Soul Mate

Chapter 78

Dedicated to PumpkinSeed10, Onyiasandra, richlemonade, coconutdreams21. You are amazing!

River's POV.

" Must say it's kind of creepy that we are at the same place where you almost died." Sebastian murmurs softly.

True.
We were at the stream and it's way past midnight. After the pack meeting, Sebastian and I headed out here. Despite the fact that I almost lost my life here, it still remains the one spot that keeps me calm. The sound of rushing water is good to my soul. And right now, I needed sustainance.

" You seem to have forgotten that this is where we first mated. Right at that very spot." I say pointing to a patch of grass off to the left.
"So the good outweighs the bad. Not gonna let some pesky individuals ruin this place for me. This place gives me peace and tranquility. And right now, am craving just that." I add.

Escaping my thoughts was one of the reasons why I'd come here. The other was to give my mate the opportunity to reveal his other form.
We had many memories here, and that would be another one of them.

" Talk to me. What's going on in that pretty head of yours." Sebastian's voice interrupts my thoughts.

" You." I simply admit.

"How?"
He was stalling. Not sure why. Was he that scared of showing himself to me? Or was he afraid that I'd reject him?

" That last one. You don't know the face you made when he told you he could turn Huxembeast for the first time. You were scared." Zane says.

" No I wasn't." I argue.

" Oh please! Might have as well ran away screaming to your mummy claiming your mate had a beast inside him."

" You little shit!" I curse him out.

I take in a deep breath. Now wasn't the time to start bickering with my wolf. The animal was insufferable but still couldn't help but love him.

I turn my attention back to Sebastian.. he is staring at me with uncertainty in his eyes. I would do anything to wipe that uncertainty away for good.

" I want to see you. All of you. Show me your other side."

He holds my gaze for an entire minute before audibly swallowing  and getting to his feet. He starts to strip off his clothing. One piece at a time. I watch him, my gaze not wavering. Not shying away from his nudity. I needed to see him, to get acquainted with everything about him.
When he's finished, he crouches down and gives me another look. I smile at him encouragingly. He gives me a gentle smile back before the shift begins.
I watch in wonder as his bones start to shift and recreate themselves into something that am yet to see.
He grows bigger in size and my eyes bulge out of their sockets at how huge he appears.
He wasn't even standing yet!

When the shift is done, my mate gets to his feet and I rapidly blink at the sight before me. Yes. The Huxembeast was terrifying to look at, but I was more fascinated than scared. I scramble to my feet and continue to stare. Though I have to crane my neck so far back because of how big and tall he is. He stares right back, black eyes penetrating into the very depths of my soul.
It felt like he was seeing right through me. I felt naked, exposed.  He doesn't move a muscle though but remains still. I take a tentative step towards him. Then another, and another till am right infront of him. My face is level with his abdomen. His Huxembeast is that tall. My hand reaches out and buries itself in his fur. Fur so soft I can't help but laugh at the irony. A beast so deadly and terrifying with the softest fur. Imagine that!
My laughter piques his interest and I let him in on the joke.

" Your fur could make me a nice warm coat." I say and burst into laughter.

He bends his height till his face is level with mine and my laughter comes to an abrupt halt. I inhale sharply but don't shy away from him. Instead, my hand reaches out and caresses the back of his head.  He leans into my touch and closes his eyes.

" I love you. I love every part of you. All sides of you." I assure him before bringing my lips to the spot right between his eyes and softly kissing him.
He purrs and my eyes widen at his reaction to my sign of affection.

So the Huxembeast purrs! How interesting. I test the theory further by rubbing behind his ears and burying my head in his neck and his response is instant. He purrs deeply and I smile to myself. I loved this side of his.

" You are beautiful." I whisper.

He truly was. I don't even understand why I was frightened in the beginning. Well he was capable of scaring others to death, I admit. But not me. There's no ounce of fear in me. Just love and acceptance.

I step back as an idea pops into my head. His black eyes scan me, they never leave me. I walk to the stream and dip my hand collecting a handful of water in my left hand. I raise my right palm over it and it starts to swirl around, sculping itself into what I want.

A miniature ice Huxembeast!

Once my creation is complete, I hold my palm out for my mate to see and I smile at his genuine interest. He peers at the tiny thing in my palm before picking it up.

"You are very adorable." I hear his voice in my head.

"Well you are my inspiration." I tell him.

His focus on the little ice version of himself is broken when shrill cries break through the quiet night. His ears twitch and eyes go darker.
My blood goes cold with dread and my mouth dry.
Screams of terror, snarls and growls of wolves fill the air.

My mate stares at me, the little Huxembeast dropping to the ground and shattering into pieces. We both knew what was happening. We were under attack! We thought we had a few days but we were wrong. We were being ambushed! The nightmare had finally arrived.

As if we were one body, we turn and sprint back to the community.  But just as we break through the trees, I stop. Sebastian looks back questioningly.

" Go. I'll find you. I need to do something that will help." I look back at the stream.
He gets my message.

" I love you. Be safe." He says before disappearing through the trees towards the centre of the attack, his speed astounding.

I ran back to the stream and stare at the water. I hope am able to pull this off. Winning this war depended on it. We all did.

May the goddess save us all.