Black Mountain Mates

Nevaeh

        ‘We must wake. Dire Wolves are coming for us. We need to run.’ 

                It was that voice again, that soft spoken voice of what I could have mistaken for an angel.

                ‘I’m not an angel. I am your Dire spirit. The second half to your identity, we need to get up and shift. It’s going to be painful, but I can’t do it again for you. We need to get out of this territory, you ran right to...’

                I opened my eyes to see a massive wolf the size of a small rhino. There was a greenish grey misty essence swirling off her silver fur. Her right ear was black which extended down the whole half of her face, even to the tip of her snout. The black then went down her chest and covered her right leg, and the tip of her tail was black, but everything else was silver. Her eyes were just like mine. Glowing brightly, they were an electric violet color. The only difference is I had one blue blemish on the inside of my right iris while the wolves are pure purple.

        ‘Your beautiful.’ I said with a smile.

        She bowed her head to me. ‘This is US. We are beautiful. We are the only one of our kind. We need to protect ourselves, we need to be protected. Right now though, we need to wake up and shift.’

        I nodded. ‘How do I do that? Shift. Like into you?’

        The wolf shook her head. ‘I am just a spirit that lives inside you. This is you. Your Dire Wolf. I’m not in that body, I’m just in your mind. If you would have been a full Dire, then I would be more prominent and not looking so hollow. But, we are half Dire, so I am just a spirit inside you. You have the best of both worlds though. Dire Wolf, and Witch. That’s what happened to that pathetic boy who tried to violate you. Your majick burnt him up.’

        ‘Okay, that’s a lot to process. So, we’ll get back to that. Let’s focus right now on the whole shifting and protecting myself thing.’ I said with a sigh while running my hand through my long pitch black hair, just now noticing there was a small white strip right against my face.

        ‘Right. Wake up, and focus on shifting. Think about what your Dire looks like, how it will feel to be her. The wind against your fur, the moist ground under your paws, and the peace form the forest. You will shift. It will hurt for a while, but once you shift enough it won’t anymore. Think, concentrate, and it will happen. I have to go, and you need to wake. Now!’ She said, howling loudly in my head.

        Suddenly my whole body was shocked to life. I opened my eyes to see that I was in the middle of a dense forest, and it was dark. Somehow, I was able to see. The air was cool, but I wasn’t cold. I looked down, and to my discomfort I was pant-less. I was wearing my ripped and dirt stained white low-cut top, and my black hip hugger underwear, but that was it. I must have lost them sometime after Devon took my pants off and waking up.

        I stumbled to my feet, looking around. Something was coming, I could feel it.

        ‘We must go. They are getting too close.’ My spirit whispered to me.

        ‘Who is getting close?’ I asked taking a few harsh steps.

        My spirit sighed. ‘Your mate and his pack. You are not ready for him, you need to shift and run. You need to get out of his territory. We are not ready for him yet. It’s too soon.’

        I fell to my knees when my foot slipped in the wet leaves. ‘My what?’

        She sighed. ‘That is why you’re not ready.’

        Pushing away her voice I tried to focus on what she had told me. I let my thoughts drift to what it would be like to be a wolf. The feeling of being on four paws, the night comforting my whole furry body. Then a bolt of pain moved through my whole body, causing me to scream out in sheer pain.

        ‘It’s okay, that’s the shift coming. Breathe through it, and you’ll be okay.’ My spirit guided.

        I panted, doubling over until my knees ground into the damp dirt. ‘It hurts too much! I’m about to black out again!’

        My spirit whined. ‘No, we can’t have that either. We’ll be completely vulnerable. If you cannot shift to run, just run now! In human form, you will be able to use your majick. Go, Nevaeh! Run!’

        I nodded and did what she said. I ran.

        Well…

        I tried.

        Every few steps and I was dropping back to the ground. I was able to stand and lean against a tree. My heart slammed against my chest, and my legs throbbed. I was spent, this was as far as I could go.

        ‘I’m sorry…’

        My spirit nodded. ‘It’s okay. They are here anyways. Just be strong, and don’t give in. You’ve been controlled by malicious men your whole life, if it happens again I’m afraid of what will happen to us.’

        I nodded my agreeance. ‘Tell me, what is a mate? Like a partner or something?’

        ‘A mate for a Dire is the human equivalent to a soul mate. Legend is that eternal Goddesses Nyx and Luna were the first mates, their first children are the Dire Wolf race, second are the Wolfkin. When the other gods split Nyx and Luna up, they became so depressed that they created their children to have the same love they had for each other, wanting them to experience true, unwavering and devoted love. Since you are still half Dire Wolf, you were born gifted with a mate. He is supposed to love and be utterly devoted to you, but seeing what you’ve went through your whole life? I’ve come to not believe in the legend so much anymore.’ She said with a deep, sad sigh.

        ‘So, he’s going to be just like Devon and Gordon? He’s going to hurt me?’ I said in disbelief. ‘Not again. I can’t go back to a life like that. I’d rather die.’

        My spirit sighed again. ‘I understand. I’m with you until the end, whenever that might be…They are here.’

        I looked around and noticed what she was talking about. I was surrounded by massive Dire Wolves, all ranging in size, color, and aggressiveness. Some snarled at me, some stared, some even stalked closer.

