Battle Field

I sat at the bar of an enormous kitchen. Marble countertops, modern appliances, a huge place for what seemed to be a lone werewolf. Ryder had brought me here, not explaining a damn thing to me. Outside of the window was the view of a huge hill with a stone pathway that led into a distant view of a large village. A top that hill sat the house I was in now, it was a cabin. A old rustic log cabin, looking about fifties style from the outside but on the inside it was like the future had erupted. Not only was there the beautiful kitchen that I sat in now but there were a selection of other rooms that exceeded my expectations of any home. The large living room seemed to take up a quarter of the main floor of the home. It supported a large plush tan sofa that seemed to never have been used, a small fire place that had been lit and burning since I came here, and a large flat screen television that still had the stickers on the sides from when it was purchased. The next quarter of the main floor had housed a long room that was filled with a large table, at least fifty chairs had been sat against the table, it was a meeting room. Last was the bathroom, it was not as large as the one of the upstairs floor but it was still a fairly decent size. It fit a toilet and a shower that seemed to be more expensive then the house I grew up in.

Ryder cleared his throat to get my attention. He was standing in front of me, leaning against the marble counter top. I realized quickly that he had been awaiting a chance to get my attention. My cheeks burned with embarrassment. Pushing a shot glass to me I realize that he had poured fresh vodka inside of it. The blush on my cheeks grew in size.

“Um…” I hummed quietly, fiddling with my fingers in my lap. Where was the voice in my head when I needed her? I would love to know what to say to him now… “I am…I am not old enough to drink.” God how lame was I? For one I already had a huge crush and attraction to this man who stood before me, and I have no idea who or what he is. For all I know he could be an ax murderer and I am just chilling in his home. Not to mention the fact that I was just told I was the daughter of a goddess?! That still makes no sense to me at all, my mother was a stuck up old digger who couldn’t hold onto any man in her life. There was no way that woman was the goddess of the moon.

He chuckled deeply and locked his golden eyes with mine, making my head spin. It was like those eyes could talk me into anything, they lured me in like hunter’s trap. “Oh Avery, you are not human. You don’t have to follow the human rules.”

Yea, that was until I get shit faced. I have never drunk anything in my life, of course admitting that to him would certainly push him away more. “Maybe later then.” I gently pushed the shot glass back to him with my pinky, trying extremely hard to not get to nervous. “Please, tell me what is going on. Why am I here?”

He then took the shot himself, wiping the access vodka off from his pink lips. I longed to press my lips against his. I wanted to do things to this man, many things. I had not even had my first kiss yet, why was I longing to have sex with this man? Arg, my world is spinning out of control to fast.

“What do you want to know first?” He purred, walking around the counter and sitting directly next to me. I felt my heart pound against my rib cage, it was so loud to me that I was actually scared that he would be able to hear it.

“Why do I change into an animal?” I questioned, bringing up my slightly tan hands to rest against the cool counter and propping my chin upon them.

He sighed deeply. “I don’t know. My best guess is that they same thing that happened to me happened to you.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. If he thought that answer would satisfy me then he had another thing coming. I had my whole life change over night, and now some goons dragged me here specially to meet this man…I think. Didn’t I have a right to know was what going on?

I growled a little, seeing him shudder a little in response. He closed his eyes for a moment, squeezing them shut. “Do tell.”

Again he sighed, then regained his composure. “As a child my father was the alpha of this pack, the leader. I was his only child, and I was not the child of his mate. I am the child of a human and a werewolf, he had sex with my mother before he met his mate. After my mother died I was shipped back to him and completely rejected by him because I was unable to change into a werewolf, I did not have a voice speaking inside my head meaning that I was not a werewolf at all. After he rejected me as his son his mate, Bell, took care of me. On my seventeenth birthday everything changed and a voice appeared in my head. Unlike you my step mother knew what was happening to me, she helped me as much as the voice did through my change. The wolf inside of my is Aetes, and he is half of me now. Together we rule the biggest werewolf pack in the world.”

I didn’t move. Trying to process everything he just told me. Just like me he had unexpectedly changed into a werewolf, on his seventeenth birthday just like I had. Somehow our stories crossed many paths. Both of us changed on our seventeenth birthday, both of us as been rejected by our fathers, and both of us had these so called gods inside our heads.

“Why do I have a voice in my head then?” I demanded, spinning around in my chair so I could view the window once more. Peering down at the village, it seemed vacant to me.

“Every werewolf has a voice inside their head. Being a werewolf is really just sharing your body with someone else. That voice inside of your head is your wolf, because we were born without a wolf that meant that we were open to Aetes’ and Pandia’s sprits. We were chosen by the moon goddess to be a vessel for them, she must have something planned for earth that we have to carry out.” He stated proudly, pouring himself another glass of vodka. This minor drinking that he was doing brought back memories of my mother. She was a vial woman, someone that no person on earth should have to deal with. Abusive, competitive, and a drunk.

Throughout my life I have dealt with her. Being pushed to resent the one thing that brought me joy in life, ballet. It had originally been my escape from her, I let for my classes to get away from her. That was before my father left us. He used to take me three times a week whenever he felt the need to go to the bar. I had only been five years old but I knew that ballet was something that allowed me to relax and unwind. Once my father left us I had made the mistake of begging my mother to take me. That’s where she discovered my talent, that’s when the one thing I loved in my life turned on me. She pushed and pushed me to be the best, to win every dance competition simply so she could take the money. If I lost the competition-god forbid- I was thrown into our basement and locked away in the dark, staved until she believed that I had lived out my punishment.

