Hakan's wolf was going wild within him, howling and baying. There was no denying it now that the glamour had been removed. This was his mate. It was unheard of for a lycan to mate with an elf, but he'd also never met an elf who looked so similar to Tixwans. Supporting Flora's weight against him on the bench, he glanced toward Dyani desperately for an answer. She was primordial for a lycan, the magic she used giving her even more years of life than they usually saw. Lycans could live for hundreds of years, but Dyani had seen more than a thousand.
Dyani took a step back at his proclamation. Despite her failing vision, she still had a sharp mind. No doubt, she had realized what had transpired in those few moments following the shattering of the illusion.
"What is she?" Hakan was unsettled by her brooding and silence.
Dyani turned away and began rummaging through her piles of books. Despite being stacked haphazardly and covered in a layer of dust, she seemed to know where what she was looking for was. The book she pulled out was probably as old as her, bound with seal leather, a turquoise gemstone set in the cover. She dusted the speckled cover off and approached them, pressing her thumb to the gemstone.
The stone thrummed with a heartbeat of light before the lock opened and Dyani was able to thumb through it. "I never thought I'd meet one," she said honestly. "Ah, here we are," she turned the book around which was written in a language he could not read. However, the painting was what she was showing him.
Upon the pages was unmistakably a Chief Alpha by his headdress, shaking hands with an elf in light blue dyed furs fringed by rabbit fur. From the clothing they wore, Hakan knew that they had to live further north in the Land of Always Winter.
"Elves lived up there?" he gaped.
"Lunar Elves did. This is the sacred meeting between their head druid and the first skinchanger. They were the 'spirits' that taught our tribes how to take the form of the wolf. We became very close with them until their eventual extinction that happened a millennia before I was born... but I did hear the tales of them. There were still those who remembered our alliance with them."
"Why did they go extinct?"
Dyani gave him a hard look. "Why do you think, Ranger? When our existence came to light, the other elven races were not pleased that the Lunar Elves took it upon themselves to teach us magic, especially one that could be passed down in bloodlines. The High Elves demanded punishment and after much delegation, war erupted between the elven races because a proper punishment could not be decided upon. There's a reason they're also called Blood Elves. Not many on this continent remember, but west of the ocean they haven't forgotten."
"I thought the High Elves earned that name due to being allies with the bloodsuckers," Hakan objected.
"When do you think they became allies?" Dyani arched her brow. "The Lunar Elves created a natural enemy to vampires. Of course they would ally against them." She placed her hands on her hips and gazed intently at Flora. "Now, you said she was from Earth? That would make sense timewise. A decade on Earth is a thousand years here. She had to have been a child when they sent her to Earth with this glamour. She would mature and enough time would pass by making it safe for her to eventually return to Terra."
"It doesn't make any sense. If only the Lunar Elves knew she existed, how would a portal just appear in front of her by chance? Portals to Earth are prohibited."
"They're not prohibited, who told you that?" Dyani scowled. "The Dominium uses them all the time. Other kingdoms have no reason to. We have everything we need here on Terra. Returning to the Old World will only cause issues with the supernatural being rediscovered."
"I thought..." he trailed off and glanced down at Flora. "If that portal was supposed to go to the Dominium, why did she appear here?"
"She's not human, so she may have reacted differently to the portal."
"If that portal was to the Dominium, her friend is there," his stomach twisted. "A human friend."
Dyani pursed her lips. "There's nothing that can be done then."
Hakan didn't want to be the one to tell Flora that. "That's not all," he reached over and pulled down her jacket to reveal some of the intricate tattoos on her arms. "I think she's the one the prophecy speaks of."
Dyani rolled the sleeve of the jacket down further, her eyes widening in astonishment as she murmured beneath her breath, "By the Goddess." She then slid her gaze up toward him. "Tales of lands forgotten written upon flesh. You imprinted on her, didn't you?"
His cheeks stung from embarrassment that Dyani had observed it happening.
"Then it's happening. She is the last druid."
–
Flora was trying to keep her shit together. For all that had been thrown her way, including magic, she tried to convince herself that freaking out would not be the best solution. Instead, she made an attempt to quiz Hakan about it. Hakan the werewolf. The thought of it sent a chill down her spine, the astonishment she'd felt turning around and baring her knife to see a human beside her. Well, not technically a human.
