2.
I sat on a nearby log, Quin’s t-shirt hanging loosely around me. Ash paced in front of me mumbling to himself.
It had been about fifteen minutes since my shift; all the while Ash hadn’t spoken a word.
“Ash? Are you going to talk or pace?” I snapped
He came to a standstill and just stared at me. I swear it was like he was seeing me for the first time or something.
“Raqi I have to ask you a few questions…” he whispered. If I hadn’t been a werewolf I never would have heard him.
I waited, wondering what he wanted to know.
“When was your first change?” he asked sitting down.
I mulled it over in my head, trying to remember.
“ummm I was twelve. Why?” I said finally
He looked away from my searching gaze and sighed.
“Because you’re a full blood…” he whispered, getting hastily to his feet. “No turned were is that big in wolf form.”
I stared at him, my eyes wide. Me a pureblood? No it wasn’t possible. I was bit.
“wh…what? I’m not a pureblood Ash I was bit... you cured the infection when Quin brought me here!”
Ash looked at me like he already knew this “I cured an infection from a were bite yes…but there is a possibility that you were already were before the attack….Raqi you’re a full blood. There’s no doubt in my mind”




I stared at him, not knowing what to say.
What did all this mean for me? Was it really that important?
“So you’re saying I’m a pure blood? Why is that so important?” I asked repositioning Quins shirt.
Ash’s eyes gleamed pure gold, the power in his stare almost had me looking away, I wasn’t the dominate one here but we were lone wolves.
“Yes Raqi you’re a pure blood, and I’d say it’s very important. You’re going to have to look out for other males…there aren’t a lot of female werewolves nowadays and one that’s a pure blood is ever rarer.”
“I’m not following...”
What? I felt so lost…
Ash sighed and moved to sit next to me; he was silent for a long time.
“Ok i'll be blunt, there are going to be a lot of males around here when you go into heat. You’re rare, which means your kids are going to be rare. If I’d known you were a pure blood id have been able to shield you from others, but you’re already into your heat cycle…..”He trailed off
I just sat there staring at him like he was an alien. Oh god, what am I going to do? What would happen because of me?
There was one question I needed answered “How long until others show?”
Surprising both of us he took my hands in his. His hands were calloused and warm…safe. I stared at our clasped hands, to afraid to look at him.
“Raqi I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.” He whispered
That made me look at him, Ash never made promises. His face was somber, almost like he realized something. His eyes no longer their lethal gold, shone green.
“What do I do?” I asked
As if knowing my meaning he pulled me to him, holding me close against his side. His chin rested on top of my head, while his arms wrapped like steel around me. I found myself with my had on his chest and my arms around his torso.
“We need to get you out of the town; it will be the first place they look.”
“What about school? People will notice if I’m not there...we still have to keep up appearances…” I whispered
“We’ll tell the main office you’re going to visit family out of state. It will give you an excuse and mean while we can hide you out here. There is a lot of forest out here Raqi I can easily hide you.”
“Its Raquel…Quin only calls me Raqi cuz he can’t say Raquel right… I hate Raqi” I whispered
“Raquel? I like that a lot better that Raqi...” I could all but hear the smile in his voice. “I have a cabin, well another cabin out there, we can go there until your safe…”
“We?”
Did he really just say we? Everything is happening so weirdly…
“You and me. Quin is going to stay here and act like nothing’s wrong.”
A voice came from behind us “well will you looky here! Ash and Raqi getting along? More than getting along if my eyes aren’t deceiving me”
Quin.
Ash growled low in his chest when I pulled away to look back at Quin. I looked back at Ash, questions I had no answers for written on my face.


