Chapter 19

Colette found herself spilling her life story to the she-wolves. Ylenia had asked, probably to distract her from the current situation. She felt a bit foolish, considering both women had likely lived far more exciting lives. Her own had been pretty sheltered.

She was the middle child, with an older sister named Giselle who had become a dedicated stay-at-home mom, and a brother, Quentin.

Quentin wasn’t much for family. He’d pulled away a lot after hitting puberty. Colette had chalked it up to typical teenage moodiness.

But now he was in his mid-twenties and still hadn’t reconnected with the family. He’d moved away at the first opportunity and, as far as Colette knew, had pretty much withdrawn from society.

Raised by deeply religious parents, Colette had never bought into their “save yourself for marriage” mantra, but it had just never happened for her.

She’d been pretty quiet in high school and hadn’t really dated much. After graduation, she still hadn’t found the right opportunity. Now, the idea of giving her first time to some random guy seemed like a waste.

She couldn’t believe she was sharing her life story, feeling like it was too dull. She hadn’t played sports in high school, moved so often she barely made friends, and didn’t have many achievements to speak of.

She wasn’t like Giselle, who’d excelled in school, taken college courses while still in high school, graduated with an associate’s degree, and immediately started working on a bachelor’s degree.

When Giselle got married after graduation instead of pursuing a career, no one was disappointed. Her husband was even more successful.

Colette had only graduated high school and tried a variety of jobs before realizing that working with other people—and the general public—was a nightmare. She turned to freelance writing, hiding behind a pen name while working from home in her pajamas.

She wasn’t wildly successful, but at least she wasn’t the family’s black sheep like her brother.

Ylenia moved to comfort her as she started crying. The realization that she was never going to see her family again had just hit her. Not unless they were wolves too.

She wouldn’t see her sister, or mother, or nephew, or even her mailman. She appreciated her mailman. He always delivered her mail promptly and in perfect condition.

Colette ended her story with leaving her house to photograph a wolf and getting lost.

Shemika frowned. “Okay, but I listened to your boring life so I could get the details on what happened since you met Sorin.” She groaned.

Despite her words, she’d been interested in every aspect of Colette’s human life. Shemika never shifted into wolf form and often longed for a human life.

“Oh, um…” Colette shrugged awkwardly. “Well, to sum it up, I found Sorin bleeding out in a cabin. I patched him up.”

The girls looked amused by that.

“I woke up, and he wouldn’t let me leave because it was snowing. We were together for twelve days before he brought me here.”

“Twelve days,” Ylenia echoed, awe in her voice. “And you guys…never had sex?”

“No. I’ve never had sex,” Colette finished, but her cheeks reddened. She hadn’t meant to say that.

Shemika’s mouth twisted in disgust. “You’ve never had sex? Like ever? Aren’t you like…in your late twenties or something?”

Colette chewed the inside of her cheek nervously. “Yes,” she answered.

Ylenia swatted at Shemika’s arm and gave Colette a gentle smile. “Don’t mind her. That will actually mean a lot to Sorin. Saving yourself for your mate is what Mother Luna intended. There’s often a lot of jealousy over past lovers. You won’t have Sorin out murdering your exes.” She laughed awkwardly, but there was a strain in her eyes.

Maybe she was worried that Colette might get jealous if she found out she’d slept with Sorin, but Colette didn’t harbor any ill feelings toward her.

They were his past; Colette was his present. Shemika only annoyed her because she was talking about having a future with Sorin.

Suddenly feeling out of place, Colette shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “I’m the only one talking. I have some questions and would like to know about your lives too.”

Ylenia nodded in understanding. “We’re on uneven ground now that we know all about you, but we should know about each other too, since we’re going to be pack sisters,” she said cheerfully. “Again, my name is Ylenia. I wasn’t born into this pack like Shemika was. I was abandoned in the woods, and the border patrol found me.”

Colette gasped as Shemika rolled her eyes.

“It’s actually pretty common. From what my adoptive mother told me, my birth mother was a witch. They’re a supernatural species of women who only give birth to girls. My birth mother was raped by a werewolf and didn’t know she was pregnant until it was too late.

“I think it went against her beliefs to kill me, so she performed her own C-section and left me where a pack might find me in the neutral territory between the Vale pack, the Lunca pack, and the Padure pack.

“The Vale pack found me. They brought me back and my mom volunteered to adopt me. She hadn’t been able to conceive on her own, but from what I’ve heard, she’d tried with the whole pack.

“She was the pack’s only healer and raised me to take over for her. But early on they discovered my abilities. They didn’t know I was a werewolf-witch hybrid at first.

“My job in the pack is to heal all injuries, help with prisoner dealings, accompany the alpha on diplomatic missions, help our crops grow, and use protective spells to keep our borders safe,” she finished.

Then she added, “Shemika was told by Nelu that a woman had been brought in by Sorin. I knew that an unknown female had crossed my barrier.”

Colette’s jaw dropped in surprise. She swiveled to Shemika, about to inquire about her life, but the she-wolf was glaring, challenging her to ask.

“Don’t mind Mika. She’s just not a fan of change. I’ll fill you in on her too. She was born here, and she ~pretends~ to assist me with my work so she doesn’t get stuck with a job that requires actual effort,” Ylenia stated, a bit too bluntly. But it wasn’t entirely accurate.

Shemika despised her wolf form, loathed being a wolf. She craved a life of luxury and adoration. If she didn’t stick with Ylenia’s job, they’d give her a job that would keep her in wolf form, or at least she’d have to transform regularly, which was not on Shemika’s agenda.

“Chances are, to confirm that you’re a wolf, they’ll force you to shift into your wolf form. If you don’t have a wolf form, nothing will happen. If you do, I’d guess it’ll take, at least, hours to transform and it will be agonizingly painful.”

Seeing Colette’s eyes widen, she continued.

“I’m just giving you a heads up. You need to be ready.”

“Ready to become an animal?” she asked, her voice filled with uncertainty.