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  "Better, sorry if I worried you." She picks up my hand and gives it a squeeze. Her eyes flash black for a second before she looks at Drake at the door. When she looks back at me, they are their normal brown colour. I must be seeing things.

  "No problem," I say hugging her slightly before letting her finish eating in peace.

  Drake stands just at the door like he can't stand to leave her when I walk out.

  "Thanks for looking after her," I say to him, trying to ignore the slightly distasteful look he gives me.

  "I will always look after her, you need not worry, Winter," he says like he expects me to agree with him.

  "You best do, or I will hunt your ass down." I point a finger at him as he smirks at me. A low chuckle fills his mouth before he holds it in.

  "I have no doubt," the bastard says while trying not to laugh.

  My phone rings as Drake walks into Alex’s bedroom, and I go to my own to answer it.

  "Hey," I answer, I really should start looking at who it is ringing me before I just swipe it open.

  "It's me, training in about an hour? I have to do something tomorrow. So, I can't do our usual day," Jaxson’s gruff voice says down the phone.

  "That's fine, I was only finishing some grade work that I can do tomorrow instead," I tell him. “Why don’t you just text?” I ask.

  “I don’t like using phones at all. I don’t text,” he says seriously, and I try not to giggle, but I’m sure he heard me.

  "Can you drive out here? My truck is playing up, but I can borrow someone else's if you want," he says in a clipped tone. I must have pissed him off; the thought only makes me want to laugh a little more.

  "No, I will drive, it's cool," I say.

  "See you, Winter," he says in a more annoyed tone before putting the phone down. I chuckle, thinking I've at least improved in his mind from just putting the phone down, I now get a “see you”.

  I put on my black yoga pants and just a sports bra today because it's boiling outside. The weather forecast, a heat wave, in England is rare but welcome. It's a shame I can't just sunbathe all day.

  On the way, I decide to pull into a local bakery, and I walk in to look at the selection. Deciding on brownies and blueberry muffins, I get a few of each so I can give everyone some when I give Jaxson his brownies. Hopefully, chocolate will make him forgive me for laughing. I know I would accept chocolate as a sorry. Hell, Jaxson would probably like chocolate-covered daggers, but I don’t think I can find them in a few minutes. A warm hand on my back stops my inner rambling, and I turn around in the queue. Dabriel is standing behind me, looking like a normal college kid. His lovely hair is somewhat covered up with a cap he has on backwards, and he is wearing a normal top and jeans. I can’t believe how much hotter he looks like this; my eyes literally can’t stop looking over his body. His arms are out and there are weird white symbols tattooed like bracelets around his wrists. I swear that they are glowing white for a second, but a quick shake of my head, and they disappear altogether. I really think I need some more sleep today.

  “Winter, you are looking as stunning as ever,” he tells me.

  “Dab,” I smile at him, and he pulls me into a hug, as he whispers in my ear.

  “I’m not allowed to be here, to warn you, but you need to trust me. You cannot go to the party. I don’t know which party, but death is chasing you. Be safe for me, Winter,” he says and lets go. I watch in confusion as he walks away.

  “Dab, what are you talking about?” I shout. He doesn’t look back as he walks out. A few people stare at me, but it’s like they didn’t notice Dab was here. You couldn’t miss a guy like that. My palms sweat as I wonder what he was talking about. The only party I can think of is the wolf one, and I don’t think I’m invited anyway. What the hell was he talking about, death is chasing me?

  I’m half-tempted to call Wyatt and ask if Dabriel is crazy, but it’s my turn to get my cakes, and I decide to leave it.

  Dead on an hour later, I pull up at the main house. A few young boys with their mother walk past my car, looking in interest before their mother shouts at them, "We don't stare at human girls, let's go."

  "Why not?" the first boy asks. All the times I’ve been here, I haven’t seen any girl children running around. A lot of boys like these but not girls. It’s really strange to see.

  "It's not allowed, she shouldn't be here," the mother says, looking directly at me now. It's clear she knows my windows are down, and I can hear every word she says. The boys look down and follow their mum, walking away into the woods.

