Unwilling Mate

Chapter Two

Riley felt something different. There was rippling beneath her skin, her bones felt like they were breaking. She whimpered under Keidan’s grasp. She thrashed and twisted her body underneath him. Keidan’s eyes widened. Was she?

Perfect, we woke her up. Riley’s wolf has made her appearance. She’s shifting!

Keidan blinked, clearly dazed as he released his hold, he moved off of her, slowly. He hadn’t seen very many first shifts, but he remembered his own. The first one was always painful. Bones shifted, cracked and rearranged. To change and take shape. Muscles stretched, turned and twisted and it always felt like death. This was why most humans were kept away. Humans that mated wolves and underwent the change, it was harrowing and some didn’t survive it.

He backed, and watched helplessly as Riley turned from a human beauty, to clawing at the ground with elongated nails and finally, after several moments of what Keidan was sure was pure hell, a large black wolf stood where she was, sporting a pair of glowing green eyes.

What was more surprising, was that Riley didn’t remain, instead of staying and allowing the mate bond to be completed, she took off through the woods. He barely had time to blink and his she wolf was gone.

Chase her!

Keidan sighed and allowed Artemis to take over. A white and black wolf took his place, his yellow eyes searched and his snout scented along the ground for a trace of her sweet scent. He gave chase, he followed all the way to the tree line, as fast as his wolf legs would follow her. He managed to get almost into the town, when he saw a black tail disappear over the gate of what he assumed was her house.

Well… at least she didn’t reject our mate bond. That’s something. Artemis said with a sarcastic laugh. Keidan shifted back to his human form and stared after her. He sighed as he thought about Kamilla. He would need a way to end things with her. Everyone thought they were the power couple, but in truth, Keidan merely tolerated her. Their parents were friends, and Kamilla was his friend from childhood. As they grew older, and found their wolves. Things changed… She became a bully, this cruel beauty decided they were mates and at first he did feel a pull to her, but it was faint and his distaste for her actions, had only made him dislike her. He had originally thought that she was his mate, but now that he knew what a destined mate was, their relationship was as good as done. He and his wolf wanted Riley. He sighed, and began his walk back home.

Riley shifted back, as she got to the back yard and slid in through the back door, she quickly snuck back upstairs and changed into some clothes. When her wolf took shape, she lost her clothes. She slid on a simple band shirt, and a pair of denim shorts. She could smell deserts being made in the kitchen and she smiled.

“Riley, is that you? Come down, sweetie!” Allison called from downstairs. Riley walked downstairs and sat at the table. Allison was frosting cupcakes and smelled the air and looked over at Riley expectantly.

“You smell different, did something happen on your walk?”

“Um… Well something did happen. I shifted.”

Allison dropped her piping bag and squealed happily. “Oh thank goddess! Now those girls can stop their nonsense.”

“Doubt it.” Riley said bitterly. She blew her bangs away from her eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“My wolf, she thinks Keidan is mate.”

Allison c****d her brow. “Oh, wow. We thought Kamilla was his mate. Well maybe that’s because they’re chosen mates and chosen mates pale in comparison to true mate bonds. You didn’t reject him did you? They say you only get one.”

“No, I just ran away. I don’t know how I feel about it. He did nothing while I was tormented for years. Why does he get my attention now that I have a wolf? I’m going to avoid him until he shows me that he isn’t like them. He deserves punishment. Besides, he’s Kamilla’s boyfriend. I’m not interfering with that.”

“Young love can be so complicated.” Allison said with a sigh and finished frosting the cupcakes. She prepared a couple on a plate and sat them in front of Riley. “Happy birthday, baby.” Riley smiled and carefully unwrapped her cupcake and began eating.

Allison went into the living room and returned with a couple of things in gift bags and set them down on the table for her. “I hope you like them.” Riley opened the bags and found some pretty pieces of jewelry. New shoes, a new iPhone, and a locket with a wolf emblem etched in it. “What’s inside?”

“On one side, me and dad. However, The King found a photo of your birth mom and we had it commissioned so you could carry her with you.”

Riley barely remembered her real mom. She could vaguely remember a burning town, screaming, and her mother pulling her from the rubble of a collapsed house. She could remember what she looked like, and how she shifted to carry Riley away. She could still smell her, and she remembered how soft her fur was as her tiny body laid against her fur. She had been hurt so badly, but she still managed to run with Riley on her back to this pack. Riley sighed and took in a deep breath as she opened the locket and looked at the picture inside.

“I look like her.” Allison agreed and kissed her forehead. “You need to finish up and get ready for bed. You still have a couple of weeks left for school.” Riley nodded and finished her cupcakes and took her bags with her upstairs. She played around with the new phone, getting everything transferred from her old one and took another shower, before finally sliding into her bed for the night.