Her chosen mate (The change series 2)

Chapter 11: Winter

Natasha

They were walking towards a blue ford car when the witch stilled. I have no idea how she sensed us, but she did. She slowly looked to the left and then the right, her long white hair billowing in the breeze as the wind around us seemed to pick up. The mutt bristled at her. “What are you doing? Come on, let’s go.”

She frowned out at the open and then gently shaking her head she went to get into the car. I took one step forward, there was no way she could see, hear or smell me, yet she still knew I was there.

She moved so fast I had no time to react as she spun, with her palm facing upward she blew on it in my direction sending a blast of ice-cold air at me.

I thought it was air, but no, she’d cast some sort of freeze spell, I felt that icy cold air curling its way around, caressing me as it moved its way slowly up my body. I couldn’t move my feet, then my legs wouldn’t move and as it kept creeping up the rest of me was slowly freezing.

Kai rushed out and smiling creepily her lips began to move in a spellcast, she threw her hand out at him and several lethally sharp stalactites shot out at him, he quickly ducked and rolled out of the way behind a car and yelled, “what are you doing here!”

Her voice sounded bitter and sharp yet somehow lilting. “I kill you, I get this town.”

The freezing spell had crept up to my neck now, and I was panicking wondering if I would be able to breathe when it reached my face.

Kai called out, “why would you work with a mutt!”

“He’s the one that wants you dead.”

“Why?”

“Oh, do stand up so we can talk properly, I won’t harm you while we are talking.”

“Pfft, yeah right lady!” He called out.

She sighed dramatically. “I give my word, I like to see who I am talking to. Look, I’ll even undo the spell on your friend as proof.” She flicked her fingers at me and slowly the freezing spell began to work its way back down my body until bit by bit I was able to start moving again. I breathed a sigh of relief when I was able to wiggle my fingers.

Kai slowly and carefully stood up, but he didn’t come out from behind the car, he wasn’t that stupid. “Come here,” he called out to me, but never took his eyes off the witch.

Slowly I walked towards him, and he pulled me close against his body protectively. “Now what’s this all about?” He asked her.

She stepped aside for the mutt and said to him, “care to explain why you want them dead? I’m curious to know myself.”

The mutt was a short man no taller than five foot five with light brown hair and brown eyes. He looked angry and snapped at Kai, “your alpha killed my f.ucking brother!”

“Oh dear, that is a tragedy losing one’s family, isn’t it?” The witch said with a solemn look, I couldn’t tell if it was genuine, or if she was acting.

“Grayson has killed a lot of people you’ll have to be more specific,” Kai said. He wasn’t being sarcastic or trying to goad the man, my dad really had killed a lot of mutts, and done worse things that he and mum refused to tell me about. I knew it involved t.orture but I didn’t know what that t.orture was.

“His name was Brian O’Connor!” The mutt growled.

Kai frowned and then recognition lit his eyes. “Oh, the mutt who bit Grayson’s mate? Kept going around biting human girls hoping one would survive so he could keep her as a mate? Leaving a trail of bodies as he went along, that Brian O’Connor?” That time Kai was being a little sarcastic.

The mutt sneered at him. “He did your alpha a favour, she wouldn’t be his mate if it weren’t for my brother biting her. As for the others, I was trying to help him, told him to stop and ease up before he exposed us, he was going to, and I could have stopped him from doing anything again, but you f.ucking killed him!”

“Well, technically, I didn’t kill anyone,” Kai replied, which enraged the mutt even more.

“You know what I mean! Doesn’t matter, he took my brother I’ll take his pack mate and his daughter.”

When I frowned he smirked at me. “Yes, Natasha, I know who you are I’ve done my homework.”

“Thought you wanted to kill all of us him included?” Kai asked.

I stomped on his foot making him swallow a yelp. “Stop winding him up,” I hissed.

“Oh I will, but first I’ll kill his precious daughter, I know how much daddy loves his baby girl, maybe I’ll record myself like he does, might even f***k her first, never had a female werewolf before.” He sniffed the air. “f***k, you female werewolves smell good. Like a b.itch in heat.”

I blushed, I’d never been exposed to such talk before, not directed at me. Kai growled at him, I lightly touched his arm and I asked the mutt, “how does the witch fit into all of this?”

“Your daddy’s a f.ucking psychopath, I’m not stupid enough to take him on alone, I met Winter here and got to talking, she wants a town to settle down in and make her own territory, no other supernaturals allowed in, I said if she helped rid me of you lot she can have the town, we—” Winter (of course her name was Winter) lightly touched the mutts shoulder and as if talking to a dog she softly said, “that’s enough now dear, we don’t want to spoil all our surprises.”

They climbed into the car and Kai called out, “are you not going to kill us now?”

She smiled. “All in good time, I like to make a dramatic entrance.” We may have been halfway across the lot from them, but with our hearing, we still heard her when she quietly answered. They drove off and I looked at Kai. “I still heard her.”

“What?”

“I heard her all the way from here, does that mean I still have some sort of werewolf ability running through me?”

“Definitely, don’t worry we’ll fix whatever’s happened.”

He saw me shivering and pulled me into his arms, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. I snuggled my face against his chest, my nose too because it felt so numb.

I don’t think he was aware he was doing it when he softly stroked my hair, did it mean something? Or was it just a wolf thing, a pack mate wanting to comfort another? I wish I knew.

“Let’s get you warmed up,” Kai said and led me out of the parking lot. We went back to the motel and I went and had a hot shower, it felt so good, and I could finally feel my fingers and toes again.

When I was done, I looked through the bag Charlie had brought for me and saw with my great shame he’d packed my freaking cat onesie with ears and a tail and everything. I didn’t have anything warmer right now, so I had to put it on. Heading out to Kai he looked me over and burst into laughter.

“Don’t! Charlie packed it, I don’t have anything else!”

When he was still laughing, I ran over and starting hitting him with my paw mitten hands, it only made things worse for me, he was laughing so hard he was crying and too weak to block me. “Stop!” I yelled.

His eyes were watering, and he had to force himself to calm down holding his chest dramatically. “Sorry, I’ve never seen a werewolf dressed like a cat before, then you started swiping at me like one.” He laughed again and eventually, he calmed down.

Growing more serious he said, “I should call your dad and let him know everything.”

I nodded and he called him. He no longer wanted us doing this alone, he was bringing mum and Amber, leaving Leo in charge of the pack in the meantime.

Within half an hour they were here, dad drove fast lest his precious daughter gets a scratch, I mentally rolled my eyes, but I liked it really, I loved that he loved me so much, there was a time I had convinced myself he didn’t love me, couldn’t love me as a human, but of course he had, now he might have to again, I might be back to where I started, with some lingering werewolf perks, but not the actual gene to change.

When he walked through the door the first thing he did was look me up and down and said, “what the hell are you wearing?” He looked closer. “Are you meant to be a cat?”

“Shut up!” I grumbled.

He frowned at me completely serious. I folded my arms, but Kai only found that funny and burst into more laughter again. I unfolded them realising I looked like a toddler having a tantrum.

I caved, feeling embarrassed and a little attacked I went and hugged dad, hiding my face against his chest and not caring how childish it looked. He wrapped me in his arms and kissed the top of my head. “I love you baby, you wear whatever you want, f***k Kai.” He glared at Kai, whose laughter slowly stuttered to a stop.

Amber sat on the bed leaning back on her hands and said, “so how are we finding these f.uckers?”

Dad looked at Kai. “Did you catch their scent?”

“Yep.”

“Good, then you can use your nose while we search the town for them and any close by town or cities too, they won’t go far if she wants this place for herself.”