The Beaten Path.

chapter 4: Blood Night Pack

Kelly's POV

I make my way down the path to my mother's house. As I open the door, my mother yanks my arm and slams me against the wall.

"You worthless bitch! What do you think you are doing?" she yells at me, slapping me across the face.

My hand flies up to my burning cheek, and I glare at her for the first time in my life.

"I'm leaving this hell, mother, and I won't ever return!" I scream as I turn around, swing open the door, and dash to the guest house to find my mate.

I burst through the front door and yell, "Dominic!"

Dom comes flying down the stairs, worry etched on his face.

"Kelly, is everything okay? Did someone hurt you? I'll kill them, I swear!" he says, his voice filled with rage and concern.

I shake my head and place my hand on his chest, watching him visibly relax under my touch.

"I decided I don't need anything from this hell hole. I want to start anew with you, so can we please go now?" I plead with my eyes.

Dom's face lights up like fireworks on the Fourth of July.

"Yes, of course, my love! Let me tell my father and the others, and we will leave," he replies. With that, he rushes back upstairs to inform everyone that we are leaving.

The Blood Night territory is about three hours away from Skylight territory. I decide to take a nap until we arrive.

Three hours later

I awaken to sparks traveling up my arm and through my entire body, which can only mean my mate is shaking me to wake up.

Let me explain a few things about mates and how you know you're truly bonded. The first sign is their scent. You might say,

"Doesn't everyone have a scent?" Yes, they do, but your mate's scent is more profound to you. It makes all the nerves in your body come alive at once.

The second sign is the sparks you feel when they touch you; it sends a pleasurable sensation throughout your body. Mates are very protective and possessive of each other. They are the second half of your soul that the moon goddess has selected to love and cherish you throughout your lives. Your mate's wolf and your wolf will share the same characteristics in human form. For instance, if you have black hair and blue eyes, your mate's wolf will have black fur and blue eyes. If your mate has blonde hair and green eyes, your wolf will have brown fur and green eyes. Now, back to my mate.

"Baby girl, we have arrived at the pack house," he tells me in a soothing voice.

I sit up, and when my eyes land on the pack house, my jaw drops at how beautiful and grand it is. The house stands three stories high, featuring a white and green exterior, porches on every level, and a gorgeous staircase leading to the front door.

I step out of the black Escalade and grab Dom's hand.

"It's gorgeous! I'm in love with it already!" I exclaim in awe.

"I'm glad you like it, baby," he says with a chuckle.

"Let's get you inside; it's been a long day."

As we walk inside, I'm even more blown away. A massive two-layer chandelier hangs in the middle of the entryway. To my right is a hallway leading to some rooms; to my left is the kitchen and dining area, and straight ahead are the living and game rooms, with a back door that leads to the backyard.

The second level is for unmated wolves, while the top level houses the living areas and bedrooms of the alpha and beta families. The rest of the pack members who have mates and families have their own houses spread throughout the territory, which can accommodate over 800 members!

We head up to the third floor and walk down the hall to the last door on the left. Once inside, I see a spacious room, as big as a two-bedroom apartment. The walls are painted a soft cream color, and the king-size bed, dressers, nightstands, and bookshelves are all brown. A 65-inch TV hangs on the wall, and a brown and tan sectional couch sits in front of it. To the left is a door, and to the right are two more doors. He tells me that the one on the left is his walk-in closet, the right one is now my walk-in closet, and the other door leads to our bathroom.

"This room is the best I have ever been in! I have never had my own bed or even a closet for my things, which I never had much of anyway," I say with a bittersweet smile.

Dom looks at me and says, "Well, from now on, you won't need for anything. You will get whatever you need. I will give you the world if you ask me to. I already had one of my female pack members go shopping while we were heading here. She bought you tons of leggings, jeans, shorts, bras, underwear, anything you can think of—you now have it," he says with a proud smile.

"Thank you so much, Dom, for everything," I say as I look through all my new items. I grab a pair of matching grey silk nightclothes and head to the bathroom for my nightly routine.

After finishing my business in the bathroom, I crawl under the big fluffy white blanket on the king-size bed and snuggle up to Dom. As we lie there, I ask, "Dom, could we start my training in the morning?"

"Of course, baby," he replies.

"Thank you, goodnight, Dom," I say.

"Goodnight, beautiful," Dom replies.

For the first time in so long, I close my eyes with a genuine smile on my face and let the peaceful darkness consume me.