The Mating Rules
Book 3 – Chapter 50

Raelyn’s POV

Selene’s gaze moves across the landscape as she continues with her story.

For months, the she wolf moved around, sleeping rough when needed, or in a cheap Motel if she could pick up some work in any of the small towns that she travelled through. As her eighth month was coming to a close, Collette was moving through woodland, she knew a pack was nearby and was careful to keep far enough away from their borders so they wouldn’t see her as a threat.

Needing to rest, she slid down to the base of a tree, rubbing her stomach as she talked softly to her baby.

‘Soon you’ll be here little one’ she whispered, ‘and mama will get a real job in the human world, replace us a place to live and we’ll be safe.’

The only answer she got was a healthy kick that made her laugh, patting the spot lovingly.

‘You are a hard wolf to replace baby’ came a callous voice from her right, her throat tightening as she turned to replace her Mate leaning against a tree only feet away from her.

‘Ivan’ she whispered, ‘how did you replace me?’

The Beta smiles dangerously, pushing off the trunk and stalking closer, ‘you would be amazed at what people remember when money is involved’ he replies. ‘You were good, I’ll give you that, covered your tracks well, but even you can’t hide from my network, as soon as you were spotted, I’ve had people watching you.’ He glances down at her stomach, a flicker of something crossing his face before he sneers, ‘I was told about that’ he growls, pointing at her stomach that can no longer be covered by her thin coat.

‘It’s yours’ Collette says desperately, ‘this is our pup Ivan, your flesh and b***d.’

Ivan glares at her, ‘it better be’ he snarls, ‘you are mine, no one gets to have you but me.’

‘So . . . you have to let me live, so I can bring our child into the world’ she whispers, ‘we can be together, a family.’

Ivan barks out a laugh, drawing a silver blade from his pocket as he crouches down beside her and slides it over the bump.

‘I can’t have a Rogue for a Mate, Collette’ he murmurs softly, ‘my Alpha would never allow it, I’d be thrown from my pack. If he won’t accept you, he definitely won’t accept a child born from your body.’ Running the knife down to the hem of her shirt, he shakes his head sadly, ‘I can always have another pup, after the Goddess blesses me with a second chance. Once you are gone, baby, she will be able to correct her error and I’ll be given a Mate that I deserve.’

As he raises his hand, the blade turning so that the point aimed at her vulnerable stomach, Collette moved. She couldn’t shift, not with the baby so close to birthing, but she did what she could. Her claws slid from her fingers and she slashed at her Mate’s face, clawing his cheek as he howled out in pain, the knife dropping from his fingers as his hands moved to the wound. Scrambling to her feet, the she wolf prepared to fight with everything she had, determined to protect her child.

Dodging around the small clearing they were in, Collette tried to evade her Mate’s attacks, clawing at him each time he got near, desperation fuelling her strength.

‘Come here Collette’ Ivan roared, grabbing for her as she ducked behind a tree, one hand on her stomach as she searched for an escape.

Spotting a gap in the bushes, the she wolf ran as fast as she could, but the werewolf lunged at her, grabbing her around the waist, forcing her to the ground. Landing on her stomach, Collette cried out in fear, as Ivan rolled her over, straddling her h**s, as she dug at his shoulders, sinking her claws deep into his flesh.

Balling his fist, Ivan, struck at her face, punching her over and over as she used her hands to shield her stomach from him. Fighting with everything she had, the she wolf scratched and clawed frantically until her strength finally gave up, her body battered and bloody as Ivan leaned over and grabbed the knife from where it had fallen.

Looking down on her bruised face, tears rolling down her cheeks, the Beta snarled loudly.

‘You shouldn’t have run’ he growled, ‘you should have just let me do what needed to be done, this is your fault, you are the reason that our child will feel this.’

Raising the knife, he plunged it with force into her breast as she screamed in pain, twisting it viciously before dragging it out again and stabbing at her chest again. All Collette could do was cover her stomach, use her hands and arms to take the blows that her Mate aimed at his own child.

Finally, Ivan pushed up from her broken form, wiping sweat from his brow as he stared down at her with a mixture of anger and grief.

‘I love you Collette’ he mutters quietly, ‘why did you have to be a Rogue?’

Knowing that she only had minutes and not able to watch her bleed out, the Beta, dropped the knife, turned and walked away, leaving his mate to die alone in the clearing.

Collette battled to breathe, her eyes closing repeatedly as she ran her shaking hands over her swollen stomach, feeling for wounds.

Finding none, she clenched her fists as a wave of pain suddenly shot through her, cresting and falling before tapering away. Gasping, she rolled to her side, another wave hitting her, causing her to cry out. As she bled into the forest floor, she fought to stay conscious, trying to figure out if the pain was from her wounds or because her baby was still alive and her body was trying to save it.

As her contractions grew, the she wolf growled, refusing to succumb to the pull of death, determined that if her baby had any chance of surviving, that she would deliver him or her safely.

The silver should have long since killed her, but Collette continued to fight, suffering alone through the pain until her body told her to push. Bearing down, she pushed with everything she had, over and over, screaming out into the night as her baby finally entered the world.

Gathering her up in her weak arms, Collette checked her over, not a mark on her daughter’s body, the knife had never reached her fragile skin.

‘I love you little one’ she whispered, kissing the child before extending her canines and biting through the umbilical cord and wrapping her child in her b***d stained jacket.