He was handsome, it was probably the first thing that she noted (why did he have to be handsome?). Maybe it was because Flora always had a soft spot for big, cuddly looking men. Hakan was definitely her type. Tall, broad, muscular and athletic - he was built like a linebacker. He had dark brooding brows over deep set brown eyes flecked with gold, reminiscent of his eyes when in wolf form. He had a straight nose, strong jawline, and full lips. Hakan wore his dark brown hair to his shoulders, pushing it back often with a massive, bearpaw of a hand. He had to be at least 6’4”. Flora was tall for a woman and she still felt dwarfed by him.
He wore leather clothing that looked similar to indigenous traditional garb she'd seen in museums, but it was more finely tailored and detailed. There were no rough edges or uneven hems. He wore black leather trousers and what she could only describe as a leather shirt. It was all discreet and lacking detail. Whereas when she met Dyani, the Healer had a draping shawl with tassels in black, white and red. Even the dresses the women wore in the village were embroidered with delicate beads, sea shells, in the same hues Dyani wore.
She felt as if she had stepped back in time, her eyes not able to track the beautifully crafted clothing, woven baskets, or spirit animals emblazoned on doors like Dyani.
Glad to hear that her ankle wasn't too bad, the magic that enamored her. It was one thing for Hakan to tell her he had been the wolf, but another to see magic firsthand. Part of her was still in denial that the portal had even happened and that this wasn't some insane fever dream. She was still holding hope out that she'd wake up.
Now if all of this was real, Flora had no idea what she was gonna do. She had already cried from the frustration of it all, swearing to herself that she had to find a way to recover Cassie - dream or not.
When Dyani began talking about glamours, she hadn't the slightest idea what that meant. You see, Flora was not a huge reader of fiction. Instead, she enjoyed true crime and nature podcasts in her spare time. While she knew of Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, she'd never really gotten into the fantasy genre. There had been a short period of time in her teenage years that she had also been sucked into the Twilight scene, but she had never read the books, only enjoyed the movies with Cassie - since it was Cassie who adored anything fantasy or sci-fi. If Cassie were here, she'd be loving all of this.
Instead, watching Dyani begin to break the glamour made her sick to her stomach. When it shattered, she blacked out.
Oh my God, it was all a dream, wasn't it?
Relief flooded her as she opened her eyes, but she didn't see the Rocky Mountains. Snow and tundra surrounded her, the sun refracting off and blinding her as she tried to gaze past the frozen desert and toward a figure in front of her.
"Quickly, Flora, unless you'd like to meet some polar bears," her guide told her.
Instead of asking what was going on, a squeaky voice answered. "Why is that bad? Polar bears are beautiful!"
"Not when they're hungry and it's been a cold summer," they told her.
It took Flora a moment to realize that the language being spoken was not English. Rather, it was a lilting, musical tongue she'd never heard the likeness of. Still, she comprehended it, despite how foreign it sounded. Flora kicked a little harder, running on top of the snow with spry footsteps. She wasn't wearing snowshoes and yet, somehow, she could run on top of the fresh blanket leaving nary a mark.
Closer and closer to a craggy mountain of ice they drew, puzzling her. "Do you remember the words?" They looked down and Flora could see brilliant blue eyes looking at her, hidden beneath dyed blue furs and leather fringed by white fox fur.
Flora lifted her hand and pressed it to the embankment. Cryptic words, similar to those Dyani had used to check her ankle, flowed from out of her mouth as she palmed the wall with a mittened hand. As she spoke, the ice began to thrum like a heartbeat, the darkest blues in the glacier glowing and pulsing as if they were alive. The ice began to answer, singing along with her words before a passageway started to reveal itself. Once it was completely open, Flora glanced up expectantly for her praise.
"Very good. Let's go inside, I feel a wind storm coming."
The pair traveled down the path, the ice closing behind them to hide the secret door. Off the tundra, the cave was surprisingly warm and with each step descending into the cavern, it grew exponentially hotter. When they were deposited at the base of the path, Flora was so hot that she was tugging her mittens off and trying to fumble with her parka. It was sweltering! Stone replaced the ice and the ground beneath their feet was dirt.
"Neatly, Flora," she was chastised as her senior also stripped down.
Standing beside her was a woman who looked very similar to Flora in her adulthood. She had glistening black hair, tanned skin, and bright blue hooded eyes. Her features were delicate and graceful. Truthfully, this person was the most beautiful person that Flora had ever laid eyes upon. She was ethereal and for a brief moment, Flora thought she was an angel. Did angels have pointed ears?
