That made sense.
When we turned the corner of the house, I couldn’t believe what I saw. Their backyard was angled so none of the other pack members could see it, and there were beautiful flowers that surrounded the backyard. A tall man stood in the center, and his eyes were locked on me. “I can see fate has done you well, boy. She is a vision.” He nodded his head at me.’
Raw power much like Mason’s poured from him. He was maybe an inch shorter than Mason, but he was built strong and sturdy. It was easy to tell that he was born to be an alpha.
My wolf growled at his presence. “Thank you.”
“Thank you for doing this.” Mason nodded at his dad as he nudged me forward. “This means the world to me.”
“She’s your mate, so that makes her my daughter.” He lifted his hand and waved me forward. “Please come. My son has told me of your great struggles.”
“Yeah, it’s my wolf.” I wasn’t sure what to say.
“The best thing you can do is allow him to challenge you in a stare and force yourself to lose.” Mason followed beside me as I made my way to his dad.
“Force? You make it sound like she’s stronger than me.” His dad shook his head and grinned.
“Nah, of course I’m not.” The last thing I wanted was for his dad to be more suspicious.
“Then, let’s do this.” He squared himself in front of me and stared right into my eyes.
I held his gaze for a moment, but when I tried to avert my eyes, it was as if I couldn’t. I kept his gaze.
“Elena, you need to stop if you want this to work.” Mason’s voice had an edge of warning to it.
He was right, but damn it, I couldn’t look away.
Sweat broke out on his father’s forehead. “You are incredibly strong.”
Mason took my hand and squeezed.
My wolf growled, ready to dominate. I wasn’t sure what to do. Do you want to be with your mate?
The wolf paused as she seemed to look at me. Are you talking to me? Its voice was filled with rage and hate.
Yes, if you want to be with your mate, we have to back down to this man. Otherwise, my uncle will find us and kill us just like he did my parents. I had to be damn crazy to be talking to my own wolf. It couldn’t be natural.
Fine, but only for him, and I can’t promise how long I can be submissive. A growl rang in her words. But for now, I will.
She pulled back some, and my eyes finally diverted to the ground.
Mason blew out a breath and chuckled. “You scared me there for a minute.”
Before I could say anything, my wolf sprang forward, catching me off guard. I fell to the ground as my body began to snap and break in ways that it never had before.
“Elena.” Mason cried, but his dad rushed forward and blocked him.
“You weren’t kidding when you said she’d never shifted.” His dad’s brown eyes widened as he watched me.
“Did you think I was lying?” Mason jerked, trying to get around his father, but he wasn’t able.
“Well, no.” He kept a strong grip on Mason, but he still had his eyes locked on my crumpled body. “But for some reason, I wasn’t expecting that.”
Auburn fur sprouted along my arms, and my body broke in half, making me stand on all fours. It wasn’t necessarily pain I felt running through my body, but it sure didn’t feel good either. It oddly reminded me of the one time I received a deep tissue massage. The masseuse’s fingers dug into my body, but it somehow gave me a high.
Before long, my vision became more precise. It was as if I was wearing contacts or something. Mason’s earthy scent surrounded me, and I let out a loud howl.
“Hey, it’s okay.” Mason’s soothing voice calmed me. It had always felt like my wolf and I were two separate beings. Hell, I’d just talked to it. But now that she was free, our minds converged into one.
The back door slammed shut, and Ella came running outside. “Who the hell is that?”
Her tone caused a growl to escape me.
“Ella, calm down.” Her father lifted a hand toward her. “This is the first time she’s turned, so you’ve got to let her adjust.”
“But who is it?” Her eyes locked on mine, and l lifted my head, daring her to challenge me. It was hard enough standing down to Mason’s dad. There was no way in hell that I’d be able to do that to anyone else.
“It’s Elena.” Mason took a few steps closer to me, approaching cautiously as though he was a little afraid. “It’s okay.”
I whimpered. Why would he be scared of me? He was my mate.
“Dammit, you’re hurting her feelings.” Ella ignored both her dad and Mason and walked directly up to me. She reached out her hand and patted my head. “Hey, I wasn’t expecting you to be a wol…” Her hand stilled on my head, and she pivoted toward her brother. “You selfish asshole. You bit her.”
“What?” Mason startled and shook his head. “No, no I didn’t.”
“Then how is this her first time?” Pure rage made her hands clench into fists. “That’s not possible.”
I needed to shift back before things escalated too much. But I turned my head to find my clothes laying shredded on the ground. Ugh, of course, this would happen in front of his father.
Ella followed my eyes, and she snorted. “Come on.” She waved to me to follow her. “Let’s go find you something to change into.”
Thank God she figured out what the problem was. I trotted after her, and as I entered the house, I heard Mason’s dad.
“Are you going to explain to me how a fucking royal who was of age only shifted for the first time today?”
“How did you know?” Mason’s voice was barely above a whisper.
“She’s an auburn wolf.” His dad sighed.