We left Ash’s and were on our way back to town... only to grab my stuff…Quin had agreed to drive me to Ash’s other cabin.
“What’s your take on all this?” I asked, breaking the silence.
Quin looked at me a wry smile on his face “I think it’s about time I get to say I TOLD YA SO!”
I giggled and punched his arm”brat! But seriously what do you think of all of it?”
Quin who always spoke his mind became utterly silent. I had to wait a full tem minutes before he spoke.
“I think Ash likes you…i've always thought that. It’s why he picks on you. Today when you shifted he was utterly shocked. If I’d known you were a pure blood I could have helped, but it’s too late now. Ash made you a promise, and you know he doesn’t make those unless he intends to keep them” he paused looking over at me “the big question is…do you like him?”
I thought about that question long and hard. Ash had always resented me because I was turned. Then again he didn’t know I was a pure blood… even I didn’t know. He always had to make jokes. Was that the kind of guy I wanted? I had to admit I liked him. Not to mention he was completely gorgeous. Medium Amber hair, green eyes, and a rock hard body. I’d liked him since the day I woke up on a cot in his cabin, bandaged and bruised. Back then he’d been nice, until I was healthy that is...that’s when he started shutting down. I missed the guy who’d babied me and took care of me. Could he become that guy again? And when?
Quin cleared his throat bring me back from my thoughts. We were at my apartment, before I got out I whispered “Honestly Quin I don’t know...”
He nodded as I shut the door and raced inside.


The inside of my tiny apartment was blue. I hated it, reminded me of home. I ran into the bathroom and threw my toothbrush and shampoo and anything else I’d need into my purse. I ran into my bed room and pulled my travel bag out from under my bed. I pulled out clothes for a week, hoping it would be enough. When I was done I looked around in case I was missing anything. I wasn’t.
I ran back outside my bags in tow, and jumped back into Quin’s truck.
“Let’s go… ill call the school from your cell and act like my mom.” I said holing my hand out for his phone.
He handed it over but warned me to *69 it.
I dialed in the schools number and cleared my throat. The receptionist answered on the third ring.
“Mountain City High this is Jeena how may I help you?”
“Hi Jeena this is Grace Lakely, my daughter Raquel lakely will be out of town for a family reunion. I’d appreciate it if you could tell her teachers. Thanks you, have a good day.” I said acting my my mother.
“You to Mrs. Lakely, ill let her teachers know” Jeena said.
I hung up and handed the phone to Quin.
“To easy...” I chuckled. My mom and I hadn’t talked in years…since I ran away with Quin when I was bit.

3.
The drive felt like it took forever but judging by the time on the radio it had taken a little over an hour to get to our destination.
We pulled into a rest stop near The Wild Horse Reservoir, Ash’s Jeep was already parked in the parking lot. Quin pulled into the spot next to it and turned the engine off.
Before I could get my seatbelt off my door opened, there stood Ash. He was in his usual only this time he had on a jean jacket.
“You get everything you need?” he asked helping me out of the truck.
“yeah I think so..”
I walked around to the back of the truck and pulled my bags out, they were almost buried in all of Quin’s stuff. Ash surprising me ,yet again, took them and put them into the back seat of his Jeep.
I hugged Quin goodbye, wrinkling my nose a little “You stink leech”
Detaching myself from him I smiled.
“Ill miss you to Raqi” he said hopping back into his truck and pulling away. I watched him go, my heart squeezing itself.
Ash came up behind me and touched my shoulder “you ready?” he asked
At my subtle nod he led me to the passenger side of his jeep. When he tried to help me in I glared him down.
“Ash im not a fragile flower, im a were and id like to be treated like it.” I said shutting the door and pulling my seatbelt on.
He just smiled and got in, revving the engine he pulled out of the parking lot. He didn’t even bother with his seatbelt.
Once we were on the road, I started to relax.