Once their clothing was bundled neatly, Flora followed her into the caves, dazzled by the plants growing from the walls. Their home was so barren, to be able to see all these tropical plants, watch bugs flit by, and step into an enormous sub-tropical dome made her jaw drop. She had heard the tales of the Druids' Refuge, but yet to be inducted.
In the center of the verdant sanctuary, a faerie circle of mushrooms sat, the elder druid seated within it. He opened his clear blue eyes, turned his head, and smiled at her warmly. "Come closer, child," he instructed, flicking his gaze right before him. "Today is a big day for you."
Flora quickly followed orders, flitting by the woman, and sitting down cross legged before the druid. He reached out and took her hands.
"Do you choose a spirit animal?"
Flora nodded eagerly.
"I will guide you this first time, but you will soon be able to unlock others. Know that the spirit animal you choose shall always be the one you are most comfortable taking, so I hope you chose wisely," the elder druid told her. He released one hand to pick up a stone bowl in which a sky blue paste sat. Dipping in his thumb, he began to draw the ceremonial induction markings on her face.
Flora closed her eyes, the elder drawing the markings from her brows to down below her eyes. He continued in swirls, marking her bare shoulders and biceps, forearms and hands, and finally the tips of her ears. When he was done, he joined his hand with hers again. He began to speak in the ancient tongue, his words rolling through her head as if he spoke within her thoughts, the marks beginning to burn into her skin like the whipping blizzard winds of the tundra.
At the height of his serenade, Flora envisioned her spirit animal.
When she opened her eyes again at the end of his incantation, she saw the elder druid smiling so wide until he couldn't contain himself any longer. He looked toward the woman who was observing from afar. "A fox? Did you put this in her head, Faun?"
Faun chuckled and shook her head. "No, Flora came up with this on her own."
Flora bounced around on all four paws, spinning in a circle to catch the edge of her tail which was dusty gray brown. She was an arctic fox in its summer coat.
What are these? Memories?
Flora had never remembered what her life was like before being found by police walking a long road in New Hampshire. They assumed she had been in some sort of accident and had amnesia, but were surprised that her memories never came back. Had Faun been her mother? Their features were so similar it was impossible to deny that they were related. Had there been a reason that Flora was never interested in fantasy? Had it subconsciously struck a chord in her?
"Flora! We're sorry-" it was Faun's voice again as Flora stood on the edge of a shimmering golden portal. "-This is the only way to keep you safe-" But she was not the only elven child standing there. Two other children like her cowered before the portal. "We love you so, so much. One day you will fully understand."
When she stepped through, Flora remembered nothing but appearing on the winding road in the Kancamagus Highway. Yet, as the memories of her childhood unfolded in front of her, Flora still didn't comprehend why she had been sent away. She was from this world. But Cassie... Cassie couldn't be!
Flora choked awake, jolting upward, staring up at a ceiling. She had been put in a bedroll. Where, she was not certain, but upon sitting up she saw a figure stir from where he had been sitting. Hakan lifted his eyes from the fireplace and glanced toward her.
"I'm..." she started, but her voice failed her, brows snaring together as she tried to rationalize all she had seen. She was from a tribe of elves who lived in the Arctic, similar to how Inuits lived. They hunted and lived off the land, but she, as a druid, had an important role to play in maintaining the refuge as it was a source of food for them as well as a place of worship. "I'm from Terra."
"The glamour was more than just an illusion," Hakan informed her, standing up to approach her. "It was also a spell that suppressed your memories and magic."
Flora glanced down at her palms, turning them over as if she'd see the paint the elder druid had marked her with all those years ago. "I can remember my childhood, but I still don't understand why I was sent away. Maybe I can find my family and ask them."
Hakan knelt down beside her. For the first time, she noticed he had a scent. He smelled of patchouli, fir, petrichor, and earth. This was not some fancy cologne. Flora realized it was a part of her sensitivities that had been sealed away with her magic. Everything around her felt so alive, even the earth beneath her seemed to hum a greeting. It was overwhelming.
She pressed a hand to her brow, trying to silence it all, but Terra was eager to greet her.
"You can't," Hakan told her gently.
"Why not?" she snapped irritably. "Don't tell me, there's some fancy rules about traveling between kingdoms?"
He shook his head. "Time here does not flow the same as Earth. For every year on Earth, about a century passes here."
Flora's mouth dried and she managed to glare at him through her headache. "So... they're dead."
But there was more than that, she could see his face was troubled. "Elves live a long time, but the Lunar Elves are extinct. War saw to that."
