Chapter 12 - Winter

Fear gripped Winter like a vice. How she had gotten here, she had no idea.

The last she remembered, she had been sitting at the dining table in the apartment above the shop, and the next thing she knew, she was running through the woods.

More than that, she was being chased through the woods. What was chasing her, she had no idea. At least, not at first. But the terror inside her told her she couldn't let herself be caught.

If they caught her, she was dead. That much she knew without a single doubt in her mind.

The shadows behind her were fast, animalistic, snarling and growling as they snapped at her heels with strong jaws that dripped with saliva.

In the darkness of the woods, she saw their eyes glow, red and menacing, filled with hatred and the desire to tear her apart.

Every time she dared to glance over her shoulder, they were a little nearer. If she didn't keep up her pace, they would be on her for sure.

In the back of her mind, she knew this had to be a dream, and yet it didn't matter. All that mattered was the fact she couldn't breathe past the lump in her throat, and she had to stay out of the clutches of who or what was after her.

There might have been only one or two of them or even a hundred. She couldn't be sure. But she knew that whatever pain they meant for her to feel, she would feel as if it were physical. She knew her mind would be scarred the moment she awoke from such a horrendous dream.

Being torn to shreds by animals was not the kind of thing your mind simply got up and walked away from. Every dream had meaning, she was certain of that, but what this one meant she had no clue.

She could worry about that once she was awake. There was just one problem; she couldn't seem to wake herself, no matter how hard she begged and pleaded her mind to let her just sit up and open her eyes.

The animals—no, the wolves—chasing her weren't the only things that seemed to want to get her in this godforsaken dream world. The roots of the trees all around her seemed to move like snakes, trying to trip her with every step, snapping at her with whipping force like predators.

The sky above her head, barely seen through the canopy of jet-black leaves, grew darker and darker, making it increasingly difficult to see. And just when she was close to giving up, one of those striking roots caught her in the shin, sending her headlong into a pile of dead leaves.

The pain that lanced through her forearms as she threw her hands out to brace herself was excruciating, but she knew it was nothing compared to what she would feel once those wolves were on top of her. And so she instantly tried to regain her footing, scrambling through the dead leaves and mud in a frantic and vain attempt to save herself once more.

The panic truly setting in, Winter scrambled, fell and scrambled again, feeling the wolves growing closer with every breath.

“No! No! Please!” she screamed as she felt one of them coming down on top of her.

Then, just when she thought it was all over, a flash of golden fur caught her eye.

For one horrified moment, she thought that maybe one of the attacking wolves had managed to come around from the front, cornering her in on all sides.

Then, the sounds of snarling began, and no pain came.

Crouched in the mud and leaf mulch, Winter watched in disbelief as a huge golden wolf began to attack the others. He lunged at the neck of one, biting down hard enough to kill it instantly before turning on another.

Winter watched in open-mouthed astonishment as he bit, clawed and tore at one after the other, fighting them off with practiced ease.

Her savior was a glorious beast. His muscles rippled beneath a silky golden pelt, and when she caught a glimpse of those eyes, there was no doubt in her mind of who he was.

Shock thrilled through her as she exclaimed, “Eddie! Look out. Behind you!”

The golden wolf, hearing his name, whipped around just in time to counterattack the wolf that had tried to creep up from behind.

Winter watched as Eddie's wolf dispatched him easily.

And as one after another fell, bodies piling up all around Eddie, the woods grew silent. Not even the sound of insects could be heard over the rhythmic drumming of Winter's heart.

Her mind reeled. How had she come up with something so damn imaginative? Why was her imagination determined to frighten the living daylights out of her?

No answer came to her, but once her attackers were down, Eddie did.

He turned, panting, and slowly approached. His head low, he offered her his snout, his golden gaze meeting hers with a clarity that made Winter's heart skip a beat.

There was nothing to say between them, nothing Winter would understand if he did try to communicate, and yet, it felt as if it wasn’t needed.

Lifting her trembling hand, Winter placed her palm beneath Eddie's chin and whispered, “Thank you.”

It was at that moment that the air around Eddie began to shift. She could visibly see it, almost as if his body were growing hot, letting off steam as his being began to change shape.

Heart hammering in her chest, all Winter could do was watch as the wolf changed into a golden-haired, ripple-muscled man. He crouched, naked, in the leaves before her, his head bowed low as Winter's hand dropped back to her side.

Still open-mouthed, never having seen a wolf shift before, she struggled to swallow past her surprise.

When Eddie raised his head to look at her, the emotion in his eyes caught Winter off guard.

“You don't need to worry, Winter,” he told her firmly, his gaze glowing with determination. “So long as I am by your side, no harm shall come to you.”

Winter opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, she was suddenly plunged into darkness.

It lasted only a second before she sat bolt upright at the dining room table. Her forehead ached. She guessed that was where it had rested on the surface of the table when she had fallen asleep. Her half-drunk coffee was cool in its mug next to her.

How long she had been asleep, she didn't know, but suddenly she wanted to sleep again. She hadn't wanted that dream to end, not yet.

It had started out as a terrible nightmare, but by the end of it, she had felt safe and content. She felt it still now, a swelling of happiness in her chest that she had never experienced before.

But as it subsided along with the memory of her dream, it was replaced by anger.

How could she possibly be feeling this way when Eddie had made it abundantly clear that the only reason he was going through with this mating ritual was for the benefit of the town and his pack?

How could she possibly be falling—if that was what this was—for a man who clearly did not reciprocate any feelings for her?

It was one thing to be mated to a man she had no feelings for, but it was quite another to be mated to a man she had fallen for if he did not feel the same way about her.

Bile rose in her throat. She was setting herself up for a lonely life indeed.

Mated to a werewolf, she would most likely lose access to her coven. She would be surrounded by other werewolves day in and day out, werewolves who likely despised witches as much as witches despised them.

Winter closed her eyes and placed her head in her hands. Was it too much to hope for that there might actually be something between them? Something more than just protecting the town?

Anger flared inside her again and she slammed her fist down on the table.

“Damn it!” she cursed. She had to get a grip on her emotions. None of this was about her. This was about protecting the town and those she cared about. She could worry about herself later.

And yet, the question wouldn't leave her. What if there really is more between us?

She wasn't sure whether that offered her relief or sheer terror. Could she really be falling for a goddamn werewolf?