Two Different Worlds

Chapter Two: Wolves Attack

*Sage Avis's POV*

Sage looks down from the trees she is in and watches the wolf look for her. She senses a pull towards him that she doesn't understand, and her sense of smell can faintly pick up the pleasant aroma of cedar wood and fresh rain. Sage studies the large black wolf, hating herself for the way she admires his silky fur. Suddenly, before her eyes, he transforms into a handsome man, one with chiseled features in his face and stunning green eyes. Curious, she watches as he searches for her, and her curiosity gets the better of her, deciding to fly down and speak with him.

Sage lands before the man, his features even more striking as she perches on the ground in front of him. In an instant, she takes her human form and looks at him. She feels the connection to him, but she is overcome with anger and hatred. She knows he is of the Moonstone Pack and even the irresistible force of his presence can't quell her anger.

"Mate? You're my mate?" He asks her, confusion evident in his face.

The moment the words leave his lips, Sage backs away, her eyes wide. She didn't understand the connection she felt towards the wolf until he called her his mate. She realizes that she has made a mistake. She revealed her transformation from a raven and knows he can identify her identity as a witch. Before she can run or even transform again, he lunges towards her and tackles her to the ground, not allowing her to leave so easily.

She struggles against the wolf, his brute strength outmatching hers. Defeated, she stops moving, and glares at the mutt.

"Let me go," she warns, letting venom seep into her words. At her words, his face falls, and her heart shatters. As much as she despises the reality she is in, this wolf is her fated mate. She can't stand to hurt him, and her face softens as she stares at him.

"I can't be your mate, Wolf. I can't be your mate," she whispers, her heart breaking as she says the words. "Please, reject me."

He finds his words and looks at her with love in his eyes. "I won't reject you, no matter who you are. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I don't care that you're a witch."

"You should," she says, softly. "We are from two different worlds." Her voice shaking. "You have to reject me. I can't go on knowing that I'm mated to a member of your pack. That war took everything from me."

"I have never agreed with the war. I promise. The pointless bloodshed never made sense to me, even as a kid. Even we know that King Anthony was doing it solely for power. Please, let me prove that I'm different."

*Mason Mortem's POV*

The witch's eyes darken. "Don't. Call. Him. King. He is not the true King of Mystic Cove. That kingdom will never be his. The throne belongs to..."

Mason suddenly senses members of his pack coming their way and stops her, putting his hand over her mouth. They're just patrolling, but even so, his mate won't be safe if they see him, and neither will he. He looks at his mate. "My pack is coming. Teleport us away. Now. Neither of us will be safe if they find us."

She wastes no time, instantly snapping her fingers. Mason and the witch are pulled into disorienting darkness for a split second, and end up miles away in a cottage. Unable to handle the teleportation, he falls off of her and almost vomits before she puts a hand on his back and cools his entire body. In an instant, he no longer feels sick.

Mason looks at her as he gets to his feet. "What did you do?"

"Healing spell," she says. "Though just so you know, I wouldn't have healed you if we weren't in my room. I'd hate to have to clean up after a wolf. Also, don't take this personally, but I don't trust you, so... Stay there." She points at him and suddenly, he can't move his arms or legs anymore, and he can't even speak.

She leaves the room, and Mason panics. He can't move and his mate hates his guts. He doesn't know what she's going to do. He struggles against the spell for a moment but quickly realizes that he won't be able to break free. Figuring he's going to be frozen for awhile, he studies the room he's in. He sees a bed and a table beside it, a book of spells resting on top of it. The room is otherwise rather empty, aside from a wardrobe, likely containing clothes and a locked chest at the foot of her bed. He wonders what could possibly be inside of it. Mason hears Jay start to speak in his mind, after having only observed since the forest, which is something he does often. We're in our mates' room, Mason. I wish we could look around. Why did she have to freeze us? Why doesn't our mate trust us? His wolf's voice is deep and pained, asking why their mate could treat him like that.

