Fated Hearts

This story is taken from part of a dream I keep having. I just want to thank LaRascasse for editing this and giving me ideas!

Enjoy,

G

Give thy thoughts no tongue.

Hamlet. ACT I Scene 3.

"But Mama, I

want

to go on the hunt!" Thessa pouted and looked up at her mother with large brown eyes.

Jolena shook her head and pushed back the unruly curls of her youngest. "I said no. And that's my final word on this subject. You are too young; you must stay here with until we return."

"But, Mamaaa..."

Narrowed golden eyes at Thessa caused the girl to look down.

"I was just overexcited. I will go to bed and wait until you and papa return." Thessa retreated into the large stone dwelling, rolling her eyes once her mother's back was turned.

The building contained several beds for the children, all ranging from infancy to young adulthood. The adults preferred them to stay in their human form for their first years. They could change after their sixteenth year. Thessa had just turned eighteen.

"On you get, you scoundrels!" an older woman chased several children into the building before accepting eager kisses from each.

Thessa sighed. Her parents, Jolena and Julius were betas. Thessa was the only survivor of a bigger litter of four. Despite being born prematurely in the middle of a snow storm, Thessa survived her first difficult year and grew quickly.

Thessa looked over at the bunks nearest to her. Gilen was with her two youngest children. Thessa sighed as she listened to the cooing whispers between mother and children. Malin was playing with her other nephew, Marg, and their friends. The chatter from the group of rowdy boys echoed in the large building.

Thessa's adopted sister, Nyoko, was supervising another group of cubs who are getting to change into their wolf form for the first time. A laugh sounded around the youngsters prepared for the run, excitement leaping like fingers of lightening. Thessa turned over on her bed and snuggled closer to her pillow.

She woke in the middle of the night to a baby's cry in the nursery and smothered a yawn as she sat up and stretched. She would have woken up soon anyway. Dreams at night were always the worst for her, someone or...some

thing

was always chasing her through the woods. She never understood why she was running, but always felt the crippling fear and panic that she would be caught.

Thessa stood and shivered as the cool floor made contact with her feet.

A walk might be nice.

She said to herself as she slipped on her shoes in the dark and walked to the front door of the building and opened it.

This was always her favorite part of the day: the quiet night filled with the sounds of nature, and the silvery light of the moon shining through the trees of the forest on the compound the pack owned. She hardly made a noise as she walked down one of the paths worn down by feet, paws, and car tires. Her walk took her through a clearing, past the pond and across a small bridge. Before she knew it, she was almost to the ceremonial meeting grounds. A wave of panic washed over her. This was where her dream kept happening.

With a gasp, she turned and almost ran into the guard walking behind her.

"Oh, it's just you." She sighed.

Russ was one of the guards her parents were good friends with. She couldn't help but notice his slight wolfy smell and how close he stood. She could feel his overwhelming warmth radiate and surround her. As a shifter, she didn't have a distinct scent. She could smell like whatever she wanted.

"Be careful, little girl. Thought you were and intruder." He rumbled, steadying her with his hand. It was warm and calloused and so large that she could feel where his fingers overlapped each other on her arm.

"I'm sorry. I was just headed back to the dormitory, you know how hard it is to sleep near crying children." she joked, stepping back when he finally released her.

"I'll walk you. Wanted to talk to you anyway." He said, motioning for her to follow him.

Thessa couldn't help but feel disappointed. Her nightly walk had been interrupted; Russ' large, frame and dominating presence seemed to overwhelm the peace of the night. She decided that there was nowhere she could go without being subject to have to obey someone. They'd almost reached the children's' dormitory before he spoke:

"Your mother was telling me that you just turned eighteen..." He started.

"That's true." she replied, stiffening...She knew where this was going.

"Well, you know how this goes. Normally pack members are matched up by the time they turn sixteen. I haven't seen you around any of the other males." He continued.

She was suddenly aware of an overwhelming urge to tell him off. Her mother was trying to match her up with

anyone

that would be suitable.

