There would be no walking away, even if it were physically possible. She didn't think she could emotionally survive it.
Ethan gave her a sidelong glance. He didn't know what to make of her, and that was a bit reassuring. Keep him guessing and he wouldn't get bored of her, right?
She stopped at the thought. Maybe she'd keep her new found feelings a bit longer until she genuinely accepted her own emotions.
“You okay?" he asked.
A short nod and she dropped her hand. She really was okay, now if she could just get a handle on everything else outside of her and Ethan she'd be even better.
"Alright then."
She turned towards him as he spoke.
"If you’re ready to go maybe it’s time to meet the pack. At this point, you’re fully connected to the pack and they know you’re here. Probably should just get it over with.”
Was she ready to meet a new family? She'd just come to terms with being Ethan's mate. What if they judged her? What if they didn’t like her? Like being judged was new.
The rustle of dried leaves behind her made her stop going down the metaphorical rabbit hole.
“Olivia? Don't worry. They will accept you as their beta, and they will respect you. I need to warn you, though. There is another pack. I’ll have to explain a lot to catch you up, but maybe not right now. You’ll feel their pull, but they aren’t loyal to you or to me. Just know that.”
"Okay. This sounds very political. I always imagined packs like families."
He gave a snort. "If you mean huge dysfunctional families, then yes. Honestly, though, there are politics and disagreements like any other society. It's part of why I work at the fire station, to get an outside perspective. Be a better alpha. See the world as it is and bring the pack up to modern times. That and I needed to find my beta."
Olivia had too many questions to pry further. Ethan shifted in front of her. She dug deep within herself. Imagining the wolf. Imagining the shift. The tingle of magic swirled within her. The transformation wasn’t painful, the magic was different though. Strong, unique, and not entirely hers. She snorted as her muzzle itched. This was never going to be normal, was it?
She quickly pawed at her nose and then focused on the world around her. Ethan’s brown wolf stood a few feet away, and she remembered thinking he was majestic in wolf form. A nod of his head and they headed off.
Their pace calm, leisurely. Taking in the forest as they went. Olivia felt a new force within her, working with the wolf. The calmer her emotions, the more she felt a part of this, rather than being the host to a parasite.
Olivia tried to focus, but she was tired. The high of the night still hadn’t worn off. Had she transformed into a wolf, or was that a dream? Had she really just run miles with Ethan by her side? He’d barely let her understand what had happened before they'd taken off again. The sun was just now starting to rise, orange and yellow in the horizon.
The truck bumped down the deserted road as they headed away from the city.
“You’re okay, right?” He glanced away from the road, and any last feeling of doubt disappeared. He cared for her. He cared about her, even if he’d been an ass. Running alongside him, she’d known everything he felt.
“I will be. It’s not every day the only one night stand you’ve ever had turns you into a wolf,” she paused. “But yes. I’m okay.”
She swore she could hear Ethan nearly choke.
"How many one night stands have you had?"
She giggled at the growl in his words.
"What's it matter? You're still my first shifter."
"Olivia? Don't you play with me. You brought it up. I might need to go hunting later." His knuckles whitened against the steering wheel.
"Seriously, calm yourself. I've told you several times I've never done anything like this. One night stand, shifter, random marriages, none of it."
She placed her hand on his thigh, and the anger flowed from him.
"I'm sorry. I'm nervous."
She coughed mid-swallow. "You're nervous? I'm going to be introduced to a bunch of strangers as your mate. I don't think many families would be great with the equivalent to an elopement. And, sadly I'm sure they will blame me."
He quickly glanced at her before going back to watching the road. "One, you already met my brothers. That means everyone knows and is expecting you. Two, they aren't like your humans and witches. When we know who our match is, we know. This isn't exactly unexpected. I'm more concerned with how they will welcome someone outside the pack. It's not customary for an alpha to go outside of the species."
Olivia rested her head on the window.
"For what it’s worth, I'm just as nervous. This has never happened to me before either."
She smirked, her eyes half-lidded. “The one-night stand? Or the turning a woman into a wolf?” Olivia hoped he said no to both as a foreign feeling of absolute possessiveness hit her. Deep within her soul the wolf—her wolf—howled, and she had to bite back against the need to reach over and grab Ethan. How funny would this be that she no longer was the prey, but now the hunter?
“You’ll figure out how to hide some of your thoughts in human form, but as of right now, calm yourself. If you tried to act on what you're thinking I’d crash this damn truck. And yes, that was the first time I have done either. I might be impulsive, but I have never felt ...” he trailed off. “Olivia, control your wolf, and you’ll be able to control your thoughts better.”
A grin spread across her face. “Why would I want to control her? Maybe I like this feeling.”
