Winter's Beast

I've missed your voice

Fenrir

I watch her sleeping, my perfect mate. She grew to be even more beautiful than I ever imagined. I can't believe she left her family to come looking for me. All these years, I stayed away because Selene threatened to remove the mate bond if I didn't. That bitc.h didn't care what I threatened her with; she wouldn't back down.

I suppose she had a point. Pretending to be a child in order to be around Winter was weird. Winter was becoming too attached to Finn, and she needed to grow up without my influence. I had no idea Winter would hold onto the idea of Finn all these years. Now, she wants to be with him and still has no clue that I am Finn.

It's not like I could have come clean the moment I saw her again. She was fighting for her life, and damn, is she a good warrior. But she passed out in my arms with a smile on her face.

I'll tell her who I am soon enough. I just hope she doesn't hate me for lying. I am a monster, and nothing bothers me, but losing Winter, I don't know what I'd do. I know I'd lose my mind, and no one would be safe, not in this realm or any other.

I brought Winter back to my pack along with the girl Anita. I heard Winter’s thoughts as I destroyed those men. The girl tried to help her, and Winter didn’t want her dead. I couldn’t leave Anita out there alone, so I brought her here. I left her in Felix's hands. He can deal with her while I sort Winter.

I brought Winter up to my room. I could have stripped and bathed her, but I didn’t think that would be right. So I used magic to clean her up and change her clothes. She’s now clean from head to toe and wearing a pale blue nightdress. Her long hair is loose, and her natural wavy curls are sprawled over the pillow. She looks ethereal. I checked Winter for injury, finding she had silver poisoning in her thigh. I wanted to bring those basta.rds who did this back to life and kill them all over again! Tony, the pack's doctor, sorted that out and ensured no lasting effects.

I could have taken Winter to my realm, where she’d be safe. But I didn’t want to overwhelm the girl. Besides, I need to ease Winter into who I am before I go taking her somewhere that isn’t Earth.

I have no doubt Winter’s family will come looking for her, but they won't find her. There’s an invisible shield over my pack right now. Nobody can get in, and nobody can get out unless I allow it. The pack is secluded enough that hardly anyone comes by anyway. Hopefully, it stays that way for now.

I made the grounds of the packhouse look as close to nature as possible. There’s a forest filled with trees and a vast garden of flowers of all kinds. Winter grew up in the wild, and I didn’t want this place to be too much of a change for her. I hope she’ll like what I’ve done with the place because it was all for her.

However, if Winter decides to leave me once I tell her the truth, I’ll let her go. I don’t want to do that, so I best be damn convincing.

“Mm.” I look up from my seat beside the window to see Winter tossing and turning in bed.

Winter whimpers and shakes her head from side to side while kicking her legs. I sit on the bed beside her and stroke my fingertips down her soft cheek. Winter instantly calms down, and her body relaxes.

Gods, she’s beautiful. I always knew she would be, but I had no idea Winter would be this perfect. Her tanned skin has a glow about it that I have never witnessed before. Winter looks almost ethereal, lying here in my bed.

I am a terrible man, a monstrous God that no one could love. That’s what I’ve always been told – no one could ever love me. I spent many years not caring about such meaningless things. But there came a time when I got sick and tired of watching others find love. I would look down from my realm at the couples in different worlds, and I started to envy them.

I spent a further thousand years watching, seeing Earth and its inhabitants change. Love changed with it, and people became freer to express their feelings. Jealousy ravaged my veins, and so I went to Selene. That woman gave mates out left and right; I felt it was my turn.

Selene wasn’t keen and told me she would never subject anyone to a man like me. Bitc.h! She relented due to a prophecy made by Gaia. I would be gifted a man of Selene's bloodline. There was no timeline, and I would not wait for some damned prophecy to become a reality.

I forced Selene’s hand, and she granted me Winter as my mate. Winter hadn’t been born yet, and I have waited almost eighteen years for her to grow up and become mine. But Winter will never be mine until I tell her the truth. I only hope she understands why I did what I did.

Winter’s eyes flicker, and I watch as perfect violet eyes lock on mine. I smile, but Winter screams, jumps out of bed, and backs away from me.

I stand at a close distance and hold my hands up in surrender. “Winter, it’s okay. It’s me. It’s Finn.”

Winter furrows her brow, relaxing her body. ‘Finn?’

“Is everything okay in here?”