With her strength rapidly leaving, and knowing she had very little time left in this world, Collette crawled toward the border of the pack that she’d been trying to avoid. Laying her baby on the ground, the she wolf looked up to the Moon and prayed.

‘Goddess, please, if you care for your children as we believe you do, let a kind person replace my child and a loving family take her in.’ Giving one final k**s to the now sleeping child’s cheek, Collette dragged herself away, leaving her baby in my care.’

I blinked at Selene as she ran a hand down her dress, a sad smile playing at the corners of her lips.

‘What happened to Collette?’ I ask, in a hushed tone.

Selene sighs, melacholy washing over her as she shakes her head sadly. ‘She died’ she replied, ‘you see, though not stabbed by the knife, the baby absorbed some of the poison through their b***d supply. It was how Collette managed to stay alive long enough to give birth. Once their connection was severed when she bit through the cord, the poison completely infiltrated her body. She had enough time to get her child to safety and away from the border before she returned to me.’

I swallow, plucking at a blade of grass beside me, ‘and the baby?’ I whisper, ‘did she replace a good family? Did she have a good life?’

The Moon Goddess smiles again, looking over at me with pride, ‘you tell me Raelyn’ she replies, ‘did you have a good family? Do you think you have had a good life?’

I’m trying to form words, but none are coming out, I’m the child? My mother was murdered by my father, her fated mate?

‘Is this why I don’t have a wolf?’ I ask hoarsely, ‘because of my father?’

Selene nods sadly, ‘the poison from the silver is in your b***d stream, it acts as a block to your wolf. She is there, in your mind, just locked in a cage that she can’t break out of.’

I bite my l*p, trying not to cry, ‘so it’s true’ I whisper, ‘I really will never have a Mate.’

My temper suddenly flares as grief washes over me, and I slam my fist into the ground as I growl loudly. ‘It’s stupid, I’m just sat out here, in the cold for no damn reason! Isaac made me come out here, I told him it was a waste of time but he wouldn’t listen! I can’t call out, my wolf is locked away, never to emerge, me sitting here is a complete waste of time!’

The Goddess gives me a patient look, ‘why would you think that?’ she asks curiously.

I blink up at the woman sitting beside me, ‘because I don’t have a wolf’ I point out, trying to keep the, obviously, out of my voice as I speak.

Selene laughs, the sound wrapping round me like a warm blanket, calming my tormented feelings, ‘whether you have a wolf or not has no bearing on calling for your mate my child’ she replies soothingly.

‘It doesn’t?’ I stammer, in shock.

The Goddess shakes her head, ‘each of my children are two halves in one body. Part human, part wolf, both with the ability to control and shift into their counterpart. They have separate personalities and thoughts, but they share something important.’

I wait, staring at the Goddess as she smiles down at me, ‘they share a soul’ she continues, ‘well, they share half a soul. The other half of their soul resides in their mate, their perfect other. It is not the wolf or the human that calls out my dear, it’s the soul. The half soul of every Werewolf craves its match, so the half belonging to the she wolf calls out under the full moon, letting her other half know where she is. This is why only your mate can hear you calling, because the sound comes from within you, travelling through a connection that only exists between my she wolves and the one that she is destined for.’

I reel backward slightly, as though I’ve been shoved, ‘that . . that can’t be true’ I stammer, ‘the wolf calls her mate, that’s how it works.’

The Moon Goddess shakes her head in amusement, ‘says who?’ she asks.

‘Well . . everyone’ I huff, ‘everyone says it.’

‘Well everyone would be wrong’ Selene replies firmly, ‘I created you all, I know how this works. You have always been able to call your Mate Raelyn, you just never stepped out into the moonlight to do it.’

My gaze drops to the floor, a feeling of hurt washing over me, ‘nobody ever let me’ I say sadly, ‘I was always kept away.’

‘True’ Selene murmurs, ‘but not out of spite child, it was always out of Love. You are not the only wolf to misunderstand how things work, Alpha Grant did what he thought he needed to do, he would have chosen a different path if he knew that I would never allow a werewolf to harm a she wolf when he was called. Any wolf that came across a she wolf that was not his, would just not exist to him, only his mate and any threat to her would register to him.’

I blink slowly, ‘so . . . I can call out?’ I ask, a flicker of hope building within me.

The Goddess nods, ‘why don’t you give it a try?’ she whispers, ‘just look up at the Moon and let it guide you.’

I tilt my head up, ready to open my mouth just as Isaac’s face floats into my mind, a stab of pain cutting through me.

‘Isaac’ I mutter, ‘if I replace my Mate . . ‘

‘Then you will be with the perfect person for you’ Selene sooths, ‘now Raelyn, it’s time, call out to your other half, reach for him.’

I nod, knowing I have too, focusing on the moon as I open my mouth. A tingling feeling flows through me, like an electrical current that fills me with light. Suddenly music fills the clearing around me, sweet and lilting, lifting me up as all my worries fall away.

The song is beautiful, making me want to laugh in excitement, as I sway, losing myself in the sound that demands all my attention.

I don’t know how long I sit there, gazing at the Moon, lost in the moment, but suddenly footsteps thunder toward me, a hulking figure slamming through the trees, sliding to stop in front of me, his chest heaving as dark wild eyes stare at me from the shadow of his face.

‘MINE!’ he growls loudly, the word wiping every thought from my mind in an instant.