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  I hardly believe my own life anymore.

  Nine

  Winter

  “Did you understand a word he just said? I swear that man talks in riddles," Alex says, picking up her books off the desk next to mine. Honestly, I wasn't paying much attention today. My thoughts were on seeing Jaxson and then watching Harris. I grab my stuff quickly, ignoring Alex, and run down the steps towards Harris just as he’s leaving. I tried to get his attention throughout the class, but he never looked my way.

  "Harris," I shout, and a few people glance at me. Harris clearly heard me as he stops, waiting for me by the door. Harris watches me a little warily, as I get close.

  "Hey, what's up?" he asks when I get to him.

  "Can we talk? Alone," I ask, shifting my heavy bag onto my other arm.

  "Here, give me that. How about we get lunch?" he asks as I hand my bag over to him. I watch as he throws it over his shoulder like it weighs nothing, and it’s a sharp reminder that Harris isn’t just a college kid, he is a wolf with superhuman strength. I go to comment, but Alex's voice behind me stops that.

  "Jesus, Win, don't run like that, some of us can't run like a horse whose ass is on fire," she says, completely breathless.

  I snort in laughter, and Harris chuckles, running his hand through his spiked hair.

  "Sorry, Alex. Alex, this is Harris." I point at him, introducing them both.

  "Nice to meet you," Alex says looking him over and, apparently liking what she sees as she winks at me. I go to tell her it isn’t anything like that, but I can’t in front of Harris without sounding like a bitch.

  "Shoot, I have to go, see you tonight," she says before kissing my cheek and jogging out the room. I shake my head at her antics. Harris and I start walking out of class now that the classroom has emptied out a little. We cross over the field, not talking, and into the university café.

  Harris leads me to a table away from other people, and orders two teas for us. We both order some sandwiches, too.

  "So, what did you want to chat about?" he asks, leaning back in his seat.

  "I have a list," I say, pulling out my phone and finding the list I wrote in bed last night. Harris chuckles at me but offers me a head nod in acceptance. I wasn’t sure if he would answer anything, but seeing as I’m pack now, I thought he might do. Harris seems more laid back than Jaxson. I couldn’t ask him any questions without getting my head bitten off.

  "Go on then," he chuckles.

  "Can you shift whenever you want?" I ask.

  "Yes, as adults. The younger pups, like my sister Katy, have trouble shifting back without an alpha command, and they can shift uncontrollably when they have high emotions," he tells me. It explains a lot about why Freddy only shifted when Fergus told him to.

  "Is Fergus the only alpha?" I ask, although it's not one of my questions.

  "No, well, yes. It’s complicated," he mutters.

  "Who else is then?" I ask. The waitress chooses that time to bring us our tea, and I put my phone down to pour milk in mine from those silly, little cups. Hell, I need like four before it even looks like I added milk. Harris doesn't seem to have my problem, only adding one cup and four sugars. Our sandwiches are brought over, and we both dig into our food as I wait for him to answer me. I raise my eyebrows at him when he looks at me. He groans, I think he hoped I would have forgotten my question because of the distraction.

  "I can't answer that. I'm bound, in a way," he looks very uncomfortable.

  "Explain?" I ask gently.

  "Well, when you choose a pack, you have to share your blood with your alpha like you did with Jaxson. They can then command you to shift or order you not to do certain things," he tells me.

  "Like telling me who the other alphas are in your pack?" I say, coming to the conclusion myself. That must be bad if they have a cruel alpha, because they could order them to do anything. I wonder how many packs there are out there or if there are different types of shifters. The more I’ve thought about the supernatural world, the more I don’t feel scared of it. I’m just interested to know more.

  "Exactly,” he answers.

  “So, does that make Jaxson my alpha?” I ask. A flutter of desire runs through me at the thought of him ordering me around.

  There is seriously something wrong with me.

  “Yes, but you’re not a wolf, so he doesn’t have any control over you. If you were seriously hurt, he would know, and his wolf would demand he protect you. Alphas can tell when anyone in their pack is hurt or close to death,” he tells me. I think over his words and eat some more of my sandwich. I guess it’s not awful having someone who would know if I needed them at any time.