“Hello!” He snapped his fingers in front of my face, trying to get my attention. Shaking my head and scooted away from his snapping fingers and realized all to quickly that he was trying to get my attention.

I blushed madly, looking at his stern face. My god he made my stomach flutter. “Pardon me?”

He signed a set down his full shot, it dawned on me that I had spaced out just staring at his cup. Ryder had realized that the drink had sparked memories for me. He stood up and twisted the cap back on the bottle, walking it to the refrigerator. “Tell me about yourself, Avery. You are my mate now, I wish to know everything about you.”

I rubbed my temple with my icy fingers, trying to make sense of everything. “What exactly is a mate, Ryder?”

I could swear that I could hear him purr when I said his name. That sound excited me, almost like I wanted him to stomp over to me and tug me into a heart wrenching kiss. What was going on with me? Not a full day now had I known this man, why was I gaining these feelings about him?

“You feel it to.” He hummed, crossing the kitchen to be at my side again. Lifting his tan, calloused fingers to graze them over my cheek bone. His fingers left sparks where ever he touched, tingling. “I am the only one who can make you feel that way, Avery. We are mates, which means that the moon goddess made us for each other. You are drawn to me, just as I am to you.”

“So…its like a true love perfect match thing?” I questioned, leaning back into his fingers that still lingered on my cheek. The spark jolted through my skin once more. Hm, wonderful.

His golden eyes sparked an interest. The drew me in, I wanted to stare into them all day. Beginning to stroke my cheek bone he scooted closer to me, clearly excited that I was so open to the idea. “Yes, Avery. That is exactly what being a mate means.” He gripped the seat of my chair and tugged me close to him, wrapping his arm around my waist and forcing me to lean against his chest. My nose buried into the crease of his elbow, inhaling his vanilla mint scent. The wolf that shared my body erupted to that, she purred happily inside of my head, reciting Aetes’ name. Ryder’s nose was buried inside of my hair as well, breathing in my scent.

He growled a little inside his chest. Not an angry growl though, a growl of passion. It was extremely attractive. “Avery,” he hummed beautifully. “Tell me about yourself, everything. Good, bad, embarrassing.”

I found myself crawling completely into his lap so I could get a better smell. My face resting against his shoulder. Ryder’s strong arms wrapped around me, starting to draw soothing circles into my back. Without thinking I began explaining parts of my life to him.

“I am a ballerina,” I started, closing my eyes so I could forget that I was telling these things to someone who I was so undeniably attracted to. “Ever since I was five. My drunken father left me with my mother when I was six. She was a relentless trainer, forced me to become her view of what would be the perfect ballerina.” His soothing circles stopped, replaced by his fingers gripping my dark red tank top. I think he sensed the bad coming. “Forced to compete, I normally won and if I didn’t win then I was locked in the cellar. There are no lights in that basement, and it was much like your prison I was in. My mother would stave me until she felt as if I had learned my lesson for not winning.” A low growled formed in his chest, it was opposite of the last one. Anger and vengeance radiated through his posture, his arms tightening on me in an almost uncomfortable hug. “Same with school, I have straight a’s because of her constant pushing. My best friend was my neighbor, Samantha. She moved away a month before all of this happened.”

He released his tough hold on me and began stroking my back again. “I am sorry, Avery. I will be your best friend now. Tell me more.”

I raised my head from his shoulder, looking away from him and turning so my back was pressed against his warm chest. He rested his chin against my right shoulder, his breath tickling my neck. Surprising me when he began to trail light kisses over the skin, oh god did it feel good. My heart fluttered quickly, speeding up and crashing against my rib cage.

“Avery,” He whispered sexily. “Tell me about your love life.”

I blushed madly and my hands shot up to cover my face to hide it. “Oh god,” I laughed lightly. “There is none.”

He jerked away from my neck, tugging my hands away from my face. He was going to be angry, he is going to be pissed off that his mate was an inexperienced little girl. Shyly I turned to him and found a huge teeth flashing smile. “You’ve never been in the arms of another?” He questioned happily. Blushing more I shook my head quickly. “Never kissed another man?” Again, I quickly shook my head. “That is the best news I have ever heard, you are literally all mine.”

“Yours?” I giggled, leaning back from him and sliding off from his lap, seeing the hurt in his eyes start to form. He thought I was going to run now. Walking around the counter, I tapped my fingers against the marble.

He stood up and began fallowing me quickly. Before I knew what was happening he gripped my waist and spun me around, pinning me against the front of the refrigerator. A squeak lifted from my chest when he pressed his body to mine. Chest to chest, and hips to hips. Granted that he had to lean down a little to view straight into my eyes this was still a position that had me begging for more.

“Yes, you are mine. Forever.”

His crushed his soft lips to mine, pulling me up off from my feet and forcing my to wrap my legs around his thick waist. Pressing himself as close to me as possible. My arms snaked around his next and I melted into him. I was still so confused why I was so attracted to him, why I felt as though I already loved him. Surprisingly I didn’t care though, I would not want my first kiss to be with anyone else. Ryder was already in the perfect position. The perfect position to steal my heart.