Changing Fate: A Werewolf Romance Read online

  After an hour or so and another suitcase, I was all packed and ready to go. I had two big suitcases and a smaller bag with toiletries and beauty products. I didn’t know what I would be doing exactly, so I packed for any occasion.

  By the time I was finished, Mom was calling us down for dinner. I frowned, knowing that it would be my last family dinner for a while.

  Kat walked down beside me and plopped down next to Matt, who immediately kissed her cheek lovingly. I sat next to Kat and across from Selena.

  We all fixed our plates, passing around the dishes and making small talk as we went. Once all of our plates were fixed, we all started eating hungrily. As werewolves, all of us, except for Kat, had a big appetite. It made for a hefty grocery bill.

  “So, are you three excited about tomorrow?” Mom asked, looking down my side of the table.

  “I am. I heard that the castle is beautiful. And they have a Petrova witch. I’m hoping I might be able to study with her while I’m there,” Kat said excitedly.

  I could tell why she was excited. Kat was from a powerful witch line, the Abara’s, but the Petrova’s were the most powerful witch line. They had been working with the Royal Family for centuries, back before they even relocated from Europe to America in the 1700s.

  “Actually, they have three Petrova witches. I’m sure it will be no problem studying under one of them. I’ll make a call in the morning,” Dad told her happily. Having Kat become a strong witch could greatly benefit the pack, especially if she impressed the right people while we were there. Kat’s mom was powerful, but she didn’t have the patience and compassion that Kat had. Which meant, in my eyes, she was already better than her mother.

  “Really? Thanks, Jeff.” She bounced in her seat a little. Matt looked at her adoringly.

  “What about you, Kenny? You excited?” Mom turned her attention to me.

  “Not really,” I muttered.

  “Why not? I’m sure you’ll have fun. And you’ll get to meet the King. I’m so excited for you.” She sounded so enthusiastic. I wanted to make a sarcastic comment, but my Mom was the sweetest woman ever. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings.

  “That doesn’t really excite me. Plus, I’m sure I’ll only meet him for, like, a few seconds.”

  “Maybe not. Besides, he is very handsome,” she hinted. Dad growled at that but she ignored him.

  “So? It’s not like it matters. We both have our mate out there somewhere. His looks aren’t going to help me in this situation.”

  If I was honest, I had no idea what the King looked like. I had never been to the castle before. All of my family members, besides Selena, had. The King threw a mating ball every year. It was basically a giant party that anyone could attend to help them find their mates. I never cared enough to go.

  “Well that’s something to look forward to. Maybe you’ll meet your mate while you’re there.” She always tried to find the bright side of things. I was a little more pessimistic than her.

  Truth be told, I didn’t want to find my mate there. I wanted a mate, sure. What wolf didn’t? They were the other half of your soul. But I knew that if I met him at the castle, then he was bound to be important. I’d have to leave my family and pack; the only life I’ve ever known. I wasn’t ready for that. I just wanted my mate to be someone who could join my pack, not the other way around. As selfish as that sounds, I didn’t want to leave my family.

  I just hummed in response to her. I didn’t dare say I didn’t want to meet him. That would lead to a long lecture about the importance of mates. That was not something I wanted to hear tonight. I just wanted to have a sleepover with Selena and Kat like old times. We were going to binge watch Netflix and eat junk food all night.

  She soon moved on, and dinner continued for a while. Soon enough, it was over. We helped Selena clean the kitchen up and loaded up on junk food.

  Now we were all seated on my bed, watching some crappy horror movie while we ate ice cream. We also had a pack of Oreos and three different kinds of chips spread out on the comforter in front of us.

  “I’m really going to miss you two,” Selena said from beside me, having one of her rare moments of sincerity.

  “I’m going to miss you too, Sel,” I told her honestly.

  “Me too. The Three Amigas have never been separated before.” Kat pouted.

  “I really wish I could go with y’all.”

  I was stunned into silence when I saw tears fill her eyes and spill over. She wasn’t a crier, so this was unusual. She angrily wiped them away.

