“Are you going to follow me all the way to the gate, or actually man up and speak to me?” I shout loudly, sensing Nikoli following me in the woods next to the path I'm walking down. The wolf never really left me alone with Harper; he was watching the whole time. I can tell that he will never leave us alone. He is too possessive, like all damn wolves. I can’t get the look of shock on Harper’s face out of my mind when I told her what I am. I spent a year planning a way to tell her without scaring her. I knew she was meant for my world because she is my destined mate, and that makes her destined for a supernatural life. Little did I know, she would become part of my world, without me even being able to hold her hand throughout it.
“Don’t come back,” he says as he steps out of the trees, his towering figure all I can see until he walks closer. I hear the slight growling coming from him; a warning, I suspect.
“That’s never going to happen while Harper is here. It should tell me that’s mad; you stole her from me,” I tell him, my own warning in my tone as my teeth naturally extend further than they usually are at night. It's not right that wolves and vampires are made out to hate each other in movies. No, I have no problem with wolf shifters, usually. Just this one that took my destined mate.
“She would have never had her life in danger if you actually protected her. A whole year being her friend, and the one time she needed you…you weren’t there,” Nikoli says, and I tighten my fists as I try to remember my promise to Harper. I won't kill the fucking wolf, but he has a point. I should have been there. I should have watched her from a distance or something, but no, I left her alone, and that’s not a mistake I'm going to make again. I'm going to stay near, waiting and watching in case she needs me. I will never let my mate down again, and I don’t need to justify myself to him.
“You’re right, I should have been there. But she is mine, regardless. I won't let you steal her from me, wolf,” I say, and the growling coming from him only increases as he takes a final step forward until he is inches away from me. We are the same height, our glowing eyes the only real light other than the moonlight shining through the trees.
“She doesn’t want you, she hasn’t left with you. It's clear where her home and heart is,” Nikoli chuckles, and I lift my hand, punching him hard in the face. He swears before he hits me back and I duck, slamming my head into his stomach and smacking him into the ground. Nikoli hits me hard in the side, before grabbing my shirt and throwing me off him. I flip to stop my fall, landing and running at him again. I tackle him to the ground, noticing his arms going hairy, and I know he wants to shift. Nikoli wraps a rough hand around my throat, his nails cutting into my neck as I lift my hand and punch him again.
“Enough!” I hear someone say, but I'm too focused on beating the shit out the stupid wolf that stole my mate. I feel a hand pulling me off Nikoli just before I'm about to hit him again, and the person sends me flying, dislodging Nikoli’s hand from my neck. His nails scrape across my skin, cutting deep enough to hurt, but I don’t feel it as I’m only focused on ending this now. I land and stand up, seeing Nikoli get to his feet and lock his eyes with mine. A girl with long black hair steps in the middle of us. When I look at Nikoli and this woman, it's clear they are related somehow.
“Out of my way,” Nikoli growls, trying to move around the woman, but she jumps in front of him and places her hand on his chest to stop him.
“No. You have waited years to find your mate, and I watched from the window as you fought with someone who is close to her. G told me she is his mate too. If you hurt him, there will be no going back from that, Nikoli,” the woman warns him. “She would never trust you and would leave you. I can tell from the little I've seen and spoken to her, she cares deeply for those she loves.”
“I can’t share her with this little shit of a vampire, Snow,” Nikoli growls out, his words just about understandable.
“Then you don’t deserve her. Neither of you does, if you are out here fighting and not caring that every punch you throw hurts only Harper.” Snow sighs. “Both of you are ungrateful. You know how long most people wait for their mate, a mate that can make you both happy?”
“Snow…” Nikoli starts to say, but she shakes her head and steps away. Snow has a point. Many people wait so long for their destined mate and never find them. But it still doesn’t make this easy to accept, to accept sharing Harper. I already love her, I have for a long time, and part of me feels like breaking when I see the way she looks at Nikoli. Another part of me knows it would kill her to leave him, and I never want to hurt her. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place.
“Kill each other if you want, or grow up,” she says and then walks away. I lock eyes again with Nikoli, seeing he has calmed down a little, like I have, at her words.
“Leave, Vampire.”
“You’re a typical stubborn ass alpha, and you’re not going to make this easy on any of us, are you?” I ask him. I don’t wait for an answer as I turn my back on him and walk away. I walk to the gate, seeing two large wolves sitting on chairs, and one jumps up to open the gate when I get near.
“Thanks,” I say, but neither of them replies as they look at each other. It’s like they are daring each other to talk first, and it's almost funny. My phone rings as I walk down the road, towards my car parked at the end.
“Hello, sister,” I answer.
“So…” Belle asks, not saying hello, but then she never does.
“It's more complicated than I thought. She is a wolf, the rouge turned her, and she has found another destined mate. The alpha,” I say, and there's silence on the other end of the phone before Belle replies.
“Is she with you? Don’t tell me the human chose a stranger over you?” she asks.
“She has stayed because she is a new wolf, and needs to learn control. And she likes him,” I add in, and Belle sighs deeply.
“Maybe you should leave her to it, find a new girl.”
“There is no one else but her. She is my destined mate, Belle. I'm not giving up, even if I have to accept the wolf in her life.”
“Do you really want half a mate?” she asks me, and it’s a valid question. I know it will never be like it was before, with me having every bit of Harper's attention. But then, she was lonely. She needs something like this, a pack. A family.
“Better than no part of Harper,” I whisper, as I get to my car and unlock it.
“Good luck then, brother, but I want to meet her. Bring her to the club,” Belle says, and ends the call before I can tell her no. The club isn’t my ideal plan for a first date, but then, it might be an excellent way to drive Harper into the world she is part of now. A world that isn’t just full of vampires and wolves.