Chapter One
Aries Kyriakis ran until his lungs burned. Circe was only seven square miles, so he’d run the length of it three times already. Usually, a good run cleared his head but this time around it did no good. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. There was a storm coming and with the way things had been going lately, there was nothing he or anyone could do about it.
And that ominous premonition he had warring within him had everything to do with the mysterious shifter who went only by the name of Pet. From the second she was brought to the island, a broken and battered wolf who couldn’t shift to her human form, he felt compelled to be near her. To make matters more confusing, since her arrival, he continued to have dreams of a mysterious woman with straight jet black hair that fell to her waist, bronzed skin, and big brown eyes. It was her eyes that he couldn’t forget. They were full of pain and sorrow.
In his dream he would see her standing naked in a forest, her hair shielding her breasts. Though she didn’t speak, with her mouth, her eyes said everything she wanted to say. Help, they screamed out to him. And each time, he’d run to her only for her to disappear whenever he drew near. Aries would then wake in a cold sweat, with his heart beating erratically and the cold hand of distress tightening around his heart. The anxiety and fear were real to the point where he didn’t want to go to sleep. It was why he continued to run.
Fear was the long lost friend he’d bid farewell to when he was a pup. Not since the night when his parents died did he allow this emotion to enter his heart. Being over a century and a half years of age, Aries had conditioned himself to be strong in order to stand up in the face of adversity, to be a protector. He had to be as the second in command of his pack. When he wasn’t taking care of pack business and helping to run his Uncle Paris’s conglomerate, he went on missions with The Underground, a group of immortals that took out rogue threats. It was in his nature to fight for those who couldn’t do so for themselves.
So this sense of hopelessness was foreign to him and he didn’t like it one bit. Who was this mysterious woman and how was he connected to that ball of fur, called Pet? He wanted answers but it made him wary to know the truth because deep down, he already knew the answer.
She was his mate.
There was an instant connection when he’d gazed upon her despite the pathetic figure she presented, followed by a feeling of helplessness. There was something wrong with her. She clearly couldn’t shift to her human form. He’d originally assumed it was Malum, but it was his cousin Persephone who’d pointed out that it couldn’t be the case or else Pet would have been feral by now. From what Persephone had gathered when she’d been in captivity along with the mysterious she-wolf, Pet had been in that state for much longer than most shifters would have been able to maintain their animal form without losing their grasp with reality. Clearly, there was something going on that no one could quite understand.
Though Aries couldn’t stop thinking about Pet, he didn’t dare go to his Uncle’s home where she was being housed. Mainly because he didn’t want to care. Though shifters could form bonds with anyone they chose, settle down and even have pups, there was no bond like the one of a true mate. That connection was more powerful than the trite term of romantic love.
Up until now, a mate had been the furthest thing from his mind, in fact, it was the last thing he wanted. He’d seen first-hand what the burden of having a mate caused. It made one lose focus, made them make stupid decisions—it destroyed packs. Seeing his Alpha pine for a woman who had been gone for well over a hundred years didn’t exactly endear Aries to the idea of having a mate. His cousins Constantine and Persephone were both different people since finding their mates and Aries didn’t want that change to happen to him. But there was a deeper darker reason he wanted to remain mateless: one he couldn’t admit even to himself. However, even as he tried to resist, the call of the mate bond was too strong to ignore.
Aries circled the island several more times. The horizon was now orange with the break of dawn, yet he wasn’t tired. Once he returned to the spot he’d left his clothing, Aries shifted back to his human form. As he got dressed, Aries caught the scent of a female approaching.
He’d just managed to pull his pants up when she came into sight. It was Calliope, a park member he’d often had romps with. She was always good for a quick fuck and pillow talk. She was also a friend he could talk to outside of his immediate family who didn’t place any expectations on him. Many members of their pack had assumed that the two of them would eventually mate as neither had found that one true bond mate, but neither was looking to be held down by the confines of a relationship. It was probably one of the reasons their arrangement had lasted as long. Neither of them made demands of the other and was free to be with other people. Aries had taken other lovers as had Calliope.
“Out for an early run?” Hazel eyes racked his body with an appreciative gleam. She licked berry red lips as if sending him an invitation to taste them. She was a beautiful woman with long brown hair, heart-shaped face and a body curved liked an hour-glass. Though Calliope’s looks were delicate, she was deadly beyond that lovely appearance. Like him, she had lost her parents when the pack was stricken by a wave of Malum that had wiped out a chunk of their group. Since then, she’d trained to be one of the pack’s fiercest defenders. She could have her choice of any unmated males in the pack but she chose to remain unattached.
“Just coming back from one.” He zipped his jeans. “What brings you out this time of morning?”
“I couldn’t sleep. I had one of my premonitions.”
Aries raised a brow. When Calliope got one of her ‘premonitions’, people listened because they usually came true. It was said that she had witch blood somewhere in her direct family line. “Oh? What about?”
Calliope frowned as if she was trying to figure it out herself. “I’m not quite sure but it was more of a feeling. I keep seeing a vision of an onyx colored wolf. I could tell she was one of us because of the eyes.
“An all-black? I didn’t realize there were any of those left.”
“I didn’t think so either but this image won’t go away. And now that I’m out here, that feeling is even stronger. It’s coming from that direction.” She pointed east, which was the direction of his uncle’s house.