Twenty minuets went by and I started to fall asleep when Ash made a sudden left turn that had me scrambling to sit up.
“what in the….” I said looking around at nothing but a tiny dirt road and trees.
I looked over at Ash but his face gave nothing away. His eyes held little gold sparks. I rolled down the window and let the wind rush by, catching the faint smell of Ash, and a lynx with its kill. Smiling I looked back at Ash.
He looked at me and a tiny smile crossed his all to serious face.
I sighed and poked his arm “loosen up! Please….”
Poking me back he made anoher turn and I could faintly make out the top of a cabin through the trees.
“that it?” I asked when it came into view… it was a nice cabin. Better than the one in Mountainside.
“yep this is it. “
He pulled into the concrete drive way and turned the engine off. We sat there for a few minuets. Finally I got out grabbing my bags and started walking around the front of the Jeep. But he just sat there looking at me.
“Ash come on don’t go all weird on me now… I can’t deal with weird. Not after all this…. Please!” I begged coming around to his door and opening it.
He got out and took my bags yet again then started off towards the door, with me hot on his heels.
While Ash dug in his pockets for the keys I looked at my surroundings. Trees mostly covered the land, but there were to trails, leading in opposite directions. I stared to wonder were they led when Ash pulled me from my thoughts as the creek of a door slid open.
He let me go in first and I had to catch my breath, it was beautiful. The interior was amazing, red oak wood floors, persain rugs, comfy couches, even a fireplace in the corner. I looked around thrn back to Ash who was standing in the doorway watching me a tiny smile on his face.
Locking eyes with him was like second nature….most the time I avoided meeting his gaze with the wolf so close, but as if the news of what I was had changed everything I could meet his stare completely and not flinch.
Shutting the door with his foot he walked over to me and took a look around as if he hadn’t been here in awhile.
“Beautiful huh?” he asked in a hushed voice.
I laughed softly taking it all in yet again, “its amazing”
He started down the hall and I scrambled to catch up. He pointed out the Kitchen and its granite countertops, the downstairs bathroom with a Jacuzzi , then the upstair.
We stopped at a door right down the hall from the mast bedroom and he smiled “And this is your room” he said opening the door.
I stepped inside and froze. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. Grey walls with black paw prints, an Ivory queen sized bed. I walked in and flopped down on the bed as if I were dreaming and giggled.
Looking over at Ash I smiled “this is a dream, it has to be…” I whispered
He shook his head and came to sit next to me on the bed, his eyes searching mine, as if they held hints of my future. I closed my eyes and laid back on the black sheets and smiled, it was then I felt his fingers brush through my hair.
I opened my eyes and looked up at him, and for a second I read an emotion I’d never seen on him.

To soon he looked away and the emotion I had seen was gone, leaving me pusled and completely confused. He stood up and without looking at me walked out his word floating to me
“I’ll bring in the stuff”
Sighing I put my bag on the little in the corner and went to to kitchen, wondering if maybe we had food. I was famished. Opening the fridge turned out to be fully stock, with most of my favorite foods. I smiled and grabbed a Mountain Dew and a handful of grapes.
“you know you always eat grapes.” Ash’s voice had startled me, I hadn’t heard him come in.
Sitting in one of the bar stools I poped open the cap on my Mountain Dew and took a sip. “I like grapes ok. They are good, and simple.”
He dropped the box onto the counter and stole a drink of my soda, “yeah I guess, but they taste funny to me” he said.
Chuckling I stole my soda back and downed it. Then ate my grapes looking around the giant place again and again. My eyes drifted over Ash and caught him looking at me out the corner of his eye, when he noticed I saw him he looked away.
“Ash is there something you want to tell me? Because your being weirder than usual”
He looked at me then heat burning in his eyes, “no” was all he said before he got up and walked away again. Leaving me alone once again to ponder my thoughts. Why had he looked so frustrated and torn? Why had eh cme with me? What was his purpose in saving me? Gah to many thoughts!!!!! And to many un answered questions. And the only person with the answers wouldn’t tell me. Well this is just dandy!
I kept looking at the door Ash had disappeared behind and sighed. I wish I knew what he was thinking, why he was doing this. Why he was being nice… why I felt such a strong pull to him now. I hated this man… a lot, all he’d ever done was bully me around, and now he looked at me as if I was a prized bone. It made no sense to me. And I knew, I knew it was making him think harder and harder about everything that was going on around him. I just wish he would open up and tell me. But for now he was going to stay quiet and id let him.





4.
After exploring the house further it seemed more homey than it had this morning. It had a magnificent view of the forest, and the interior was well in simple words beautiful. I was surprised to find a computer with internet, and a tv with cable and internet. I surfed the web for information on my father, seeing as he was the only one who could tell me why I was told I was a submissive turned wolf, when… I wasn’t at all. I was a pure blood.
After hours of scouring places I thought he would be I came up empty handed and had the strangest feeling of eyes watching me. Swiveling in the computer chair I saw nothing, no one was there. I could clearly hear Ash’s breathing from down the hall. So it wasn’t him.
I got up and went into the glass room, my new name for the parlor, all the walls were made of glass. I looked into the forest hoping to find my spy when I heard a crash at the other end of the house. Turning on my heels I ran after the sound, when I reached the doorway to the kitchen I could hear heavy breathing and nails clicking on the hard wood floor. A hand covered my mouth from behind and my instincts took over I twisted and saw it was Ash . He put a finger to his lips in signal to stay quiet and let go of me to peek into the kitchen.
Letting my senses flood my mind I knew without a doubt there were two wolves in that kitchen, both make, both pureblooded. Their smell was odd, nothing like mine, or Ash’s. One smelled of Pine and fish, the other of sand and bad water. I looked at Ash and his eyes shrown gold. My breath caught in my throat and I swear he looked almost feral.
Before I could catch my breath he grabbed me by my waist and ran me out of the house, I’d never seen him move as fast as I knew he was running. I looked over his shoulder to see the wolves in hot pursuit.
“ash they’re coming!” I shrieked in his ear.
His voice was so much a growl I had to strain my ears to hear him “I know.”
When we reached a clearing he set me down and shifted so fast I was left on my butt in the mud a very angry werewolf crouch defensively in front of me.