Before his wolf is able to say anything else, they hear two sets of footsteps getting closer. He can smell his mates' scent, but can't identify the other being. They have no scent to him, human or otherwise.

The door opens and his mate and another, older, woman walk in. The woman looks at him with disdain, and then turns to his mate. "You still failed to tell me WHY you brought a wolf into our home. You leave for less than 24 hours and come back with a member of the pack who took everything from both of us! What happened? Why is he here in our home?" Her stare is intense and even Mason feels the urge to squirm under her scrutiny, and he can see that his mate is doing the same.

"It's a little complicated, Norae. I found him on my way to the pack, and well, I'll let him tell you." She points at Mason again, and allows him to speak. "I don't want to say it." She looks sick at the idea that they're mates, and Mason is heartbroken once again by her disdain towards him.

"Well, why the h*ll did Sage bring you here, Wolf? Why are you so important that she couldn't leave you behind and teleport back alone?"

Mason looks at his mate, who is staring at Norae angrily. He guesses that she didn't want to tell him her name yet, until he agreed to reject her. So her name is Sage. It's beautiful. He looks back at Norae to answer her questions. "Sage is my mate. We met in the woods just outside of my pack. She was trying to get me to... reject her, but I felt my pack patrolling nearby and coming to our area. I asked her to teleport us away, because I knew we'd both be in danger if they found us. And I assume she didn't leave me behind because she still wants me to reject her." One look at his mate told Mason that his assumption was correct, causing him and Jay pain once again, his wolf whimpering in the back of his mind..

Norae looks like she might be sick. "Oh Queen Titania. Why did you allow the Moon Goddess to curse Sage's endeavors?" She implores their goddess, the Queen of Fae.

"It's okay, Norae. I'm going to make him reject me." Sage walks up to Mason with fire in her eyes. "What information do you need to reject me?"

"I'm not going to Sage! Just let me prove to you that I am different from the others in my pack. I can't just let you go."

"How can I believe that? The moment I tell you my name, we'll be enemies. The moment I tell you my name, you're going to want to kill me. I know that they've been looking for me. Fifteen years and they're still looking because..."

"Sage!" Norae interrupts, angrily. "Why are you revealing who you are to him? You're so naive, child."

Sage visibly recoils, hurt visible on her soft features. When Norae realizes what she said, her face softens. "Sage, I didn't mean that. Wait, stop!" She chases Sage out of the room. In her distraught state, Sage's spell fades after they leave the room.

Mason falls to the ground, his arms and legs being frozen for so long. Standing and stretching his arms, he thinks about the situation he's in. His wolf, Jay, urges Mason to follow his mate. I don't think it's a good idea, Jay. We need her to trust us. She won't if we follow them. The moment we leave this room, she will never trust us again.

He decides to stay put and sits down by Sage's bed, awaiting her return. He and Jay start talking about their plan for getting their mate to accept them.

*Sage Avis's POV*

Sage stormed out of the room. Norae had never spoken to her that way. They'd always been so close, and she was always kind to her. She hears Norae behind her and storms all the way downstairs before finally turning to look at her.

Norae instantly starts rambling, "I'm so sorry Sage! I didn't mean that. I'm just worried about you."

"Then why did you say it? You've never acted like that before!"

Norae's head hangs in embarrassment. "You're my child. After losing Emile, I just need to protect you. I know it's not an excuse. I just don't want him to know who you are, just in case he gets away."

Sage sighs, "I guess you're right. I just... I'm so angry. How can this be happening to me right now?"

"I've heard rumors, but I think I know why. I didn't want to admit it, but I have to tell you..."

Just before Norae can finish speaking, they hear a crash and see the walls cave in as two massive wolves slam through the walls in their cottage, and the wolf comes down from upstairs, already shifted into his wolf form. He stands in front of Sage and Norae, facing the two wolves in front of him.