  “Any other questions?" Harris asks with a smile.

  "What do you eat? I mean do you hunt animals?" I ask. I want to ask if they hunt humans, but I have a feeling they don't. They don’t seem like crazy murderers.

  "We need a lot of normal fatty foods, as we burn a lot more than humans by shifting. I eat around six meals a day, as well as snacks. Yes, we do hunt in our wolf form but not often. Some prefer to hunt, I don't look good covered in blood and fur," he jokes with a grin.

  "Where did werewolves come from? I mean, do you have a god?" I ask him.

  "It's a long story, and I don't know all of it. You ready for a real life fairy-tale?" he laughs.

  "Is it a good kind?" I joke, and Harris grins.

  "Only the best," he says, and I nod. Harris drinks a sip of tea before starting.

  "Well, there was once, and I'm talking thousands of years ago, a human who saved the life of the goddess called Demtra. Demtra held the dying man, and he wished that his four sons would have her blessing,” he stops as I lean forward, extremely interested in his story.

  “Demtra swore she would give them long lives, and they would be like her own children."

  Harris pauses before continuing as I stare wide-eyed at him.

  "By the time she found the two twin sons, one had passed away from an illness, and another was gravely injured. The one son had only just died, so she breathed life into the man, and he came back as what are known as vampires. The other son, she pushed earthly powers into, and he became a wolf as he healed. The twins both lived longer lives than a human, and it's said that is where we come from," he stops as he notices my jaw hanging open.

  "Vampires are real?" I whisper harshly.

  "Yes. Are you that shocked?" he laughs.

  “What about the other two sons?”

  “Well, I don’t know the whole story, just rumours, but they started the witch and angel races.”

  “Witches? Angels? They are real too?” I sit back.

  “Yep,” he tells me.

  "Fairies? Dragons? Oh, I've always wanted to see a unicorn," I ask smiling widely, and Harris starts laughing.

  "Who knows? I don't think they’re real, but my mother always warned me that fairies would come and steal me if I was a bad child." He laughs with me, and soon people are staring at the mad couple in the corner wiping tears from our eyes.

  “Honestly, there are sub-demons. I don’t know if demons are real, but their pests are. The sub-demons glamor themselves to look like rodents. They mainly do this for humans, so they don’t get killed or found out. Witches have similiar sub-demons that can look like normal pets,” he says.

  "This would be hard to believe if I hadn't seen it. How many of you are there? I mean supernaturals," I ask.

  "Well, that's a complicated question. No one really knows because of the wars between our kinds," he says quietly.

  "What wars?" I say just as quietly because some people walk past our table.

  "I can't tell you. You’re human, but let's say vampires are not like us, witches are neutral and help whoever pays. The angels are–well, they’re dicks–but they hate witches," he says.

  "Why are vampires not like us?" I ask.

  "They feed on humans, Winter. They need you to survive," he says in a scary tone. The café is strangely quiet as if his words scared more tha
n just me.

  “So, how long do you live for? Are you immortal?” I ask.

  “We live for around two hundred years or so. All the supernaturals have the same life span,” he tells me.

  My phone rings as Harris finishes his sandwich like it’s just a normal lunch, and he hasn’t just shared the secrets of his world with me.

  "Hey," I answer without looking.

  "I'm picking you up at five tonight." Jaxson’s growly voice says down the phone.

  "Alright," I answer, but the bastard has hung up on me.

  "Jax, I'm guessing?" Harris laughs as he asks.

  "He is one rude asshole," I tell Harris.

  "Nah, he just, well, he doesn't let people close, and he dislikes humans. It's not personal," he tells me.

  "Right," I mutter, not wanting Harris to see how that affected me. I stand up grabbing my bag.

  "He is picking me up at five, and I have an essay to finish tonight, so I have to go," I tell him as he stands too.

  Harris shocks me by pulling me into a tight hug.