The wolves, were smaller than Ash but not by much. Their fur os sandy brown and red, stood out among the forest. Ash snarled and they stoped, and stared from Ash to me then back to the supposed threat. The foreign males looked at Ash again and the larger of the two charged him.
Without hesitation Ash responded and they moved in a blur of motion. Before my eyes could adjust Ash had the other wolf pinned to the ground. The wolf that had stayed back whinned and came over to them, his head low in submission. Ash stared them down as he got off the red wolf and trotted backwards to me. Threading my fingers in his fur I crouched down next to him and whispered so low only he could hear “are you alright?” I asked.
He looked at me then, taking his gaze away from the others, and winked one of his gold eyes and butted his head against mine.
“ow” I chuckled rubbing my head. “you have a hard head” I giggled.
Ash smiled and looked back at the wolves, and gave the ear flick for shift. The males looked confused so I said
“SHIFT” letting Ash’s power run with my words. When the word stopped at them I had three sets of eyes starin gat me. Ash’s looking puzzled and please, the wolves just puzzled. Ash was the first to start the change back to human, and I gave him space, knowing touching him during this would hurt more than the actual change.

Twenty minuets later a panting Ash looked up at me, and for some odd reason smiled.
“why are you so smiley? Yu were just challenged by two unknown wolve!” I said going over to him.
Chuckling he got to his feet, completely naked, and looked at the wolves who had also completed the change.
“you used my pwer… only mates do that Raquel.” He said starring at the males/
I stood there frozen, because I hadn’t known this and now I was left with more questions… some only I could answer.
The sandy male was the first to break silence “who are you and why are you guarding a female who is unmated?” he asked.
Ash didn’t budge but answered anyways “ I am Ash’antah Cupoli and she is a friend. Now who are you to break into my house? What pack are you from?”
The same wolf answered back, obviously the dominate of the two “I am Kay and this is Seth. He is of no pack and I am alpha of the Clear Bridge Pack. We had heard rumors of a femal in heat near us and decided to check it out.” His eyes settled on me, the power in them making me lean into Ash’s arm, “they didn’t lie for once”
Ash slipped his arm around my waist and stared at the alpha “no they did not lie. Though as you can see she is mine.”
The wolf laughed “she does not smell of you boy, there for she is free to choose.”
All three looked at me again “wh-what?”
Ash looked in my eyes and they spoke to me.
“choose me or a foreign male Raquel” was all he said and looked back at the males.
I stared at him and then the males “That is an easy question to answer. I choose Ash” my own words shocked me but I could feel that it had shocked ash too. His arm around my waist seemed to tighten slightly and a small smirk started to quirk his lips.
I wrapped my arm around his waist looking at the males.
“so you two can leave and go back to were your from” Ash said.
They stared at eachother and the alpha broke the glance first and nodded “we are leaving, and we will spread the truth of the rumor. I hope for forgivness for our being blunt.” He said and they both shifted back to wolf.
With one last glance at us they took off. And I was left standing in a clearin with Ash, a man I had just said was my mate.
Ash looked down at me then and brushed the hair from my face “you don’t have to mean what you said Raquel. I will not force you to mate me.” He said and let go of me.
Leaving me standing oddly cold and alone. “and if I did mean it?” I ask to his back.
He stopped dead in his tracks obviously thinking hard. His shoulders tightened and the muscles moved as he turned back to face me. “did you mean it?” he asked looking me in the eyes, his holding sparks of gold, as if he was about to loose control of the beast.