Her chosen mate (The change series 2)

Chapter 15: Another side to him

Natasha

I cringed inside as dad kept making Kai sit beside me or me him, I didn’t want to freak Kai out or make him feel forced to spend time with me.

When we drove back to our place, dad called Joey, and Amber turned in her seat to look at me. “You mentioned that you still have your werewolf senses, right?”

I nodded.

She sat back and thought about it and murmured more to herself, “and the witches spells died with her.” Looking at me again, she tapped a finger against her lips, looking thoughtful. “I think you can still change.”

“I can’t, I’ve tried.”

“You’ve tried while you’re scared and stressed about the whole thing, I think it’s fear that’s stopping you.”

“It’s not!” I snapped and then quickly closed my mouth.

She smiled. “Yep, you’re growing more irritable because you haven’t changed recently, later we’ll try together, I won’t watch, but I’ll talk you through it, keep you calm and relaxed.”

I nodded, feeling hopeful, but also dreading it because if I got up my hopes just for it to fail again I’d crumble.

When we got back to the pack house, Joey came and talked to dad and mum, who followed him inside while Amber touched my arm and jerked her head towards the forest.

“Oh, now?” I asked.

“Yeah, come on, get it over with and prove me right,” she winked.

Here I was for the third time in some bushes about to try to change. I was going to begin when Amber called out, “don’t start yet, take your time, breathe slow deep breaths until you feel calm and relaxed.”

I did as she said, and then she said, “now get on your hands and feet, don’t focus on the change yet, focus on how the earth feels under your fingers and toes, how it smells, enjoy the smells of this forest, of home.”

She gave me a few minutes to do that, and then she called out, “ok, now you can focus on the change, don’t think about how or if, just focus on how natural it is, focus on being the wolf, remember how it feels to have fur and paws, to run in wolf form.”

I think she was still talking, but I couldn’t tell because the change suddenly ripped its way through me, like it had missed me as much as I had missed it, for once in my life I embraced the agonising pain completely, so completely it was one of the most smoothest and fastest changes I’d done. Within barely five minutes I was done and lay panting on the floor, exhausted but so happy.

I padded out to Amber who grinned at me. “Told you.”

I was so happy I ran around her legs a few times and licked her hand, dangerously close to acting like a puppy, but I didn’t care. I looked around and Amber caught me and smiled. “I’ll go get him.”

Pfft, I didn’t care if Kai knew or not, ok I did, I wanted to show off to him. We were very wolf like for the most part, when we were in wolf form we stayed in the forest, but I was less wolf than most I guess, I didn’t care as I came out of the forest and onto the field, technically it was a massive front garden, but I just called it a field.

I ran across the grass towards the ranch house and crashed into Charlie who was coming out. We were big wolves, so he went crashing to the floor with me on top.

“f***k,” he groaned, wincing in pain and rubbing the back of his head while his other hand was holding the side of my neck affectionately, he softly patted me and sat up.

I blushed hard now I knew he wanted me as a mate, he held my face between his hands and leaned close to me. “Be more careful next time yeah, sweetheart?” He smiled.

I licked his nose in response, making him laugh, and then I found myself being tugged away from him. I looked up to see Kai standing there. “You’re still a werewolf then?” He grinned.

I panted excitedly like a freaking dog, but screw it. I jumped up at him putting my paws on his shoulders, laughing he held my sides. “Calm down, babe.”

“Stealing her away from me, I see,” Charlie joked, but I heard the slight warning tone in his voice. Kai must have too because he replied, “yeah, and I’m allowed because I’m going to be dating her.”

Charlie’s eyes widened. “Does Grayson know?”

“Yep.”

Charlie looked at me and asked, “can I date you too?”

“No, she needs to get to know me romantically and not have you there confusing the situation,” Kai answered for me.

Charlie gave him a dirty look and said, “bulls.hit you’re just jealous, she can date both of us and get to know us both, it’s not fair if you’re the only one who gets to, how will she know there isn’t better if she’s only got you romancing her.” Looking at me, he said, “date me, date us both, and you can decide who’s best for you.”

I felt so put on the spot, I’d never thought of Charlie like that before, and yet he did have an attractive quality to him, the whole bad boy thing if you liked that, I didn’t, but girls seemed to like him just as much as they did Kai, more for the bad boy aspect than his looks, Kai was the one with the hot model looks. Dad came up behind me and said, “date both if you want.”

I gave a wolf version of a bark telling them to wait, and then I went and changed back so I could talk.

I went back to them in human form. “Uh, well…” I trailed off awkwardly and dad murmured against my ear so low they wouldn’t hear, “if you want to date both you can, just because Kai doesn’t want you to date Charlie at the same time doesn’t mean you have to listen, it’s your choice, and he hasn’t laid a claim on you yet, you’re free to do as you please.”