  I lock my car before walking up to the two 'guard' wolves at the front door. I'm just about to knock, when the door is opened for me by Freddy who pulls me into a strong hug.

  "Hey, little wolf," I say.

  "Hey, I'm not little. I missed seeing you around the pack, Winter. Uncle J wouldn't let me come to see you after the meal. He made Anna watch me when you were here, so I wouldn’t be able to sneak in," he says with a little blush, and I mess up his hair as I speak.

  "That sucks, but I'm okay, I promise," I tell him.

  "Good. I don't want you to leave us," he says, his eyes filled with emotions, and I just want to hug him and say I’m never leaving.

  "That’s enough, Freddy," Fergus says sternly, coming to join us on the porch which now feels very small.

  "Jaxson is waiting for you in the training cabin," Fergus tells me as he lays a hand on Freddy’s shoulder, a kind smile on his face as he looks at Freddy.

  "Right, well I’ll see you around, Freddy," I mutter to him and gently hug him under the watchful stare of Fergus before walking away. I forgot the cakes, so I quickly get them out of the car before walking to the training cabin.

  I find Jaxson hitting the shit out of a punching bag as I walk in. His back goes stiff as he notices me in the room, even if I didn't make any sound.

  "Winter," he says as a welcome as he wipes the sweat off his head and stares at me. His gaze dips down my body as his eyes darken.

  “I brought you a sorry gift, well, one. The rest are for your family,” I say holding up the bag. Jaxson takes the bag, and he chuckles as he sees the food. He eats two of the brownies, while I put my phone on the side and tie my hair up in a ponytail. I watch as he puts the bag of food on a bench and walks back to me. I suppose I’m not getting a thank you for those.

  "So, what have you got planned today, Wolfman?" I joke, using the nickname he hates as I try to ignore the building tension in the room between us.

  "Hand-to-hand combat only today, after you warm up," he says, looking away from me, as I start stretching.

  "Come on then, Teach," I taunt him, as I step onto the mats he has laid out for us.

  "Sure," he growls, running at me, and I feint left before sharply turning right to avoid him hitting me. Not that he ever has, he always stops seconds away from me, like he couldn’t hurt me.

  "Good, but faster," he says as he catches me around the waist, and I slip under his arm, and out of his reach. We avoid each other a few more times before I see him move more to my right. I go to hit his midsection, but I miss, and he flips me effortlessly onto my back. I swing my legs out as he grins, and he lands with a bang on the mat next to me.

  Jaxson rolls on top of me, holding my hands above my head as he smiles.

  "That was good." He breathes heavily, and a wave of arousal hits me as I feel all of him pressed tightly against me.

  Jaxson growls before he kisses me, a kiss I wasn’t expecting, and I don’t have the power to stop. The man kisses me like a man possessed, and I can do nothing but accept him. My mind goes hazy, as he tastes amazing and his kisses are perfection. A few seconds or, hell, years later, I don't know, Jaxson jumps off me and walks away swearing under his breath.

  "Shit, I'm sorry, I shouldn’t have done that." He slams a hand into the wall. The wooden cabin shakes, and the floor starts lightly shaking. I catch a glimpse of his glowing, green eyes, and I know he is close to losing it. I don’t think as I reply to him.<
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  "You’re sorry? You going to tell me I’m a mistake next?" I ask tensely.

  "You should be sorry, fuck I don’t want this. This stupid, fucking prophecy, I…" he frowns, running his hand through his hair as he stops talking, and the ground stops shaking. The door to the training room slams open, and Fergus comes in with a frown on his face as he looks at us both. I’m sure with my swollen lips and Jaxson’s angry face, he can tell what has happened. I don’t forget the extra sense of smell wolves have, either.

  "I need a word, now, Jax." He walks out.

  "Come on, you can wait in the house while we chat," Jaxson says, walking away from me, as my hand finds its way to my lips. I shake away the ground-breaking kiss and follow a very tense-looking Jax into the house. He leaves me in the massive living room as he goes into another room in the hallway. After a minute, I know I need to use the bathroom, so I go to the door I saw Jax go into and lift my hand to knock, but then I hear them.

