Belladonna

Spencer

We were at the lake again, the one deep in the woods. We'd been going there since we were little kids. We came here for all different reasons. From hiding from our parents to sneaking our first bottles of beer out here. From playing hide-and-seek to celebrating getting our driver's licence.

We were there then to celebrate graduating high school.

I looked over to my group of friends. Lore was the only other girl in the group. She had dark skin, beautiful curly hair and the darkest brown eyes I had ever seen. Next to her was Miles, her on-and-off boyfriend. He had dark blue eyes and golden locks that reached his shoulders, and they were tossing grapes in each other’s mouths as a contest.

Doing laps in the lake was Idris, who had a black buzz cut, hazel eyes, and was the second-broadest male of our age.

The broadest was sitting next to me. Axel. Axel was the next in line to become Alpha. The firstborn of the current Alpha. He had dark brown wavy hair and topaz-blue eyes. He was the most handsome man I had ever seen. And he was my best friend.

We were all best friends, and besides Miles and Lore, we had never done anything to jeopardise our friendship. All because we knew we had a mate out there and didn’t want to make it more complicated.

We all dated around a bit, kissing and a bit of fondling, but nothing more. In our pack, it was frowned upon to have sex before you turned eighteen in case you would find your mate at your birthday celebration. There had always been teasing and flirting between the future Alpha and me, but we never acted on it.

Tomorrow was Axel’s 18th birthday. He was the first of us to turn eighteen. The next one was Lore and her twin brother, who should be arriving soon. Idris and Miles’s birthdays were in September, and mine was on Halloween. It was possible that he would find his Mate tomorrow, and if that happened—

I was pulled out of my thoughts when Axel tugged my hair. I tilted my head to look at him. He smiled softly; his blue eyes focused on me.

“Where did you drift off to?”

“Nowhere. Everywhere.”

“I know the feeling.” He said softly. We looked back at the lake where Idris was still doing laps. “Everything is going to change.”

“You’re turning eighteen tomorrow, maybe you’ll find your mate.”

“Maybe.” He twirled the pack ring on his finger.

“And soon you’ll be the Alpha.”

He snorted. “Seven years isn’t soon, Spencer.”

I chuckled. “Maybe not. But it’s at least three years of school, then your dad guiding you into the role; it will be here sooner than you think.”

“Do you think I will be a good Alpha?”

I shifted until I sat in front of him. I cupped his cheek, and my heart pounded as he leaned into it. “You will be an amazing Alpha, Axe. You are kind and fair. You know your flaws and work on them. Our people already love you.”

“Do you love me?” He asked, and it looked like he was holding his breath as he waited for an answer.

“You were my first and best friend—” I took a deep breath. “I have never loved anyone as I love you.” I leaned in and kissed the corner of his mouth. My lips lingered as his hand gripped my waist. When I pulled back, he had his eyes closed. “Don’t let power get to your head.” I chuckled, defusing the tension between us.

His eyes opened slowly, and he shook his head a little, as if clearing it. A lazy smile stretched over his handsome face.

“It will take everything in my power, but I’ll try.”

I yelped when I was suddenly tossed over a shoulder. “DEACON!” I screamed.

The last of our group had arrived; his dreads tickled my bare waist as he ran up to the lake. The others all laughed as he let us both fall into the water.

Miles, Lore and Idris had left an hour ago. Deacon was sprawled out on the other side of the firepit, snoring. I was lying down on the grass next to Axel, our feet close to the fire. He pushed himself up and leaned over me. I tore my eyes away from the star-filled sky to find his blue ones on me.

“When do you leave?”

Right, leave. We were all leaving for college, but I’d be leaving sooner than the others since I would be going to college in the UK. The others were all going to UCLA. I was going to spend my summer travelling through the UK and Europe.

“The day after tomorrow,” I sucked in a breath as his fingers played with the hem of my top. “But I’ll be back for Lore and Deacon’s celebration.”

“You will do amazing, Spence. I’m so proud of you.” His hand reached up and pushed my hair behind my ear. He sounded almost reverent when he said, “You’re beautiful.”

“Axe,” I whispered.

Because he was pushing the boundaries we had set for ourselves years ago. We had never discussed it, but it was a mutual understanding. Still, he cupped my cheek, letting his thumb slide over my bottom lip. We were both holding our breaths, our eyes fixed on each other. A few of his wavy locks fell in front of his eyes. “We shouldn’t—tomorrow...”

“Is tomorrow.” He breathed before he leaned down and kissed me.

