Some time later, Lucky opened her green eyes, her vision hazy at first. She took in her surroundings, looking for the familiar walls and windows of the suite in Vegas. Where was she?
Slowly her confusion dissipated, replaced by euphoria. She was free! They had done it! She and Nyah had gotten out of that hell! She had to pinch herself and even when it hurt she still wasn't sure she wasn't dreaming. Those horrid men were never going to hurt her again.
The events of the previous evening were a blur. She remembered a lot of blood. Nyah had been soaked in it. She recalled Nyah washing herself off in the fountain and the screams of horror. She shook her head, embarrassed at having caused such a scene. Some people had been recording with their phones.
Lucky realized she could see her wolf, inside her head, prancing around playfully. "Sorry to ruin your vacation photos folks, but sometimes a wolf just doesn't want to be covered in nasty smelling blood." Was Nyah laughing? She was! Her crazy wolf found the public spectacle amusing! To her astonishment, a giggle escaped from Lucky before she could stifle it. Why was she laughing? This was not funny!
She wondered if they had found the men yet. She wondered what they would think. No one had seen her, other than the players, in a room with no cameras. They had been disabled, the poker game strictly off the books.
The only thing capable of doing what had been done on that floor had been seen exiting the building, and that was her wolf form. She wasn't naive enough to believe there would be no investigation. Nobody would believe the truth. A young woman was being sold as the grand prize in an illegal poker game. Then, in a surprise turn of events, she turned in to a huge black wolf and killed them all, escaped via the emergency exit, wound up on one of the most famous and busiest streets in the country, plowed through throngs of terrified people, took a damn bath in the fountain, then raced off into the desert, never to be seen again. The truth sounded like the plot for an action movie. Nobody would believe the truth.
The more she considered it, the less she worried about being identified. She felt no remorse. What those evil people were doing was so wrong that, if anything, she had been too merciful, making their deaths quick. Her lack of remorse troubled her more than her actions. She had a feeling this would trouble her for a long time.
Nyah didn't understand her human conscience, to her it was black and white, good vs. evil. What she had done was necessary for their survival. She had to escape, and she did what she had to do. Lucky agreed with her, but wrapping her mind around the fact that she had brutally slaughtered a room full of people was not going to be easy.
She shook her head, trying to clear her jumbled thoughts. She took in her surroundings, and wondered how she happened to run in to this second black wolf, right as she had started to worry about what to do next. Escape had been the number one priority, and she hadn't thought far beyond it. When she finally stopped running, she had experienced a different kind of fear, finding herself alone in the dark, vast desert that went on in all directions, as far as one could see.
The sky had been beautiful, full of stars, and it was dark enough to see the Milky Way as it spiraled inward, full of spinning objects orbiting other spinning objects. In that moment, the night sky had made her feel incredibly small, and alone. Then, out of nowhere, this black wolf had appeared. This should have scared her, but his presence had exactly the opposite effect. She couldn't believe she had run in to another werewolf out here.
She felt safe now, inside a rather high quality tent in the middle of nowhere, with a stranger she felt like she had known forever. How long had it been since she fainted? She peeked out the front flap. It was dark outside, a terrifying inky black dark that devoured everything it touched. The desert air had a cold bite to it. At least there was a small battery powered light inside the tent, too dim to be seen from outside but bright enough to keep everything inside from being swallowed by darkness. She had no idea where she was or what was going to happen, but she was free!
She noticed that she was wearing a large black sweatshirt, a pair of sweatpants that were way too big, and a pair of warm, thick grey socks. Her hair felt clean, as though it had been washed. She searched for a trace of blood on her, finding none. She supposed maybe the guy had dressed her in some of his clothes, since she would have been naked once she shifted out of wolf form. She noticed a few sparkles of glitter, and shocked herself by allowing a snort of laughter to escape at the thought of her fancy prancing wolf bursting out of that cage and shaking the glitter out of her fur. "Surprise!" Nyah exclaimed. Lucky's sides began to ache from the silent laughter she couldn't seem to stop.
"You have been asleep for two days," Nyah informed her. Two days? She still felt tired, like she could sleep for two more.