Suddenly, her mother's words made sense. They had sent her to Earth to protect her, knowing that they would never survive her return even if it had only been a short time later. Flora looked away from him, licking her lips as she tried to calm her pounding heart. The blood roared in her ears like a cornered bear and for the second time as of late, she felt tears burn in her eyes.
"There are others," she said hoarsely, trying not to become a quivering mess. To find out she had parents only to discover she'd arrived thousands of years too late to do anything was like being given a billion dollars, but that she couldn't spend any of it. Her heart ached longingly for the family she never knew she had, mourning their deaths with each fallen, silent tear drop. "I was not the only Lunar Elf sent through that portal."
"Others?" he murmured, quite closer to her than she would have expected for a stranger. For all the talking they had done, she still didn't know him that well.
She closed her eyes and bit back the tears again, wrapping her arms around herself. All those years growing up, being teased for having no memory, hating being around people, adoring animals to people, feeling solace in solitude... it hadn't been because she was broken. No, Flora was never destined to fit in with the humans. Even if the glamour had hid much of what she was, she innately followed her passion as a druid.
"Would you mind telling me how it happened... if you know?"
Hakan snapped out of his thoughts and looked toward her, his brows rising. He's contemplating whether to tell me or not, she realized silently. "Your people are the reason mine exist... at least in the sense of being skinchangers. There were those who took affront to the sharing of Elven magic and demanded punishment. The Court of Elves couldn't come to punishment that everyone agreed upon and so war broke out. A war that eradicated the Lunar Elves."
"Who was it? The Sylvan Elves wouldn't have betrayed us," Flora recalled, remembering when the wood elves had visited them. She was supposed to go to their lands to study the fauna when she became an adolescent.
"The High Elves allied with the Tenebris Dominium and attacked. From what Dyani knows from her books, it appears that the Unseelie fae may have also assisted them."
Unseelie... There were two courts of fae. She could vaguely remember this. Her memories had not returned in full force, but she could recall the most important bits.
Flora scoffed, shaking her head. Vampires. "Of course they did. A natural enemy to them, though that was not the intention of sharing the gift." She glanced over toward him. "My elder told me that magic is not ours to hoard." Quiet fell over them in a smothering blanket save for the crackle and pop of the fire. There was a strange tension in the air, one that Flora wallowed in and didn't know how to disperse. "I have to find Cassie. Did your pack ever get back to you?"
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
"No, nothing on a human with the features you described," Hakan told her, much to her disappointment. "You remember everything?"
"Of my childhood? Yes, but I was only 11 when I left and I had never traveled from the tundra prior to my departure," she responded, still mulling over all that had occurred. If the portal guardians were doing their jobs, they would simply find Cassie and deliver her home. "I... I won't be allowed back on Earth, will I?" she realized.
"It is unlikely," Hakan confided, pursing his lips sympathetically. "But you don't belong there anymore. You're not human."
"The majority of my life has been spent there. I had a job there-" she protested, burying her face in her hands, utterly conflicted. On one hand, she was glad to discover her childhood and to finally understand why she never fit in. Still, there was the issue of where Cassie had fallen and the fact that all of Flora's people were long dead and no bones likely remained. She wondered if the Druids' Refuge was still untouched or if it too had withered without a druid to manage it. "Is it wrong that I regret leaving it all behind? What do I have here? An ancient legacy?" Would the other Lunar Elf children in her memories appear in Terra during her lifetime? "Who gives a rat's ass? I need to find Cassie and get her home-" she threw the furs off and went to stand., throwing aside all her problems for the moment.
It slipped her mind entirely that she still had a weak ankle. She was occupied with the world-shattering memories that she wasn't even human and her childhood had been living off the land in the frozen north learning nature magic. The entire premise was absurd, but it was her current reality.
The moment she placed weight on her ankle, a shock of electricity jolted up her leg and she fell forward, undoubtedly about to land face first on the wooden floorboards until a hand caught her.
"You are the least graceful elf I have ever met," Hakan chastised, an outstretched, warm arm catching her by her midsection before she would trip and hurt more than just her ankle.
"And you're the most mild mannered werewolf I've met."
"I'm really the only werewolf you've ever met," Hakan scowled.
He helped situate her back on the floor, though his hand lingered for a considerable amount of time, as if he was reluctant to let her go. "I'm not going to roll away," she fidgeted, the unnatural heat of his skin biting through her clothes. "How long have I been out?" she pushed his arm away, sitting in the furs comfortably, reaching up to thumb a pointed ear with intrigue.