  “I wish you were too. I’m nervous about going,” I admitted.

  “Me too,” Kat told her.

  “Maybe Dad will change his mind,” I added, and Kat nodded in agreement.

  “You know he won’t. He thinks all I’m good for is cooking and cleaning. He doesn’t trust me with this; he doesn’t trust me with anything. He trusts everyone but me.” A few more tears fell. Her voice cracked, sounding so sad that it broke my heart. I had no idea she felt this way.

  “Sel, that’s not true. You don’t give yourself enough credit.”

  “I give myself the credit he gives me.”

  “I’m going to be completely honest with you right now, okay?” She nodded, so I continued, “You’re so smart, Selena. You have so much to offer, you just don’t act like you do or believe that you do. If you want Dad to take you seriously and let you get more involved with pack duty, you have to show him that he can trust you. Dad will come around eventually.”

  “You really think so?” she asked, her tears drying up.

  “I do.”

  “You’re right.”

  “Never thought I’d hear you say that to me,” I joked, lightening the mood.

  “And you never will again.” Kat and I both laughed at that. “Now enough of this sentimental crap. My ice cream’s melting.”

  The rest of the night went by smoothly. We got back to bickering like usual. It was like the emotional outpour never happened, but something seemed different about her. I hoped Dad would go easy on her.

  After two more movies and a ton of junk food, we all laid down to go to sleep. They surrounded me, leaving me in the middle of my bed. They were both asleep, but I stayed awake.

  Matt came in about thirty minutes after they fell asleep and took Kat back to his room. I shook my head at that. Alphas were ridiculous. He couldn’t be away from her for one night.

  I couldn’t help but think about tomorrow. I had this feeling deep in my gut, my wolf antsy. I couldn’t explain it, I just felt anxious about the whole thing. Eventually, I gave up on sleep and decided to go for a run. I needed to let my wolf out and get rid of some of this pent up energy.

  I quickly snuck out of my bed and down the stairs. Luckily, everyone was already asleep, so I was able to leave without interference. I walked from the back patio to the tree line. I stood behind the biggest tree, just in case someone decided to come outside, and stripped off my pajamas.

  I called my wolf forth, which she happily complied with, and let the shift take over my body. It didn’t hurt; it actually felt freeing. It happened quickly and within seconds. I was small, but I was a lot stronger and faster than I appeared.

  I shook my glossy brown coat and started running. As I darted through the forest, swerving around trees and bushes, I started to feel better. The restless energy was wearing off, but for some reason I still had a nagging feeling in my gut.

  I ignored it and decided not to worry. I’d find out soon enough anyways.

  Chapter Two

  “No. I refuse,” I stubbornly told my father, who was currently starting to lose his patience with my defiance.

  Waking up this morning had been a struggle. I stayed out late last night running, so I only managed to get a meager three hours of sleep. I had dressed nicely, wanting to make a good impression. My curls were smoothened, not frizzy like they normally were, and my body was adorned in one of my favorite outfits, an emerald green dress that matched my eyes with a thick black cardigan.

  “Do you always have to be so difficult?” Dad finally snapped, sending a glare my way.

  We had been arguing back and forth for about fifteen minutes now. He had informed me when I came downstairs this morning that we would be going to the airport at noon. That led me to promptly inform him that I would not be taking a plane.

  There were two reasons for my refusal. One being that I was terrified of planes. I had only been on one three times and every time it scared the sh*t out of me. Now, I would only travel by car or I wouldn’t travel at all. It wasn’t so much about a fear of crashing. It was a fear of being so far from the ground with no where to run. You couldn’t very well shift in the middle of the clouds, but you could stop the car and get out at any time. If you couldn’t fight back and fleeing wasn’t an option, that only means freezing in place.

  The second reason I wanted to drive was because if I was going to be stuck at the King’s castle for at least two months, I wanted to have an easy escape route. I wanted to have either mine or my brother’s vehicle there so that I could leave at any time. I didn’t want to depend on anyone there for anything except a place to stay.

