A Mate For Christmas

Chapter4

"You need to turn around."

Evie blinked at Gideon. "Why?"

"Because shifting requires me to remove my clothes," Gideon explained. His voice was calm, matter of fact. "Unless I want to ruin them. The transformation is violent. Fabric does not survive it."

Evie's face went hot. "Oh. Right. Okay." She spun around quickly, facing the window. Her reflection stared back at her, wide eyed and terrified.

Behind her, she heard fabric rustling. The soft sound of a sweater being pulled over a head. A belt buckle clinking. More rustling.

"I am going to explain what is happening as I shift," Gideon said. "So you understand. So you are not frightened."

"Too late for that," Evie muttered.

She heard what might have been a soft laugh. Then Gideon's voice continued, "Werewolves are born, not made. We are not infected by bites or curses. We are a separate species that has lived alongside humans for millennia."

"That is impossible," Evie said to her reflection. "Someone would have noticed. Scientists would have found evidence."

"We are very good at hiding," Gideon said. "And those who discover us either join us, die, or are made to forget. It is harsh, but necessary for survival."

Evie shivered.

"When we shift," Gideon continued, "our bones break and reform. Our muscles tear and rebuild. It is excruciating, especially for young wolves. But as we age, we become used to the pain. It becomes as natural as breathing."

"That sounds horrible," Evie whispered.

"It is part of who we are. The wolf is not separate from me, Evie. It is me. My other half. We are one being in two forms."

There was a pause. Then Gideon said quietly, "I am going to shift now. Do not turn around until I tell you. And do not be afraid. My wolf would never hurt you. Could never hurt you."

"Why not?" Evie asked.

"Because you are my mate."

Before Evie could ask what that meant, she heard it.

The sound of bones breaking. Not like the clean snap of a branch, but wet and grinding, like something organic being torn apart. Evie's stomach lurched.

She squeezed her eyes shut, but she could still hear it. The cracking. The tearing. A low growl that started human and became something else. Something animal.

Then silence.

Heavy breathing. Not human breathing. The breathing of something large.

"You can turn around now," Gideon's voice said in her head.

Evie's eyes flew open. That voice had been inside her mind. Actual words, but not spoken out loud.

Slowly, so slowly, she turned around.

A massive black wolf stood in the middle of her room.

Evie's breath caught. It was even bigger than the wolves from earlier, easily the size of a small horse. Its fur was midnight black, so dark it seemed to absorb the light. And its eyes were the same golden color as Gideon's.

The wolf sat down, tilting its massive head. Watching her.

"Gideon?" Evie whispered.

The wolf's tail wagged once. Its mouth opened in what looked almost like a smile, tongue lolling out.

"Oh my god," Evie breathed. "Oh my god, it is real. You are real."

"Yes," Gideon's voice said in her head. "I am real. And I am still me. Still the man you met tonight. Just in a different form."

Evie pressed her back against the window. Her legs were shaking. "This is impossible."

"Yet here I am." The wolf stood and took one step toward her. Just one. Then it stopped, giving her space. "I know you are frightened. But I promise, I would die before I let any harm come to you."

"Why?" Evie's voice came out as a squeak. "Why do you care about me? You just met me."

The wolf made a low sound, almost like a sigh. "That is complicated. But the simple answer is that you are my mate. My fated one. The one person in all the world meant for me."

"That does not make sense," Evie said. "Fate is not real. Soul mates are not real."

"For humans, perhaps not. But for werewolves, the mate bond is everything." The wolf lay down, making itself smaller, less threatening. "The moon goddess, the creator of our kind, chooses a perfect match for each wolf. When we meet our mate, we know instantly. The bond calls to us. Soul to soul."

Evie slid down the window until she was sitting on the floor. This was too much. Way too much.

"I felt something," she admitted quietly. "When you touched me. Like electricity."

"That was the bond beginning to form," Gideon explained. "For werewolves, it is instantaneous and overwhelming. For humans, it grows more slowly. But it is just as real. Just as powerful."

"What happens if I reject it?" Evie asked. "If I say I do not want this bond?"

