Page 2 of Griffen's Mate

Chapter 1

Pet

A little over a month ago

Hope. Today it was bright. Pet knew as soon as she was shaken awake that today was a day for change, and now she stared gleefully at the people that would change the world, and not just their own. She had struggled with all the different ways fate could make of now and had hoped outcome two and five didn’t happen. Three and one were outcomes that would be okay, just not for her. She wanted number four. If fate granted her number four, she would have a chance, and Faith would fulfill her destiny. If the number four outcome came to pass, the people around her and their family and friends would have the means to save not just their world but many others. But Pet knew number four would be a risk. It would change a lot, and not just for her, but for Faith and for the man of Pet’s dreams—the man who was her mate.

Everything was jumbled though, because her visions hadn’t turned out how they should have so far—she didn’t have the power that Faith did. Pet wasn’t supposed to have met one of the people before her, the one called Sandra, today...if her visions were what she went by. Ava had been who the vision had shown in number four, no one else, no Sandra. What had happened to change her visions so drastically?

Pet jumped up and down in excitement when she realized that the demons had changed fate. She grinned at Ava. This was good. This meant that visions one, two, three, and five wouldn’t happen. It could also mean she may not get to meet her mate.

An intense vision came upon her, and Pet knew she would be uncommunicative for a moment or two until she saw what she needed to. When she came out of the vision hope and happiness like nothing Pet had ever felt before flowed through her, and she prayed to fate that what she saw came true.

* * * *

Present day

Pet wrung the end of her dress. The quality fabric felt strange. She didn’t think she’d ever get used to it. It was smooth and so warm against her heated skin, things a month ago she’d never felt. It was all new to her. Well, she’d ‘seen’ it all before, but never had the privilege to experience or feel anything firsthand. She wiggled her toes and they sank further into the hot sand. She listened as her new friend Remy married her mate.

Today was the first day she’d been outside for longer than an hour. It was a day to celebrate firsts, and she was having many, like wearing the pretty dress and a bra. Pet would admit she wasn’t that fond of the bra. She was happier without it, but her other friends had said the dress needed a bra. The bra she wore matched the panties. All new. So many new things to get used to. She’d started wearing panties when she was rescued from the demons. They felt good against her skin. They were extra protection. It was nice to have any kind of extra protection. She’d never been safe with the demons.

She shivered at just the thought of her old life. It had her shaking, feeling like she was going to vomit, and becoming terrified. She closed her eyes for a moment to focus on staying in the same skin color and not fading into the background. When she became a chameleon, the demons always punished her worse. She would kill herself if she ever ended up back in the hands of her torturers.

Large hands came to still her fidgeting ones, and her mate Griffen settled against her back, wrapping her in a safe haven. She opened her eyes and sighed with contentment. Griffen was her dream come true. A vision she never believed would come to pass. She didn’t deserve him. Not with all the chaos, destruction, and death she’d caused.

His head came down and his breath feathered over her ear, a body part she’d made sure had stayed hidden, and she’d made it known that she hated anything near them because it tingled. Her ears were the only major tell she wasn’t human, and they were highly sensitive. Her other traits she could hide.

“They’re almost done. Hold on a moment or two more, little one, and we can leave.”

She gave her head a slight shake and turned into him and whispered, “I don’t want to leave. Now that you’re with me, I’m safe.”

His lips against her head had a soothing warmth settling over her. “I’m glad you feel safe with me, but this is the first time you’ve been out around this many people. I don’t want to overtax you.”

Spinning in his embrace, Pet rested her head on his chest, listening to the beat of his heart. It was fast becoming her favorite sound. “I’m having fun out here. I know you’re worried. I can feel the tension flowing through you, but you have to let me out some time, and this right now is probably the safest.”

His forehead came down to rest on hers. “I can feel the pack’s hatred beating down on me. They know nothing of you. Most haven’t even met you. How do they know if you had anything to do with what happened to their loved ones? Demons kill, not you.”

She wished she believed what he was saying, but if it wasn’t for her a lot of demon attacks wouldn’t have happened. She had learned long ago not to lie to the demons, they hurt her the most when she did. She was just grateful she’d convinced the demons that if she lost her virginity, she’d lose her powers. She should have just dealt with the pain and lied. She should have killed herself. She had tried, but the demons brought her back to life any way they could.

Griffen turned and held her in his embrace. She should have let him go, set him free. She shouldn’t have let herself live when he mated her. He deserved better. He deserved his human mate. A secret. Another among the many she had.

She resisted the urge to change her skin and blend into the background and hide. She knew if she did anything like that it would give away her big secret. She needed that kept a secret, because she had a feeling they’d never let her near Faith, and that was something Pet knew she needed to do. She had to make sure the prophecy of Faith being the most powerful seer the world had ever known came true. She was already the most powerful seer of their world, but Pet intended to make her the most powerful seer of the worlds. To do that, Pet had to give her power.

* * * *

Griffen

The ceremony was over, and they were all eating and socializing. This was the longest Pet had been out of their house since they’d found her. Griffen watched her like the predator he was as she chatted with family. Or more like listened. She wasn’t one to say much. Pet’s voice was husky and sounded like she needed to drink a bottle of water before she should talk. After being with them for several months now she’d gained weight and looked a lot healthier, but her voice hadn’t changed.

Griffen noticed that she blended into the background very easy if he didn’t keep an eye on her. He was nervous about today, not only because she would be surrounded by pack members that hated her, but because she would be without him. At the house he was always close by to get to her quickly, or if he went out one of his sisters or brothers came around to be with her, but here there was a lot of space for her to wander and be without safety.

Pet didn’t talk much about her captivity, but from the little he’d been told and overheard her tell Remy and Ava, he knew it was bad, worse than what most people could imagine. He knew she was psychic like Faith, but she insisted that she wasn’t as strong or as powerful. However, from what he’d seen, she was.

There was something else about his mate that didn’t feel rig…no, that was different. Pet felt right through the mate bond, or she felt like the other mates’ bonds that he could feel with his omega abilities, but something was different that he couldn’t put his finger on.

At first, he thought it was because they weren’t intimate, or really had any physical touch at all since he bit her and made her his mate. After a couple of weeks, he noticed other things, like she always had her ears hidden, and sometimes he was sure her skin color looked four or five shades darker and then she’d lighten again. Her eyes did the same, which wasn’t anything new as he knew some people whose eyes changed with their moods, but hers changed to different colors altogether, like blue to black and green to brown, or they were gold, not just any gold, but a vibrant yellow gold. Pet was definitely different. So much so that it held him back from taking their relationship further.

His wolf was driving him insane. We touch mate. We mate her. She needs us. We need her. She good.

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