Alpha's Ballet Mate novel Chapter 24

"I don't know. It's like I know it's just a dream. It's the fear and the pain that makes it not okay. I remember every lash and every burn. Those memories are where the pain comes from." Theo pulled me into his chest. His chin rested on my head. "All I want is freedom. Freedom from that year." Theo kissed the top of my head.

"Let's go for a run. That will help clear your head. Besides, maybe if you shift Evey will come back." He had a point. I always felt free and calm when I went for a run. "Let's do it." Both of us got up and went outside. We left our clothes behind a tree so they didn't rip. I had never shifted in front of someone. Well, I haven't shifted in a year. The wolfsbane effectively prevented that.

Theo's muscles rippled and his nose and fingers grew longer and wolf like. Once he shifted his wolf was my height. His fur was a deep, dark brown, but his eyes remained the same. Theo made shifting look so easy. The hardest part of the shift wasn't the actual shift. For me it was actually being in the mindset and forcing myself to actually grow myself out.

After fifteen tries I finally shifted. The height difference between my wolf and Theo's was the same as when we are human. "Oh hey! You're actually alive." For once I wasn't upset to hear Evey's voice. "Nice to hear from you too Evey." It's comforting to know that she was still there. As much as that wolf annoys me I still missed her so much.

Theo came by me and motioned to start running. He took off first and I tab right by him. The wind ran through my fur and sent tingles all through my body. The feel of my paws hitting the ground as I ran was only slightly less comforting then dancing was. For the first time in a year I felt completely liberated. The chains from the nightmares weren't holding me back out here.

Once in a while Theo and I shared glances. Hell, there were times we ran around each other like Nala and Simba do in "The Lion King". You know, during that whole "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" scene. Anyway, we ran for what seamed like an eternity. I didn't even realize that as we ran we headed towards the waterfall my mother showed me. Even at three in the morning it was stunning.

"No more talk of that darkness. Nothing can harm you now. Not as long as you let me be your freedom. Not as long as you let me be the daylight that dries your tears when you cry. As long as you let me be here with you and beside you I will guard you and guide you. I will love you every waking moment. I need you now and always. I promise you that every single thing I say is true. I will be your shelter and light. Those people will never find you again. The fear of those people is behind you now."

Theo's words made a heat bubble in my chest. It wasn't one that stirred from kisses. This heat came from the sweetness of his words. It was a heat that only my mate could create within me. "I want you to always be beside me Theo. I want you to hold me when I he those dreams. I need you to hide me from those memories." Theo's face lit up like a Christmas tree at my words.

"We already share one love for our one and only life time Abbie. The Moon Goddess sought to that. That can only go so far though. You have to only say the word and I will follow you. Where ever you go I want you to let me go too. That is all I ask of you Abigail Mason."