CHAPTER 26

HAZEL

The fact that I had always had a bad feeling when something dangerous was going to happen felt like a bounty gift from the moon Goddess. 

Right now, the stench seeping through the window was unbearable, but it was its closeness to the border that truly alarmed me.

“I would go investigate,” Thaddeus broke the silence, yanking his shirt off. My eyes travelled all over his masculine body before I quickly snapped my head back to the window so he didn't notice me staring.

I was a little bit used to male wolves in our pack walking around shirtless since there were times that they couldn't find their clothes or just didn't bring a shirt, but with Thaddeus, it was a completely blank and different story. I felt this level of desire that I wouldn't feel with any other male wolf.

“I would come with you,” I carefully offered, my voice a whisper. He halted in his step. He swiftly turned around and wiggled his head. 

He paused, his eyes scanning my face. "No," he said firmly. "It’s too dangerous."

“Why,” I challenged. “I can handle myself,” I retorted, my voice rising.

His jaw clenched, and his eyes darkened. “You’re not in the best shape right now, Hazel. You need to rest.”

I scoffed. “I’m coming with you, whether you like it or not.”

He began to stride towards where I stood at the window, my wolf at that moment happily sniffed his intoxicating scent while I tried very hard to ignore the warmth of his body as he leaned close to my ear before whispering. “I won't beg you not to come, Your choice if you can survive whatever danger appears out of nowhere.”

'fuvk'

Why did Thaddeus have to be my mate too? 

Why couldn't the moon Goddess just leave Sparrow alone to be my mate? 

Why did mates naturally have to feel this kind of attraction when they first meet?

Why couldn't they develop it over time Instead?

“Hazel!”

His voice brought me out of my daze, and I saw him open the door from the corner of my eye. Realisation hit me and I quickly ran to one of the storage closest I sighted to grab whatever I could find inside. 

I snatched the ancient tennis racket, a relic from the Stone Age, right out of the wooden depths of the forgotten closet.

Thaddeus stared at the stick in my hand in total confusion and disbelief. “Why do you have that? What happened to your wolf?” 

"I can't shift right now," I confessed, rubbing the worn tennis racket affectionately. "Miranda said the medicine would weaken my wolf for a while." This trusty racket was my secret weapon when I couldn't transform right now. It was the perfect size for me, heavy enough to pack a punch, and sturdy enough to withstand any attack. I knew I could take down anyone with a well-placed swing.

He eyes it warily as if I would whack him with it instead, which I might if he continued to act like a total jerk. I marched past him with the tennis racket on my shoulder. “We don't have all day, Thaddeus. Let's get moving.”

He rolled his eyes and slammed the door shut, leaving me to walk alone. As I neared the line of trees marking the border, I paused to survey the surroundings. Thaddeus, his tail wagging with excitement, followed closely behind, his wolfish nose sniffing the ground.

I looked down at him and his ears stiffened and twitched as if he heard something. My werewolf hearing was weaker, but I did my best to try and listen for any noises the attacker might be making.

The silence of the wood was broken only by the soft rustle of leaves and the distant hum of city life.

It was barely audible, but I could make out some sounds of rustling coming from the east, about a quarter or mile away. I nodded at Thaddeus and let him lead the way through the woods, trusting that he knew the way better with his werewolf senses. As we got closer, the stench became even more unbearable, but I sucked it up and buried my nose in the sleeve of my clothes. 

A few moments later, Thaddeus froze, his body stiffening. A low growl rumbled in his throat, and he took a step back, his eyes fixed on something. It was as if he was shielding and protecting me from an unseen threat.

That should have looked cute, but I didn't really need protection right now. 

I scanned the area, puzzled. Why had Thaddeus stopped here? There was nothing of interest as far as I could see.

Just as I was about to ask him, a sudden movement caught my eye. A dark figure, swift and silent, darted through the trees. It was gone in an instant, disappearing into the shadowy depths of the woods. My heart pounded in my chest. Have I really seen that? Or was it just a trick of the light, a figment of my overactive imagination?

And then, there was another movement. And then another. And yet another. The numbers grew inwardly,

The hairs on the back of my neck prickled with an icy chill. A shiver ran down my spine, and my heart pounded in my chest. It felt as if someone was watching me, their gaze boring into my back. I turned slowly, gripping the tennis racket tighter, my knuckles white.

A pair of blue eyes, with yellow veins surrounding the pupil, stared right back at me. 