"A few days," Hakan said. "You passed out after Dyani broke the glamour. She said you've been healing well, but will need to take it easy with that ankle. Putting all your weight on it is a sure way to strain it again."
"What are you, my mother?" Flora commented tartly, meaning no malice, but Hakan was being naggy. At the mention of a mother, she instantly thought of the elf in her memories and flinched. In the past, Flora had used that turn of phrase often, but now that she recalled with who her mother was, it stung a bit. "If the Blackfoot Pack isn't aware of Cassie, we're going to have to go to the Chief Alpha to have him summon the portal guardian. If everything went per the protocol you told me, they should have brought Cassie home by now, but I need to make sure..." As terrible as it was for her to consider, a park ranger would eventually launch a search and find Cassie.
Losing not only her fiance, but her best friend would be devastating to her. Flora could think of no other solution, not unless the portal guardians allowed her to go back to Earth to make sure she got to safety and to explain the situation to her. In which case, just a few hours on Earth might result in years lost on Terra. The entire situation was a mess and she honestly didn't know where to begin to tackle it. Even if she belonged in this world, she wasn't familiar with it in the slightest. She had only lived in one place.
"We can try," Hakan promised, but from his tone of voice, he didn't sound very hopeful. "We will have to go see the Chief Alpha as it stands due to your arrival. As I told you, Lunar Elves were close to my people and your arrival has been foretold."
"My arrival?" she stressed. Great, another thing to add to her plate. All she needed was some prophecy foretelling of her arrival. There was one thing that Flora hated and it was being the center of attention. "I told you there were other kids my age that also might be cropping up."
"You're here now and that's what's important."
Flora groaned. "Don't tell me I've got to help with this tension going on about who is going to be the next Chief Alpha."
"Do you remember if any of them were druids?"
Flora contemplated hard, recalling the humanized faces of her peers. "Yes... the other girl was, but not the boy. There were three of us in total."
"Then it is decided. We will head to the Chief Alpha's residence once your ankle is fully healed and you can move well enough on your own," Hakan asserted. "Dyani had some clothes made for you. I can have a bath drafted for you too if you'd like to clean up."
Right. She hadn't showered since before leaving on her hike in the Rocky Mountains. Her hair had been in a plait, but that didn't mean her scalp wasn't greasy as a freshly fried batch of fries. Not to mention getting caught out in the rain. New clothes sounded nice too. "Where are we?"
"Dyani's spare room. I'll go fetch her now."
Anxiety blossomed immediately as Hakan got up. Through all the madness, he had been a never quavering foundation; patient and willing to explain why leaves fell from trees should she ask him. Why she felt that way was beyond her, but she assumed it had to be because he was the first person she had met upon returning to Terra and the exchange hadn't been unpleasant. Her people and the wolf packs were old allies, there was no reason for her to be nervous when he disappeared from the room.
Dyani returned in his stead, her wrinkly face creasing in amusement. "Good morning, sleeping beauty! I hear you'd like to clean up. I've brought some clothes that a local tailor made. I did my best to have her match what depictions we have of your people-" she revealed the parcel in her arms, a bundle of light blue-gray dyed leather trimmed with what appeared to be snowshoe rabbit fur instead of arctic fox.
At the sight of it, Flora leapt to her feet, forgetting the ache in her leg as she waddled over and ran her fingers over the gift. "I-" she was at a loss for words for the thoughtfulness of the old healer. "Thank you. What you have done really means a lot to me."
"Wasn't anything too complex for our girls to make. They had fun with the project for such a special guest," Dyani waved dismissively. "Now, a hot bath. I'll throw in some herbs and salts that will help with your ankle. Should be a bit stiff, but you'll be able to put some weight on it. Seems Lunar Elves heal quick too, but not as quick as us wolves."
The scene before her reminded her of the Fairy Godmother in Disney's Cinderella. With a dramatized swing of her hand, Dyani set a bump in the wall falling down. The first fold down bath that Flora had ever seen hung before her. Dyani bumped another nook on the wall and a slender wooden covered pipe joined the tub. Pulling a lever, the pipe began to put out hot water into the tub. For a place she thought had been caught back hundreds of years, there did seem to be modern amenities that Flora had not expected. Once Dyani had filled the tub and added the salts and herbs, she wagged her brows at her.
“Don’t be shy, if you need help just give a holler,” she chided, finally leaving Flora on her own.