She heard a snore, pulling her attention to the man the black wolf had changed in to. He was sleeping peacefully in a a red sleeping bag. She was surprised to see a slightly plump Labrador Retriever curled up next to him with its head on the man's shoulder. The man's arm encircled the dog, who was snoring louder than its human. Lucky couldn't help but smile. They looked so cute, sleeping like that. Nyah chuckled at the sight as well, finding the concept of a wolf having a pet dog entertaining.
Lucky studied his face, admiring his beautiful features. His presence felt familiar, though she was sure she had never seen him before. What was it about him that made her feel like this? Was it a werewolf thing? She had a feeling Nyah might be able to explain some of it, so she asked her to explain what she could.
"Well," Nyah began, "each werewolf has both a wolf and human soul, bound together. The Moon Goddess created us this way. We can get in to more werewolf history later, but what you are wanting to know now is about fated mates."
"Fated mates? Is this werewolf my fated mate?" That sounded like another kind of movie altogether.
"Yes, he is. You were destined to find one another, two halves of a whole. You can tell that because of the energy between the two of you. The way he makes you feel safe. Given what you have been through I can see why the Moon Goddess thought it would be best for you to meet your mate quickly, to help you move past the trauma of what has been done to you by other men."
"How do I know he is my mate?" Lucky couldn't deny what her wolf was saying, she definitely felt something amazing happening, but remained a bit skeptical. Fated mates? That truly did sound like something from a romance novel, and it was hard to believe. It was harder, though, to believe she had just happened run in to him. It had to be more than that. She could feel that it was more than that in her heart and soul.
She remembered how his hug had made her body buzz with pleasure, like a current ran through them and connected, but could that be simply because any kind of genuine affection would feel amazing after what she had been through?
The man was very attractive, that was certain. She felt drawn to him in an intense and inexplicable way. He must be kind, to take care of her this way after just meeting her. Did he feel like she did? Perhaps he was just being nice, out of pity perhaps.
Nyah patiently waited for Lucky's mind to stop racing like an Olympic gold medalist in the hundred meter dash. Lucky wanted proof, of course, since she questioned everything.
"Well, here is one test. I want you to reach out and touch him. Anywhere, just press your hand against his chest."
"What if I wake him?" Lucky worried that she would seem rude. What if he didn't want to wake up to find the crazy werewolf woman he found wandering the desert feeling him up while he slept?
"Trust me, he won't mind." Nyah insisted. So Lucky did what her wolf told her to do and touched her palm to the sleeping man's bare chest. Electric sparks seemed to flow between them. She pulled her hand back quickly, delighted by the discovery. It was really there! It wasn't just that she was starved for affection, there was an actual current of something invisible that was able to flow from his body into hers. Did he feel it too?
Nyah continued, "those sparks you feel are part of the mate bond. You and he, and I and his wolf, were made for one another by the Moon Goddess."
Lucky gave her an incredulous look. "So what happens next?" Nyah had often mentioned this mysterious Moon Goddress. She called her the mother of all werewolves, she was their creator. Lucky hoped the Moon Goddess knew what she was doing. At this point she didn't have any better ideas, so putting trust in the Moon Goddess made as much sense as anything else.
Nyah chuckled. "Normally, you probably would have gotten it on like two horny teenagers and marked one another by now. That's just how werewolves are. Very sexually driven. They don't question the mate bond, they can feel it too strongly to deny it. You were raised as a human, and that causes you to suppress your primal needs, especially sexual ones. And after what you have been through, it might take a while before you can get past it." That thought sparked anger in both woman and wolf. How dare they take that away from her?
"What's marking?" She asked, looking at the man and his dog, which quickly snuffed out her anger.
"Marking is where he bites your neck, and you bite his. It comes naturally, usually the first time you two have sex, and it solidifies the mate bond." Nyah yawned. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to take a nap. Maybe you should do the same."
Lucky considered all of this new information. It was a lot to digest. "What's up with this dog?" The Labrador, who she had identified as a he, had woken up and made his way across the tent to snuggle up against Lucky, gazing at her adoringly. He was awfully cute. She admired his sweet brown eyes. He was a master of puppy dog eyes, this one! She stroked his soft fur, scratched behind his ears. He let out a contented sigh and laid his head on Lucky's belly, snoring again in no time.
