There are mates, and then there are mates ;) by JH (i am malala young readers edition .txt) 📕

possible to balance out the two races within myself.” He shrugged as if he hadn’t just said something that was both beautifully poetic and touching.
“Will you help me Damien? I’m not one to be afraid and yet this frightens me, something is coming for us…My visions are getting fewer and further in between but when they do happen I’ll either have some mess of words or I’ll get darkness. The darkness falls as do we.” I didn’t mean to frighten him, in honesty I didn’t mean to frighten myself, but admitting it to him felt like reality was crashing down upon me. For the past few years I’d been obsessed with how horrible it was that I was getting married, having my freedom took from me. Now it was here I realised I’d been ignoring the signs, all of those mini prophecies I’d made- whether they happened whilst I was showering, asleep or at school I’d ignored them…Filed them away in some part of my brain and now I needed to dig them out. I had a feeling, and this Damien agreed with me on, that they’d help us find the keys.
I was surprised by Damiens belief in me, it turns out he really isn’t a jerk and that he just felt useless and blind. He started out by me writing down what I could remember from my visions and got me to try and figure out what they meant whilst he tried to gather as many maps and history books as he could to revise for what would be a long journey. I wasn’t being naïve about this trip, I’d need others to come to, it was an impossible task to take up on my own…and I knew just the people I wanted to take with me.


Chapter 10--- PreTrip Prep…Turns out I’ve got a fan club.

Of course I don’t actually remember most of this file, I know the way I described it, it was as if I could simply draw in the information whenever and wherever I wanted and honestly that’s what I thought I could do. Turns out even my super classy mind file is vulnerable to degradation when one watches to many friends repeats on TV.
So it looks like I’m pretty much stuck with the last ‘prophecy’ I made, yep the shower one. The ‘dodgy’ song lyrics that make absolutely no sense.
Okay, so first line…
Oh strength of fire and of flame, from earth come forth and rise again.
Rising again? A vampire, they rise every night and come out of the earth of their graves?
The fire and flame, traditionally associated with pixies who are born from ashes, weird I know…but I mean it doesn’t have to be complicated does it? What if these are things I don’t necessarily need to find but let them find me…Oz? He’s unusual and it makes sense that old blood would play apart in the old religion. I mean its not so weird that he might be a part of this too, look at me I was just the kid of some alpha from that pack who once had some war.

Next line…
The moon shall shine upon your wits until the puzzle pieces fit…
The moon is the time that wolves shift, but Oz is a wolf and we need something else. Puzzles…this is a puzzle so maybe we need a prophet- not me I know I’m not a part of this yet- witches make prophecies, I know most of them are dead but it’s the only thing I can think of. And certain tribes worship beneath the moon, I know because my dad used to find them a pain, the magic in the air ruined the smell of prey in a hunt.

Next line…
Water shall calm your soul, the wolf shall hunt out for the truth.
Erm okay I don’t like that line…

Next!!
Air shall make your heart at home and spirit is for which you are known.
Air, well that works with things that can fly- the most natural fliers are pixies to and though they’re born from ashes of fire the air is needed for the fire to burn and bring them to life. They also have wings so y’know.
Spirit. Spirit. Someone Spiritual…Anyone from the old religion they’d need to be either a shifter of a mer person and seeing as water and mers go hand in fin (HA) I’m guessing this is a shifter. Shifters generally don’t get along with wolves though, they call us one shapes- and we call them common, they don’t really have the best reputation. The only shifter I know is Damiens mum, though he hasn’t ever met her…might be the only chance of me reaching their enclave, I may just keep that part till last though, I don’t think he’s quite ready to meet her yet.


I was looking forward to the trip and all I had to do was wait until Oz and the guys returned, fill them in, say goodbye to Rupe and Queenie and then head off in whatever direction Damien has decided on. EASY PEASY >.<

