Suddenly I feel sleepy. I try to fight it, not ready to say goodbye. I blink rapidly seeing him fade as my eyes grow heavier. Exhaustion overtakes me and I give in to and let go of my magical wolf and the comfort he has provided.
“Taryn? Taryn honey, wake up.” I peek through my slightly opened eyes. “Sweetheart?” Opening my eyes fully, I find my mom standing over me. Feeling dazed and heavily confused I glance around, realizing that I’m on the porch. “Baby, are you okay?”
“Umm…” what is going on? "I think so,” I say, though my heart is screaming otherwise, “I must’ve fallen asleep.” I look around and immediately feel lost. He’s gone, was it even real? It felt real, I swear I could still feel the tickle of his soft coat. My throat burns when the reality that I may never be able to have his powerful presence soothe me hits me hard.
“It’s time for dinner.” I follow her inside but pause at the front door looking back out toward the forest and wonder if that whole interaction was a dream. I see nothing, just a small clearing in the line of the trees and I wonder more than anything what lies beyond.
Merick
12 Years Later
“You are being careless.” I pause with the phone held to my ear registering the disappointment in my father’s voice becoming evident. Staring out the large fogged windows that line the east side of the abandoned warehouse. I’ve called this place home for months at a time throughout the years. “Someone will see you, they’ll grow curious and then—”
“What?” I bark, lifting my hand and running it through my long dark hair, tugging on the ends.
Even if Taryn saw me now, she would not recognize me. It was so long ago when I found her in the forest, scared and alone. That day I felt it, the instant pull, a connection so deep that every single day since I’ve felt as that a part of my being has been missing. She is in my soul, flowing through my blood, part of me. “I can’t walk away and you know it.”
“If you’re going to make this happen you need to move quickly.” I know my father is right. His voice is strained, so distant and weary. “You know what you need to do, Merick, she belongs to you.”
The fate of our world is relying on me. I’m the chosen one to carry on and rebuild what we lost. To build an army, create a force, that this time, cannot be destroyed. It has been a long time since I’ve seen my father. We all still mourn the loss of our people, of my mother, it’s raw and I know it will always be. But this time, we will be indestructible.
“I will tonight,” the lights of the city mingle in the darkness. “I’ll go to her.”
The idea of being near Taryn, breathing in her scent and touching her excites me. Even if only a brief encounter, I feel as though I have been on edge for years waiting for my mate. But the waiting is over, it is time to claim what’s mine, finally time to build a stronger clan than any other before ours.
“Our future is all in your hands, Merick.”
I can almost picture my father sitting in a darkened corner, quickly and quietly observing those around him. His silver hair, silver beard, and those intense, dark, interrogating eyes that are the mirror image of my own. I can feel the loneliness in his words, feel his heartache. He will never love again, never move on from my mother. She was his everything and while his need for revenge may be crippling every other emotion, but I feel it too. My mother was a goddess, a kind generous woman that held together all those around her. I would avenge my mother’s death, her sacrifice to protect me came at the cost of her life.
“Goodbye, father,” I say, ending the call. I cross my arms over my chest and again stare out at the city before me. I’ve never been one for flashy and extravagant things — I prefer the solitude of the small town hidden deep in the forests of Montana. Our village was much smaller now, and far too quiet. That would soon change, I’d make sure of it. Nothing about Chicago appeals to me, the loud bustle of people, the traffic and sirens. The tall buildings, the constant flashing of lights, it is all too much. The only reason I’m here, the only reason I’ve stayed, is for her. To protect her, to ensure that she remains safe.
Taryn is meant to be mine. There is no denying it. The day I found her in the forest, I was miles upon miles away, and I could feel her. The force I felt was too strong to ignore and it was as though everything had fallen into place. The loss I’d felt, the anger and fear, it all was soothed by one person, her.
The time has come for me to show her who she is, where she belongs. It all starts now.
I move through the thick crowd of people, bodies pushed so tightly together that it is impossible to maneuver through the room. I don’t have to see her to know she is here—I can feel her.
“Hey handsome.” Looking to my left, I see an alluring blonde staring back at me through her long fake lashes. “Do you want to buy me a drink?” I glance down at her glass which is already full and again reconnect my gaze with hers. Nothing, I feel absolutely blank. No attraction, no explicit thoughts of what she and I could share if given five minutes alone, there was nothing.
“I’ll have to pass.” Her once inviting look is taken over by a displeased one. Her nostrils flared, her brows wrinkled and the hard line her tightly pressed lips were now forming, all signs I’d offended her. She lets out a little huff before spinning around and giving me her backside. Fully accepting my dismissal, I push on seeking out the one I’m here for.
The crowd parts, half moving to the crowded dance floor and the other still lingering near the bar and that’s when I see her. Dark hair, much like the color of my own hanging long and loose down her back. Silky waves stop right above her waist, and I crave the feel of it between my fingers, over my chest, against my face. She is wearing a form fitting dress, the hem hitting in the middle of her thighs, leaving me a view of her long, toned legs. That length mixed with the heels give her height, but she is still nowhere near my six-foot-four frame.
I stand off to the left side of the expansive wrap around bar watching her and observing from a distance. Taryn couldn’t blend into a crowd even if she tried to, she is far too unique. The beauty she holds is riveting, and the knowledge that I am not the only one in the room that notices inflicts a wave of anger within me. Suddenly, I am watching the men around her, waiting and hoping for their sake they remain at a distance.
Now is not the time for me to reveal who I truly am, I know this, but the need is crippling me.
Laughter and loud conversation fills the space around me but again I am lost in all things Taryn. The group she is with has moved closer, but she dawdles behind, looking around. She lingers, shifting around almost as if in search of something, or maybe someone.
I know she feels it, the same connection I do.
One of her friends says something to her and she looks up, that’s when it happens. She sees me, and I simply wait. I see her breathing speed up, the quick rise and fall of her chest. As she lifts her hand, she brings it to rest at the base of her neck and I know without a doubt it’s because of the flush that is rising to her cheeks.
She doesn’t turn away from me, but she doesn’t move closer either.