My heart exploded as his lips found mine. Our lips moved slowly over each other, getting to know each other. We had kissed others before; we knew each other through and through, but this was unfamiliar territory. I was the one who slipped my tongue out to swipe over the seam of his lips. He granted me entrance immediately.

When our tongues met, fire coursed through me. I hooked my fingers in his belt loops and pulled him on top of me. He groaned as his body covered mine. His chest was bare from our day in the sun, and my hands roamed over his hard, tanned abs, to the plane of his back and back to the front. One of his hands was tangled in my hair, the other skimmed over my ribs, just under my breast.

I arched into him, and he growled in my mouth.

We both pulled back, looking at each other wide-eyed. It was probably close to midnight. A wolf form would come on the person's 18th birthday.

That’s why he needed to be home by twelve because Axel would turn eighteen in an hour or so.

“Axe, we should head back.” I panted.

Axel was breathing heavily above me; his eyes didn’t leave mine. “Not yet.” He whispered.

I knew what he meant. Tomorrow everything would change, even if he didn’t find his mate. I would be gone the next morning. And that moment, right then and there, it would probably be our only chance. So, I reached up and kissed him again. He growled again, now in relief, before he flipped us over and I was straddling him.

Axel

After kicking Deacon awake, we hopped on the quads and headed back to the manor before midnight. I couldn’t help but look at Spencer from the corner of my eye. Her dark blond hair was whipping in the wind. Her deep ocean-blue eyes, which I’d been drowning in for years, were lifted to the moon, assessing the time we had left. Which wasn’t much, twenty minutes max.

That kiss had burned me from the inside out. It had filled my head with an echo that said: more, more, more.

I’d wanted to do that for the past three years. I’d been in love with her for the past two. But we never crossed that line. I was a future Alpha, and we couldn’t have our hearts broken if we were mated with someone else. I might be the only one who didn’t want to find their mate when they turned eighteen. Not because I wasn’t ready, but because if I found one tomorrow, it wouldn’t be Spencer. Because she was still seventeen.

And I wanted it to be her; the wolf that was waiting on the surface wanted it to be her; that much was obvious. That gave me hope; that gave me the hope that she would be it, my mate, my one.

I loved and hated the fact that she was leaving. I was so proud of her for getting into Oxford, and for pursuing her dreams. But I hated that I wouldn’t be seeing her much for the next three years or maybe even longer. At least I got to kiss her just once.

When we came to the crossroads, Deacon shouted his goodbye and veered off to his house.

A few minutes later, we were standing in front of my house. I knew I should head inside, but I couldn’t help but look her over. She was wearing shorts, leaving her long legs bare. The swell of her breasts was showing just above her black tank top. She was barefoot and poked one of her toes in the gravel of the driveway.

I wanted to kiss her again so badly, but then she reached up and kissed the corner of my mouth like she had done earlier today when she told me she loved me. Even that had made my heart go crazy in my chest.

“Good luck, Axe. I can’t wait to see your wolf.”

The wolf that was waiting on the surface growled a little in response, shocking me for the second time that night. Her eyes sparkled at hearing it; she smiled up at me.

“I’ll see you tomorrow night. I’ll be the one in blue.”

I chuckled a little. Before I could respond or do anything else, she squeezed my hand and walked away towards her house, which was on the opposite side of mine.

My father was nervously pacing when I came in. He muttered something about bloody teenagers before he dragged me to the closed-off garden. Closed-off woods was more like it.

My stepmom was nowhere in sight, probably upstairs with my little brother. My mom had been my father’s mate. She was a few months older than him, so the day he turned eighteen, they found each other instantly. She died ten years ago.

We still didn’t know what happened. One day she was there, the next she was gone. My father almost broke down into a million pieces after her death. He only started seeing Eveline last year. She had never mated.

“Good luck, son.” He squeezed my shoulders.

I smiled at him before he walked inside and locked the door. Just in time, because my bones started to crack and break. I screamed in agony and pain.

The first time was always the worst, but after that, it got easier and less painful with each shift. My knees buckled, and I fell onto my hands and knees, claws shooting out of my hands before they turned into black, furry paws. I screamed the entire time, with each crack and break. We'd been told, we'd been warned, but nothing could have prepared me for the agonising pain of a first shift.

Then suddenly a soothing scent filled my werewolf nose.

“Breathe through it, Axe.” Spencer’s soothing voice was close to my ear. “I’m here.” She stroked my hair.

I stopped screaming and focused on my breathing, on her hand that caressed my hair. On her body close to mine.

