Saving His Nymph Mate

Chapter 8 - Bounded

Wyatt was still trying to process the scene before him. His mate was some mystical creature? Here she stood before him. Her eyes betrayed a fear that her demeanor didn’t show. He barely kept his feet as the ground trembled. It seemed the entire forest respected her wishes, knew her feelings, and reacted to them.

Even now, it seemed the entire forest was just awaiting her command. In her presence, he felt like he should await her command.

His mind reeled. What should he say? What should he do?

Wyatt’s wolf came to the reply, his wolf would not let his pride show that it got a blow. The wolf inside wanted to show Candace that he was worthy of her. That he did not fear her. Wyatt kept his face neutral.

Her eyes flashed at him in anger. And then it all hit him. All these little games she has been playing. He was honest with her from the beginning. He had never hidden who he was. With his temper getting the best of him, he took another step toward her.

“You think this is a game?”

Her eyes widened. “What?”

“I’ve been completely honest with who I am, and you haven’t.”

“I have.” The ground beneath him seemed to moan, reacting to her anger.

Still, his anger could not be dismissed. “Oh? you won’t tell me your name. Sends me on two different chases, never once revealing who you truly are… whatever you are.” He gestured at her, unable to comprehend even still what she was and what that meant.

“You should take care of how you treat me in these woods.” Her threat had power. The wind howled against him. Instantly, he felt the icy chill of it. Her hair wiped around, blowing in every direction. He wanted to distance himself from her.

Still, his wolf would not back down. Never in his life had he backed out of a fight. He would not start today. He held her gaze until the wind died down and went back to a simple breeze.

The air between them was strained, and he felt like one more hit to it and it would snap. Two different forces in a brutal battle.

Wyatt regarded her; still unable to even understand who she was.

“If not for your fall, you would continue that way.” Wyatt said, unable to show his disdain.

“How could I trust a wolf?” Her words flew like a knife.

“You haven’t even given me a chance to misplace your trust, Candace.”

“You did when you wanted to claim me. How can I trust a man who sees me as something to claim?” She turned away, looking like she was ready to storm off to be lost in the woods, and once again leave him to standalone.

He quickly grabbed her wrist and pulled her back closer to him. The light green tint on her skin under the moon made Candace mesmerized. Her eyes, a sea of different blues, seemed to swirl and shift with her impatience for him.

“Candace Wood, who are you?” Once again, he asked the question.

She opened her mouth and then closed it. She looked into his eyes and he remained patient as she took her time to respond.

She spoke quietly, “I am just a girl and a nymph. Living two lives. Just like you.” She held his gaze, then it shifted down to his hand, where he slowly released her.

“No, that’s where we are different. I live only one life.”

At this point, he had enough of her sass and the continual games she played. He walked back into the woods.

She called after him. “But you like to live it in blood.”

He turned back and looked at the girl not far away from him. He had a temper, but he did not rashly put him or his pack into a fight.

Before he could utter any words, another wolf ran into the clearing. The wolf was brown with a white face and paws. Wyatt instantly recognized his beta.

A girl laid on his back. She was slender with green skin. She was clutching at his fur with her head resting on the wolf’s neck.

Wyatt stopped and just stared. Another one? He turned his head towards Candace. She looked at him in weariness at the approaching wolf. Then the wolf turned slightly, and she saw the girl lying on his back. Fear and panic etched on Candace’s face and she ran. When she ran right by Wyatt, he felt a spray of cool mist. Wyatt didn’t know what to do but stand and watch the scene unfold.

Candace grabbed the girl off the wolf and laid her on the grass. There were tears streaming down her face.

His wolf needed to be near his mate in her despair. Forgetting their entire argument, he walked towards Candace, wanting to heal the pain she so obviously had. As he got closer to her, he saw her holding the unconscious woman in her arms while cradling her head. The women’s dark brown hair draped across the grass and dirt. He saw wilted white flowers in her hair. The grass around Candace wilted over and turned brown. Even the dandelion weeds lost their petals.

He could hear Candace whisper over and over.

“I’m sorry Beth, please forgive me. I’m sorry.” Candace, with tears still steaming down, laid her head against her companion’s and muttered words not of this world. A low glow appeared on the unconscious woman, whom he assumed was named Beth. The glow starting at her heard where they touched, then slipped down her body, disappearing near her heart.

Then all was silent. Both Wyatt and the wolf beside him just stared at the two girls on the ground. Time seemed to stretch. The crickets were playing music with a slow, melodic rhythm.

Candace’s tears stopped as she continued to watch Beth. The wolf beside him whimpered at the girl lying on the ground. It surprised Wyatt to see Jesse act that way.

The girl, Beth, stirred and stretched. Candace showed a small smile towards her. Beth looked around at each occupant that watched her. Her eyes widened as they landed on the wolf beside her and she blushed deeply. She quickly tried to sit up, but soon her strength depleted, and she fell over. Jesse caught her with his body and let her slump back to Candace.

Candace didn’t look at either wolf or the man, which drove Wyatt crazy. She kept her attention completely on Beth, rubbing her back until Beth looked over at Candace and slowly nodded.

Once Beth could stand, Candace walked over to the brown wolf and knelt in front of him. It shocked Wyatt to see his head-strong girl place her left hand over her chest and bow her head.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

The brown wolf bowed his head and Candace reached out her green-tinted hand and touched his fur lightly in a gesture of friendship.

Wyatt’s wolf inside him roared with jealousy. She doesn’t even know this wolf and gives him respect? Wyatt was ready to beat up his beta. His mate couldn't stand being around him, much less having a conversation.

