Page 15 of Fated to the Rogue

“You’re an annoying prick, Zephyr.”

“Thank you, Dawn. I thought you’d never notice.” Our brief exchange made me smile for the first time in a while.

I could feel my she-wolf crawling with excitement underneath my skin as we approached the dandelion fields. The view was usually prettier at sunrise or sunset, when the flowers blended in with the golden skies, but it was exceptionallybeautiful tonight. The wind was strong, blowing away the white puffballs seed by seed, which in turn glistened like fairy dust as they were struck by the moonlight. It looked nothing short of magical.

After thoroughly scouring through my surroundings twice to make sure there was no one around, I quickly removed my clothes and threw them carelessly on a small rock. I took a deep breath to erase my traumatic first shift experience from my mind before I allowed Dawn control for the second time in my life. And she didn’t hesitate to come forth.

The transformation became less painful and faster the more a werewolf shifted in and out of their animal form. Since I had only done it once before, the process still took a good few seconds, but the discomfort caused by the rearranging of my bones didn’t bother me as much. In the end, the coffee-and-caramel she-wolf was standing in the exact same spot my feet had been touching a moment ago.

The shock and confusion of my first shift didn’t allow me to fully experience what it was like to become a spectator inside my own mind as a different part of me took control. It was definitely weird, but also liberating in a way. Dawn’s immediate reaction was to fill her lungs with the subtle, bittersweet fragrance of the citrusy flowers. She dug her paws deeper into the soil, eager to feel it underneath her. I felt guilty about keeping her from experiencing the raw, simpler pleasures of life, but the sensation quickly went away as she bolted through the field.

“Goddess, slow down! You got the zoomies or something?” I gasped in surprise.

“I just needed to feel it.” Her voice was barely a whisper as she embraced all life could offer her in that moment. “Can’t you feel it too?”

I had to blink a few times to understand what she meant. She closed her eyes, causing her other senses to become stronger.Through our connection, which I had been fighting against ever since it was established, I finally felt it - the wind brushing through her long, silky fur. It tickled her skin, making her chuckle in pure joy. Because our souls were tied, we shared the same emotions, and I had to smile with her.

“I am an Alpha, Zephyr, like you are. I’m meant to be free,”she continued. “Weare meant to be free. Don’t let your insecurities become a prison. Break free.”

As if her words were a command, I let myself enjoy the moment. For the first time, I welcomed our peculiar bond. The anger I had been constantly feeling slowly vanished as we sprinted through the tall grass, racing against the dandelion seeds as they floated in the wind. And as I focused on our connection, I could see the world through different eyes - throughDawn’seyes.

Once my negativity stopped blinding me, I realized that my counterpart wasn’t as bad as I’d thought. Judging by her perspective on the situation, she seemed quite smart and very bold. She was also extremely beautiful, more than any other she-wolf I had ever seen.

I couldn’t begin to understand why, but for a brief moment, being tied to Dawn didn’t feel like a curse anymore. Suddenly, I felt light as a feather, and as the wind enveloped us, I finally gave in to my exhaustion. I was drained, but also comfortable enough to relax for the first time in five days.

And as the wind howled her name, I fell asleep, allowing my she-wolf full control.

Interlude I

Dawn

Goddess, it felt good to be free again.

Most humans are fine with being confined their whole lives. They buy houses in big cities, where skyscrapers reach so high they can barely see the clouds. In fact, if they were questioned about the sky’s color, I wouldn’t be surprised if their answer was red, since the heavy pollution they live in causes the calming blue to turn into a hateful crimson.

Some people don’t even leave their houses to go to work, but when they do, they are content with staying inside their small cars, either listening to awful news on the radio or the noise of loud car horns when they’re stuck in traffic. When the working day is done, they are sure to return to the suffocating safety within the four walls they call home. If they manage to find some free time in their busy routines, they might watch shows on one of their multiple screens or even read a good book - those are the only ways they can escape their own prisons.

Werewolves, despite technically being part human, can’t adjust to their cramped lifestyle. A few larger packs have resorted to infiltrating their surrounding cities; some even run them, carefully camouflaging among the humans, since it’s hard to hide a gigantic territory from non-shifter eyes. In most casesthough, groups of wolves live far from any cities, usually in forests, or any land they can find that hasn’t yet been stained by mankind. Our animal side craves the green. The soil. The freedom.

After hibernating for eighteen years, it was awful to remain trapped inside Zephyr’s mind, especially when he was such a terrible host. However, I knew it was better to bend than break. Humans are foolish, but wolves are not; although I couldn’t comprehend Diana’s intentions, I trusted her decision. I would never whine or try to run from my destiny. Even if I didn't fully understand it, I would face it. In the end, I managed to convince my annoying counterpart to listen to me.

Well, at least once.

Yes, I was mad about the way he had treated me from the start; who wouldn’t be? But I couldn’t bring myself to hate him. The moment our connection was established, I was granted access to all of his memories. I could feel every emotion he had ever experienced. Because we shared the same mind, I knew he wasn’t a bad person, but rather someone who was reacting out of fear. While I was asleep, he was battling against a dreadful feeling of emptiness. I knew how miserable it was, since I could feel it as if it was my own; sometimes, I caught myself wondering if it actually was. Our bond made it hard for me to tell my emotions from his.

It didn’t matter, though. Wolves don’t care about the past; we only live in the present. And right now, nothing was more important than the welcomed feeling of freedom.

Werewolves have amplified emotions; we love harder than any other living creature, we smile brighter, and we hurt greater as well. As I ran through the beautiful dandelion fields, I was flooded with so many sensations it was almost overwhelming. The connection I felt with this territory -myterritory - was as strong as the pull I felt towards the moon. The wind here calledfor me in the exact same way the stars spelled my name. Every time my paws touched the ground, I felt as if I was one with these lands. Deep in my bones, I knew this was my home. How could my counterpart expect me to hide instead of claim it?

I easily lost track of time as I allowed myself to focus solely on the moment. It must have been at least an hour before my muscles started aching and I finally slowed down. With my eyes closed, I let my body drop onto the tall grass so I could joyfully roll all over it. My rough movements caused even more dandelion seeds to detach from their stems, and as they flew around my nose, I couldn’t hold back a sneeze. I must not have looked like the Alpha I was in such a puppy-like position. Thankfully, as Zephyr wanted, there was no one around to see me. Wait…

The thought made me realize my overly-irritating human had been silent pretty much since he let me out, which was definitely unusual. My eyes slowly opened again, and I immediately stopped rolling around to lie on my belly. Had his perspective about me really changed? Could he have stayed quiet just to allow me to enjoy the short freedom I had been granted? A sigh left my lips before they curled into a small smile, and I readied myself to let him take over our body again.

“Thanks, Zephyr. This was wonderful.”I waited a few seconds, but when he didn’t reply, I noticed something was wrong. “Zephyr?” My brows furrowed as I decided to dive deeper into our shared mind to try and make sense of the situation. When I finally realized what was going on, I couldn’t help but giggle.

He had fallen asleep.

Well, considering how he had barely been able to rest for the past week, it wasn’t surprising. The grin never left my face as I shook my head, pondering over what I should do. I basically had two options - either wake him up to give him back control, orlet him sleep and relish in my freedom for a little longer. Since I didn’t know when he would be willing to let me out again, I decided on the latter.

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