Soul Mate by Roxie Ray
Cal
The swell of anger in my chest took me off guard. I lunged low, tackling Erik around the middle. The ferocity in my charge took the redhead off guard, and he landed on his back with a soft ‘oof.’ After a moment of stunned silence, he laughed heartily, slapping a thick palm across my shoulders. It was enough to startle me out of the feeling; I realized, after a moment, that I wasn’t particularly angry. That was Liv.
It was still strange to me; I could always feel Liv on some level, like a comfortable background noise. It was only when she really felt something that it pushed to the surface – in that way, it wasn’t that different from how my wolf felt. However, he would simply take over if I let him; Liv’s emotions were something I could drown in.
At least I was starting to learn how to tell the difference between my own moods and what was my mate’s influence.
I found my feet and stood up, offering my sparring partner a hand up. He took it, resisting the urge to drag me down to the ground, even if I might have deserved it. “Sorry,” I said, patting his arm.
“No need for apologies!” Erik roared, laughing again. I could have sworn the wolf was always loud. He had absolutely no volume control. “That’s what sparring is for! It’s good to be surprised sometimes.”
“Glad I could help,” I said with a snort. “I think that was good for today; there’s something I need to check on.”
The man gave a nod. “We should consider a pack run sometime. All these wolves!”
I gave him a sharp look. “Most of them aren’t staying, Erik. Don’t get too attached.”
His expression became something much more sheepish, and I almost felt bad for snapping at him. The big lug shrugged it off after a moment, and I did the same. I had to figure out what was up with Liv. That was some serious rage that had just bubbled up, and I didn’t think I’d seen her more than ‘a little bit angry’ since we’d reconnected.
With concern nagging in my chest, I hurried back to our cottage and opened the door. “Liv?” There was no response. I lifted my nose for a sniff. It stunk like her…like both of us, really…but it was empty. I scowled.
Deciding I’d have better luck on four feet, I kicked off my shoes and stripped out of my clothing. My wolf responded to my call without hesitation, rising to the surface with practiced ease. He was eager to check on his mate. The break and reformation of bone and muscle would never be pleasant (far from it), but I’d become as efficient as I’d ever been with all the shifting I’d had to do lately. A few moments later, I picked myself up and shook out my dark brown pelt. My nails ticked over the hardwood floor before I had to paw at the doorknob, struggling for several moments before nosing my way out the door.
I blew air out of my mouth, chuffing softly before tilting my head skywards to inhale deeply. Plenty of scents, but Liv didn’t stand out. Whatever had happened, she hadn’t come back to our cottage first.
My ear twitched and I twisted, glancing towards the woods. Something was calling me there. I had no better lead, so I decided to follow my gut instinct, picking up a lope to hurry out towards the trees. The forest was bustling with life; I could hear the angry chatter of a red squirrel whose territory I was crossing through. There were birds chirping and chattering to one another. A gentle breeze shifting the leaves. I could even hear the distant growl of a bobcat, agitated and worried as it likely picked up my scent.
I could feel myself relaxing as I trotted through the underbrush. If I wasn’t looking for Liv, I might even call it relaxing. I could smell her somewhere in this forest, and there was no hint of copper in the smell. She wasn’t hurt.
The possibility that my mate might have just wanted some space had only just started to cross my mind when I heard the snap of sticks behind me. I whirled around just in time to be met with a blur of sandy blond fur, a wolf slamming into my chest and shoving me into the earth.
I thrashed wildly,paws scrambling against the forest floor as I struggled out of sheer instinct. The wolf above me snarled, her ears pinned flat against her skull. Even if I didn’t recognize the sandy fur or haunting green eyes, I would have recognized the smell of blood orange and clean linen anywhere. It was Liv — but it was like she didn’t even recognize me. Like I was just some random wolf she’d found roaming her territory.
I knew, on some level, that I needed to submit to her. She was my mate, and she was angry. I didn’t know what I’d done, or even if it had anything to do with me, but fighting against her wasn’t doing me any good at all. More than that, Liv was my alpha. If the prophecy was true, and I really had no evidence to the contrary, she was everyone’s alpha.
With that logic, submitting to her should have been easy. Even with her towering over me, something was preventing me from baring my neck.
This wolf hardly seemed like Liv.
I wasn’t particularly obedient at the best of times, even for my mother. Things were a little different when it was just the two of us, but authority figures? Those weren’t my bag. If I had known Olivia Burns was destined to be some prophetic alpha when we first crossed paths, I probably wouldn’t have…
Hell. I probably would have fallen for her anyway. Problems with authority be damned, that woman would have had me wrapped around her little finger no matter what.
The realization was enough to bring me a moment of calm, like I’d crossed into the eye of the hurricane. I stopped writhing beneath her, and in return, my mate stopped growling at me. An exhale escaped and I sank into the ground a little, stilling a bit.
Something about that seemed to settle Liv and she dipped her head down, sniffing all over my face. Her whispers tickled my snout as she searched me all over, lapping her tongue over my muzzle once or twice. Before I could lift my head, she twisted, wrapping her jaws around my neck. Instinct screamed at me to fight, to thrash, to run. She could kill me. This was the ultimate submission, and for a moment, I began to tense back up. My muscles coiled, ready to spring and carry me out of harm’s way.
Liv growled again, the sound vibrating against me.
I huffed a breath, fighting pack primal instinct. Wolf or not, emotions or not, this was still Liv Burns. This was still the woman I loved. I did trust her, and I hadn’t done very much to let her know that before now. I inhaled deeply and forced myself to relax and go limp in her grip. My wolf whined and I echoed him, tipping my chin up to offer her further access.
It was the right move. Liv’s growl became a much more pleased noise and her grip tightened. I could feel the moment she broke skin and I began to bleed. It stung, but I didn’t tense. I trusted her. Whatever she was doing, I trusted it.
The hold should have mademe tense, but it didn’t. If anything, I found myself relaxing further, sinking into Liv’s presence. She released me at once, her pink tongue flashing out as she lapped at the broken skin, at the fur lying over it. It was hardly a wound at all, but she licked at it until she was certain the bite mark was clean. Her tail curled high over her back and she shifted her head to one side, sniffing me all over again.
There was no more anger in her. Our bond felt quiet now, no longer a maelstrom of emotion. Her ears were pricked forward, her whiskers bristling as she sniffed and groomed me. If I closed my eyes, I might have been able to fall asleep right there. The forest floor felt as comfortable as any mattress, and Liv’s smell had surrounded me. The sour note of her foul temper had faded away. I could bask in the pleasant citrus and be the happiest man (or wolf) alive.
I must have been drifting, because it took me a moment to realize the grooming had stopped. I blinked my eyes open and lifted my head, shifting my weight towards my paws as I tucked them towards my belly. Liv was sitting a few lengths away from me, her plush tail wrapped primly around her feet. Her ears were trained towards me, something impish sparkling in her bright green eyes. The spell had been clearly lifted. That was the Liv Burns I knew and loved.