  "We shifters can smell your strong emotions. Don't let Jax upset you, because I have a feeling you’re going to change his stubborn mind," Harris whispers before letting me go.

  "Shoot, I forgot about the rest of my questions," I say as I put our rubbish in the bin by the door.

  "Another time." He laughs before we both walk out. I shoot a wave at Harris before turning and walking to my car and going home quickly to get some work done.

  The sound of my door being knocked on distracts my attention from my laptop a few hours later. Alex walks into my room looking like someone just pushed her out of bed, yet she still manages to look great.

  "There is a seriously hot guy waiting for you in the lounge, want to explain?" Alex says raising an eyebrow at me. I almost laugh at her annoyed face in her fluffy pink PJ’s that she would never let a guy see her in.

  "Who is he? You've been holding out on me. First, it’s that hot guy in class and now this one," she crosses her arms with her face in a pout.

  "First off, it’s not like that with Harris,” I tell her truthfully, he’s already starting to be too much of a good friend to be anything more.

  “Second, the mildly attractive asshole out there is my new self-defence teacher. He lives near here, and we are carpooling to class," I say. I don’t even want to admit the number of lies in that sentence to myself.

  I hate lying to her, but at least some of it is true, we are doing self-defence because it’s the only way he could persuade me to spend time with the pack. Honestly, I loved learning how to defend myself growing up, I was always top of my class, and I won a lot of awards. After what Harris said today about all the different supernaturals out there, I want to see if they have weaknesses that I can use to defend myself.

  "Sure, that's why he is giving you a lift. For a smart girl, you’re so clueless," she shakes her head at me.

  "Honestly, he doesn't see me like that. I agreed to a date with Wyatt," I tell her and enjoy watching her whole face light up. I can see she is planning double weddings at this point, knowing my best friend as I do. That thought alone makes me want to run for the hills.

  "That's amazing," she squeals. I grab my bag off the side of my bed laughing and walk out of my room with Alex following. I changed earlier into yoga pants and a tight-fitting tank top, knowing I would need to be able to move. My hair is up an in a tight bun, so it’s out of the way. This is how I’ve always dressed when I go to class, but, as soon as I see Jaxson, I’m aware that I have too much skin on show.

  Jaxson is looking at a picture of Alex and me at a fun fair that’s sitting on the fireplace in the living room. We must have been around ten in the picture. I smile, remembering how happy I was that day.

  "Are you ready?" Jaxson asks turning away from the picture to look me in the eye. I can't help but feel a flush of heat looking at him dressed in black sweats with a tight, black shirt showing off his impressive chest. My breath catches as I see him eyeing my outfit in the same way I'm checking him out, but as if he hears my inner thoughts, he decides to glare at me. It should be scary to have him glaring at me, but it isn’t. Oh no, it has a different kind of effect altogether.

  "Are you going to answer? Or have you forgotten the English language since we last met, lass?" he asks.

  "Don't be a jackass already, let’s go," I say, watching as he laughs deeply as he replies.

  "No one’s called me a jackass in a long time. It almost seems comical coming from someone like you." My anger burns as he continues to laugh, and Alex clears her throat behind me.

  "Jaxson, this is Alex," I introduce her through gritted teeth, while he turns on a charming smile.

  "Hello, Alex, it's nice to meet you," he says politely, no sign of the previously rude Jaxson. My jaw drops open before I grit my teeth in annoyance. Alex, he is nice to?

  "Likewise," Alex says winking at me.

  "Let’s go," I repeat as I walk past Alex, who pulls me into a hug before I can escape.

  "There is no way that man doesn't want to do naughty things to you," she whispers.

  I shake my head at her as she lets go of me, and I follow Jaxson out to his car.

  "So, how’s Freddy?" I ask when he starts driving.

  "Being Freddy. He talks about you a lot. I think you have an admirer," Jaxson smirks at me.

  "He is a sweet boy." I smile thinking of the little wolf.

  "Yes, but slowly becoming a handful. This interest in girls is a new one." He laughs, and I can't help but join in.

