"Where you go, I'm going."
Achilles Gang of Youths
R U E B E N
With each step she took into the woods, the autumn-coloured leaves crunched beneath her boots. The cold fall breeze gushed through the air and her warm scent was scattered through the atmosphere surrounding her. Ruth was unaware of who her scent had reached as she continued her weekly walk through the familiar path.
Theodoros had just shifted on a whim. One of my sisters had found her mate, and he'd grown jealous that we couldn't find ours. We always thought we did. Countless women, who I'd never grown emotionally attached to, entered our lives. Thirty six so far. I imagined how that made me look from my pack's perspective. They assumed I wasn't serious about my position as an Alpha. They thought I was a playboy.
No one understood the full context. I decided I didn't want many people knowing about the curse that made me kill all those women. I was present and conscious during the acts. Theo was, too, and that was all my pack knew. We both fought to control it, to keep ourselves grounded, but there was a force beyond our control that threw us off balance. The being that had placed the curse on all five packs involved in the Galilean War. It was neither my fault or the faults of the other Cursed Children of the Moon. We merely suffered the consequences of our parent's actions during times of trouble.
I didn't blame mine, though. My dad was a great Alpha during his time. I was young, but he was noble and kind. My mother ruled by his side until they both stepped down after my time had come. They took necessary precautions, and war was war. I understood that they had to take action like no other. My parents had responsibilities and an entire pack to care for. They put us first, and I didn't blame them for that.
'Turn back, she's safe. She doesn't need you,' I told my wolf, but the lethal creature didn't remove his gaze from the beautiful woman walking past the thin trees, closer to us.
A soft growl escaped from him, and I had tried to get him to move back, realising that Ruth's gaze was falling into our direction. I didn't know her name then, or what she would mean to him. Theo didn't know either, but he sensed something that I couldn't.
"What the hell?" Her faint whisper made its way to us, and Theodoros purred like a cat at the sound of her voice.
'Snap out of it, Theo,' I scolded him. He knew better than to warm up to women, especially ones that were human.
We had rarely approached those before. Humans. They were much weaker than werewolves, much more fragile. They were vulnerable in a way that made them far more precious, and I intended to respect that and stay away. I didn't need to taint them or think about how easy it would be to kill them if the curse took over when they were near.
Besides, no human girl had ever triggered my senses like the thirty six other women I thought had potential to be my mate. I was thrown off guard by each of them, no matter how many. It was the way of the curse.
Until her.
"Okay, not happening," Ruth whispered louder this time, taking a step back, away from the wolf she didn't know was watching her.
Theodoros didn't want her to leave yet, so he had leaped closer, beyond the thick tree trunks that covered his large form. The sound of leaves shuffling around us made Ruth's wary eyes rake the woods again, but Theo was good at concealing himself.
"It's probably a rabbit," She mumbled, trying to reassure herself that she wasn't alone with anything or anyone dangerous. "Great, now I'm talking to myself."
YOU ARE READING
The Skin Walker
Werewolf[being rewritten] *book 1 of the Galilean Moon series* "After every killing, a scar of the victim will appear on him, covering his skin until the love of his mate clears away the marks of his monstrosity... Prior to the meeting of his true soulmate...
