chapter 7

Cassie/Eva

nlight began to permeate the room the following morning and Cassie began to stir. Slowly, as her consciousness grew more and more alert, the scent of lemongrass and rainfall invaded her sense of smell.

She opened her eyes with the realization that, at some point as Braden was explaining why they had the ability to turn into wolves, she had fallen asleep using his lap as a pillow.

She raised her head slowly, looking behind her. He had propped a few pillows behind him and he was now lying with the top of his torso sprawled across them. His head was bent at an awkward angle against the headboard.

Cassie stood up and stared at his slumbering face.

“He’s very handsome.” Eva filled the silence in her head.

“Mmmm,” was all Cassie could say. She walked to the bathroom as quietly as she could. “Let’s go for a quick run before the world wakes up.”

Truth was, she wanted to get away from Braden for a moment so she could be alone with Eva. Cassie undressed, pulled on a loose, pullover dress and quickly walked outside. The weather was brisk, and the soil was wet. “I’m just going to walk over towards the trees and then it’s your show.” Cassie informed Eva.

As soon as they reached the cover of the forest, they looked, listened and sniffed for humans in the area. When the coast was clear, Cassie hid behind a tree and undressed.

Eva wasted no time is setting herself free. She started at a slow pace to stretch her muscles but soon ran as fast as she could through the muddy surface. It felt good to release all the energy, to feel the wind against her gray fur. Best of all, to be one in nature as she was meant.

“I suppose you want to talk about our next step?” Eva began the conversation.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Cassie was quick to respond. “You have kept your end of the deal all these years without complaints, and now it’s my turn to pay the piper. Of course, as you probably know, I am nervous about uprooting my life for a stranger.”

Yes, she was aware. She was confident there was nothing to worry about and she had to affirm as much to Cassie. Eva slowed down and started taking a leisurely pace through the forest to enjoy the surroundings. “He’s our mate, Cassie. He’s not just a stranger.”

“What’s the deal with mates, anyway? How are we sure that we are with the right mate? There’s got to be room for error for the Moon Goddess.”

“There’s no error.” Eva quickly defended. “Moon Goddess doesn’t make mistakes. Besides, after you both fell asleep, his wolf, Andrei and I were communicating.” Eva announced. She was giddy and knew she couldn’t hide that from Cassie in this state. “Braden is the Alpha of their pack, and he’s very honorable and well-respected by local packs not just theirs.”

“I’ll admit, it doesn’t hurt that he’s easy on the eyes,” Cassie interjected. “But we don’t know him. Remind me what the Alpha does again?”

“Actually, it's not entirely true that we don't know each other.” A masculine voice cut through their mental conversation.

“What the hell is that?!” Cassie asked, clearly alarmed. “Is there a third personality inhabiting our body?”

The masculine voice and Eva both laughed.

“It’s them. Andrei and Braden.” Eva explained as she stared at a large, beautiful black wolf that had walked up to them. Although the physical appearance changed, the eyes remained the same. “The mate bond. We have met, thus it has been activated.”

Cassie sighed in an exasperated manner. “You’re constructing sentences and though I feel they should make sense, they don’t.”

“Think of it like a four-way video call.” Andrei explained. “Two houses, two video calls in each house, one connection.”

Braden took over. “Because the bond is brand new, we can only communicate with you while in proximity. Once the bond has been completed and I mark you, our connection will have no limits.”

“Mark me?” Cassie questioned.

“Erm… let’s rewind a little bit,” Eva quickly interrupted, she knew Cassie wasn’t ready for that conversation. “Tell us about the history of mates.”