Ayn's Healing

Chapter 5 - Kari

As I walk with my sister, Timo, and Ayn towards the couch, to have an after-dinner coffee, I ruminate over what just happened at the table.

I felt the blood burning through my veins when I heard my mother wanted to fix me up – yet again. The woman was unbelievably stubborn, but this time my rage was not due to her matching attempt. I wasn't even angry at her, but at the Moon Goddess, or fate, or whatever entity had put me in this predicament, where my mate, my soulmate was a witch.

I wanted to crawl at my mom's feet, as I used to do when I was a small pup, hug her ankles and tell her that we don't have to do the dinner thing because I have gotten a second chance and found my mate. That she was sitting right there, with her playful eyes and dark brown hair, that I was in love with Ayn, daughter of Morgane and Ray, and that every fiber in my body was aching with desire for her. But how could I tell my mother that I was longing for a wolf-less witch? It would have probably broken her heart and shattered all the dreams she had about her potential grandchildren.

So instead of proceeding with the crawling and the hugging, I mind-link my mom and apologize for my outburst.

"It's OK, son," I hear her soft voice in my mind, "I love you and I am only trying to help."

Relieved as I am that my mother had accepted my apology, I realize that I have to sit down next to Ayn on the couch because my sister and her mate decided to snuggle in the armchair. When she sees me approaching Ayn retreats to a corner, and I am unsettled by her sudden shyness. This is very different from the attitude she just showed my father during dinner and about which she seems to be debriefing with Mia.

"I don't know anybody who laughed at my dad and walked away...unscathed."

"I thought he was going to shift on you right there at the table," Timo adds, brushing his fingers through my sister's hair.

"Oh, is that why he had the whole strange thing going on..." Ayn says deadpan serious, waving her hand in front of her eyes. 

Timo and Mia laugh now as my sister explains to my mate that yes, eyes shift first. Mia allows her wolf Rose to surface and peeks at Ayn with golden irises. The next one is Timo, whose Flash changes his orbs to black. I don't want to take part in their childish game, but Storm is faster than me, and doesn't miss the opportunity to watch her through my eyes. When Ayn smiles at us, my wolf ascends a bit more, intent on taking me over as he had threatened earlier, so that he can get to know my mate up close and personal.

I almost cut my lip on a descending canine before I manage to shove him back in my mind, reminding him that he's not allowed on my mother's couch. Or anywhere in the house for that matter. Luckily Ayn doesn't seem to have noticed my malfunction and continues in a sheepish tone:

"I didn't mean to be disrespectful. I knew shapeshifters don't sleep a lot, but I didn't realize your day starts so early..."

"Five o'clock on the dot," Timo clarifies and my mate laughs again. 

Storm emerges, triggered by the Beta's halfhearted frown. Lucky for him, Timo doesn't back that up with any show of teeth, and thus he is allowed to live another day.

"You need to stop laughing in people's faces, witch girl. I don't know how that works with your kind, but shifters interpret that as a challenge..."

"You cannot possibly wake up at five," she tries to justify her outburst.

"Of course we do. There's training until seven and then breakfast and then day job and then pack job..."

"And then basketball in the valley, or bike races, or drinks with the unmated males..." Mia ironically continues the Beta's daily to-do list.