Winter’s eyes flick to Felix standing behind me, and she swallows hard.

‘Leave, Felix.’

‘Is she okay?’

‘She’ll be fine in a few minutes. Winter just woke up and doesn’t know where she is. I need you to leave and give me time to calm her down. Oh, and don’t tell anyone she’s my mate. Winter doesn’t know she’s my mate yet.’

‘What the hell?’

‘Do as I’ve said, Felix!’

‘Alpha.’ Felix leaves, closing the door behind him.

“I’m sorry about that, Winter. That was my Beta, Felix.”

‘Your Beta?’ I smile as Winter’s voice fills my head.

“Yes.”

‘Is this your pack?’

“Dark Moon Pack.” I nod. “When I found you, I brought you home with me. I took care of you.” I tip my head toward her body.

Winter looks at herself and gulps. ‘You changed my clothes? Washed me?’

“Eh, yeah. I couldn’t leave you the way you were. You were filthy and had injuries that needed attending to.”

‘Oh. A rogue stabbed me with my own blade.’ Winter laughs, and I narrow my eyes. She’s a strange little thing. I thought she would be more freaked out than she apparently is. ‘I killed people, Finn.’

“You did what you had to do to survive, Winter. Anybody in your situation would have done the same.”

She nods. ‘I know, but why didn’t it bother me?’

I smirk because she’s perfect. Not that I would have been an uncaring basta.rd if Winter freaked out about killing. Many do, it’s natural, or so I’ve been told. However, my little mate isn’t bothered because she is strong. Perfect.

“Because they deserved what they got.”

‘One of them didn’t.’ Winter sighs. ‘When you saved me in the woods, I was trying to tell you not to hurt Anita. She didn’t do anything to me, so I didn’t want her killed.’

“I didn’t kill her, Winter. I brought Anita back to Dark Moon with us.”

Winter smiles wide, and I smile with her because it’s infectious. ‘Thank you so much!’

“Winter, won’t you speak to me out loud? I’ve missed your voice.”

Winter swallows hard. ‘I haven’t done that for years. I was tired of being an embarrassment.’

“You’re not an embarrassment, Winter. I’ve waited years to see you again. You called me for a reason, so I assume you missed me, too?”

Winter smiles and nods. “M-Mo-More than a-a-an-anything.” She giggles and runs to me, jumping and wrapping her arms around my neck. ‘Finn,’ Her voice fills my head again. ‘I’ve missed you so much.’

“I missed you, too.” I kiss her head and set her on her feet. “What were you doing out there all alone, Winter?”

“I-I-I wa-was lo-lo-lo-looking -f-for you.” Winter sighs while shaking her head. ‘I can’t make myself understood like that.’

I hate that Winter thinks that way about herself. I could kill every person who ever made my mate believe she was anything but the wonderful woman I see before me.

“I can understand you perfectly, Winter.”

She smiles slightly. ‘It’s my birthday next week.’

“I know.”

‘My mate will come for me,’ She swallows again. ‘I couldn’t bear the thought of never seeing you again. I didn’t want to leave with him and not…’

“Not what?” I push when she’s quiet for a moment.

‘Not know what it would be like to be here with you. I left in the middle of the night in search of you. My brother helped me, but he told me it would be folly. I just want to get to know you, Finn. Even if it is just for a few days. Can I stay?’

“What about your family, Winter. Won’t they be looking for you?”

She nods. ‘Yes. But they won’t find me here. Please.’ She takes my big hands in her small ones. ‘Please let me stay. Just until my birthday, then if you want me gone, I’ll go.’

I look into her pleading eyes and know I should say something. I should tell Winter who I am now before it’s too late. But I can’t bring myself to. Winter came here for Finn, so Finn is who she’ll get. Keeping the secret for a couple of days can’t do any harm. Right?

“Of course you can stay.”

I close my eyes when Winter clutches at my back while lying her head on my chest. I wrap my arms around her and kiss her head.

‘Erm, Alpha?’

‘What the hell do you want, Felix? You know I’m busy.’

‘I know, but you have a visitor.’

Visitor?

We don’t get visitors here unless they’re invited. No one mentioned inviting people over. I would have said no if they had.

‘What visitor?’

‘The Bear King.’

The fuc.k?

AN: What do you guys think of the story so far? Remember that updates are daily. I'm writing this as I go, so I can only post once a day for a short while, so please bear with me. Thank you all for continuing this journey with me. It means everything xx