Fallon POV
I follow Ryan out of the packhouse and into the woods surrounding us. The night is enchanting, just like Ryan. "I will shift slowly, and then you follow," Ryan says.
Ryan tries to go over every aspect of the shift, but as he speaks, the smell of rain and the whispers of my ancestors consume me. I can hear their whispers of encouragement.
Ryan stops ahead of me. "Are you listening to me?" he asks me. He raises his eyebrows. He already knows my mind is elsewhere.
"I am listening to you and them," I say with a smile.
The moon is enormous and hanging just above the treeline. It seems to engulf Ryan as he shifts. He is talking to me as he shifts, walking me through the steps. I hear bones cracking as he growls. This is going to hurt like hell.
Ryan stands before me on all fours. He is a beautiful wolf. His eyes glowing in the moonlight. He is perfection. "You try, go slowly, and take your time. Just think about shifting and let your body do the rest. It may not happen the first time," Ryan instructs me.
I look at my hands and picture paws, I imagine the feeling of fur on my body, and I howl at the moon. I sound pitiful. A half witch half wolf, reaper in training howling at the moon must sound ridiculous to the pack of wolves. I hope they are not listening to me struggle. I keep my eyes closed as I try to imagine shifting into a beautiful wolf.
"You can do it, Fallon. Find your wolf!" Ryan growls at me.
I can't do this. I feel defeated. "Are you sure I am a wolf?" I question him.
I open my eyes and look at him. He looks stunned. "What is it?" I ask him.
I feel my body begin to change. Ryan watches as I shift into a red wolf. It doesn't hurt. The shift is seamless and flawless. I look down at what was my feet and hands, now replaced with paws. I spin around on my paws, digging into the ground. This is wonderful.
"How do I look?" I ask Ryan as I prance around. I look into his eyes. Then, I hear her, my wolf. MATE!
"You look beautiful," Ryan says. He approaches me, and we circle one another, not breaking eye contact. I can feel the mate bond. Is this what I want? I know my wolf wants him. Am I ready for this?
"I feel it. It is a deep connection between you and my wolf. She screams for you," I whisper. I howl at the moon and then look back at Ryan, who looks worried.
"Being a wolf increases your enemies. I wanted to be your mate, but I never wanted to put you in danger. I love you, Fallon, and I want us to be together. No matter what you choose, I will be here for you. Reaper, daughter of the Alpha, descendent of powerful witches, it is up to you," Ryan says.
We continue to look into each other's eyes. I can hear my wolf and his wolf calling out to one another. Wow, how my life has changed! I am happy, and I have someone in my life. I have a new family, and I feel like I belong, but there is work to do and enemies to deal with now. What do I choose?
"What do you choose, Fallon?" Ryan asks me. I do not feel like he is rushing me to decide, but he needs to know how to help me. Does he train me to be a reaper, a wolf, or both? Do I continue to study my magic?
"I choose you," I answer him.
"I choose you too," Ryan says.
I hear a tree branch break, and we quickly turn to see what is coming. I move closer to Ryan. "I will not let anyone harm you," Ryan says.
The woods become quiet. Neither of us moves. We only listen. "Why do people want to harm me?" I ask Ryan.
"Because they are afraid of you," Alpha Mayhem answers as he comes from the thick woods. I feel relieved and take a deep breath. Thank goodness it is my father. It feels weird saying that. My father, the Alpha, sounds even stranger.
Alpha Mayhem moves through the thicket and shifts quickly as he approaches us. "Let's take my daughter for a run," Alpha Mayhem says.
I get ready to run. Ryan steps in front of me. "She needs to know about you and Angelina," Ryan says.
Alpha Mayhem growls. "Never say her name," he howls.
"Who is Angelina?" I ask.
Alpha Mayhem paces for a moment. "Your mother. I loved her so much. She was married to your father. He was a worthless hunter. He murdered so many wolves, good wolves. He did not care who he killed. He did not love your mother. Do not listen to anything these people tell you. The only love she ever knew was with me, but we could not be together. Trust me, and if you and Ryan are mates, there will be those that try to separate you and force you to be with someone else. I bet they already tried. The reaper is not supposed to be happy. Your soul needs to be in constant torment to keep you angry and ready to kill," Alpha Mayhem says.
I look over at Ryan. He already knew this. Bruce was supposed to be my watcher so he could trick me into loving him and then torment me. I think about everything that has happened between Bruce and I. It was all a setup. There is no love there, or friendship. Bruce, Umbra, Chaos, but what about Libby?
"Libby is on our side," Ryan interjects. He is listening to my mind rambling on and making sense of all of this.
"Don't become the reaper. Become you! Love yourself and learn who you are but let the reaper business go," Alpha Mayhem begs me.
I paw at the ground, thinking. The soil coats the top of my paw as I think about what is right and what is wrong. "First, there are people who need to pay. Umbra needs to pay for killing my parents, and then I will be free to be me," I say, looking up at Alpha Mayhem.
Alpha Mayhem rushes toward me. "If you want to battle Umbra, I will be there with you. My pack is your pack. Don't let anyone know what decision you make," Alpha Mayhem says.
I turn to Ryan and rush to his side for comfort or just to have someone close to me. "I have one question. Why did Mother Agnes send me here? What did she think you would tell me about my mother?" I ask.
Alpha Mayhem seems to smile almost. "Mother Agnes always knew me, to tell the truth. The ancestors want you to take up where your mother left off. Don't hate them for it. They will always look out for you, but they will also look out for the supernatural community, too," Alpha Mayhem says.
I lean into Ryan. I look up into his beautiful eyes. "I think I can do both. I can be the reaper I want to be and serve the supernatural community, but I will make myself happy first," I say.
I look up to see another figure behind Alpha Mayhem. She is a tall, beautiful woman. Her skin is dark, just like her hair. Her eyes are almost black. She is beautiful.
"Can I be included?" she asks.
She places her hand on Alpha Mayhem. The two of them belong together. It is obvious. "Fallon, this is my mate, Charis," Alpha Mayhem says.
Charis walks toward me, and that is when I notice her fangs. "Vampire?" I ask.
"Obviously," Charis answers.
"Now that this is settled. Fallon has to train," Ryan says.
Alpha Mayhem motions for Charis to come to him. Charis climbs on his back. "First, a run with her father, a good meal, and a good night's rest. Tomorrow, you can start training my daughter to be a badass wolf, reaper," Alpha Mayhem says.
"A badass witch, wolf, reaper," I correct Alpha Mayhem.
Alpha Mayhem howls as the four of us sprint into the moonlight.