She stood there awkwardly for a moment, disliking the solitude for the first time since she could remember. Perhaps it was this whole ordeal, getting separated from Cassie and being on her own that first night in Terra… sort of.
Cassie…
Every time she thought of her friend, she felt a stab of panic in her chest. Where was she? Was she ok? Would she be ok?
Flora turned to the bath and began to strip.
–
“Stop your pouting,” Dyani scolded as she returned to the main den where Hakan was loitering.
He didn’t want to stray too far from Flora, but was also forlorn at the situation he was in. When wolves mated, they both instantaneously knew that it was meant to be. However, Flora had no idea. While he harbored no feelings of resentment toward her, he loathed the fact that he’d had to wait so long to be placed in this hard spot. More than anything, he just wished to touch her, to hold her… among other things, but this distance he had to create was grating on his delicate patience.
“She doesn’t know,” Hakan muttered moodily.
Dyani threw him a venomous glare. “Stupid boy!” she hissed, picking up a book and lobbing it at his head. He ducked out the way with ease, but was startled the healer had done that. “That poor girl has got enough going on, she doesn’t need your puppy-dog eyes on top of it because you’re upset she doesn’t know you’re mates. It’ll come with time!”
I’ve already been waiting so long! He wanted to shout this at her, but held his tongue. He was in Dyani’s home and she had already done so much for them. While he knew that Dyani was right, he still couldn’t shake the disdain. Finally, his perfect, beautiful mate was here and he couldn’t even show her the affection he so desperately wanted and needed to.
“I’m going for a walk,” he decided gruffly. Since the glamour broke he had been tormenting himself sitting vigil beside her. His needs were simple, though primal, and he’d thought about it often when he had only his imagination to keep him company. He had to get release at this point or he might do something he regretted.
Storming out of the house, he beelined for the treeline. For once, he was glad that civilians cared little for him, paying him little heed as he tried to get away from the public’s eye. He was sprinting once he made it into the woods, trying to exhaust the need. However, it did little to sate him. Unless he planned on running the entire continent, he had too much bottled up energy.
Eventually, Hakan realized this was not the solution. Instead, he found a private area in the forest and slumped down against a fallen hemlock before letting out a low, aggravated sigh. When he closed his eyes, he saw her, raven hair glistening in the sun and eyes the most brilliant turquoise.
Mine, his wolf thought, causing Hakan to grunt in discomfort.
He stretched his legs out, palming the hardened spot against his leg. Until this point he’d had full control, winning the small battles, but losing the war overall. He had to do something to hold himself over or he’d go insane.
His mind wandered back to when she had been in nothing but smallclothes, her smooth skin taut over her muscles, the ripple of her back and calves. While she didn’t have much of a chest, she had strong legs and a nice curve beneath her waist that he could imagine grabbing and squeezing. A soft huff parted his lips and he tilted his head back against the tree. He lost himself in the idea of roaming her body, tracing the intricate paintings on her skin with his mouth, and hearing what noises she might make while he did.
Hakan’s hand had made it into his trousers when a voice made his hair stand on end in formation. It was not in his head, but echoing through the woods. “Hakan?” She had pursued him.
–
Flora had left her bath to find her companion missing. Dyani insisted she eat something, but Flora was incredibly anxious without him there. To the point where she’d only managed a few bites before her feet took her out of the hut and in search of his scent. Locating it was not difficult, as it soared about the others and was more identifiable. She still moved with a limp, but Flora wouldn’t let it slow her down. With each step, she grew more comfortable and the only pain she had was residual aching for her leg not being used for a while.
His scent grew stronger as she wove through the woods, fixated only on it, ignoring the singing of the wind, the whispers of the trees, and the chattering of the small fauna in the trees and along the forest floor. There was so much she could have been overwhelmed by, but by turning her mind to only work on seeking Hakan, she managed to keep her head. The forest was lovely. Not as moss covered as the forest she had first arrived in, but still verdant and filled with tall, primordial trees.
Her nose twitched, finding that Hakan’s scent had changed; there was a musk to it. Flora didn’t know what it meant, but she knew how it made her feel. Her skin felt clammy as if she had been basking beneath the summer sun on the beach a little too long. Her heart quickened as if she had run a marathon and she licked her lips to taste the perspiration as she continued to track him. Why the sudden change? Why did she feel weird?