Except it never is…
After what felt like hours of searching for Damien I found him hidden behind a shelf of books and scrolls in the library. His face looked exhausted but his eyes were bright with enthusiasm and I could smell the excitement rolling off of him. Once he saw me there he jumped up, knocking the books off of his laps and picked me up swinging me around kissing my cheek and setting me down before swearing and eagerly picking up the books that fell to the ground.
“Hello to you too.” I smiled, it was nice to see him happy…
“I figured out what you are!” Huh?
“you did?”
“Yep.”
“Mind telling me what that is.” This was his turn to look confused and then it clicked and he did another little jump.
“You are the map! There’s supposedly somebody who leads the way to the keys, their knowledge of the keys are unmatched. They bring it all together, and you’re the first one who got the clues- bam right in your mind, you’re friggin brilliant mind” He was ecstatic and kissed my cheek once again. It left a tingle on my cheek and I felt genuinely confused as to what he was saying. I spoke very slowly, hoping he’d match my pace next time he replied.
“how am I a map exactly?”
“Not you, more like your mind, the things you say. Eventually it’ll all lead us to the right places and let us meet the right people.” He was grinning like a child and I couldn’t help but return it, I didn’t exactly believe what he was saying, something still felt wrong but that’s what the map would do right? Feel stuff…?
“Okay well…assuming that you’re right that would mean that my prophecy helps me find things…I think I know who some of the keys are but we need to find some more…What do you know about moon witches?”
“Not much, they’re pretty reclusive. It’s the 3rd moon in a few days, which means there settlement moves from the east to the west, gives us time to track them down before they set up all the anti-wolf mojo…But we’d need to move fast.”
“Right then, well Oz will be back in a few hours with the guys. We best start packing because when he does we’ll need to leave.”
I ran back up to my room tugging Damien along with me, he looked a little green when he got there and complained about the speed. You could tell this guy was half-shifter when he said that, were wolves love speed and generally can’t get enough of it.
“We my dear friend are going on yet another trip! This time however I need you to stay put with me, something says that even if I am a map that I have no talent in reading them and that I’m going to need you to be my interpreter.”
“So, we’re friends then?” he asked, the guy asked! Well actually I suppose its reasonable because it was only a short while ago that I shouted at him and he flew out of the car.
“Yeah Damien, I think we are.” I was still holding onto his hand and I gave it a reassuring squeeze, sparks flew up my arm it was nothing like the ones I got with Oscar but more like a pack bond. Like I had just claimed Damien into my world, accepted him and promised to protect him.I felt my body change slightly and my head went momentarily light making the world spin, this happened in only a few seconds but I don’t think Damien noticed as I was being cradled in his arms after he’d swept me into another one of his deliciously comfortable hugs.
Eventually I’d managed, with the help of Damien, to cram my ‘essentials’ into several rucksacks and I’d started to upload it all into my mustang. My guitar lay it in, pristine, and I realised I hadn’t played it once since I got here.
“Hey Damien what’s your favourite song?”
He was oh so casually checking out the mechanics beneath my car, “Journey, don’t stop believing”
“Seriously?”
“Hey it’s a classic!”
“True dat.” I agreed it was a classic but it could do with a little bit of modernising. I started to mess about with my guitar, pulling and strumming the strings into this twisting synchronised pattern. The tune developed making the original tune sound more like it was coming from a Latin festival, it felt exotic and liberating.
“Just a small town girl, living in a lonely world she took the midnight train going anywhere. Just a city boy, born and raised in south Detroit he took the midnight train going anywhere…” Well you know how the song goes but by the time I’d finished I found myself floating gently in the air, that happened occasionally my grandmother once told me that I would float because the air carried my voice and seeing as I didn’t sing with only my voice but my body too the air would carry all of me. Damien had shifted into a wolf form and was looking up at me intently.
^That was beautiful^ his thoughts projected right into my mind and I smiled my thanks. I gestured for him to come closer to me and I began to scratch his ears and rub his belly, I only stopped when I heard wheels spit up gravel outside.
My heart shifted once again and I ran out towards the other part of my soul. Oz was home. He was running towards me as well and we joined together in a hug. I didn’t want to kiss him, my body was craving that sort of touch just something that reminded me that he was truly mine.
The boys jumped out of the car and joined in the now group hug. I felt something nudging my feet and I realised that it was Damien, his fur soft and I realised we’d excluded him.
“Who’s the stray?” Oz asked, he tried to sound casual but his lack of formal introduction to Damien left him feeling the alpha need to protect and expel the unknown.
“He’s not a stray…” I meant for it to sound gentle but it came out as a growl. Oz took a step backwards as did Freddie and George, it was pretty much unheard of for a wolf to growl at their mate. Growling was a sense of protectiveness, that there is something more important that needs to be preserved especially beyond whoever they are growling at. I knew I was unusual but Damien wasn’t/isn’t a stray