The wolf went very still. When Gideon's voice came again, it was carefully neutral. "Then I would let you go. And I would spend the rest of my life knowing I had found my other half and lost her."

"Would it hurt you?"

"Yes. Very much."

"Would it kill you?"

A pause. Then, "Possibly. Many wolves do not survive a rejected mate bond. But that would be my burden to bear, not yours. You have free will, Evie. I will never force you into something you do not want."

Evie looked at the massive black wolf. At its golden eyes that watched her with such intelligence. Such sadness.

"I do not understand any of this," she whispered.

"I know. And I am sorry. You should have had time to adjust, to learn about our world slowly. But fate had other plans." The wolf stood and padded closer, stopping just a few feet away. "I am going to shift back now. Close your eyes if you wish."

Evie kept her eyes open. She needed to see all of it. Needed to believe.

The wolf's body began to change. Bones cracked and reformed, but in reverse. Fur receded into skin. The shape compressed and shifted. It was horrifying and fascinating all at once.

Within seconds, Gideon knelt where the wolf had been. Human again. Naked again.

Evie threw a pillow at him. "Put some clothes on!"

Gideon caught the pillow and laughed, a real laugh full of warmth. "Apologies." He held the pillow strategically and grabbed his pants, pulling them on. "Better?"

"Marginally," Evie said. Her face felt like it was on fire. She looked away as he finished dressing.

When she looked back, Gideon was sitting on the floor a respectful distance away, his back against the bed. He looked tired but relieved.

"So," Evie said. "Werewolves are real."

"Yes."

"And you are one."

"Yes."

"And you think I am your soulmate or whatever."

"I do not think. I know." Gideon's eyes met hers. "But I understand this is overwhelming. You do not have to make any decisions tonight. Just rest. Process. Tomorrow we can talk more."

Evie pulled her knees to her chest. "Those wolves earlier. The ones who attacked that woman. You called them rogues."

Gideon's expression darkened. "Rogues are werewolves who have rejected pack law. They live alone or in small groups, and many of them hunt humans for sport. They are dangerous. Unstable."

"And you killed one," Evie said quietly.

"I did. And I would do it again." Gideon's voice was firm. "He was trying to kill an innocent woman. And when he saw you, he decided you would be easier prey. I could not allow that."

"You called me yours," Evie remembered. "You said I was yours. Even before you explained about mates."

Gideon looked uncomfortable. "My wolf recognized you instantly. Even before I could properly introduce myself, it was claiming you. Protecting you. I apologize if that frightened you."

"Everything tonight has frightened me," Evie admitted. She was quiet for a moment, then asked, "What happens now?"

"Now you rest," Gideon said. He stood slowly, like he was approaching a skittish animal. "There is food in the kitchen if you are hungry. Bathroom through that door if you need it. And I will be right down the hall if you need anything."

"Will I be safe here?" Evie asked. "With all these other werewolves?"

"You are safer here than anywhere else in the world," Gideon said firmly. "Every wolf in this house knows you are under my protection. They would die before they let harm come to you. Pack law is absolute."

Evie nodded slowly. She was exhausted. Her body ached and her mind was spinning and she just wanted to sleep for a week.

Gideon walked to the door. Before he left, he turned back. "Evie? What that man said to you tonight. Dave. That you were ordinary? He was wrong. You are the most extraordinary person I have ever met. And I have met many people across many centuries."

Then he was gone, closing the door softly behind him.

Evie sat alone in the beautiful blue room. Snow fell outside the window. Somewhere in the house, she heard voices, but she could not make out the words.

She should be terrified. Should be planning her escape. But instead, she felt strangely calm.

Maybe she was in shock. Or maybe, just maybe, part of her believed Gideon when he said she was safe.

Evie crawled into the huge bed without even changing her clothes. The sheets were soft and smelled like lavender. Within minutes, she was asleep.

She did not hear the argument that erupted downstairs. Did not hear Victoria demanding that Gideon send the human away. Did not hear Jayden warning that other packs would see this as weakness.

And she did not hear Gideon's response, cold and final: "She stays. And anyone who has a problem with that can challenge me for the position of Alpha."

No one challenged him. Not that night, anyway.