  "You could smell the arousal from both of you a mile away, Jax. Have you forgotten you’re soon to be mated?" Fergus shouts, and Jax doesn't say anything as Fergus continues, "She is human! The prophecy makes it damn clear what will happen, and it could be her, and for what? A good fuck?"

  "Don't speak about her like that, brother. She doesn't have anything to do with the prophecy," Jax shouts, causing me to flinch. A loud growl fills the house.

  “She could destroy us all!” Fergus bellows in a loud growl. "Do I have to remind you who your mother was? No one but me knows, and you, of all people, shouldn't be around a human. You need to kill her. I'm certain it's her, and the others will find her. If they haven’t already," Fergus says, muttering the end part. I hear the growling getting louder.

  "No one will harm her!" Jaxson shouts, and I hear a large something or someone slam into the wall by the door, making me jump back.

  "Put me down! It's too late. You’re already protecting her, and you know it’s her, don’t you? I can kill her for you. It needs to be done before it’s too late," Fergus’s weak voice says, like someone is cutting off his oxygen supply. I have a good idea who is.

  I back away, not wanting to hear anymore, and run to the training room to get my bag. What the hell do they think I am? What is the prophecy about that makes them want to kill me? I wouldn't harm anyone, let alone destroy them.

  I grab my bag and turn to see Esta, shutting the training room door behind her.

  "I'm leaving, I can’t deal with you right now," I say to her and go to walk past her when she shocks me by pushing me hard. I fly across the room, hitting my side on the floor. Fuck that hurt. My head bangs off the floor, and the room spins as I hear her boots clicking on the floor as she walks over to me.

  "You think you can have my mate?" Esta screeches, as she paces in front of me. I lean up on an elbow, feeling pain radiate through my side. That is going to bruise, or maybe it’s a broken rib or two. She rants on before I start listening to what she is saying.

  "If I kill you, I can say you attacked me. They would believe me," she says to herself, as she pulls off her coat.

  "I'm leaving, and you won’t kill me because you don’t even believe your own words. You know they won’t believe you, they will know you acted in jealousy. Is Jaxson even worth this, killing me? Risking your own life?" I ask, getting to my feet and walking around her as fast as I can.

  "Wait," she says too sweetly, and I turn in time to see her body convulse before turning into a grey wolf, as pieces of her clothing go flying in every direction. The wolf growls loudly at me as it lowers its head and stretches its paws out, looking ready to jump on me. If she wasn’t trying to kill me, and I wasn’t shaking so hard, I would say her grey wolf is really a beautiful sight.

  By the time I realise I’m being stupid by just standing here, I scream out for Jaxson and run to the door. I see Esta jump, and I fall to the left as she slams into the wall by the door, knocking her head. I run the final few steps and pull the door open. I run as fast as I can outside. I realise straight away how stupid it was to leave the room full of weapons for an open field.

  "Jaxson!" I scream again, as I run toward the main house. The loud growl behind me is all the warning I get before something strong knocks me to the ground. I roll over, after I fall, to see a jaw full of large teeth growling at me. I hear noises around me, but everything goes blank as she leans back to bite my neck and finish my life. Then the ground starts shaking underneath me, and Esta stops for a second, her eyes meeting mine, and the fear is clear throughout them. I close my eyes when I see her mind is made up.

  A whoosh of air hits my face as I open my eyes and look over to see Esta by the tree on my left. I watch as she shifts back, then I turn my gaze to the massive, black wolf standing in front of me. The wolf is huge, maybe four times as big as me, and his massive face turns to me. I shake as he comes over and nudges me gently with his mouth full of sharp-looking teeth. I look up into his eyes, recognising Jaxson, and I sigh. Just being near him is relaxing me. The ground stops shaking, and Jaxson licks my neck. I can’t help the little chuckle that comes out of me as I stroke his face. Despite being terrified, being around Jaxson is like a false sense of safety. I should be scared of him after what I heard, but I’m not. I know he would defend me, but I’m not sure if I want him to. What if he gets hurt trying?