Thessa never exhibited the normal shifter or werewolf traits that everyone else had. She didn't even feel anything for any of the other male or female pack members beyond friendship. That's what Russ was: a friend.

"Look, Russ-" she started.

"I really like you, and I think we would make a perfect match. We both value the pack's laws and morals above all."

"I..." she floundered, still in shock when he took her hand.

"You're such a good girl and I was just like you: uninterested in the other sex... that is, until we met at the last gathering." He interrupted, leaving her flustered.

"Just...give me a chance, okay?" he pleaded.

"Russ I..." she started again only to be cut off when he pressed a finger to her lips.

"Please be rational here and see this for the opportunity it is Thessa." He smiled, and she gave up, forcing the smile that came to her mouth.

"Okay."

"Good. Now goodnight, get some sleep." He kissed her forehead as he left her at the front door. ~*~

"Thessa wake up! Wake up! Wake UP!" a soft hand shook her shoulder hard even as she struggled to push through the layers of sleep fogging her brain.

"What? What IS it, Nyoko?" she growled as she rolled over and sat up.

"Last night was so magical!" Nyoko exclaimed, perching on the side of Thessa's bed.

"Was it really?" Thess grumbled, opening one eye.

"Yes it was! I always cry at these things. Those kids learn about the change in the school but seeing their joy is like changing again for the first time!" Nyoko bounced excitedly on the bed causing Thessa to growl in anger.

She shot Nyoko a withering glance that the girl ignored.

"Get dressed, Thess! We have training today. I can't wait." She smiled, getting up to change out of her nightgown and into a tank top and sweatpants.

Training was Thessa's least favorite part of being a shifter. The rush she felt was wild, exciting: everything her human was not. The perfect paradox: a wild animal trapped in a nice girl's body. The world of the animal she shifted into was not predictable; it had no rules like the humans' world. Thessa was always afraid that she would hurt someone seriously if she ever let her animal come out fully.

It was thrilling nonetheless, and by the time she finished training, she felt energized and ready to take on the world. She panted as she shifted back from her wolf and grabbed a towel for the shower. The door to the bathroom was open and the smell of warm wet stone reached Thessa's nose before she got there. Then another scent hit her, two scents: Nyoko and another scent...a male scent. Thessa's lips curled away from her teeth as she dropped her towel and shifted into a medium sized, dark brown wolf and bounded towards the scents. Launching herself onto her back legs, she leapt into the clearing where Nyoko and one of the other wolves in their year, were sharing a fervent kiss against the trunk of a tree. She sank her claws into the young man's back and he spun around, his eyes widening in fear as he saw the larger wolf behind him.

"Thess, no! I love him; I know what I'm doing!" Nyoko argued, as Thessa fixed her with a murderous glance.

"You bitch!" the young man growled mid-shift.

"Ulysse, NO!" Nyoko covered her eyes as the two wolves circled each other.

Thessa landed one swift swipe, leaving four long furrows in his belly. She was easily the victor as she nipped Ulysse's throat. He howled in pain and shifted back into his human form. Thessa cast Nyoko a withering glance.

"Get someone to clean it up. Or clean it up yourself. I'm going to take a bath. Take yours and go have your breakfast. Dad will deal with you." She snarled before turning to go find her father.

Thessa looked down at the blood on her hand and felt the rush of adrenaline leave her. It was a matter of minutes before she fell to her knees and vomited onto the ground. All the contents from her light breakfast came up in reverse.

See what you did? You could have killed him. And all for what? She's eighteen too. She's supposed to choose a mate: maybe it was him.

The voice in her head accused.

But it was right, and that was the only thought that Thessa had going forward was that she was unequivocally a monster. Rogue? No. Never that, but she was definitely out of touch with her animal and so when it manifested itself, it took its rage out on the closest being. A shudder of revulsion that had nothing to do with the cool air hitting her naked body ran through her.

The shower was warm and calming as the drops beat down like rain over her head and slid sensually down her scalp. She sighed. Her momentary loss of control frightened her more than disobeying her mother did, but she could still feel the rush of excitement from shifting that made her nipples harden and her special place tingle. The water didn't help.

