My Best Friends Mate

Chapter Thirty Seven

Rather than head into town immediately, Keely and I decided to utilize the daylight hours and go for a swim at the river.
"Its such a gorgeous day! Itd be a shame to waste it. The boutique stays open a little later on weekends anyways" she said. Keely loved the water just about as much as me and Jo did.
After about an hour of swimming and sun bathing, we watched Natalia appear downstream about 500 feet in her wolf form. I looked at her and rather than being angry, I felt sorry for her. Keely had also seen her.
"we heal faster in our wolf form but she probably doesn't want anyone to see her pretty face after that hit either" and she laughed.
Natalia had heard her. She wasn't that far away and wolf hearing is impeccable.
I gave Keely a disapproving look.

"I'm going to invite her over" I said

Keely rolled her eyes. "great" she said sarcastically.

Walking up to Natalias wolf she didn't flinch or take her eyes off me.Her eyes were expressionless and lacked any feeling behind them. I watched her transform back into her human form and Keely was right, Natalia had a bruise to her right cheek, just slightly below her eye.

"We're swimming and sun bathing on flat rock if you want to come" I said pointing behind me to the big flat slab that extended out over the river. She just nodded her head in approval. I sat in between Natalia and Keely who had rolled her eyes at Natalia when we walked up.
"did you not bring any clothes?" Keely asked to Natalia. Keely and I had planned this and brought swim suits, we came here in our human form also since Keely hadn't gotten her wolf yet.

"Does my nudity intimidate you? maybe make you jealous?" Natalia retorted back in a thick Russian accent.

"disgust me maybe like it does everybody else" Keely said and I shot her a glare.

"well I could return back to my wolf but I wouldn't want you to be left out since you're the only one here who doesnt have hers yet" This time it was Natalias turn to get a bad look.

Keely was about to get up "bitch id.."

I stood up extending my hands in between them.
"Stop it. both of you!"

I watched Keely send one last go to hell look to Natalia and dive into the river over flat rock.

I turned to Natalia.
"what's your deal?" I asked annoyed.

Natalia became defensive. "she started it"

"that's not what I mean Natalia. Why are you here firstly and secondly, I see past the bitter conniving bitch you like to act like sometimes. I think deep down you're not a bad wolf. I saw how affected you were at the reservation. I want to know why you are the way you are to me, Keely, Ryan, everyone" I said, my voice stern and demanding.
We just sat there, staring at each other until she finally broke, looking down at her hands.
"I lost my mate two years ago. I'd known him since childhood. We had known since childhood we were destined. There was a pull towards one another even then... One day, my pack was attacked and killed by rogues who had teamed up with an enemy pack. I watched everyone die except for the children who me, my sister and four other wolves managed to get to safety. I watched them kill my parents as I was carrying children away. I remember one rogue, he was tall, muscular and had a scar over his left eye. He saw us and began to come after me, wanting to kill me. My mate, Jesse impacted him from the side as he was chasing after me. I watched in horror as they fought, my mate trying to protect me, my sister and these kids. I heard his final cry and it felt like the worst pain I'd ever experienced" she pointed to her heart. "Petra, my sister, finally had to drag me away. I didn't even get to say good bye to him. As we were running to our designated hiding spot, I ran into Ryan. He was running down the side of the mountain full force. He stopped to ask me if this was all the survivors, I told him I did not know and pointed him towards the battle. He transformed back into his wolf and ran fearlessly into the same battle we were just running away from..."
She paused. I imagined Ryan in his beautiful black wolf and sapphire eyes and just how she described him, he was so courageous.
"When we got the children to safety I returned to the battle and saw bodies everywhere and Ryan and our last warriors chasing off the remaining rogues. I ran to Jesse who had suffered so much blood loss from a wound to his femoral artery. The man with the scar had killed him and I didn't even get to say good bye..
I went crazy but Ryan had returned to me calming me down. My sister and I and the few remaining wolves collected the bodies along with Ryan's help. We had the funeral pyre the next day.. I sat with Jesse's body until they wrapped him up and placed him on the pyre. I kept clinging to him crying. Ryan had to pull me away. He stayed with me that night, sitting with me in the grass. We didn't say a word. He was just there"