I looked up at Charlie and said, “ok, I’ll let you take me on dates too, but none of you can kiss me or try anything else, I want to know you as possible mates, not lovers, I want my first experiences to be with the right person.”

They both nodded, Charlie grinning and Kai looking unusually moody for Kai. I didn’t understand why he was bothered if he’d already made it clear he wasn’t really interested in me, I knew he was only dating me because dad had probably made him feel pressured into it.

He mumbled something about being hungry and went inside. Charlie lifted my hand and kissed the back of it. “My lady,” he grinned, and followed Kai inside. At least Charlie seemed to actually like me.

I went in with dad and saw Reese and his friend Ellie there, she was a female werewolf too, she lived in Poland I think, but she’d sometimes come and visit Reese, I never understood their friendship, she was nice and kind and beautiful while Reese was mean, a bully and I didn’t want to be mean, but he was unattractive and looked creepy.

I hated the way he always seemed to leer and stare at me, or should I say, stare at my chest as I grew, yep, since I was sixteen, he’d started to be creepy with his looks, he never did anything, never even said anything, but I knew a leering look when I saw one.

Dad hated him, most of the pack made sure he stayed away from me, and we were never left alone. That’s why I didn’t understand his friendship with Ellie, she was stunning, but he never seemed to leer at her, she was a female werewolf and I always wondered why he didn’t try to date her, I knew she wanted a mate, maybe she’d made it clear she wasn’t interested? Who knew, Reese was weird, you could never figure him out.

Was I jealous of Ellie? Heck yeah I was, I’d be a fool not to be, she truly was beautiful, she was as much a goddess and should be on the front cover of a magazine as dad was. I looked at dad, then her and made a “hmm,” sound.

Mum heard and narrowed her eyes at me, and I quickly widened mine in innocence. She knew what I was thinking, with Ellie’s long blonde wavy hair, blue eyes, a slightly athletic body with curves in all the right places, next to dads golden blonde curly hair and blue eyes, his muscular well-built frame, they looked like the perfect beauty couple, they really did suit one another.

I must have been thinking on it too much because mum came and discreetly cuffed the side of my head.

“Pfft, what!” I hissed.

She only narrowed her eyes more and walked away. I don’t know why she was bothered, dad took zero notice of any other females anyway, even Ellie he barely acknowledged, mum was all he saw, he loved her so much, and I don’t think mum always knew just how much, or she just didn’t believe anyone could possibly love her that much.

I looked at Kai and then inwardly cursed. They’d make a damn fine couple too, I didn’t know how he felt about Ellie, dad hated outsiders coming here so she’d only been here maybe three times, usually Reese would meet her somewhere else to hang out.

Reese noticed me and straight away his eyes fell to my chest, I was surprised when Charlie stood in front of me protectively. “What you f.ucking looking at?” He challenged Reese.

Reese looked up at him, giving him a dirty look and said, “nothing, what’s your problem?”

“You leering at Natasha is my problem,” Charlie snarled.

Kai looked over hearing that and came over. “Stop being a f.ucking perv Reese, or I’ll tell Grayson, see if you’d like another visit to the room he likes cutting up misbehaving mutts in.”

Reese sneered at him, “go on then little omega snitch who can’t fight his own battles, go tattling to the stronger wolves.”

Never, ever had I seen Kai lose his temper in all the years I’d known him, not once, didn’t even so much as raise his voice, so to say we were all stunned would be an understatement when he walked up to Reese and smashed his fist into his face, so hard Reese flew off his feet and smacked his head on the table before crashing to the floor.

He didn’t even let Reese get up, he straddled him and started punching him violently in the face over and over again. “I f.ucking hate you, you’re a slimy f.ucking weasel who doesn’t deserve to be a werewolf, if you so much as f.ucking look at Tasha again I’ll break your f.ucking neck!” He growled with each hit.

Dad came in and grabbed Kai off Reese. “Alright buddy, calm down, he’s learnt his lesson.” Looking down at Reese, he said, haven’t you?”

When Reese didn’t answer, dad said, “well, looks like you beat him unconscious, I’m sure he’ll agree when he wakes up.”

He patted Kai on the back who was still breathing heavily with rage, blood was dripping off his fists, Reese was unrecognisable covered in blood and cuts, his face was already swelling up.

“Guess you’re not such an omega anymore,” dad grinned. Yep, dad was like that, growing up as a wild wolf in his younger years meant he wasn’t really affected by such violence.

Kai was staring at Reese like he wanted to carry on, and in the end dad had to order him to go clean up and calm down.