Marisa Chenery - Roan's Fall

“Just spit it out, Roan.”

“All right. Ansley, we’re mated. That’s why we can’t be separated for long without needing to be with one another. The mating bond, the joining of our souls, happened the first time we slept together. I knew you were my mate the first time I met you at the salon. I knew if we made love that would be the end result.”

“Mated? I don’t understand. Only animals take mates. The last time I looked, I wasn’t one.”

Roan’s eyes started to glow mutedly. He then made a very animal-like growl. “I’m not completely human, Ansley. There’s a part of me that is an animal.”

Ansley shot off the couch to stand in front of Roan. No longer could she try to talk herself into believing that his eyes didn’t really glow, or that he didn’t growl like a wild animal would. “That is not possible.”

“It is possible.” Roan reached for Ansley, but she crossed her arms over chest. She narrowed her eyes. “If it’s possible, then what exactly are you?”

Roan stood up, but he kept his distance. “I’m a werewolf, Ansley.”

“A werewolf? There is no such thing as werewolves. Next you’ll tell me vampires, fairies and evil trolls exist too.” Roan gave Roxie a pleading look. Ansley started to chuckle. “Oh, come on, Roxie. Don’t tell me you believe this werewolf nonsense.” She gasped. Roxie’s eyes started to glow just as Roan’s did.

“Sorry, Ansley,” Roxie said. “I’m a werewolf too. Same with Beowulf.”

Ansley’s gaze shot back to Roan. “Your family? Are they werewolves too?”

“Yes.”

“Your eyes, it has to be some kind of trick you’re both playing on me. They aren’t glowing by themselves.”

“It’s no trick. I didn’t want to do it this way, but I can’t think of another way to prove to you that Rox and I are telling you the truth.”

She backed up a step. His body started to shimmer and blur. It all happened so quickly. One minute Roan stood in front of her and the next a wolf had taken his place. A wolf that had light brown fur and light blue eyes the same as Roan’s. Ansley shook her head and backed up even more until the back of her legs hit the coffee table. She flailed her arms to keep her balance. Her arm hit the crystal vase that sat on the table. It smashed on the hardwood floor with a loud crash.

The wolf moved to come closer, but Ansley held up her hands to ward him off.

“Keep the hell away from me,” she yelled. The wolf stopped dead in his tracks. Jager suddenly ran into the room with a huge sword held in his hand. “What’s the matter? Are you okay, Roxie? I heard a crash and someone yelling.”

Ansley didn’t know who to keep her gaze on. Both the wolf and Jager with his sword seemed equally dangerous to her.

Roxie groaned. “Put the sword away, Jager, before you upset Ansley more than she already is. And of course everything is fine. I thought I told you not to come running with your sword drawn at the slightest noise. We discussed this the last time you did it.”

Jager lowered his sword slightly. “I apologized the last time. How was I to know you and Beowulf were fooling around? The noises you made, I thought someone was trying to kill you.”

“For the love of God, Jager, would you just shut up already?” Roxie said. “Now give me the sword. I don’t want you scaring anyone else with it.”

Jager lowered his sword even more and shook his head. “I am not giving you my sword. I told you, I feel naked without it when I’m not at home.”

Ansley felt her heart jump into her throat. Roxie’s body shimmered and blurred, but unlike Roan she didn’t shift into a wolf. She shifted into what could only be described as half wolf/half human. Her body was covered head to toe in golden brown fur. She now stood taller than Jager, and looked much stronger. With a swish of her tail, Roxie stalked over to Jager and easily took the sword from him.

In a gruff voice, Rox said, “You’ll get it back before you leave. Now out. We have a situation going on here. Ansley isn’t taking the news of Roan being her mate, or us being werewolves, very well. With your mouth, I think you’ll just make things worse.”

Jager looked around Roxie and gave Ansley a weak smile. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to make things worse.” He then left the room.

Roxie shifted back to her human form and came to stand next to Roan, still in his wolf form. She stroked the top of his wolf’s head. “Roan, why don’t you leave Ansley and me alone for a bit?”

The wolf nodded his head before he turned and padded out of the living room. Roxie put the sword she held down on the floor at her feet and at down on the couch once again. She patted the spot next to her. “Ansley, why don’t you come sit down and we’ll talk about this? I know it’s all very confusing, and a bit scary.”

Finally finding her voice, Ansley shot back, “How would you know? You’re a werewolf.”

“I wasn’t always one. I’ve only been a werewolf for the past year. I used to be a mortal just like you.”

Feeling more than a little overwhelmed, Ansley slowly moved over to the couch and sat on the far end of it, as far away from Roxie as she could get. “What happened? Did you get bitten by a werewolf?”

Roxie chuckled. “No. A mortal can’t be turned into a werewolf if bitten by one. You have to be born a werewolf.”

“But you just said you weren’t always a werewolf.”

“My case is a little different. A spell turned me, a spell that was written specifically to turn me. You see I’m special.” Roxie did air quotes when she said the word special. “A few thousand years ago it was foretold a werewolf with a special mark on his or her wrist would one day rule over all the werewolf packs—the foretold one. Well, it turns out I’m the foretold one.” Roxie held out her left arm.

Ansley looked at the black Celtic styled markings that banded Roxie’s left wrist then glanced back up at her face. “Why are you telling me this?”

“I’m trying to give you a little more insight into Roan. He, along with his brothers and sister, has trained for hundreds of years to be my protector. Even though they all went lone wolves long ago, I have never met a more loyal bunch of people. Roan would never hurt you, Ansley. Nor would his family. They protect their own. They welcomed Eli into the family with open arms when he and Saskia mated, even before he chose to become a werewolf. They’ll do the same with you.”

More intrigued now than she would admit, Ansley’s brows drew together. “I thought the spell had been meant only for you.”

“Originally, yes, but like I said before, I’m special. Besides being able to shift into my half wolf/half human form, which no other werewolf can do, I have a little bit more magic inside me than they do. Only if I perform the spell can a mortal be turned into a werewolf.”

“You keep calling everyone who isn’t a werewolf a mortal. Are you telling me werewolves are immortal?”

“Not exactly. Our life spans are much, much longer than a mortal’s. We can live three thousand years. We also can heal much faster, and survive wounds that would kill a mortal.”

Ansley swallowed. “How old is Roan?”

“He’s just slightly over a thousand-years-old. I think 1,008 to be exact.”

She felt all the blood drain out of her face. Spots appeared before her eyes. “A thousand years old. That means he’ll live for another two thousand.”

Roxie moved to sit beside Ansley and rubbed her back. “Just breathe, Ansley. Don’t faint on me. Roan will get upset with me if you do. I don’t want him to accuse me of mistreating his mate.”

Ansley took a couple of deep cleansing breaths. Once her vision cleared, she gave Roxie a weak smile. “I’m okay now. Can you please tell me what it means to be his mate?”