Winter Wolves Series
Dark Wolf Chapter 9

Venus sped down the mountain in a daze-she couldn't get the image of Damian's frantic eyes out of her mind. The pain she'd seen in his face was enough to bring her to her knees. He was her mate. The man she was meant to live her life with. She was it for him and he was it for her. She never wanted to see him in that much pain again. But what had just happened had frightened her. A tear slid down her face. He had shifted right in front of her into a giant white wolf, howling at the sky and disappearing into the forest. The rational parts of her knew that being with a man like that was bad news.

She shook her head and wiped the tears from her cheeks as she drove. She wasn't sure where to go or what to do. She had never met his benefactors personally, and her frantic mind was searching for something that made sense.

She got lost for at least half an hour in the backcountry roads before replaceing her way back to Selkie. With immense relief, she was able to replace New Moon Books, where she knew Damian's brother worked with his mate.

She parked the truck outside the little shop and tried to regain her composure. She looked at herself in the mirror, seeing bloodshot eyes and smeared mascara. Damian shifting was one of the most terrifying experiences of her life, and she hated that the man with the sensitive eyes and the delicate touch had turned into such a monster right in front of her. She sat outside the shop for several long moments, not sure of what to do.

She was staring at the wheel of the truck, her mind blank, when she heard knuckles rap on the passenger side window. She looked up to see a man she instantly knew must be Damian's brother.

He had the same blonde hair and blue eyes, and the unmistakable look of a shifter. There was such concern in his face that it made her want to start crying all over again. She climbed out of the car and walked around to the sidewalk to meet him. "You must be Venus," he said in a low voice.

"I am," she said, her words barely audible.

"Where's Damian? What's going on?"

She shook her head, unable to speak. A curvy blonde woman walked through the doors of the shop and took her hand. "Come inside and sit down. You look like you had a fright."

She followed the kind woman into the bookshop, and they all settled into the seating area at the back of the store.

"We were hiking," she said, trying to get her words to come out straight. "He dropped his potion and it broke."

"He was forced to shift in front of you?" Rex asked her.

"Yes," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Oh dear," Luna said, taking her hand and patting it. "That must have been quite a scare for you,"

"I wanted to help him."

"There was nothing you could have done," Rex said in a low growl.

A shiver went down her spine. Luna tried to comfort her, but she still couldn't help but feel guilt for leaving him.

"I'll go get him," Rex said. Venus handed him the keys to the truck and the alpha wolf left the store.

"I was afraid something like this would happen," Luna said, sitting in the armchair beside her. "I just can't make enough potion fast enough."

"It's just so unfair," Venus said.

"It's a terrible thing, that's for sure," Luna said. "I'm doing absolutely everything I can."

"Of course you are," Venus said. "I wish that I could do more."

"You love him," Luna said. "I can see it in your eyes. That's the most that anyone could ever hope for."

Venus let out a long sigh, knowing the truth of Luna's words. She did love Damian, and she wanted to be his mate. But after seeing his wolf like that, part of her was unsure. She was definitely shaken up.

All the terrible things her mother had told her about men played through her mind. What if Damian was dangerous and unkind? What if he was the wild beast she'd seen in the forest and not the loving man she believed him to be? "How did you decide?" she asked, looking up at Luna and dabbing her eyes with the tissues the blonde woman offered.

"I knew from the moment we met. But Rex had these old-fashioned ideas about courtship."

"Don't you think that it's the right thing to do? To know someone before you commit to them for the rest of your life?"

"Yes. I do. And I understand why he wanted to wait. The mate bond can be overwhelming for human women, and it's unwise to build a lifelong relationship on lust. But, if you love each other, you can overcome anything," Luna said. "When a shifter claims his mate, the bond is so complete and intense that you can feel each other even when you're miles apart."

"Then what's the problem?"

"If the match is wrong, then it can be the worst thing imaginable for everyone. It's rare among shifters, but it's not unheard of. There are shifter mates who are worse than anything you've ever imagined."