Not that she wasn't sexually active. Even she knew how to take care of that, but she never wanted to seek the help of others. She did from time to time nevertheless, she wasn't satisfied. Thessa had the feeling that the only one who would sate her completely was her mate.

She dreamt about that too. The way she and her mate would make love in the shower in their home once the pack had given them one as a mating present: he would have large, soft hands to be able to just cover her large breasts. She tilted her head back as she rubbed the textured washcloth over them, making them even harder than before. And he would be pale too...so that when their bodies were meshed together in ecstasy, it would be a beautiful swirl of light against dark.

Thessa let the cloth drop to the tiled floor as her imagination provided the image of her mate rolling around with her. She saw him slide his fingers down her stomach and through the light pubic hair covering her mound and mimicked the action, gasping when she felt how sensitive her clit was under the warm spray above her. She could almost feel his lips press against her own as he slipped one finger into her moist heat, testing her tightness and readiness. She slipped another finger into her pussy as she imagined he would do, curling her fingers to press against her sweetest spot.

A ragged breath escaped her lips as she bent her head leaning against one wall to brace herself as she drove her fingers slick from the shower and her own juices repeatedly into her pussy, the friction making her cry out as she came hard and fast. She reached a shaky hand to turn off the shower and grab her towel before carefully drying and dressing herself again. She smiled as her stomach grumbled and took off running toward the kitchens.

As she walked into the back door of the kitchen, she heard the cook scream and the shattering of a heavy pot.

"Aiee! Lord, have mercy. You will burn the bread and the eggs at this rate!" Severin, the head cook at the alphas' manor, covered her face with her hands as her scullion rushed to the fire where the food was cooking.

"You'll cost me my job! The Alpha is a harsh man, he likes his eggs done just right..." Severin sighed and pushed the younger girl out of the way to take over the cooking.

"Morning, Severin." Thessa laughed, barely missing the flying scullion as the girl flew into the pantry for more ingredients.

"Do you need some help? I can help serve the food if you need me to?" She asked.

"OH you're a godsend Thess. Here, take this into the dining room." she muttered pointing absently to a tray with a large silver teapot and two cups.

Thessa nodded and proceeded to pick it up when Severin added, "His wife likes milk and sugar. Lots of milk and sugar."

The elegance of the marble fireplace, dark red carpet and thick white curtains always took her breath away. At the long table in the center of the room, the alpha sat with his wife on his left and their children around the table. Thessa curtsied deeply and made sure to look down as she neared the table. The alpha and his wife nodded. Thessa kept her head bent as she poured their tea and she felt the alpha's eyes on her back as she left. Sorenan was a handsome man, but she didn't like his overly bulky frame, long gold hair and cold blue eyes.

Thessa could still remember the last time he punished one of the shifters by locking the poor woman in her animal form and chaining her by the neck to a post for several days. All the omega had done was make eye contact with him for too long. Thessa had a few things to say about how selfish and cruel the alpha was sometimes, but it wasn't her place to have an opinion about it.

His wife was just as beautiful in the same icy way. Pavla had dark hair and harsh eyes that glowed bright yellow when she changed into her large black wolf. Well she never shifted. Witches can't shift. It was really quite unsettling to see the cloud of putrid black smog surround the woman as she sort of melted into whatever animal.

As she stepped outside, she almost bumped into the alpha's nephew, Dachiel.

"Dachiel, how are you?" she asked, falling into step with him as he made his way back to the dormitories.

"A huge fight is going to take place tonight." He started excitedly, ignoring her greeting.

"A rogue pack is in our territory and their alpha wants our pack so they will fight to the death at midnight." he said, excitement in his voice and in his eyes.

No one had challenged Sorenan in a long time the last time was before Thessa was born. The thought stayed with her as she and Dachiel parted. A rogue though? Her mother would dismiss her from ever going near the ceremonial grounds that night, but there was no harm in checking out this rogue.