#11 Meet Me in the Emerald Forest

Clementine

I couldn’t believe my eyes. Standing in front of me was the same wolf who I’ve been dreaming about for years. Just like in my dreams, his startling green eyes were level with mine when he stood tall and his fur was white like snow. The wolf dropped to the ground and laid his head on my feet, just like Bastian always did.

“Bastian?” I said his name in a quiet voice and the wolf’s ears twitched.

“He can’t talk to you like this.” Mateo’s voice made me jump as he came up behind me, “But, he can talk to me. Wolves can mindlink each other.”

“He could talk to me in my dreams.” I said,

“That was different. Bastian’s consciousness was able to visit you when you were vulnerable like in your dreams or when you were unconscious.” Mateo explained.

“And whose fault was that?” I sassed and Mateo offered me a cheeky grin.

“Bastian wants to know if you’re afraid of him.” Garrick spoke up and I glanced over at him. I had yet to meet him officially but he seemed to be a little more reasonable than Mateo.

“No, of course not,” I answered quickly, “Should I be?”

“He would never hurt you, nor would Lukas.” Garrick smiled at me.

“Where is Lukas? Is he like….inside Bastian’s mind?” I struggled to understand.

“Bastian and Lukas share a soul with their own minds and forms. When they’re in human form, Lukas is in control with Bastian in the back of his mind. Same thing happens when they shift into wolf form. Now, Bastian is at the forefront but Lukas is still there. You can talk to them both.” Mateo explained.

I turned my attention back to Bastian who was settled at my feet. I crouched down and the wolf shifted, lifting his head to watch me. Sitting cross legend on the ground, I allowed Bastian to rest his head in my lap like he’s done before. This time, it felt different. I guess because it was in real life instead of in a dream, but I could feel the weight of his head and the softness of his fur more clearly now. I ran my fingers through his fur and he nuzzled his snout into my leg.

“How does it work?” I asked Garrick and Mateo without looking away from Bastian.

“How does what work?” Garrick asked.

“Having a wolf.”

“We believe in Selene the Moon Goddess as the creator of all supernatural beings. She’s like our mother. She created the wolves and, when we’re born, she pairs us with a wolf. Our wolves are immortal so, when we die, they return to the Moon Goddess to await another human.” Garrick’s voice was thoughtful.

“You’re all wolves?” I asked, looking at Mateo from over my shoulder.

“Yes.” Mateo said,

“That’s why you weren’t wearing clothes when we first met. You were the sandy colored wolf in the street.” I said and Bastian’s head shot up. A low growl escaped him as he looked at Mateo.

“I wasn’t naked, I was wearing pants.” Mateo held up his hands and walked backwards.

Bastian jumped up and trotted off.

“He’s going to shift. He’s pissed about the idea of you seeing Mateo naked.” Garrick answered my unasked question.

“I’m going to go now.” Mateo stammered before running away. Garrick shook his head and followed after him at a more normal pace.

“You okay?” Lukas offered me his hand and helped me up from the grass. He was fully clothed again but had a sheepish expression.

“I’m okay. You should know that I trust your wolf more than you.” I said and Lukas chuckled,

“And you should know that you just made Bastian’s entire year by saying that.”

“He talks to you?” That was still a weird concept.

“More now than he has in the last few years, but now I know why.” he shrugged.

“He’s been talking to me so he hasn’t been talking to you?” God damn this shit was confusing.

“Let’s sit and I’ll explain it all.” Lukas offered me a crooked smile and motioned towards the patio set. He pulled out one of the chairs and his hand brushed against my arm as I sat.

“You were the wolf who protected me in the forest.” I began and Lukas nodded,

“I was leading my pack after some rogues….” I stopped him,

“Rogues?”

“They’re feral wolves who can’t connect with their humans anymore, they can’t shift. They don’t belong to any pack which is why they’re smaller and more scrawny than pack wolves. They’re just after blood.” I could tell Lukas was trying to be careful with his words so he didn’t scare me, but I wish he wouldn’t pull his punches.

“This is a pack?” I asked, looking around.

“It is, the Emerald Forest pack.”

“So not a communist party, then?” Lukas laughed at my comment,

“No.”

“Or a cult?” I tried again and Lukas kept laughing. I had to admit, the sound made my head feel a little fuzzy.

“It’s a family, Clementine.” He smiled.

“And you’re the leader?”

“Yes, the Alpha. Garrick is the Beta and Mateo, the Gamma.” He explained.

“What’s a Luna?” I could tell my question took him by surprise from the look on his face.

“I’ll get to that later.” He mumbled and I decided to let it go for now.

“So, you were chasing rogues through the woods….” I prompted.

“Yes, I was trying to get them away from the human town. Of course, I had no idea you humans were having a party out there.”

“What were they doing here?” I asked.

