Irregular Mates

The winds whipped around me in a swirl of frozen air. I pulled my hood over my face to block the sharp shards of ice. Winter, I thought with an internal smirk. What is it good for? The ambient sounds, that’s it. Sounds good for a night of secrets.      I looked around Main street and admired the way a wall of falling snow clouded the rustic buildings making up ‘downtown’ Redwood. This small town has been my home for the last year after I ran from my family. Actually, I was running from the responsibilities that came with my family. Forced marriage and sexually abusive men wasn’t something I found pleasing.      I stepped off the sidewalk onto the curb, twisting my head from side to side with my hood as far forward as possible. Good, no headlights. Anyone bearing witness to my actions tonight would surely get me killed. I took a step forward and in a whirlwind of ice and air I was knocked to my knees. What the absolute f**k? I gasped at the cracking pain.      With shrill anger my head shot up. I looked around, breathing deeply. What could have knocked me on my ass? I’m not easy to move. I may be a small, petite little creature, but my strength would surprise even the largest human.      My blurry eyes found a dark shadow barely visible against the black skyline. Heavy drifts of snow clouded the shadow even more. If I didn’t have impressive night vision then I would have just assumed I slipped on ice. Unfortunately, I do and I didn’t.      The shadow grew tall, towering over me. Then a wonderful smell engulfed me. I felt like I was transported out of this winter wonderland to a sunlit field of wildflowers. I deepened my breaths, enjoying the fragrance for a moment. His scent reminded me of crisp, green grass and pollen in the middle of a hot summer. Awkwardly enough, the shadow figure seemed to do the same thing. Behind the sounds of the wind, I heard him inhale.       “How the hell are you still alive?” his voice vibrated in my head, shocking me. The air was sucked from my lungs; I’ve never heard a sound that affected me in such a way. I gasped for air trying to say something back, but he interrupted me. “You don’t smell human,” he pointed out curiously to himself. Does he not know I can hear him?     I tried to stand, my knees felt like liquid fire as the scratches bled and freely mixed with the snow piling up beneath me. My feet feel like ice, but that was more to do with him than the snow. The blood stopped almost instantly as the wounds healed over. He took a step closer to me, placing his abnormally thick hand on my shoulder.      That isn’t a hand, Lynna whispered to me breathlessly in her sweet, soft voice.     Lynna? Is he…? That’s why I can hear him?     He is. Do you smell it? Do you feel it? Lady, say something!     I jerked when she yelled at me. I looked up and met the eyes of the most beautiful wolf I have ever seen. His eyes were the green of fresh summer grass and looked at me with admirable curiosity. His gray fur blew gently in the whipping winds, reminding me of crisp, green leaves blowing in the summer breeze. What the hell is wrong with me? Grass, leaves, and summer? I am SO over winter.      His eyes were no longer looking at me with admiration. “Are you okay?” he asked.      I mentally shook myself. “Uh-huh, yea, I’m good,” I cleared my throat, collecting myself. “What the f**k were you doing that made you in such a hurry to knock me on my ass?”     He seemed startled at my sudden outburst. He took a step back and shifted into his human form. Good god was he the most beautiful creature created by the Moon Goddess. His chest was covered in ancient symbols tattooed over his almond colored skin. One of the symbols was familiar, but I couldn’t quite place where I had seen it before. It looked as if it was drawn with magic.     “My pack and I were chasing someone, but they got away.” he grimaced as if that loss physically hurt him.      “Your pack…” I trailed off as I looked behind us and saw five other wolves standing in the trees looking at us with both fear and joy. One of them, a little black wolf with dark eyes, shifted when we made eye contact. “Nick!” she yelled. “Get back here before that human has a panic attack!”      “Marsi, use your nose for once in your life,” another wolf had shifted, he was too far in the shadows for me to see him. “Off,” he said to the remaining wolves. They scampered away into the trees. They took each other’s hands in one another and strolled towards us.      They stepped into the streetlight, walking with such confidence. The girl had extremely frizzy hair that fell down her shoulders like a black veil. Her skin was the same almond color as the man standing next to me. Actually, her whole face looked like a feminine version of his. The man she was holding hands with had dark skin covering the most mouth watering muscles. His head was shaved clean and his eyes were the color of lightly creamed coffee. They both looked at me with wide eyes, the man moreso.      Okay so is no one going to acknowledge that all these insanely beautiful people are standing around in the middle of winter completely naked? How are they not freezing to death?      Nick seemed to read my mind and attempted to cover himself with his hands, which actually didn’t completely conceal his member. I admit, I took a quick peek. Lynna howled in the back of my mind. Pipe down, horndog.      “You’re right, Harmon. Her smell is so faint.” She sniffed deeply and seemed satisfied with herself.      “Keep smelling, Marsi. Smell beyond her.” Harmon let go of Marsi’s hand as she began walking in circles around Nick and I. I was getting way too uncomfortable with a naked woman walking around me smelling the air. What was I going to do? I had plans!     “Oh no,” she quivered. Her fear was immediately replaced with joy as she bowed to me and took my frozen hand in hers. “Luna, my apologies.”     “Luna?” I asked in pure confusion. I can’t be a luna, I rejected my mate a long time ago when I first found him. My pack knew him all too well. He would mate with the omegas and treat them like garbage. He tried multiple times to get me before I reached maturity. The second I felt the bond, I dismissed it. It broke me for a long time. I ended up moving away from my pack and followed my heart to this tiny town where nothing ever happens.      Well, where I thought nothing happens.      I mentally shook myself again.     Are you stupid, Clara? Lynna snipped. I ignored her.     “Luna, are you okay?” Marsi stood and let go of my hand. She looked almost angry.     “I am not a luna, I’m no better than a rogue.”     “Nick?” Harmon bit his lip and looked up at the gorgeous and still naked man standing next to me. He shrugged and took my hand in his much like Harmon and Marsi did before.      “Come with us.” His voice was like silk wrapping around my body and gave me no choice but to follow.