The only new arrival to Circe within the past week was Pet, but her fur was brown. All blacks or as some called them skinwalkers were the rarest of breeds as they could take the form of other wolves and sometimes humans although that took a considerable amount of effort. “These instincts of yours have never failed us before. But are you absolutely certain this wolf in your vision had all black fur? No patches of white or grey anywhere else on its body?”
She shook her head. “No. I’ve seen it in my mind enough to be certain. What do you think this means? Those shifters are said to be very powerful and from my understanding they’re trouble.”
“I’ve personally never seen one myself but from what I’ve heard, I’d have to agree. Perhaps I’ll mention it to the Alpha and get his thoughts. In the meantime, I think I’m going back to my place to shower.
She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and looked look at him with a spark of desire in her eyes. “Would you like me to join you?”
He rarely turned down a chance to fuck, especially a sexy bitch like Calliope but knowing his mate was on the island, despite not wanting one, just didn’t feel right. “Maybe some other time, beautiful.”
“She pouted. I supposed I’ll have to settle for a raincheck then. It seems you haven’t been interested in a while.”
He sighed racking his fingers through his hair. “I’ve just had a lot on my plate lately, with these latest attacks from Gage and helping to run the family business. There doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day to do everything that needs to be taken care of.”
“Sometimes I wonder if you’re aware that this pack already has an Alpha and an Alpha-in-Waiting, not to mention other high ranking members who can lighten your load.”
He wasn’t sure if he should be offended by her statement or not. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that I see you take on more than the average person would.”
“Maybe I’m not the average person. I’m the pack’s Beta and it’s my responsibility to see to the safety and security of its members.”
“But you’re not the only one. As I already stated, there’s a whole team to support you. I’ve watched you for years, taking on more than any reasonable person would, not only do you travel extensively to handle your Uncle’s business affairs, you do these secret side missions with those vampires and let’s not forget the many times you’ve had to cover for your cousin’s fuck-ups.”
While Calliope wasn’t wrong about his cousin being on the wild side, at least before he found his mate, Constantine was still family and Aries didn’t care to hear anyone speak ill of him. “Is that how you speak of your Alpha-in-waiting? I suggest you watch your tongue because talk like that could get you exiled from the pack.”
She raised both brows before narrowing her eyes into a glare. “Are you pulling rank on me? Never thought you were into such formalities… Beta.” She bowed her head as if mocking him.
In no mood to argue with her, Aries turned away and headed toward his house.
“Wait!” She placed her hand on his shoulder.
Aries halted but didn’t turn around as he waited for her to continue.
“You’re right. I was out of line to speak so disrespectfully about our Alpha-in-waiting. It’s just, you seem to be running yourself ragged and I’m worried about you. You’re a very worthy Beta and you have nothing to prove to anyone.”
Aries flexed his jaw. Calliope had no idea how close she was to the truth, but he couldn’t express how he felt because he didn’t think she’d understand. He barely comprehended his own feelings. He inhaled deeply and released a huge breath. “It’s okay. I didn’t mean to be so heavy-handed. I’ve had a lot on my mind lately.”
Calliope circled Aries until she faced him again. “It’s okay if you take some time to yourself every now and then. This pack won’t fall apart if you take a break.”
“And just how long do you suppose this break of mine should last considering the Hunters have made repeated attacks on this pack of late? Not only are they after Constantine’s mate, there’s this—” he broke off before he could reveal too much. Most of the pack members on the island were aware of the mysterious she-wolf’s presence but not all of them knew of her circumstances. He was certain that if it got out that Pet had been held in captivity by Gage for what could have been years, some would object to her being here. Then there was the fact that she couldn’t shift. That would create panic because of what they understood of the wolf illness Malum. Once one of their kind contracted it, they were unable to shift to human form. Losing that duality within themselves caused shifters to literally go insane without that connection to their humanity. It made the victim feral.
But Pet was different. Even though she’d seemed to have lost her ability to shift, she didn’t seem wild at all. In fact, he sensed a deep sadness within her, almost as if she’d given up her will to live. Just thinking about it at this very moment sent a searing pain in his chest that he couldn’t explain.
“Aries?” Calliope placed her hand on his chest.
He shook his head, realizing that he’d slipped deep into his thoughts. “Sorry. Like I said, I have a lot on my mind.”
She sighed in what seemed to be resignation. “I’m going to go for a run. I’d ask you to join me but you just came back from one. Just take care of yourself, okay? And if you need someone to talk to, I’m here for you.” She stood on the tip of her toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
He watched her walk into the wood. She really was a gorgeous woman. Under different circumstances, he could see himself settling down with her, but that was no longer an option, not while Pet was still around.
How were things possibly going to work between the two of them when she couldn’t shift? Aries then remembered only days before when his cousin Persephone had recently returned to the island in her wolf form, stricken by Malum. Eric, her mate had remained in his wolf form in solidarity for Persephone, a touching gesture to all who’d witnessed the act of love.
The only cure for the disease as far as anyone knew before then was to have the wolf put down for eternal rest. Everyone thought for sure that his cousin would gradually lose her sanity. That was until Sarah, Constantine’s mate had…
Though Sarah was only a half-breed, they’d all learned there was more to her than met the eye. She had healed Persephone of a sickness that everyone thought there was no cure for. Whatever was wrong with Pet, it was quite possible that Sarah could help her as well. And then once she was back in human form, they could have answers, perhaps even find out where Gage was hiding out.
With that knowledge in hand, Aries raced toward his Cousin’s house.