  “Who do you think I get it from, Dad? Sure as hell ain’t Mom.”

  He growled at that.

  “That’s true, hun,” Mom added, walking into the living room with us.

  Dad glared at her, but he didn’t dare growl at her like he did me. She may have been the more submissive of the two, but she still expected respect from Dad. He knew better than to piss her off. It was a rare occasion to see her angry, but whenever it happened, you’d better run. She had only ever been truly angry with me once, and it was more than enough for this lifetime.

  I wasn’t the best kid in high school, so she was disappo
inted in me plenty of times, but it wasn’t until she found out that I had let my high school boyfriend go down on me that she became furious at me. In her mind, it didn’t matter that it was only oral. She thought I shouldn’t do anything sexual until I found my mate. She was old school like that.

  “Must you two gang up on me?” He sounded exasperated, and I had to repress a smile.

  “Only when you’re being unreasonable, Jeff. Kendall is willing to go and help even though she doesn’t want to. All she’s asking is that they drive there instead of fly,” Mom jumped to my defense. I shot her a small, appreciative smile. She returned it, then turned her attention back to my Dad. I could tell he was wavering slightly.

  Both of their eyes glazed over and I knew they were mind linking each other.

  Mind linking was an easy way for werewolves to communicate with each other. It’s a mental connection that members of the same pack have with each other to be able to talk with one another. It wasn’t something I used a lot; I preferred a phone usually. But it was helpful to have during emergencies. I typically only used it with my family. It took a lot of mental energy to lower the shield you create in your mind to keep people out, and then put it back up after. The only wolves who could force someone’s mental shield down is an alpha and, of course, the king.

  The mind linking between Mom and Dad continued for a minute, Dad’s face showing a wide variety of expressions. At first he looked frustrated, angry. Then he looked surprised, then disgustingly lustful at Mom, who had a small teasing smile on her lips. I absolutely did not want to hear what they were saying. Finally, he sighed and looked accepting.

  “Fine, you’ll take Matt’s Tahoe. Your car is too small for all the luggage you’ll be bringing,” he said when he finally looked back at me, the glazed over look leaving his eyes.

  “Thank you, Daddy,” I told him happily, running up to him and throwing my arms around him tightly. He lost his annoyance and hugged me back tightly, kissing the top of my head.

  “You’re welcome, sweetheart.”

  I pulled away, looking at him with a grin on my face. I turned to Mom and pulled her in for a hug as well.

  “Thanks, Mom,” I whispered to her, even though I knew Dad could still hear.

  “No problem. I’m gonna miss you so much, Kenny. I can’t believe my pup is leaving me.” Tears gathered in her eyes and my smile wavered. Mom was a bit of a crier and it always made me nervous. I wasn’t good in situations like these.

  “It won’t be for long, Abby.” Dad saved me from consoling her. He pulled her away from me and into his arms, letting her sob on his chest.

  “Go,” he mouthed to me.

  I didn’t need to be told twice. I quickly left the living room and shot up the stairs. I stopped in front of Matt and Kat’s bedroom door and knocked quietly. Not two seconds later, Matt pulled the door open and stepped to the side, allowing me to step in. Kat was finishing lining her cat like green eyes with some eyeliner. She saw me in the mirror’s reflection and smiled at me, which I returned.

  “So, you convinced Dad to let us drive, huh?” Matt asked, plopping down on his bed. I did the same.

  “Actually, that was Mom. Don’t ask me how she convinced him. I don’t even want to know.” I shuddered dramatically. Matt made a sound of disgust while Kat just laughed at us.

  “What time are we leaving?” I asked him.

  “As soon as Dalton gets here,” he answered me. He pulled out his phone, tapped on it for a minute, then shoved it back in the pocket of his black dress slacks. “He’s on his way.”

  “Why does he even need to come?” I complained.

  “Dad trusts him and he works closely with us. He’s familiar with pack policies and procedures. He’s going to help me with the political side of this trip,” he explained.

  “I have an idea. How about he flies there while we drive?”