        My whole body shook. This was unreal. I never imagined that I was going to be here, looking at things that should not exist. Then one wolf out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. He had to be a male, looking at him dwarfing the other wolves in size. His eyes were a venomous green, his fur was a solid shiny black with one grey blemish on his left shoulder blade. The Dire stalked forward, looking over every inch of me like I was foreign prey he wasn’t sure about eating. I trembled under his gaze. I was weak and broken. He could get away with doing anything to me and I didn’t have the strength to fight back. Everything in me wanted to give up.

        ‘It’s him.’ Was all my spirit said to me.

        I swallowed hard, we had been like this for a few minutes now, and I was getting progressively more upset. “What do you want! Leave me alone!”

        A Dire to my left snapped its jaws at me a few times, causing me to cry out in response.

        “Leave me alone!” I shouted and kick out at, this time at the black wolf stalking me. The one my spirit was telling me was supposed to be my mate.

        He stopped and snorted at me.

        I shook my head before trying to take off running, but I didn’t get even three steps. My body was back in the wet dirt, and I was done. Gordon had cracked me, Devon carved holes in me, and this was the severing event. I was shattered, and didn’t care anymore. I hung my head and closed my eyes. If they wanted to kill me, it was alright. I was always welcoming death.

        With a sigh, I wrapped my arms around my chest. “Please, just kill me. I’ve been waiting so long to die. Make it quick is the only thing I ask for.”

        “You want me to kill you?”

        It was a deep masculine voice that sounded like auditory happiness to my ears. There was a thick Irish accent to it, and it took everything in me to keep from looking up to see the face that matched the voice.

        “Yes.” I answered, and for some reason it hurt me to say so.

        “Why?” The Irishman asked back.

        I shook my head. “None of your concern. The request is simple enough.”

        The man scoffed. “Yeah, it is my concern. You are in my territory, and carrying the scent of my mate. Your request is denied, loner.”

        I shook at that. “I’m not your mate.”

        He scoffed again. “I hope that’s true, because I don’t need a weak mate like you to rule at my side.”

        “Then end me. I don’t see the issue.” My fear was turning into anger. This man called me weak, and it may be true, but he knows nothing about me. He’s not fit to be my judge.

        The Irishman sighed. “Shift, and this can all be over, loner.”

        ‘Why does he want me to shift?’ I asked my spirit, confused on where this was going.

        My spirit whined again. ‘Dire’s can only truly identify their mates when in wolf form. He can scent you out as a potential mate now, but doesn’t know for sure yet. The moment you shift, he’ll lock onto your true scent since your only half Dire it’s not that strong to other wolves. But until you shift, he can’t confirm or deny that you belong to him.’

        ‘Safe.’ I thought. ‘I’ll be safe if he can’t make a firm confirmation, right?’

        ‘Not necessary. He could just kill you and be done with the whole situation. I guess either way works for us.’ She said after a sigh.

         “Shift, now.” The Irish voice commanded, and something in me wanted to obey.

        I fought against it and shook my head. “No.”

        He growled. “I said shift.”

        “And I said no. You have no control on me.” I spit out, still refusing to look at him.

        The Irishman knelt in front of me. “Look at me, loner. As the last Dire Alpha, I command you. Look at me.”

        That almost got me. I lifted my head slightly, but fought hard to listen to the rest of the command. “Bite me, asshole.”

        He dryly chuckled at that. “No one’s ever talked to me like that and lived. Even if you are my mate, you better learn your place fast. Or, I can always put you into it.”

        At that I opened my eyes and lifted my head high. My electric violet irises met venomous peridot ones. I glared with a fury of being abused by men for eight years. My mouth formed a wicked smirk, and my nose curled slightly.

        “I’d like to see you try. Can’t break something that’s already broken. Go ahead. There’s nothing you can do to me that hasn’t been done already.” I held out my arms to show the dozens of scars and burns over the skin. “Bring it, big daddy.”

        The Irishman was truly a stunning being, but I was making sure I was ignoring the urge to memorize every detail of his face. To do that, I looked back down to my lap and closed my eyes.

        ‘Spirit, do you know how I can use my Witch abilities?’ I asked her, ignoring the Dire Wolves around me.

        ‘I’m afraid not. We have to find someone who can help you. Maybe…if we find a Witch powerful enough, she could sever the mate bond in your Dire side. You could be free of this man. If you so desire.’ She said a little too quietly.

        I let out a slow breath. ‘What would happen to me and you?’

        My spirit hesitated. ‘I would die. Heartbreak from the severing of a mate bond is indescribable. The pain will be everlasting. No matter how many other’s you attempt to fall in love with. They will never be enough. Your emotions will die next. You will feel no love, no happiness, no sadness. Nothing. But you will be free, free from being controlled by a man. The decision is all yours. I’m just here to help guide you in life.’

        ‘Fuck.’

        “Bring her with.”

        Wait what?

        Suddenly I was lifted into the air and slung over the back of a Dire Wolf. “You can’t do this! Put me down!”

        When I tried to get down, another snapped at me and kept me from sliding off. There was nothing for me to do except sit on the wolf’s back and glare.

        “This is kidnapping.” I hissed out to the Irishman.

        He shrugged. “Am I supposed to care?”

        I rolled my eyes at him. “Savages.”