Candace stood. Wyatt’s anger and jealousy consumed him, and he had enough of it. He came to get to know his mate, only to have several surprises. He was so sure she was a wolf. A couple of hours ago, his worst fear was that she was a low-standing wolf that he would need to protect from his pack. Now he had greater problems. She is not even a wolf but some mystical creature from Roman Mythology? Greek Mythology? For Wyatt, the worst part was that she liked his beta a lot more than him. He grimaced at his inability to even get into the friend zone.

He walked past the group without saying a word into the forest.

“Alpha” her voice was soft. He stopped and looked over his shoulder at her.

“I’m sorry.” She looked at the ground as she said the words. After the words passed her lips, she slowly looked at Wyatt.

He couldn’t interpret her face. Her brown hair came over her shoulder. She looked so natural among the trees, and the moon itself seemed to prefer to shine its light on her elegance. Despite her beauty, he felt defeated by her, and her words were too much.

“For which part?” Her mouth dropped open and pain crossed her face. He saw her retreat further inside herself. Wyatt turned his head forward and walked back into the forest, ignoring his wolf. As he did, he changed into his wolf, tearing his clothes and ran.

************

Wyatt sat back in his office chair, unable to concentrate on the paperwork his father assigned him to complete. His mind kept reverting to the previous night.

He felt guilty for how he treated her. She knew how to get under his skin; to challenge him with every word he said. The battle inside continued to roll.

No matter how much he was determined not to think about her, his wolf would not allow it. His wolf continued to want to be with her. He sulked at the thought of not knowing when he was to see her again.

Frustration consumed him, and he banged his fist against the table.

“Wyatt? What is that about?” Wyatt’s mother entered the room, she casually sat back in his chair across from his.

“Nothing, mother, just has been a long morning.” He tried to sound lighthearted, but his slumped demeanor told his mother something else.

“What is it? Ryder told me last night that you came home pretty upset.” She crossed her legs and fixed her red shirt that said ain’t my fault you can’t keep up paired with yoga pants. His mother only wore that shirt when she was training her pups.

“How are the trainees?” Wyatt asked, gesturing to her shirt.

She looked down at her shirt and smiled. “Improving.” Her eyes filled with love for each of those young trainees she worked so hard with.

Once the moment passed, her eyes hardened and her smile slipped.

“You are avoiding my question. I know something is bothering you.”

Wyatt spun slowly in his chair, looking up at the ceiling while he spoke the words he dreaded to say. “Nothing. Last night was difficult. I’m afraid after this morning’s reports from the trainees, we have a war on our hands.”

“Wyatt, it’s been brewing for years. We all knew the ice was going to break one day. Is that all?” She kept her gaze steady on Wyatt.

Wyatt nodded his head without looking at his mother.

“I am sorry, Wyatt, but I don’t believe you. You might as well tell it all.”

Wyatt looked over at his mother, who sat composed in the chair, her face betraying a patience he himself did not feel. Perhaps it is his mother he should truly confide in. A glimmer of hope slowly punctured him. Perhaps his mother can tell him how to fix this situation. With this renewed vigor, he stood up and walked to the empty space of the room directly behind his mother. She calmly moved her body to face her son.

“Mom, I’ve met my mate.” He watched her face for some sign of surprise or shock. But her face kept perfectly composed, not showing any expression except for the small widening of her eyes.

“I saw her a couple of weeks ago in the forest. She was in no-man's-land. Then I met her last week, again, at the café. She is something.” He paused and smiled at the memory, but it soon faded as he remembered last night. “I found her again last night in the forest. It was going perfectly at first, but then she got angry and accused me of being a wolf.”

Wyatt’s wolf whimpered at the insults she directed at them. He ignored him. His words tumbled out further as he lightened his load onto his mother. He paced back and forth and let the words fall out as he once again went over the story, as he had in his mind all night.

“She fell and when she fell, she changed. Her skin turned green. She could command the forest. The ground, the wind, and even the trees. There are more like her in the woods. Jesse brought in another green-skinned though she was unconscious. I watched as my mate brought strength back into her body.”

He paused and looked at his mother. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth slightly opened in astonishment.

“It can’t be true.” Were the only words she spoke.

“I couldn’t believe it myself, mom, but it is true.” He continued to watch her face at his revelation.

“A new queen reigns.” She spoke the words in a whisper, looking up at her son as she uttered the last word.

“Do you know about her?” He leaned forward, surprised his mother sounded like she knew something about it.

Jocelyn, Wyatt’s mother, didn't quite meet his eyes as she quickly shook her head. “No, I’ve just heard legends and stories.”

“I haven’t even heard of these stories.” He walked to his desk and grabbed a book in the corner. It was a brown book that looked as if it hadn’t been opened in some time. The book had old handwritten pages in it. It was carefully bound. He handed her the book.

“I couldn't sleep last night and found this in dad’s library, under his historical section,” Wyatt looked down at the page he had opened.

His mother's curious gaze followed him to the page. It showed a drawing of a forest and a girl with green skin among the trees. Wyatt acknowledged she looked remarkably familiar with what Candace looked like. Long brown hair, blue eyes, green-tinted skin, and almost the same figure. The facial features looked similar, but Candace didn’t have the high cheekbones the lady in the picture did, and Candace adorned freckles.

She looked up at him. “How did you find this?”

“I was doing a search through all of dad’s books.”

Jocelyn's eyes looked down and scanned the description. His mother flipped it back and turned the page over. Wyatt saw his mother visibly tense. He walked to the chair and leaned over her shoulder. There was a loose piece of paper in handwriting he had never seen before. After he finished reading, he reacted the same way his mother did. His entire body stiffened.