My Peculiar Mates

Chapter 6: Fae

A/N: Hello! My name is Nikita, I'm so glad you're enjoying my book! Unfortunately, my updates are not regulated, for numerous personal reasons, but the main one being that I work 40 hours a week. I will try very hard to update at least once a week, but if it bugs you too much, please check back in a couple months when it will be closer to completion. Lots of love!

     Rheya found herself in the forest again. She knew she was dreaming, but was conscious of her actions. There was a large rock face in front of her, and she saw no other outstanding landmarks, so she decided to climb to the top and get a better vantage point. She scaled the wall with relative ease, noting that she was now higher than most of the trees around her. She looked out over the forest and saw a vast lake, with boats and cottages dotting the shoreline. 

    She felt the presence of the wolf before she saw her. The wolf came up to her waist, and Rheya felt the familiarity of a friend, despite not knowing anything about her. The wolf gazed out over the lake, and she spoke into Rheya’s mind.

    This reminds us of home, the wolf said.

    “Our home?” Rheya was confused. They lived in a small duplex in Ottawa, this was nothing like her house.

    A home we once had, the wolf replied, and Rheya decided she was purposefully being vague. However, she couldn’t deny the sense of peace and attachment she felt to the landscape before her.

    “What’s your name?” 

    I don’t have one yet, she said. 

    “Why not?”

    Names hold power. They reflect who we are and who we identify as. The Moon Goddess is still forming me, so she hasn’t given me a name yet. 

    “How am I able to speak with you if you haven’t been formed yet?” Rheya felt more confused than before she tried to clarify.

    Because, you are special. We are special. The Moon Goddess is shaping me to co-exist with you perfectly, and thus I needed more time to take form.

    “I’m special?”

    Your name holds power. You will save many, Rheya, and many will bear witness to your leadership.

    “But I only just found out about all this today,” Rheya whispered, feeling overwhelmed. She sat down on the edge of the cliff, her feet dangling. “How can one girl do anything in this world?”

    I can only say what the Moon Goddess has told me, but you are much more capable than you think. You need to have faith in yourself.

    Just then the wolf tensed, the hackles on her back raising. Rheya followed her eyes to the lake, where she saw a large boat grinding along the shore closest to them. Several people jumped out and started running along the banks, while others shifted into wolves and ran into the trees. Her wolf let out a deep growl.

    There is danger, she said. Wake up!

    Rheya hopped to her feet and looked at the wolves and people approaching, unsure what to do.

    Wake up, and warn the others! Her wolf bit her hand, hard enough to draw blood.

~~~

    Rheya shot up with a yelp of pain, pulling her hand against her chest. The pain quickly faded and she looked at it, her hand was blemish-free. She breathed heavily while looking around the room, Lia was no longer in bed. “Lia!”

    Her mate quickly appeared out of the bathroom, a towel around her head and wearing only a bra and jeans. “What, what happened?”

    Rheya blushed but refused to get distracted. “I had a dream, and there were wolves and people on a boat and they all jumped on the land and were running towards me and my wolf -”

    Lia walked over and held her hand. “Slow down, Sunshine, I don’t understand.”

    “My wolf came to me in a dream again, but she said there’s danger,” Rheya tried to control her breathing, she did not need a panic attack to come on right now.

    Lia’s eyes clouded over, and cleared up shortly after. “I asked the border patrols, but no one’s seen anything. Tell me    what you saw.”

    Rheya recapped her vision turned nightmare, and Lia paled. “I know exactly the cliff and the lake you’re talking about, and if that’s true, then they’re already on the territory.” She picked up Rheya and jogged out of the hallway,  her eyes blurring again as she sent out some more wolves to patrol that area. She set her down at the bottom of the stairs and they joined Danny in the dining room. 

    “Danny, have you seen Mom and Dad? I think we’re in the middle of an ambush,” Lia asked.

    “No, they said they were going for a walk along the waterfront,” Danny said, and Lia’s wolf let out a deep, rumbling growl that made both Danny and Rheya drop to their knees. She took off running out the back door and shifted, tearing her clothes to shreds. Rheya only caught a glimpse of the sand-coloured shewolf as she sprinted into the dense foliage and away from the mansion.

    “Where is she going?” Rheya cried out, and Danny cursed. 

    “To find our parents,” he said. He began shouting orders to the people coming and going from the house, and together they formed a defensive stance around the perimeter. All the wolves and guards stopped and listened, waiting to hear signs of any intruders. For a moment, the forest was eerily calm. The birds and insects had stopped chirping, the only audible sound coming from the wind in the trees. Then they stepped out of the brush.

    There were seven of them in total, hulking black beasts of muscle and fur. They kept their heads lowered and approached without fear, even though most of the pack gathered were growling and showing their teeth. The wolf standing in the middle of the seven shifted back into human form. 

    She immediately recognized the man, although he looked very different in the daylight - and naked. She averted her eyes quickly, and Danny stood slightly in front of her, glaring at the group.

    “Elijah, you and your people are trespassing on our land,” Danny called out, his voice claiming authority. Rheya was impressed by the younger teenager’s audacity. “This is an act of war, and we will not take it lightly. State your business here, or turn around and get off our property.” Several wolves stood near Danny, bolstering his protection and threats.

    Elijah chuckled, his eyes not holding an ounce of humour. “We don’t care to take your lives. All we want is her,” he pointed directly at Rheya, who was unable to conceal her shock. 

    “What? Why me?” she asked.

    “That information is confidential,” Elijah answered, looking around the property and ignoring the threat of the wolves around him. “If you don’t come willingly, we’ll just take you by force.”

    “As she is the future Luna of this pack, you have no claim to her,” Danny spoke, and many wolves were caught off-guard by the announcement. Several of the people gathered around spoke in hushed tones, but Elijah and his entourage looked unphased. 

    “We are aware of this predicament, but this does not change our goal,” he reiterated. “You are aware of the laws surrounding fae kind?”

    Danny looked between Rheya and Elijah uncomfortably. “Yes, I am.”

    “Then you’re aware that if any fae were to be found in your clan, that would make you and your clan harborers and traitors to your kind.”

    “And what does that have to do with me?” Rheya asked. “I’m just a human.”

    Elijah’s eyes flickered to a black colour, before returning to a normal blue. “My wolf says otherwise. Regardless, you need to come with us to confirm.”

    Danny shuffled to the side, offering Rheya a sorry look while she panicked. “I’m so sorry Rheya, I can’t put our pack at risk like that.”

    Elijah and the 6 wolves approached as the rest of the clan parted ways, offering no help to the strange girl in their midst. Rheya tried to back up when a nasty growl sounded throughout the clearing. The 6 wolves to either side of him bowed as Lia approached with her parents, Elijah turning towards them with an annoyed look on his face. “I thought 5 would be enough to keep you 3 busy.”

    “You dare come on our property and threaten not only my mate, but our Alpha and Luna as well?” Lia’s voice had changed again, and judging by her pitch black eyes, her wolf was still fronting. Many of the wolves and people went back on the defensive in response to the threat to their leaders.

    “You know the rules, Ophelia. If there are any fae sightings, they are to be reported immediately to the council.”

    “We haven’t had any fae sightings here,” Lia answered, glaring at Elijah.

    “Your little mate here stinks of the Arcane,” he replied, turning her attention back to Rheya.

    “Arcane magic has touched humans before. Until you provide me with proof, you can’t have her,” Lia said, moving Rheya behind her back.

    “You leave me with no choice then,” he sighed before shifting and pouncing on them.