Acceptance

Chapter 1

I stepped off the Grey Hound bus and looked around the middle of no where stop. Here many would get on different buses and go in different directions. Unfortunately for me, this is where I began walking due to not having any money to ride to the next city. From what I saw on the map it would only be a six hour walk going South to get to the next one. Maybe there I could find an internet cafe and see if I had any job offers from the council.

I looked up at the sky, not liking the look of the dark clouds above me. I dipped into my inner well of magic and saw I didn't have enough to shield myself if it started to rain. I sighed and began to walk, praying the moon goddess had mercy on me just this once.

Once again my prayers go unanswered as it starts to rain shortly after sundown. I was only two hours into walking when it happened. Instead of a light sprinkle, it was like the skies opened up unleashed a painful waterfall. I could hear a car coming up behind me, but that still didn't prepare me for the tsunami of water that hit me. The car stopped quickly and people got out of it.

A wind made several different mouth watering scents assualt my nose as they got out. "Oh my gosh, are you okay," a woman much shorter than me asked as one of the men held an umbrella above her. "I'm soaked, but not your fault, I've been in it since it started to fall," I told her, waving a hand. My inner wolf was bouncing and yipping in my head at them being so close. I had to clench my jaw to keep my teeth from chattering. I knew if I stayed out here any longer, I would end up sick.

"Where are you headed," a man wearing a beanie that smelled of campfires asked me. "The closest city," I told him. "Let us take you back to our place, and wash and dry your clothes," One of the other men, who smelled of leather, suggested. I wanted to protest but my bags were already being grabbed and put in the trunk. Guess I was going with them.

I didn't know how badly I was shaking until I was in the car with the heat vent blasted at me. The man who smelled of a campfire sat closest to me, letting off a ton of heat.

"What is your name," the woman asked as she turned in the passenger seat to look at me. "Alice Grommel," I replied through chattering teeth. "I'm Cindy. This is Drake, Pyrus, and Nathaniel. You'll meet Shelton when we get home," Cindy said introducing the others. It was hard to see any of them due to the lack of light due to no street lamps or bright lights in the car. "Speaking of Shelton, let me call him," Drake said while digging his phone out of his pocket.

I tuned out the conversation, wanting to focus on becoming warm. Shit I was so cold. I lost track of time before we pulled up in front of a large mansion. The door next me opened and a man, who must be Shelton, was standing with an umbrella, "I have some warm clothes and food waiting for you." He offered his hand to me to assist me out of the car and I took it.

Shocks and jolts went up my arm. MATE! My wolf screamed in my head. They're all our mates, she seemed excited as she realized why their scents were affecting us the way they did. My head was reeling now as I was lead inside. The others were smiling in realization and I didn't know what to say. I made sure the dark sunglasses I was wearing didn't slide off. Now that water wasn't dampening their scents I could also tell their species. Cindy was a genie, Pyrus a fire Fae, Shelton a incubus, Drake a dragon shifter, and Nathaniel was a vampire.

"Yay, we finally found our final piece," Cindy squealed excitedly. "Calm down Cindy, let's let her get dried and fed before you bombard her with your ramblings," Shelton told her. "Pyrus will you take her upstairs to the room across from ours?" Pyrus offered his hand and I took it, letting his warmth flood me.

Shelton's POV:

"She smells off, I cant make out her race," Drake said and I nodded. Cindy then glared, "That is so rude." "And why was she out in the rain," Nathaniel added in. "The Grey Hound stop wasn't far from where she was coming from, she probably couldn't afford to go any further and decided to walk," Cindy figured.

Nathaniel picked up one of the woman's bags,"I'm gonna go ahead and start washing and drying her things." I grabbed the other two bags and followed him to the laundry room. He opened the bag he carried and inside was an array of weapons, vials, and small leather bound notebooks. I then found an ID, issused by the council. "She is a Sleeping Huntress," I said as I looked at it. A Sleeping Huntress is someone who works for the council to put down those who refuse to follow the law. The term sleeping means that they are only paid when given a job. Which can make living hard.

I showed Drake the ID and he nodded. He then found her wallet. She had twenty dollars that was soaked and needed to be kept out to dry. Her other bag was spell books, mostly ones she got at an antique store from a human who clearly didn't know what they had. The last bag was her clothes, which only held about a weeks worth.

Pyrus came in with her wet clothes and he raised an eyebrow at the bag of weapons until he saw the ID then nodded, "Haven't seen one of them in a while." I nodded in agreement, "Nor have I."

After handling her things we left and informed the others. "That sounds so cool. She must be here for a job," Cindy said. "Cool? It's dangerous," Nathaniel corrected her.

The scent of herbs and spices came in,"Its the only way I can make a living." Everyone turned to look at her. Her midnight hair was short and she still wore her sunglasses. She was tall compared to most women, and was well endowed in both front and back.

"That's okay honey, we're not judging you," Cindy told her quickly. "You might not be," the woman told her. "Why do you hide your eyes," Pyrus asked her. "Habit," she sighed then removed them. We were greeted with the most beautiful pair of eyes. Her right eye was a vibrant amethyst while her left eye was a sparkling emerald green. "A hybrid," Nathaniel breathed.

They were rare to find. Many didn't live to see puberty, unable to handle the mixed blood running through their veins. "Wolf and witch," she confirmed with a nod. "We dont mean to pry, honest, we are just concerned," Drake told her. She waved a hand, "I knew there would be questions and I've always been ready to answer them when anyone asked."

She still seemed cold as she stood there, the effects of the cold weather and rain, having not left her yet. It didn't help that she was clearly losing weight due to starvation. I gestured to the kitchen, "Let's get you something to eat." I took her to the kitchen then paused when I went to grab the ladle of the soup. "Which customs do you follow," I asked her. Giving a mate food before they've accepted the bond is offensive to wolves, and the last thing I wanted was to offend her. The reason why it was offensive is because it shows that you're forcing her to accept the mating which could cause problems.

She eyes flashed sorrow but then disappeared, "Neither." I nodded and got her some soup while Cindy lead her to the dining table. "Are you here for a job," she asked Alice curiously. Cindy's bright and bubbly personality seemed to calm her a little. "No. When I have no job I tend to just travel aimlessly. I tend to check for emails at cafes to see if I have one. It's been a while since my last one though," she replied as I sat the bowl down. We watched as she ate in silence. When she was finished she yawned.

Cindy took her hand, "Come on, you need to get some sleep. We can get to know you better tomorrow." We watched the women leave the kitchen and I ran a hand through my hair. Drake ran a hand over my back, "We'll figure out what to do next tomorrow. For now let's just get some sleep." We all agreed and went to our room, first peeking in on her. She was under the covers, shivering but fast asleep. Pyrus turned on the heat for her before joining us in bed.