“Hakan?” she called out, breathier than intended, pausing to lift her eyes and drink in the scene around her. He was definitely nearby. Fidgeting where she stood, Flora rubbed her bare arm, having only worn the sleeveless shirt of her new clothes, which fit flush to her skin and kept her comfortable. The shirt was tucked into her fitted trousers. “Hakan?” He had to hear her. She was nearly overwhelmed by the scent of him and it was making her skin crawl… not unpleasantly, but it was certainly unsettling her.
Trotting forward, she glanced around again, trying to find him. She climbed over a fallen tree trunk and was suddenly falling. Bracing for the fall, she scrunched her eyes and covered her head. The impact on the ground never came and instead, she blinked and saw Hakan above her. His expression was intense and for a brief moment, she thought he was going to shush her and say that an enemy was near.
No such thing happened.
“Why were you hiding?” she asked, voice hitching to her own dismay.
He did not say anything, his eyes boring into hers and it was then that she noticed they were completely gold, burning with flares of the sun, scorching her where she laid in the fir needles on the ground. Flora hadn’t even thought of how they were positioned until now, Hakan towering over her as she laid there confused and disoriented, still overwhelmed by the musk that was now assaulting her fully where she was positioned beneath him.
She knew those eyes. She’d seen eyes like that in bars before. Those were ‘fuck me’ eyes.
Flora was not innocent or a virgin. She’d had flings and one night stands to satiate her appetite. Nothing that had ever lasted and nor had anyone really piqued her interest enough for her to go on another date. Logic dictated that she snap out of her stupor and shove Hakan off, but she couldn’t. She was snared like a rabbit in a trap, frozen in the moment, unable to act as she floundered beneath the light of his gaze.
And then he crashed into her, mouth finding hers, and Flora melted as if she’d touched the sun.
The thought that this was sudden, uncalled for, and odd didn’t even cross her mind. Everything about it felt right, from the way his lips moved against hers hungrily and his hand fussed with her loose hair. He bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, making Flora gasp and open her mouth. His tongue took the chance and she parried him, losing the battle to gain the will to put an end to this. Her blood was singing, regaling whatever Gods existed in this realm for gracing her with this delicious man to eat.
Flora’s hands roamed against the collar of his leather shirt before sliding up along his shoulders, nails curling so that they bit crescents into the material. He grew bolder, pressing up against her, grinding his hips to hers. She let out a soft moan, muffled by the movement of his mouth on hers, lashes fluttering as she felt the hard outline of his excitement.
Both of them suddenly came to their senses.
Hakan tore away, his face contorting in rage and then shame, a hand flying to his pants as he shifted and clenched a thigh.
Flora propped herself up, cheeks aflame as she tried to feel the same shame that Hakan displayed, but found herself regretting that it hadn’t gone further. Had Hakan not pulled away, she probably would have continued.
“I am sorry, that was… disrespectful,” Hakan managed through his teeth.
A bit of silence hung between them, interrupted by the chattering of a nearby squirrel. “I didn’t dislike it,” Flora finally replied, her core throbbing with unsatiated lust. “Did Dyani put a spell on me? I feel… very strange.”
Hakan shook his head, unable to look at her. “No,” he said briskly, hesitating before mustering the courage to ask. “What did you feel?”
It was embarrassing to admit, but she had just been willing to go all the way with Hakan. Honestly, she’d done it with men she’d known for briefer times. “Entransed. The closer I got to you, the more my blood pumped and the more excited I became. I’ve never felt that way with anyone before. I’m not inexperienced by any means, but it’s almost as if my body knew what was about to happen before my mind did.”
Hakan continued to stare out into the woods.
“You were acting strangely too. Did you feel something similar?” she pressed, sitting up and scooting toward him.
“It’s different for me,” Hakan admitted slowly. “I knew it the moment your glamour was removed, just as any wolf does. Since then, I’ve had difficulty keeping myself in check. Looking at you-” he snuck a glance, but quickly averted his gaze. “-it gives me a rush, as if I’ve plunged into a frigid fjord and all I want is to…”
She didn’t need further elaboration, having just been on the receiving end of these pent up emotions. “What do you mean ‘as any wolf does’? Forgive me for my stupid questions, but I’ve been on Earth most of my life. I don’t really get how werewolves work.”
Hakan let out a long sigh. “You’re my mate.”