  "I think that's normal for his age," I say.

  "So, tell me, lass, are you looking forward to me showing you how to protect yourself?" he asks me.

  "I already know how to. So, no, this is a waste of time."

  "No, it's not. You've put yourself in a dangerous world. I promised Freddy I would make sure you are safe, so here we are," he says, acting like it’s the worst thing in the world. I cross my arms, ignoring him to look out the window. For one moment, I thought we could get along, then he ruins it.

  Jaxson doesn’t stop the car when we come to the wall of trees but drives right through them. I feel a slight wave of some kind of energy, but it is nowhere near as bad as last time.

  “How does that work?” I ask Jaxson.

  “A witch created the barrier; as long as the alpha is alive, no one can enter unless invited by a wolf or pack,” he tells me. I should have guessed it was some kind of magic.

  We don't speak as we drive past the cabins where people, as well as a few wolves, watch our car. A lot of people stop what they are doing to stare at us. It's a little unnerving. The only good thing is the few children I see running through the cabins playing ball. The wolves all look like normal people of different ages and wearing modern clothes. I don’t know what I expected them to be like, but this wasn’t it. You couldn’t tell there was anything different about them, other than they all seem better looking than most people. I wonder if that’s a wolf thing.

  I wave back when a little boy about six starts jumping up and down, waving at me.

  "Don't worry, lass, they haven't seen a human on pack lands in a little while," he tells me.

  "Why?" I ask, still watching the people. They weren’t outside the last time we came, and I wonder if today, it’s because I was coming and they didn’t know what to expect.

  "Humans and wolves don't mix," he looks at me in a strange way as he talks, like he is reminding himself of that fact. I want to reply, but he makes it clear the conversation is off-limits by stopping the car and getting out.

  The slam of his door snaps me out of my internal thoughts, and I jump out of my side of the car. He leads us around the main cabin and towards a large ground-floor cabin. The outside yard is empty, and the building hasn’t many windows.

  Jaxson opens the door for me. As I walk in, he says, "This is our training room." I watch as he moves away from me and flips a switch on the wall.

  My jaw drops as the massive room co
mes into view. It's fitted with grey, plain walls and matching tile flooring. There is one wall full of weaponry, kinds you can only imagine, and all of them shine silver as the lights hit them. The other wall has ropes and benches lined up, with mats against the wall.

  "There isn't anyone here," I comment as Jaxson pulls out two mats and chucks them to the floor like they weigh nothing. My ears ring as they slam to the ground.

  "No, I asked for it to be empty for a few hours,” he says, “or else everyone would want to talk to you."

  "Did you ask them nicely, and did you say please?" I inquire with a chuckle, and he doesn't answer, but I see the small smile he tries to hide.

  "Right, smartass, we will start with stretches, and then I want you to run on the treadmill for thirty minutes,” he tells me.

  “You’re joking, right?” I ask, and he puts his hands on his hips as he glares at me.

  “We will do hand-to-hand combat when you’re in shape," he states.

  “I am in shape!” I tell him.

  “I can see that.” He looks down my body, and surprisingly it didn’t sound like an insult. More like a fact he is aware of but doesn’t want to be. Or he could just be a jackass.

  "Fine, let’s get this over with," I mutter, knowing there isn't much point fighting him on this.

  Half an hour later, I practically fall off the treadmill, which he set to a super-fast speed to piss me off–I'm sure of it. I walk over to a happy-looking Jaxson, who is lifting some weights. Each weight looks the size of me, and it’s a little concerning how turned on I am at the sight of his straining muscles.

  "Does my suffering make you happy?" I ask, and he laughs. I'm a little caught off guard at how sexy he sounds.

  "No, lass, but we will be doing this three times a week, and I thought thirty minutes instead of a normal hour was me being nice." He is still laughing at me as he speaks.

  "Fuck. You," I say slowly, crossing my arms, and he laughs more. He coaxes me over to the mat by waggling a finger at me.

  "Well, you apparently know the basics, so I'm just going to attack you, and you try to stop me," he shrugs.