I didn't even have a chance to see if Thaddeus noticed the strange thing I was seeing because it started moving closer and closer. It was really weird how calmly it was approaching me comfortably.

There was a loud growl from Thaddeus and my eyes widened in total horror.

There were four disgusting looking wolves closing in on us. 

My fingers clenched the tennis racket tightly as my eyes strained to see what they initially looked like, but it was hard to in the dim lighting of the woods. 

Suddenly, the strange wolf facing me lunged forward with a loud hiss that made my heart skip so many times. It rushed forward just as the other three did and Thaddeus immediately tackled one to the ground. 

It took a few moments for me to register that these weren't ordinary wolves. They were a different breed, a type I couldn't quite identify. It was as if they had shed their natural scent, replacing it with a custom-made disguise.

I swung the tennis racket and it went forward and slammed right against it's throat in the hopes that it would slow the wolf down. However, the wolf’s neck miraculously snapped in half, the head rolling away slightly. 

‘What the fuck was going on?’ I thought staring at the tennis racket and then the rolled off head. ‘it shouldn't be that easy to break a wolf’s neck.’ 

I just didn't have much time to reflect more on this because another wolf attacked me from behind. I fell to the ground just as the wolf ripped my shirt exposing my skin. 

He pinned me to the ground and mounted on me but he was quiet unlucky because just as fast as he got on top of me, it was ripped off of me in a matter of seconds. Thaddeus' wolf roared and bared his teeth at the ‘Shadow Stalker wolf’, causing him to hiss in pain. 

‘Why was the wolf hissing?’ I didn't even know what was possible in wolf form.

I grabbed my tennis racket that had fallen and swung it at another ‘Shadow stalker wolf’ that was trying to attack Thaddeus from behind. He stumbled back by the force of my hit, and I took his moment of weakness as the chance to swing at his head. 

The wolf’s body crashed to the ground with a sickening thud, his bones snapping like brittle twigs. He lay still, lifeless, and dead.

‘What the fuck is wrong with this wolf’s’ I thought breathing very hard.

It was like their bones were made of tiny broom sticks. Easy to crack and break.

There were a few loud growls coming from behind me so I spun around to see Thaddeus fighting the last two wolf with ease. He had managed to get some really good wounds on the ‘Shadow stalker wolf’. I was about to jump in when he tore through the throat of one and ripped off the arm of the other. 

In a matter of seconds, he killed the other one by digging his fangs into his throat and brutally ripping it apart. 

Thaddeus shifted back to his human form and stared at the wolf's with disgust and curiosity. I noticed that he had a very large cut near his arm that was partly oozing blood. I moved towards him and pulled his arm up so I could see the cut even more clearly. 

“What the hell are you doing?” He asked slowly, his voice rough from all the growling and fighting. I studied the cut and cringed at how deep it was. Thankfully, that was the only bad wound he had, the rest were small scratches. I let my fangs out and bit my palm, letting my blood gush from the small cut I had made. 

"Holy shit!" Thaddeus bellowed, his eyes wide with disbelief as he watched his own skin knit itself back together, as if the wound had never existed. His gaze snapped to my hands, his fingers clamping down on mine. His eyes, once filled with shock, now burned with a strange intensity as he stared at the dried, silver blood staining my palm.

I shuffled uncomfortably as he looked back and forth between my face and palm.

"I can't believe my eyes! How on earth did you manage to pull that off? It's absolutely mind-boggling!" he exclaimed, his jaw dropped in astonishment.

I cautiously nodded, hoping he wouldn't breathe a word about this to anyone. Only my mother knew about it, and she'd always insisted on keeping it a secret. "We'll discuss this further later, but first…”

He startled me by gently licking the palm of my hand, his tongue soothing the stinging cut. As he continued, the pain seemed to fade away, replaced by a strange warmth. When he finally pulled away and awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, I was stunned. "I guess no one told you that mates could heal each other," he mumbled.

I sighed and tried to walk away but he pulled me into his chest.

"Hey, Hazel," he whispered, his breath tickling my neck. I tensed up, my heart pounding. "I don't think your parents had the talk with you, did they?" He

chuckled, his breath hot against my skin.

To be honest,

I never really gave it much thought. 

I had never really questioned why some mate licked each other's cuts and bruises. But it made more sense now. I had assumed it was a form of affection, which it kind of was since they obviously had to care enough to lick their mate's wounds.

“You accepted him already?” The voice of Sparrow echoed behind us.