Suddenly, the feeling made sense. The strange discomfort she had felt when he’d left the room and the need to find him again when he had gone for his walk. Earth Flora would have died laughing at the idea of soulmates, but Flora Now was shocked into contemplative silence. A soulmate. Her soulmate. Right from when she had met Hakan, she had gotten along with him, which wasn’t very common. Flora hadn’t been as guarded as she typically was and the longer she remained in Terra, the more relaxed she felt. Everything was right for the first time in her life. The ground, the sky, the people, and the male beside her.
“I don’t forgive you,” Flora told him, watching his shoulders tighten. “There’s nothing to forgive.”
Hakan cocked his head and looked toward her from the corner of his eye. “You are just going to accept what I say? Just like that?”
“Truthfully?” Flora leaned back against the tree. “That’s not the craziest thing I’ve encountered since I’ve been here. I’ve been drowning in it all, frankly, but you’ve remained the constant reason why I haven’t. My life raft, if you will. We don’t really know each other still, but I am comfortable around you, Hakan. What are you feeling right now, at this moment?”
“I’m still upset with myself and losing control. You were upset with me picking you up without consent, now this?” he answered grumpily. “But… I am glad we are having this conversation.”
“Man, those wolf hormones must be strong to make you lose it,” Flora teased, knocking his arm playfully with her elbow. “Although, you are a good kisser, so I wouldn’t mind being surprised again.”
Hakan’s lips curved up in a smile, but he shook his head at her flirations. “Be careful what you ask for, I’m still barely holding on.”
“Mm,” Flora hummed, leaning forward so that she could prop her face up on her palm, elbow on her knee. “Somehow I doubt that,” she purred, bowing toward him even more. She could feel the heat rolling off his skin as if he were a space heater.
Hakan was quick. One moment she was tilted toward him deviously, poking fun at his predicament and then suddenly she was laying in his lap. “You’re the first thing that’s really shattered my patience,” he told her, tracing her tattoos on her arms in an attempt to distract himself.
“What were you saying the other day about rangers being special lycans? You seem like a huge sap to me,” Flora smirked.
His fingers moved from her arm, tracing up her neck and along her jawline. “Flora,” he warned in a low, husky voice that sent shivers down her spine.
“We could always pick up where we left off,” she continued.
He seemed to be considering her offer, though she was having way too much fun toying with him. Just as his fingers tightened on her, Flora slithered out of his grip and rolled in the pine needles. Grinning at his shocked expression, she arched a brow and without a peep, four paws hit the forest floor. She was nowhere near as large as a lycan, but she was bigger than the average arctic fox. Still weak from her injury, Flora pressed on as swiftly as her body would allow. She felt free, as if her paws were floating on air.
This was what had been missing all her life, the puzzle pieces finally fitting together. Until this point, she had never been able to assemble them. Letting out a yip of excitement, she spared a glance back and yelped when she noticed the dark wolf thundering toward her.
Well, I’m going to lose this race, she realized to her own chagrin, trying to pick up her pace.
Hakan overtook her, bowling into her so that they rolled around on the ground in a ball of fur.
Did you really think you could get away from me? He inquired, cornering her, a sheer cliff dropping down to the salty bay.
With my leg still slowing me down? No, but you failed to consider something, Flora tittered with the thrill of her secret.
And what’s that? He took a menacing step forward.
That I wouldn’t jump! Flora plunged off the cliff, diving down toward the crashing black waves. There was no fear of the depths, nor the icy temperature as she collided with the ocean. She had trained in waters colder than this, forced to learn how to take the skin of another animal to survive in the arctic seas, trapped beneath the ice.
The current was stronger than she had anticipated and when she willed herself to change into that animal, she found that the magic wasn’t bending to her will. Suddenly, her whimsy worked against her and unable to shift, Flora began to panic the moment her head broke the surface. Flora choked and began making an effort to swim away from the craggy cliffs and toward the beaches that were a few football fields of ocean away from her. However, so close to the cliffs, the tide was strong and threatening to smash her into the rocks.
She was fighting a losing battle. All her recovered knowledge would not save her now.
Flora had been cocky and that arrogance would very well be the death of her.
Shitty timing. Right after I find out I have a soulmate.
A wave slapped her beneath the surface and when she bobbed back to air, another rolled over her to shove her back down. She faced the sea off and was losing. Each attempt to get air was denied and she felt as if they were going to burst.
Stupid. I’m so stupid.
There was peace beneath the churning waves and chaos above. As she gazed up at the surface, which grew further and further away as she sank, there was a morbid peace she experienced as she wondered what it would be like to join the rest of her family in the afterlife. Where did elves go when they perished?
Flora never did get to find out.