My body continued cracking and changing, but with Spencer by my side, I knew I could handle anything.

When the shift was complete, she was still stroking my hair—my fur now. I glared at her. She knew how dangerous a first shift could be, how uncontrolled a newborn wolf could be. Even though my wolf was calm, accepting her presence without hesitation, she couldn’t have known that. I didn’t know that.

That crazy, insane woman chuckled dryly; her eyes were filled with tears. “I heard you scream.” Her voice shook. “I couldn’t—I couldn’t let you go through it alone. I needed to be here with you.”

I looked at her; she was still in the same clothes as earlier, still barefoot. I wondered if she ever even went inside her house. She was kneeling next to me. Her eyes roamed over my wolf form.

“You’re beautiful.” She breathed. “Are you okay?” I nudged my head against her hand. “What’s your name?”

Astrix. The wolf said in my head.

Her eyes flicked across my head, a beautiful smile on her lips. “Come on.” She stood up. She nudged her head to the pond. “Let’s go look at your wolf.”

I followed her to the pond. Spencer wasn’t little; she was 5′7, but my wolf was so big that my shoulders reached hers. We stopped in front of the pond, and I looked down.

My wolf had black fur. Black as night, apart from two snow-white stripes that ran from my neck to halfway down my stomach.

“Beautiful.” She repeated in a near whisper, her eyes on my reflection in the water. My wolf, Astrix, made a noise almost like a purr. She chuckled. “Go on, go stretch your legs.”

Astrix whined.

“I’ll be here.” She smiled.

Astrix cocked his head at her for a moment before he leapt through the woods. He ran, and he ran, but he always looked back to see if she was still there. She was. She had made herself comfortable against a tree, watching him. He ran, jumped, and did everything and let his wolf out. As if Astrix was showing off for her.

But it didn’t take long before he walked back to her. She had fallen asleep. She was curled up in a ball, her head in one hand.

He nuzzled his nose against her neck; her eyes flickered open a little. He knew, Astrix probably did too, that she wasn’t leaving. So, he lay down and curled himself around her. She turned and nuzzled her face in his fur. They fell asleep in seconds.

“Are you mentally insane?!” Eveline’s voice screamed.

I opened my eyes slowly; my father and stepmother were standing in the garden doorway, looking at me. At Astrix, but mostly at the girl who had woken up from her scream.

I quickly changed back, screaming again at the pain. Spencer started stroking my back as I shifted.

“Breathe, Axel.” She murmured.

Since I didn’t have control over my shift, I had torn my clothes into pieces, so when I changed back, I was completely naked.

Apparently, Spencer came prepared and draped a blanket over my bare shoulders. We were sitting knee to knee; I tilted my head to look at her.

“Happy birthday.”

I laughed softly and leaned my head against hers. “Thank you.”

She cupped my cheek. “Anything for you, you know that.”

“I do.” I kissed her cheek. “His name is Astrix,” I whispered in her ear. “And he seems to like you.”

She smiled. “I figured as much. I like him too.”

Spencer. Astrix purred in my head.

“This is unheard of!” Eveline started again, making us pull apart and look at them.

I stood, clutching the blanket around me while my other hand helped Spencer up.

“Do you know how dangerous this was? He could’ve attacked you!”

“Eveline.” His father said softly. “Nothing happened. I was watching the whole transformation.” His eyes went thoughtfully over Spencer. “She made it easier for him, and his wolf likes her. She was never in danger. Otherwise, I would have stepped in.” He said in an authoritative voice.

Eveline was never a fan of Spencer. I never understood why. My father and brother loved her. Everyone loved her except my stepmom. Her eyes were blazing before she stormed into the house. My father sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

“Spencer, dear.” He smiled. “You had a long night, just like Axel. Go home and get some rest for tonight.”

She nodded and went to walk away. She was halted as I was still holding her hand. She looked down at it in surprise; her eyes went up to mine. She squeezed it before letting go. I watched as she climbed back out of the hole she had slipped into, and then she was gone.

My father was watching me intently as I came closer.

“I’m going to get some sleep,” I said before heading inside.

I could feel his stare until I disappeared up the stairs. But I didn’t sleep, and I knew Spencer would be awake too. We had slept most of the night. Which was something unusual. Most of the time, new wolves were restless and would be roaming and running all night, but not Astrix.

He and I just wanted to curl up next to Spencer. I was sure she was my mate; I just needed to wait four months until her eighteenth birthday, and then she would officially be mine.