Five

~Jemima Steele  Pov

.....The Pack's Forest

It had rained cats and dog al through the night. And the downpour had only seized a few minutes to dawn. It was refreshing, the morning after, with the smell of rain water.

The sun rose in the sky after that at its usual time, just as my step mother began to scream profanities at me. I sighed internally as I skipped out of the house before she would unleash her hidden demon. Her latest string of insults still burned in my ears.

Besides, it was just the perfect weather for me to go into the forest, to the little water body there and bath in the water which the sun would warm up.

It always felt real good.

I took a deep breath while letting the quiet of the trees drown out her words. I inhaled that familiar scent of damp earth and wild flowers, of green leaves and rain water combined the moment I stepped into the forest. I stopped to bask in the soothing feeling that it always brought to me. It was like a symphony, a remedy to every trouble in my life.

The sanctuary of this forest was my only haven. It was a place where I could escape to whenever I was tired of my stressful life -I always was. I sought solace here more often than I was always home. It was incredible, the time I spent in there, admiring the scenery, studying the various plants, watching small animals run by. There was also the pleasure that came with bathing inside of the forest pool where the amount of sun heat regulated the temperature.

I was there for so long, in the forest till the shadows began to cast over it and the cool night air washed over my skin. It was because out here, I could almost forget that I was an outcast, unloved by my family.

The clear water was silver under the moonlight as I dipped my fingers into it, playing by the water bank. I watched as the small waves broke around my hand and the cooling sensation that it brought.

Suddenly, I felt a strange warmth spread through out my body, emanating from my heart. I gasped softly as the sensation travelled. I felt a renewed kind of energy as my vision sharpened along with every of my other four senses. My stood as I saw and felt everything with a new clarity, one that I had never experienced before.

And that sudden violent feeling made me double over as I clutched my chest in excruciating pain. I fell to my knees as several voices echoed inside of my head until everything still and I heard only one. It was soft and familiar, yet entirely new.

"Jemima , I am Kiona."

"Who are you?" I thought.

"Your wolf." A shiver ran down my spine at her words. My wolf? So after years of believing that I was a wolf-less hybrid because I didn't turn till now, I would have a wolf? After ten whole years of torture in my father's house at the hands of his wife and his daughter while being marked as an incomplete bastard I would have a wolf?

“Why? Why now?” I whispered as my heart continued to pound with a mixture of awe and fear of the unknown, of acquiring a wolf at twenty one.

"You were not ready to have me Jemima . But now that you are, we are one. Free yourself, succumb to me and allow me to take over." And I closed my eyes and did just that, surrendering myself to her. I felt her strength flood into me. I let go as my transformation began. 

I closed my eyes as I began to feel my bones shift and my body reshape with a powerful surge of energy to take the form of my wolf. When I reopened my eyes, everything was different in a vivid way. I looked down to see my reflection in the water.

There was Kiona, my wolf, sleek with ginger fur.

I felt alive in a way that I had never felt before. Everything was intense, every scent, every sound. I took a tentative step while feeling the earth beneath my paws, feeling connected to the world around me.

It was exhilarating.

I retraced my step and launched forward into the deep of the forest, unable to contain my happiness. I sprinted through the trees with my senses in overdrive as I absorbed every detail of the forest. For the first time in my life, I felt independent in a way that I had never been. I was thrilled as I ran with Kiona.

A powerful scent brought me to a halt, filling my nose. It was drawing, that rich redolence. I was entrapped, as I began to follow the scent until I came upon a figure in the shadows. It was a wolf. It was a he. He was larger than me with sharp golden fur and piercing eyes that seemed to glow under the moonlight.

Our eyes met and the world seemed to stop around us.

Something deep, connective surged to life inside of me. My mind fell into a haze of glorious satisfaction and an euphoria that knew no bounds. My heart began to race as we began to advance towards each other as a bond sparked to life inside of us. I knew with certainty that he was my mate.

I shifted instantly, my body seamlessly transitioning back to human form. The rapid transformation left me quite breathless as I came to stand before him, completely nude.

"Mate," I whispered to him. My body grew warm as I found myself standing before him, completely naked, seemingly vulnerable. And yet I somehow felt stronger than I had ever felt in my entire life.

He shifted into his human form, his transformation smooth and seamless as he stood before me as bare as he was born. His eyes held mine with an intensity that made my heart do cartwheels. His rather dark eyes roamed over me, lingering on parts of my body as if he was memorizing every inch of it.

"Mate," he acknowledged in a whisper, his voice rough but warm, filled with an intensity that made my whole body hum with pleasure. The mate bond which was a powerful and undeniable force that drew us to each other pulsed with life between us as we stood there, only inches apart. The silence was heavy with unspoken tension and I could feel the heat that was radiating from his body and mine too. His gaze seared into me as if he wanted to see into my soul.

And without a word, he reached for my cheeks, his hand stroking it tenderly. His touch burnt, sending an electric shiver through me that left me breathless. I leaned into his warm touch as I felt our bond begin to solidify, binding us in a way that was beyond words.

Then he lowered his mouth slowly to my lips and kissed me. Desire roared to life within me as my senses were overwhelmed by the gesture. The kiss was both gentle and fierce, filled with a hunger that resonated with mine. I melted into him, losing myself in the heat, in the intensity, in the raw electric current that held us.

Everything else faded away into oblivion and all that was left was the two of us, lost in each other. The strength of the mate bond reeled me in and for the first time in my entire life, I felt whole and complete.