Untamed Series

CORALIE

He only works up the nerve to talk to me when the sun is rising over the mountains. The sky is vibrant shades of pink, yellow, and orange.

“So, how long have you been doing this? Helping my kind?”

I smile at the man beside me. “A very long time. My name is Coralie, by the way. You can call me Cora.”

“My name is Daniel. You can call me Danny. How long is a very long time?”

I can’t help but laugh at his persistence. “Longer than you have been alive, that much is certain.”

He adjusts himself in his seat so that his body is facing me. He doesn’t seem so afraid of me in this moment. I wonder who told him about me. I feel like he knows more than he’s saying.

“Somehow, I doubt that. You do realize that I am seventy-three years old, right?”

I give him a playful smile. “So, you are just a young pup? I have definitely been doing this longer than you have been alive.”

I can see the doubt swirling in his brown eyes. I know he wants to ask more.

“You are older than me?”

I nod. I’m feeling amused by him. “I am one hundred eighty-two years old. I have been helping other races for one hundred sixty-one years. So yes, I am older than you.”

He’s momentarily speechless. “You look so young.”

I shrug, keeping my expression soft and playful. “Well, thank you! What were you expecting a witch my age to look like? An old crone?”

He smiles and scratches his neck nervously. “A little. I also thought all practicing witches reported to the council. I’ve heard you parted ways with them.”

I feel my smile falter. I do my best to cover it. I wonder what else he knows about me. The last thing I want is for him to tell them where I am.

“Our youth fades for a few different reasons—losing touch with nature, practicing dark magic, or giving in to the lust for power. There are other things as well, but those are the most common. As for the council, those of my kind who separate ourselves from them, we do so for various reasons.” It intrigues me to see how intently he is listening to me. I wonder why he wants to know.

“Why did you?”

I close my eyes and fight back the memories that threaten to flood my mind. “The short answer? I have a hard time following orders.”

He smirks and leans back against the door. “And the long story?”

I smile, but it is a gesture filled with sadness and pain. This well of agony was created more than a century ago. I have no intention of telling him.

“That is a burden that I must bear alone. Why don’t you tell me about this alpha of yours? Why is he taking a chosen mate rather than seeking his fated mate?”

He winces, but I don’t regret asking. I need to know what’s going on if I’m going to be able to do what he asks of me.

“Alpha Jordan has looked for his mate for nearly twenty years. He has literally traveled the world searching for her. Now he’s out of time. He needs to take a mate and produce an heir, or else the were-council will choose another alpha. And nobody wants that. A chosen mate isn’t what he wants, but he says it’s what’s best for the pack.”

I sit back and let his words sink in as the car slows to a stop. Danny climbs out of the car and walks around to my door, opening it and offering his hand to help me out. I place my hand in his and exit the car, carefully scanning my surroundings. So far, it’s quiet.

“Welcome to Black Briar Pack. Let me take you inside and show you your room. After that, we can grab some lunch.” He releases my hand.

I follow him into the large building and make sure to keep my eyes down, knowing eye contact can often be perceived as a challenge. I follow him to the second floor, where he leads me to the second door on the left and pushes the door open.

“This is easily the nicest room I have been offered by a pack. Thank you.” I scan the well-decorated, spacious room.

“You can explore the room later. Your growling stomach tells me you should get some food before it begins to eat itself.” He chuckles.

I feel my cheeks flush at the realization that he has heard my stomach’s angry reaction to skipping the last two meals. I follow him out of the room and down the stairs to the kitchen.

Several wolves stop to stare at me. They’re more curious than hostile, for now, at least. Being stared at by wolves is something I have gotten used to over the years.

“This is Coralie. She is a guest here and will be treated as such.” Danny’s voice thunders through the room.

The others offer a slight bow before returning to their tasks.

“Let me guess, you’re the beta?”

He bursts out laughing. “Good guess. We will meet the alpha after lunch.”

I nod as he grabs a plate and hands it to me. On the counter are several meat, cheese, vegetable, and fruit trays. We both place bits of each onto our plates. Then I follow him out of the kitchen and into a large dining hall.

It’s empty. Everyone should be eating breakfast around now.

“This pack must be large. I haven’t seen any pups,” I comment as I fold a piece of cheese into a slice of ham and take a bite.

“They’re in another building.”

There are dozens of empty tables. “They are not here because of me.” My tone remains light.

“The alpha doesn’t want to take any chances. He’s not thrilled about this whole situation, either.”

I nod. The food isn’t bad, and we eat fast. “I wouldn’t be thrilled with being forced into a relationship with someone, either.”

He smirks and gets up from his chair. “Why don’t we go find the alpha?”

I slap my hands on my thighs dramatically and stand up. “Lead the way, Danny.”

He turns and exits the dining hall and through the foyer, out the front door, then around the side of the large house.

“So over there is the training grounds, and that is the festival grounds. Oh! That is the place where the mating and luna ceremonies take place. Through that clearing there, that is where the cemetery is. Over there are the community gardens, and that building is the meeting hall.”

He spits everything out in rapid fire, but I’ve picked up enough to get me by.

We continue into the forest. I feel nature’s energy seeping into my pores and awakening every cell with each step we take. It feels good to be out here.

We reach a clearing where I see a huge man standing in the center with two other men who are almost as large. All have an aura of authority.

As we step into the clearing, the three men fall silent, and the two smaller men stare at me. I can’t be positive, but I think one of them growls at me. Silly dogs.

“Cora, this is Alpha Jordan and his father Gerald, who was the alpha before Jordan. This here is Lady Laurent’s father, Jacob Laurent. She’ll help make sure the pair can breed.”

I smile at the three men. All three men glare at me.