  "Jaxson, she is dangerous. Let me kill her!" Esta screams as I tense up. Jaxson’s wolf shimmers slightly before a very naked Jaxson is sitting in front of me, with a worried face. My face turns red as I try not to look down at him. He then stands to face Esta, who is annoyingly perfect in her naked, human form. I do sneak a look at Jaxson’s perfect ass before looking away.

  "She is my pack. I protect her, and you won't hurt her, Esta," he warns, a low growl coming out of his mouth.

  "She isn't yours. I'm to be your mate, not some human!" she shouts, her words causing a pain in my heart like no other.

  "I don't have to explain myself to you. Don't cross me again, Esta, you won't like it," he replies, not denying that he is still going to mate with her. Her eyes meet mine across the grass. Sorrow and pain are written in her eyes, as well as a lot of heartbreak. It’s never really crossed my mind that Esta really might love Jaxson. The thought doesn’t sit well with me. I never wanted to hurt anyone by falling for Jaxson, but it looks like I have.

  Esta shifts fluidly into her wolf, then she whines at us once before running through the woods, away from us. Jaxson thanks Anna, who has come running over with some jeans and a top for Jaxson. As he begins to dress, she rushes to me, helping me up.

  "Are you alright? Do you need a hospital?" she asks quickly while checking me over for injuries.

  "No, I'm just going home," I say, looking away from them both, as I remember Jaxson and his brother talking. I should stay away, no matter what I feel for Jaxson. I can't be around him knowing that they think I’m someone I’m not. Jaxson stares at me and I at him. We don’t talk as he opens his mouth a few times to speak, but no one voices any words. I turn and leave, my heart breaking as I know I have to leave him. He won’t be happy with me around, and he can’t be with me. I don’t want to hurt Esta. It’s different for her, and at the end of the day, I’m just a human.

  "Wait, Winter," Jaxson shouts as I get into my car. Not wanting to talk, I lift my eyes to see his as he starts to run over to me. But I just start my car and drive off. The tears fall as my heart breaks, and the thought that one kiss will never be enough runs through my mind. I try to stop it; I have to remember that he isn't mine. Jaxson never will be.

  Sixteen

  Winter

  “Where is she?" a man cries, making me flinch. I open my eyes to the chaos before me. Elissa is in the tight grip of a brown-haired man, he is tall and built like a guy that loves the gym. They are both wearing the strange clothing from before, but he has a crown on his head. The crown is the matching one to the one Elissa wears, but it’s a dark-blue colour. I can’t see his face from where I am, but it’s clear he is older th
an me. It's the same bedroom as before, but everything is ruined and smoke fills the room from the empty archways. The sounds of screams fill the air as I glance back at the large man. He is covered in blood and shaking Elissa, who looks defeated but not scared.

  "You’ll never find her, she is safe from you. The prophecy will come true because of you." She smiles gently at him.

  Prophecy. It can't be the same one Jaxson was talking about, right? These can't be real. Can they?

  The man growls loudly, the sound filling the room, joining the smoke from the archways. I spot a wolf running past in the corridor, covered in blood.

  "She is my child, mine! You are my queen and my mate, but I will kill you if you don't give her back to me," he shouts into her face. Elissa is far braver than I ever thought, as she doesn’t back down; in fact, his words make her face harden.

  "I have seen it all, you would kill her and me, regardless. I will save my child," she whispers as the man lifts the large sword at his side.

  "Then rot in death, goddess, and know that I’m the last god on this earth. She will be mine, and we will rule," he says before pushing the sword through her stomach. I watch in horror as he slowly pulls the sword out, holding it high at his side as her blood drips onto the floor from his hand. The man lets her drop to the floor, before walking out, not looking back once at the beautiful woman he just killed.

  I never get to see his face.

  I try to push against the hold on me. I have to get to her; for some reason I’m desperate to not let this stranger die alone. It doesn't work. I watch the blood pour out of the woman onto the cold, white flooring.

  Her eyes meet mine as we stare at each over the room, and her voice fills my head.

  "She is safe," her voice fills with happiness as she stares at me before her eyes empty, and I feel her soul leave the room.

  Then I start to scream.

  I wake up, screaming and battling my quilt off me. My door slams open, and, to my surprise, Wyatt runs in with Alex at his heels.