  He chuckled. “I don’t think so, Kendall. He’ll be riding with us. I hope you realized that when you fought with Dad. Also, this is going to be a five hour drive.”

  “That far? This is gonna suck.” I flung myself back on their bed, groaning loudly.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll be controlling the radio.” Kat grinned at me. This time Matt released the groan.

  “Good. I’d have to throw myself out of the car if I had to listen to bad music as well.”

  “What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t help take away the urge to fling yourself out of a moving vehicle?”

  “A crappy one,” I grumbled.

  “Well, I’m a damn good one because I also have snacks.” She grabbed a bag from the floor and lifted it up. It was a large paper bag so I couldn’t see everything, but I could make out a pack of Oreos poking out of the top. My favorite.

  “I could seriously kiss you.” I grabbed the bag from her and immediately tore into the Oreos. I had eaten breakfast with my family before I had gotten ready, but I was pretty much a bottomless pit. I could always eat more.

  “You’d have to fight me for her,” Matt joked. He tried to steal an Oreo, but I slapped his hand away and growled at him warningly. He lifted his hands in mock surrender.

  As I dug through the bag, I could tell Kat got a variety of snacks. There was everything from Oreos and Cheetos to grapes and oranges. This was why she was my best friend.

  “We wouldn’t need to fight. She’d choose me,” I teased him. “Wouldn’t you Kat?”

  We both turned to her expectantly. She held back a smile and tried to look serious.

  “Sorry, babe. I knew her first.” She sounded apologetic.

  He stood and walked right up to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and leaning down to whisper in her ear. “Guess I’ll have to change your mind tonight then.” He even took it a step further and started nibbling on her ear lobe.

  “Woah, party foul, guys. Save that for your alone time,” I told them, feeling thoroughly disgusted.

  He chuckled again and pulled away from her. She looked ready to jump on him. She grasped the pink quartz crystal hanging around her neck and rubbed it gingerly with her thumb. She wore it every day, since it was the first gift Matt had ever given her.

  “I’m gonna leave before you get it on right in front of me.” I took one last Oreo and left the room. Kat called out an apology while I was walking out. I just waved a hand at her over my shoulder.

  I made my way to my room. Selena was sitting on her bed, looking gloomy still but not as much as last night. Before we could say anything, we both heard a voice yell from downstairs.

  Dalton. Gross. He was announcing his arrival, as if anyone would care. Apparently Selena did, because she jumped off her bed and happily clambered downstairs.

  I rolled my eyes and grabbed my bags. I threw my purse on one shoulder and my smaller bag over the other. When those were secure, I grabbed a suitcase handle in each hand and followed Selena down the stairs. It took me a while with all the extra weight, but I eventually entered the living room. Everyone was already in there except for Matt.

  I placed my stuff next to the front door and walked towards everyone. Dad was holding a tearful Mom. Brody was standing next to Dad, his hands stuffed in his jean’s pockets. Kat was talking to Mom while Selena was speaking to Dalton, who turned his attention to me.

  “You ready, Kenny?” he asked mockingly, mirth dancing in his muddy brown eyes.

  I snarled at him. Have I mentioned how much I hate that name? He said it just to piss me off.

  “Are you, jackass? By the way, you’re riding in the back with the luggage like the dog you are.”

  Instead of getting pissed off, like most werewolves would when they were called a dog, he just threw his head back in laughter.

  “You’re such a sweetheart, Kendall. Really,” he said sarcastically.

  “And you’re an idiot. If we’re done stating the obvious, can we get this show on the road?” I asked.

  “We’re leaving now,” Matt said, walking back in the room. He grabbed my luggage and walked right back out.

  I turned to my family and a pang of sadness ran through me. I turned to Brody first, since he was nearest to me. He dropped his usual harsh, serious exterior and pulled me into a hug.

  Brody and I weren’t particularly close, mainly because of the large age difference. He had always acted like my father and was ridiculously overprotective. It used to irritate me to no end, but I loved him nonetheless. And I knew deep down he was just looking out for me because he cared.