"I was afraid of that," Venus said. "You've given me a lot to think about." She rose from her chair and headed to the front door of the shop.

"Damian is a good man," Luna said. "I hope that you can forgive him for losing control. He had no choice in the matter."

"I do. Believe me, I do. It's just a lot to take in."

"I've been exactly where you are. Just a few weeks ago. Take your time, Venus. You're making the biggest decision of your life, and it shouldn't be taken lightly."

Venus slid out the door of the bookshop and headed out onto the street. Her hotel was only a few blocks away.

When she walked through the door of her hotel room, she sank straight into the bed with a groan. She definitely had a lot to think about. As much as she adored Damian, Luna's words rang true.

The mistake of a bad mating couldn't be taken back, and the Winter wolves' reluctance to claim their mates before they knew for sure that it was true love was protecting both of them.

She ran a bath and slipped into the warm water, letting the bubbles envelope her lithe body. She rested her head on the porcelain and breathed in the soft fragrance of the bubble bath, trying to put what had happened behind her.

She wanted to give Damian the benefit of the doubt. He was a good man, from what she knew about him, but the truth was she barely knew him. Seeing the wolf side of him was a wake-up call. A wake-up call she had desperately needed.

If he had asked her back in the forest if she would be his mate and submit to his claiming, she would have said yes. But now she realized that was wrong.

She needed to protect herself and her heart. Despite his handsome face and his tender words, Damian was a stranger. A cursed stranger, no less. Anything but absolute caution would be a recipe for disaster.

She climbed out of the bath, overcome with sadness. As she wrapped herself in a big fluffy bathrobe, she heard her cell phone ping with a notification. Her heart leapt and she went towards the phone, hoping it was Damian telling her everything was all right-that Rex had found him and brought him home, but it wasn't Damian.

"So you aren't coming straight back home?" the text message from her mother read.

Venus groaned and rolled her eyes. She was a grown woman who should be able to make her own choices. She didn't have any other jobs booked for weeks and could spend another few days in Selkie with a clear conscience, but her mother would see things quite differently.

"Is there a reason you didn't tell me?" the next text message read.

Venus growled with irritation, resisting the urge to throw the phone across the room. She told herself she wasn't going to let her mother get to her, but that wasn't working out. Anger rose in her chest, and she wanted to lash out. She knew trying to reason with her mother or argue with her was a recipe for disaster.

"I just needed a little R&R," Venus typed out as she unwrapped her hair.

"You should have cleared it with me first, Venus. We've talked about this."

Venus gritted her teeth. She was a grown woman. She didn't need to ask her mother's permission to take vacation for three days. Venus wanted to inform her that she was overstepping, but it was futile. She'd been down this road before-since she was seventeen and had started to attempt to gain some independence. It had never gone well for her.

"I'll be back in New York in less than a week. You don't need to worry about me. I am going to stay in exactly the same hotel I've been in. I just want to spend a little more time in Alaska. I've been burnt out and need recreation and rest." "You can do that in New York."

Venus rolled her eyes and was about to turn off her phone when another message from her mother came through.

"Unless there's another reason you're not telling me about."

Venus sighed and this time she turned off the phone. There was another reason. Damian. She needed to know if accepting his mating bite was right for her. She could never leave Selkie until she did. It would be a betrayal of herself. When she knew for sure and had made her choice, then she would inform her mother. But, until then, she needed to keep things quiet.

Venus lay back on her bed and covered her face with her hands. She was overcome with emotion, feeling that she would be trapped in this toxic relationship for the rest of her life.

She knew that her mother had never truly loved her-that she was just a pawn in her game of fame. It had become more and more evident to her as the years went by, and she had finally admitted it to herself.

Now was the time for her to gain her independence. With everything happening with Damian, she couldn't deal with her mom. She needed to sort out her own feelings. If that meant ignoring her mom's demands for a few days, then so be it. She would deal with the aftermath once she knew what she wanted to do.

The thought of that was far scarier than the sight of her sweetheart turning into a vicious wolf.