“That looks great on you. Red is really your colour,” Gold says, as I smooth down the red jumper and look in the changing room mirror. The red does suit my brown hair and pale complexion. As I see in the mirror more, I find it so strange to think how different I am, now I’m a wolf, but don’t look any different. I expected to have flawless skin and big boobs or something, but nope, I still look the same. It’s never like the books.
“I feel bad spending Nikoli’s money to get these clothes. I have to get a job or something to repay him,” I say, knowing I can’t rely on him; but then, I have so little clothes that are suitable for the cold weather.
Snow and Gold also took me to an art shop earlier that was a little out of the central part of town, and helped me pick out paints and brushes that I would need. We picked out a few different sized canvas and other bits.
“He wouldn’t want you to. Not yet, as your wolf is too new, and you could shift if you feel threatened. Give it a few months, and maybe you could look into the local university jobs. Or jobs with the pack? Or maybe your vampire coven has jobs?” she offers, and I nod, wondering how threatened I’d have to feel to let my wolf take over.
I feel like I can trust her, now that she is a part of me; a piece that I felt like I was always missing. I grew up so alone, and it's strange to always have my wolf with me, so I’m never alone again. As painful as it was to get bitten by that rogue, in a way, I’m thankful that he did bite me because I got my wolf from that.
I pull the jumper off and add it to the ever-growing pile of clothes in the basket. I pull my black jumper back on, and Snow uses Nikoli’s card to pay for the clothes before we leave. Snow explained how the pack all share money and get a lot from the investment shares their parents left them, so money isn’t an issue. But I still intend to pay him back for all this somehow.
“We could go to the local chip shop on the way home and get some food. Nikoli loves the fish they do there,” Snow tells me, and I give her a little smile as we walk from the shops to the car park across the street.
I press the lift button as Gold says, “Shoot, I forgot to pay for the ticket. I’ll be right back,” and she walks off. I follow Snow into the elevator, and she presses the button to go our level.
“Have you spoken to Nikoli much?” she asks me.
I woke up this morning after our Sunday pack meal, and I will admit that I looked around for him, but couldn’t find him. By the time I made breakfast and ate with Gold, Snow came in and said we were going shopping. I know I’m going to formally meet Colton’s parents tomorrow, and then spending the night with his coven, so I wanted to spend the day with Nikoli.
“No, why?”
“It’s painful for a male mate to be around his female, and not act on it. I thought you should know, as I know he wouldn’t tell you. It would be the same for Colton. A lot of people are shocked that he managed to spend a year with you, and not make a move,” she tells me softly.
The thought of Nikoli or Colton being in any kind of pain makes me feel horrible. I didn’t know that it would do that to them. I thought we had enough time to get to know each other more, and make the lifelong decision later on. It’s not like I’m not attracted to them both because I am; far more than I’ve been drawn to anyone in my life.
“Hey, little wolves,” a deep voice greets us as the lift doors open, and three large men stand in a line outside. All of them are overweight, with large stomachs and round faces. They look around forty, and I would guess they are related to each other, from the same wiry blond hair they have. One of the men steps forward, his dark eyes locking with mine.
“We have come to claim the new wolf; her. She is my mate,” he says, pointing at me. He lets out a long laugh as Snow steps forward, dropping the bags in the doorway of the lift, to keep it from closing.
“How did you come to that conclusion?” she muses, cocking her head to the side. I know he isn’t my mate or anyone I would ever be with. The lust-filled look in his eyes is creeping me out, and no part of my wolf is making me want to go to him, like it does when I’m around Nikoli or Colton.
“I smelt her, and I know,” he says, still watching me.
“I’m not your mate,” I say to him, and he laughs, just as Snow shifts suddenly into a giant white wolf, her clothes ripping to pieces on the floor around her. I know why she is called Snow now. Snow lets out a loud growl as she crouches down, and I turn slightly when I hear Gold’s heels clicking across the car park. She walks over from the stairs and stops right next to us.
“Now, now. If you believe Harper is your mate, then issue a formal challenge to our alpha, as he has claimed her as his. As I’m sure, you already know,” she says.
“On the next full moon, we will attack your pack. We will take back our lands; our people and my mate will kneel for me,” the man says, and find myself growling as my wolf pushes against my mind. Her only thought is attacking him and getting rid of the problem, and I have to force her to stop when I see my arm starting to grow fur. It’s a real fight, and I end up closing my eyes, hardly hearing Gold as she speaks.
“It’s not smart to tell your enemies when you’re going to attack, boys… but the challenge is accepted. I speak as one of the betas of the Forest pack,” Gold says, placing her hand on my arm. The simple touch seems to reassure my wolf, as she stops pushing. I open my eyes to see the three men step away slowly.
“I will never mate with you. I would die first,” I say, a growl slipping out my throat as I speak, and the man gives me a slightly creepy smile, stopping in his tracks.
“Is that a promise, little wolf? You can run all you like, but I will find you,” he says, his voice echoing around the car park.
“Leave before I decide to kill you myself and screw the rules,” Gold snaps out, taking a step in front of me, trying to block the man from seeing me, but I still hear him.
“Remember to run, little wolf. Catching you will be fun,” he laughs, before turning around and walking away.
“What are they?” I ask Gold when they have left. Snow pushes her head against my hip in a sign of comfort, and I slip my hand into her fur. The man’s last words are racing through my mind. Run, little wolf.
“Hogs, which are basically massive black pigs. Disgusting shifters they are, and there is no real use for them. Wolves, on the other hand, are natural hunters, and we balance out the countryside. Hogs; well, they can kill you by running into you, but have no real brains to speak of when they shift. They just kill. The only issue is that they have a high reproductive rate, compared to other shifters, so their pack is massive,” Gold tells me.
“Why would they say I’m his mate?” I ask, knowing it isn’t true. It doesn’t feel right.
“They had wanted a reason to attack the pack for a long time because Nikoli killed their last alpha’s when he didn’t have a choice. He did let them live, and this is how they repay him. Some laws stop them from attacking us now, like their parents attacked Nikoli and Snow’s parents years ago. We have a royal family who enforces these laws after so many of our kind was killed. There used to be thousands of breeds, but now there isn’t. The only reason a challenge is allowed is that of a mate.”
“How long until the next full moon?” I ask, dreading the answer.
“Ten days, Harper. We need to go and tell Nikoli. We need to plan, and our pack won’t be strong enough to win this alone,” Gold says, picking up the bags.
I hear a woman scream before I can think about her words. I look over to see a middle-aged woman watching us – well, more looking at Snow – with evident fear, as she comes out of the stairwell.
“It’s okay. This is my dog, and she escaped my car. I’ve been looking everywhere for her,” I say, stroking Snow’s head. The woman nods, not moving, as she plants herself as close to the door as possible.
“Come on, Little Snow, time to go back home,” I say, and Gold chuckles as we walk away.
“Little Snow? Are you kidding; she is a huge white wolf!”
“I couldn’t say Big Snow; it just sounds strange, and would have freaked her out more,” I laugh back. The humour of the situation slips away as I realise much danger we are in now, and the Hog’s words move around my mind one more time.
Run, little wolf.