"I think he likes you," the man spoke, startling her. She continued petting the dog, sure she had turned ten shades of red. She was more embarrassed by her jumpy reaction than anything else. She ran her fingers through her tangled hair. She must be a mess, she thought, but he was staring at her like he was afraid she would disappear. She found herself unable to look away from him, as though caught in a tractor beam. His eyes were an ocean she could float dreamily in forever. She was starting to believe that her wolf was correct about the mate bond.
"I like him too," Lucky replied. "What's his name?" She asked. Hell, what's your name? She laughed at her thoughts.
"His official name is Mr. Flaps. But I call him Flappy. He doesn't mind being called Flappy. He knows it's a compliment." The man laughed, the sound like music to her ears. "He's just a flappy little guy. I suppose his ears do flap quite nicely in the wind, but mainly he got the name from what he does when he catches a rabbit. He flaps it back and forth, to kill it quickly so it doesn't suffer and we have dinner."
"Flappy," Nyah snorted. She was laughing her wolfy head off. "He should have seen what I did to those demonic bastards. That was some flapping for sure." Lucky couldn't help herself, a giggle escaped her. Again, laughing about killing people. What was wrong with her? "NOTHING is wrong with laughing right now!" Nyah seemed to be getting impatient with her human partner's lack of appreciation for the humor the wolf found in the ordeal. She huffed and lay down in her realm, preparing for some more sleep. Then, food. Flappy would have to catch them a couple of rabbits. Maybe she would help.
Lucky hoped the man wouldn't be offended by her outburst. "I was laughing at my wolf. We have been through some shit, putting it mildly. My name is Lucky Lancaster," she told him, with what she hoped was a charming smile.
"I'm Traven." He smiled back. "My wolf wants to be sure Nyah knows his name as well. It's Miles." He added, "my last name is Blackpaw." It suited him. He did, indeed, have black paws. So did she. His were streaked with silver. He had a few silver streaks on his tail as well but the dark rich black fur was the same as hers. Were they related? She hoped not, that would mess up the mate bond! Nyah quickly assured her they were not blood related, though they might have originated from the same pack.
"Well, Traven, it's nice to meet you, Miles, and Flappy." Despite her inner turmoil, she felt happier than she had ever felt before. The whole situation felt so cozy, so perfect. Maybe she was overthinking everything. Maybe she should just let the Moon Goddess do her thing and hope for the best.
They lay in their sleeping bags, silent for a moment. Lucky finally broke the silence, saying "you are probably wondering what I was doing running through the desert like that."
"Well, Lucky, from the state you were in I imagine you were running from something. And that, my little mate, is something I can well understand." Traven sighed deeply. "You probably dreamed of your mate being an Alpha or a Beta, not a Rogue like me."
"What do you mean? What is an Alpha? Beta? And what is a Rogue?" Lucky was confused. Nyah woke up, again, and told her it was basic werewolf terminology, a social ranking system. Lucky felt like an idiot, and hoped he wouldn't hold her ignorance against her. "I guess I should tell you, I had no idea I was a werewolf until about a month ago. I was raised as a human, in an orphanage, so I am assuming my parents were werewolves. But I had no idea. I am still learning all the werewolf stuff. It was quite a shock."
Traven burst out laughing, "oh wow, I can't even imagine what a shock that would be! You shifted without any idea you were a werewolf? That had to be intense." He shook his head, smiling at her in a way that made her feel like a kid on Christmas Eve. "How about we get a good nights rest and we can get started on your werewolf education in the morning?" He had noticed how tired she looked, beautiful beyond belief, but her eyes were weary. Too weary for such a young and beautiful werewolf, one whose heart was made of gold. His wolf also sensed the sweetness of her heart. "MATE," Miles said again, before lowering his head to his paws and closing his eyes. She was so perfect. Traven was already smitten with her.
"Sounds great." Lucky scooted closer to Traven, laying her head against his chest. The sparks hummed pleasantly, more gently now. It seemed the mate bond could recognize that this was not the right time for intensity.
Flappy adjusted his position so he could snuggle between them, and Lucky marveled again at how lovable he was. She had never had a pet, unless taking care of the class guinea pig during summer vacations counted. Her eyes met her mate's, until they fell shut under the weight of exhaustion. Soon, all of them were wrapped in sleep's embrace.