Between Witches and Wolves

Chapter 3: Nathaniel “Nate”

Nate

I can’t believe him!

What the hell?

Alex just stood there while Dad laid into me.

Fuck, I hate this s**t.

I slam the door to my room and sit in my office chair. I never asked for any of this. I don’t want to be an heir, and I don’t want to be f*****g married to just some random girl.

Calm down. We will find her, I hear Ash reassuring me.

Weird that he’s the one telling me to calm down. Usually, he is the more hotheaded one. He seems so damn sure that we will find our fated mate. It’s the only reason I haven’t given up looking for her.

I need food. Didn’t eat much while we were out searching.

I race down to the kitchen, hoping to just pop in and out quickly without running into Dad.

As I open the door, I see Alex.

Guess we had the same idea.

He is stuffing his face with some leftover rabbit stew. It smells damn good. I feel my stomach churn and walk over to fix a bowl for myself.

“Don’t eat it all, you fat ass,” I tell him jokingly, even though he does have a good twenty pounds on me.

“Oh, f**k off! I’m healthy, thank you very much. I don’t let my wolf run me f*****g ragged looking for something we will never find.”

Damn. I wonder who pissed in his Cheerios.

I fill my bowl to the brim and dig in. The rabbit is tender, and the vegetables still have a nice, crisp crunch to them since they get added later, once the rabbit has stewed for a few hours. The seasonings are perfect, and the broth slides down my throat easily.

Damn. I really should have eaten more when we were out searching.

“You find anything?” Alex asks me out of the blue.

Guess he finally realizes he was being a d**k and is trying to smooth out the conversation.

“Nothing.”

I try not to let too much disappointment show in my tone. It’s been ten years since Ash and I started looking for our fated mate, and we still have no leads.

It’s so frustrating.

“When do you think you’ll finally decide to give up, Nate? You can’t just keep searching forever.”

Alex barely says that last part loud enough for me to hear.

“I don’t know. Ash seems certain that she’s out there. I just can’t bring myself to tell him to give up quite yet.” I sigh. “But if I give up now, Dad will for sure have me married off to Sarah next year. I like Sarah well enough, but it just feels wrong. I don’t really know how else to explain it. I’m just not ready to take that step.”

I pause before continuing.

“You know I’ve never been interested in being co-heir with you. I’d rather just let you completely take over while I lead the warriors. But Dad refuses to hear me out.”

It’s the same talk we’ve had over a hundred times. Alex is better suited to lead the pack, and I don’t want him to have to run every little decision by me just because we are both supposed to take over.

I just think it would be so much simpler to let Alex inherit the pack and for me to focus my skills elsewhere.

Plus, knowing Alex, I would follow any order he gave me, no question.

“I know, I know. But I just don’t know how to smooth that over with Dad. Since he found out he was having twins with Mom instead of just one, you know he’s had an ideal way for us both to inherit the Alpha title.”

He lets out a sigh.

“Well, I’m headed to bed. We can talk more tomorrow, and I’ll talk to Dad again.”

With that, Alex heads out of the kitchen. I quickly devour my stew and run back upstairs, thankful I don’t run into Dad.

“Well, we should probably get some sleep too. We have training first thing in the morning, and since tomorrow is Monday, we have mock battles lined up in the evening.”

I change clothes and sprawl out on my king-sized bed. The mattress feels so much better than the forest floor.

I smell, but I couldn’t care less right now.

My body aches and just needs to sleep.

It doesn’t take long before I drift off into a deep sleep.

If only my recurring nightmare would let me rest.

Her hair blows in the wind, catching the moonlight.

Her scent is different from a normal wolf shifter. She’s much shorter than one, too.

She has her back to me, looking over the edge of a cliff at the lake below. I can’t see her face. I never do.

But I can tell she’s beautiful.

There’s something about the way the wind whips around her, like the forest itself becomes more alive in her presence.

She sits on the edge of the cliff and lets her feet dangle over the side. She’s not afraid of falling, and she doesn’t sense me behind her.

I walk toward her.

Then, as always, a dark, shadowy figure appears beside her.

I rush forward.

I don’t know how I know, but I do.

That shadow wants her dead.

I jump toward her, trying to shield her from the shadowy figure, but I don't make it in time.

The shadow grabs her by the throat and tosses her over the edge.

I watch her fall.

Slowly.

Her hair covers her face, so I still can’t make out what she looks like.

But even through her hair, I can see bright green eyes looking up at me.

Terrified.

Then everything fades to black.

I feel Ash’s sorrow.

His pain.

The agony of losing her just when he finally found her.

And then, there’s nothing.

I wake with a jolt, sitting up quickly, covered in a cold sweat.

My heart still aches from the pain of the dream.

The same nightmare I’ve had for the past ten years.

See! Why would we still be having the same nightmare if our mate wasn’t out there? I hear Ash calling out to me.

My head is pounding.

He has been telling me since the first night we had that nightmare that she was our fated mate. It’s why he has always been so determined to find her and why we haven’t given up, even though the entire pack thinks we are insane.

“Yeah, I know, bud. We’ll find her. One day.”

I say it out loud. Not just to satisfy Ash, but also to convince myself.

It’s been ten long years of chasing after this girl I don’t even know for sure exists.

Or if she is even still alive.

I want to find her. I really do.

But just how long can we actually keep looking for her?

I hear a knock on my door.

“Nate, you awake?”

It’s Alex.

I look at the clock.

Damn, already ten.

We were supposed to leave for training about fifteen minutes ago.

I jump up, throw on some shorts and a loose T-shirt, and open the door.

“Let’s go,” I tell Alex.

He looks at me, slightly confused.

“What, no breakfast?”

“No time. If we’re any later for training, Dad will yell at us again tonight.”

We start walking toward the training grounds. The air smells faintly of morning dew and carries a nice, crisp breeze, even though it’s the middle of summer. It’s not a long walk from our house, so we make it there in less than five minutes.

As the field comes into view, Alex clears his throat to get my attention.

“Hey, the boys all want to go out Saturday night. Apparently, the hunting team snagged three deer, sixteen squirrels, and twenty-two rabbits last night. They want to celebrate the successful hunting trip. I think they deserve to let loose after that haul. What do you think?”

Alex nudges me playfully.

“I’ll think about it.”

I hate going into town. The humans there are always s**t, and there’s nothing to do but go to the strip club for a lap dance and drinks.

Not my style.

I’d rather try to figure out where my mate is hiding than let one of those whores think she may have a chance with me.

“As in, ‘I’ll actually consider it,’ or ‘hell no, just let me think of an excuse’?” Alex laughs. “Come on, brother. You haven’t been out with the boys in years. It could be fun! And you never know. Maybe that fated mate of yours is hiding in the human town.”

I feel Ash’s ears perk up.

Alex always knows how to get our attention.

“Ugh. Fine. I guess one night out wouldn’t hurt. But I’m not taking one of the whores to bed. The other guys can do whatever they want.”

I let out a sigh.

I have nothing against humans, really, but that little shithole of a town has addicts and whores everywhere you look.

It makes me sick.

But Alex makes a point.

We’ve never searched the town.

Mainly because it’s hard to believe that our mate would associate with the likes of those trashy humans. Since it’s summer break for the college students, though, maybe I will find her.

I can only hope.