, and I glanced around the rock. Elena's head popped out below mine when she heard my giggle.
There were houses spread out throughout the woods, as far as I could see. Fires burned on torches to light the walkways as people moved about. Leaning against the back of a building by one arm stood a man, his pants dropped several inches to reveal his butt crack as he relieved himself.
"Well, that would explain a lot." The deep voice from behind us rang out loudly, causing me to jump. My hand flew to my chest as I spun around to face him. Elena did the same next to me, and I glanced at her wide-eyed when she pulled a pocket knife from her pants, flipping the blade out. He was a minimum of a foot taller than me, wearing nothing more than a pair of basketball shorts. His deep brown eyes contrasted nicely with his blonde hair and pale skin. "I've been following you for a while. It makes sense that you would be crazy, coming out here to hunt... what was it you said? Ah, that's right. Werewolves. You are absolutely certifiable!"
"Clinical," I corrected. "I am clinically insane. Now, I am looking for a wolf with black fur and red eyes. Where can I find him?"
Elena followed behind me, weapon in hand, as we made our way through the compound. People everywhere stopped to stare at us as we invaded their sanctuary. "You know," I started, but Elena wrapped her hand around my forearm to silence me. "I'm sure he does know. Let's just keep our opinions to ourselves and not anger these people, okay?" Her voice was as strong and as sturdy as the blade in her hand, but I knew from the way she was squeezing the blood out of my arm, that she was scared. It was understandable. We either just walked into a cult or an actual werewolf pack. Either way, things were not looking to go in our favor. "I am also sure that I already know, but please, enlighten me. What were you going to say, Olivia?" The man chimed in, amusement laced in his words. I cringed when he said my name, and his smile grew wider. "It's just Liv. Olivia is saved for doctors, therapists, and for when my family is mad at me. None of which apply in this situation." I stumbled over a loos
"I feel like I'm missing something," Elena stated as she gestured between myself and the Alpha. To be honest, I did too. I didn't understand why I felt such a pull to the man next to me. "You guys seem very friendly." The man chuckled, and the hair on the back of my neck stood up. "You can say that we are old friends. I'm Alpha Gabriel Miller." I turned to meet his hazel eyes, watching as they darkened. His pupil swirled as if they were trying to draw me into him. A flash of black fur appeared in my mind, and I squinted my eyes at him. His hair was dark, but it wasn't the same shade as the wolf that came to mind. Then again, his hair color may have lightened with time. "Can you still hear me?" The sound of his voice resonated through my head, startling me. I jumped from the couch, ripping my hand from his. "It was you!" My arm crossed my chest to hold the other elbow as my hand covered my mouth, fingers tapping against my top lip. I began to pace, much to the two witnesses' amuseme
I had read enough about werewolf lore and myths that I understood how the aspect of mates worked. It was just surprising to hear that I had one. Humans don't get to just know who their soulmate is. They normally have to date dozens of people, and then pray that the one they marry is the right one. Not only was I sane, but I had a soulmate. The thought made me want to giggle like a schoolgirl, but the seriousness of the situation caught me off guard. "No, we are not going to kill you, Elena. You are in a similar situation as your sister. When you are ready, there is someone out front who wants to meet you." Gabriel gently guided me back to the couch, and I took my previous seat. Elena sat across from me, staring as if she were in shock. "Olivia, I know you have questions. I promise I will answer all of them. Would you stay tonight?" Gabriel looked intense as if he had to harden his expression to keep his true feelings from me. I had to wonder if he was as nervous as I was. My head
Dinner was a quiet affair. I was more nervous than anything to be alone with Gabriel that night and ended up picking at my food like a child. I caught him sending me worried glances throughout most of the meal. As soon as he finished eating, he slid his chair closer and placed his hand on my thigh. The heat radiating from his palm made me press my thighs together as a jolt of excitement ran through me."Are you alright?" His voice managed to deepen as he leaned in to whisper in my ear. I had no doubt that at least Athena could still hear us across the table if she wanted to. By the love-struck look on her face, as she watched my sister nervously jabber on, I knew she wasn't listening to us."Yes, I guess I'm just a bit shocked is all." Lying to him tasted like poison was being poured on my tongue. I wasn't shocked at all. I had known his kind existed for the past decade. Every night, I had dreamed of the man before me. We had a connection, and I had been aware of it fo
We stood side by side as we brushed our teeth. Gabriel had given me a spare toothbrush that he said he had purchased a long time ago. He said he wanted to be prepared for when I was finally able to meet him again. It was a sweet gesture, but the knowing smirk he kept sending me was frustrating. "What?" I asked, my hand with my toothbrush dropped from my mouth as I spat out a mouthful of foam from the toothpaste. "Nothing." He glanced at me in the mirror again, his eyes darkening as he looked me up and down. I did the same to him, smirking back when I noticed he was still hard. "It doesn't seem like nothing." Gabriel let out a deep chuckle before spitting his toothpaste out and rinsing his mouth. He leaned his hip against the counter when he finished, staring at me as I continued to brush. I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously. He leaned in, his lips barely touching my ear as he spoke. "I can still smell your desire for me. It is so sweet."
Waking up wrapped in Gabriel's arms was magnificent.Waking up to him flipping me off of his chest to be underneath him while he growled furiously toward the doorway, was terrifying. His eyes were black, and his canines were extended. He held himself over me with ease as if to shield me from the intruder. I pressed myself into the mattress to stay as small as possible."Oh, calm down, you big baby." A male voice chimed from the doorway. "I heard our Luna had finally made her way to us, and I wanted to be one of the first to meet her."I didn't dare move, as Gabriel still held himself protectively over me. If it weren't for the third party in the bedroom, I would have been a very happy woman having him on top of me like that. I bit back my smile as I felt him press down against me as he relaxed his stance. He glanced at me quickly before turning back to glare at the man. I watched fascinated as his teeth and eyes went back to normal."Get out," Gabriel gro
Breakfast was a somber event, not for a lack of trying on Kate and Jack's end to lighten the mood. They were very friendly and sarcastic, always cracking jokes and telling stories to make us laugh. It was hard to be positive knowing that we had to go back home, even if it was just for a short while. Gabriel drove us back to our car on the edge of town. Much to my surprise, there was a well-hidden dirt road that led right to their community we could have taken instead of trekking through the forest. After exchanging phone numbers, a heartfelt goodbye, and several kisses, he pulled himself away and returned to his car, Athena reluctantly following after him. They waited until we were pulling away before he turned his car around and left. I didn't want him to see me looking over my shoulder like a lovesick puppy, but I did watch through the side mirror as he got further away until I could no longer see him. Our ride was short and silent as we made our wa
My toes brushed my carpet as I swung my feet back and forth. My desk chair creaked in protest from my constant movement, but I ignored it and continued to stare across the room at the open window. My pajama shorts and tank top left little to the imagination, and I had picked them out just for that reason. Unfortunately, I was beginning to regret that decision as it got colder as the night went on. Gabriel had not messaged me since I had returned home, and I had assumed he was busy. I knew my mind was my enemy, but the longer I waited, the more I began to second guess whether he was real in the first place. I had read our messages over two dozen times. I needed to ensure that they existed, and so did Gabriel. Alpha Gabriel. A werewolf. Oh, God. I dropped my head into my hands and let out a sigh of frustration. Crazy. I am absolutely crazy! After all this time, I finally lost it. The orange bottle sat atop my dresser, laughing at me as if it knew just how insane I was. It was one