“They like to terrorize human towns near werewolf packs to stir up trouble.” Lukas explained carefully.

“You were leading them away from the human town….” I repeated as the puzzle pieces began to connect in my mind.

“I thought we had them all in the woods, that’s when you saw us. I didn’t know there were still some in town.” Lukas was starting to look a little pale.

“You’re telling me that rogue werewolves killed my parents.” I couldn’t believe it. This had to be some kind of sick joke.

“Clementine….”

“You were there, standing outside my house after I found them.” I wouldn’t let him talk.

“I was.”

“You’ve always known what happened and you’ve always known me.” Anger was building inside my chest.

“There’s more to it than that. There’s a reason I couldn’t tell you.” Lukas frowned and refused to look me in the eyes.

“I’m listening.” I snapped. That’s when his eyes met mine and I saw all the pain and regret swimming in them.

“Bastian and I called you our mate.” He started,

“I remember.”

“That’s more than just a pet name. It means something to us, to werewolves, something sacred. Garrick explained the Moon Goddess to you and how she connected wolves with their humans?” He paused and I nodded for him to continue, “She does the same thing for mates. Every werewolf is given a mate, a perfect match for their soul, and charged with the mission of finding him or her.”

“You’re talking about soulmates?” This was just going from bad to worse.

“Yes, a bit. Take my hand.” He stretched his arm across the table and turned his palm up towards me. I hesitated, giving him a skeptical look, before sighing and laying my palm against his, “You feel that?”

I pretended that I didn’t feel the sparks and electricity that passed between us every time we touched. I gulped and shook my head.

“Yes, you do.” Lukas smirked at me, “Just like you feel drawn to me, to talk to me and to trust me. You said so yourself the very first day we met, when you said you didn’t usually talk so openly with strangers.”

“Except that wasn’t when we met, was it?” I asked, sharply pulling my hand away. Lukas sighed and raked his hand through his hair.

“From the moment I ran up on the scene in the woods, before I even saw you, I knew you were my mate.” Lukas rambled.

“How?” I asked, deciding to play along.

“Lots of things give it away. The instant connection, the draw I feel to be near you and to protect you, my wolf yelling the word mate in my ear,” Lukas chuckled at his own joke, “And then there’s your scent.”

“My scent?” My nose scrunched up and I resisted the urge to sniff myself. Lukas laughed loudly,

“It’s a good scent. All mates have unique scents to each other. If you were a wolf, you’d smell it on me, too.”

“What do I smell like?” I asked curiously.

“Like lavender and daisies.” Lukas said sweetly and I felt my voice catch in my throat. My eyes widened and I must have looked as shocked as I felt because Lukas seemed instantly worried,

“What’s wrong?”

“Lavender and daisies?” I clarified and he nodded,

“Is that a problem?”

“It’s just….they were my mother’s favorite flowers. She always had vases of them around the house. I mean, she loved them so much she named her kids after them.” I mumbled, looking at the table like something about it was suddenly fascinating.

I felt Lukas’ fingers rub against mine and I decided to let him hold my hand. Maybe it was some supernatural connection or maybe it was the fact that I was completely certifiable, either way, I felt the urge to be comforted by him.

“She did?” Lukas was looking at me like I didn’t even know my own name.

“I’m Clementine Lavender and Daniel was as close to daisies as she could get.” I laughed. Daniel hated that he was technically named after a girly flower.

“Well, if that doesn’t make you believe in fate then I don’t know what will.” Lukas grinned.

“Or you’re just a stalker.” I shrugged and his grin fell from his face.

“So, anyway, I followed you to your house to make sure you got home safely and that’s when I realized what had happened. I had my men round up all the rogues and sent my pack doctor to the hospital to check on you.” Lukas said and that’s when it dawned on me.

“Dr. Moreson! I knew his name sounded familiar. He was my doctor here and also when I was shot in Virginia. You had him following me?” I glared at him and Lukas had the good sense to look guilty.

“There’s a good possibility….” He muttered and I shook my head at him, frowning.

“Mateo, too. I’ve seen him before.” I narrowed my eyes on him.

“Okay, yes, I put Mateo in charge of your protection. He’s had guards following after you all this time. He would show up whenever he was really concerned about you and I only sent Dr. Moreson those two times, in my defense.” Lukas said.

“Oh, gee, that makes it better.” I rolled my eyes, “You’ve had me followed? You do realize I’m perfectly capable of protecting myself, right?”

“It’s my instinct to protect you, Clem,” He said seriously, “Besides, if anyone found out that you were my mate, you’d be in danger. You needed protection from my kind.”

“If this matebond thing is so serious then why didn’t you talk to me before?”

“I visited you in the hospital that day while you were unconscious. I promised you then that I would always put your needs first.” Lukas said and, even though I could sense his honesty, anger was still bubbling inside of me.