Page 47 of Fated
“I know,” he said softly as he put an arm around my shoulder and gave me a gentle squeeze.
It was strange that I’d never been one to be affectionate, and that had stemmed from my childhood, but with Blake it felt like the most natural thing in the world.
I allowed myself to relax for a little while and just enjoy the feel of being so close to him. It helped that his touch soothed the buildup of emotions inside of.
“You ready to shift yet?” he asked.
“Not yet,” I told him, turning to face him. “I need to bury my mom first.”
“Okay,” he said, understanding my need to put my mom first today. His lips feathered a kiss to my forehead.
It was the first time I realized that no matter what differences or issues I’d had with Blake, he fit me perfectly. Not just in a physical sense, which was pretty awesome. He fit me in personality as well. He seemed to understand me better than sometimes I understood myself. And he seemed to know when and what I needed.
I wondered if I gave him that too.
It made me realize that fate didn’t just match two random people together; there was so much more to it than that. They matched mates in such a way that you got what you needed from the person who was meant to be yours.
Obviously there would still be disagreements and arguments—those were inevitable—but as I leaned my head against his chest, I took a deep breath of him in. I realized that loving him had been inevitable from the moment he’d come into my life.
Just before my mom’s funeral, dark clouds gathered, and by the time I stood beside the newly dug grave with the members of my pack, a light drizzle of rain covered us.
Blake and Kyle stood on either side of me. Blake held an umbrella above me to keep the rain off me but I didn’t really pay attention. My mind was focused on the sheet-wrapped body that was lowered into the ground.
I never shed another tear, and afterward I walked to the gate with Blake. The light drizzle had stopped although it was still overcast. Kyle held back. It was almost like he knew that this moment was meant to be just for Blake and me.
I hadn’t been out since nearly dying after the attack by Richard. But now that I could shift into my wolf, I felt more confident and knew that if I encountered him again I wouldn’t be so easy to kill.
“Are you nervous?” Blake asked as I watched the gate open.
I shook my head. I was ready for this.
I gave over to the feeling inside of me that wanted to shift and I felt my body begin to transform. I welcomed the pain that came with it, because it meant I’d taken one step closer to being the leader I wanted to be.
Once I finished transforming, I looked down at dark brown fur that covered my legs and I smiled.
I looked back to smile at Blake who smiled at me just before he shifted into his wolf. He walked up to me and nuzzled me softly.
For a moment I inhaled him in, feeling a calmness settle over me. We didn’t need words; what we had was so much more than that.
His amber eyes lifted to mine.
You ready?
Yes, I replied through our mind-link.
I shot off and I could hear Blake running just behind me. The feel of the ground underneath my paws was slightly damp from the rain, but I didn’t care.
My first run through the forest as a wolf was the best and most exhilarating experience of my life. The trees whizzed past and I ran as fast as I could. It didn’t take me long to get the hang of running on all fours and I loved the feel of air brushing past my fur.
I felt carefree. It was such a strange feeling at first, it took a while to decipher what I was feeling. It made all my heavy burdens a little lighter and everything around me seemed brighter. I knew I shouldn’t be feeling the way I was so soon after my mom’s death, but I couldn’t help it.
Feeling overwhelmed by emotions, I stopped. Blake came to a stop beside me.
What’s wrong?he asked as he stood beside me.
I looked at him.
There is nothing wrong…I’m…happy.
