This is a work of fiction. This work is owned by its author with all rights reserved.




	Once upon a time, in a small village, there lived a poor orphan girl named Elizabeth. She was seventeen and had lived on her own for just over a year. Her mother had died while giving birth to Elizabeth and her had father passed away last winter when his carriage had hit a patch of ice on his way home from the market. He was in such a hurry to get home to his dear Elizabeth that he paid no mind to the speed that the carriage was traveling at.  The carriage had fishtailed out of control and smashed into a lone crab apple tree. 
	Now a year later, Elizabeth was homeless and poor. She had nowhere to call home except for an old tree house that stood alone and forgotten in the middle of the old dying forest just outside of the village. The wooden boards were full of holes and the roof leaked in places, but it was better than nothing. 
	When Elizabeth was a young girl, her father would sit down with her every night before she would go to sleep and tell her tales. Tales full of dragons, witches and fairy godmothers. He would tell her that if anything ever happened to him, he would send a fairy godmother to come and help her through all the problems that would be thrown her way. Elizabeth always assured him that nothing was going to happen but she believed him anyways. But now that she was older and living on her own in a tree house, she didn’t want to lose faith in her father’s stories. 
	She walked now on her own through the dark spooky forest full of animals and wicked things. She walked quietly but quickly. The forest was unusually quiet for this time of day. Usually when the sun started its descent, sending the world into darkness, the animals were scurrying around getting ready for the creatures of the night. On this particular night, there were no animals in sight. That meant one of two things. Either there was a really bad storm heading towards the forest, or there was a strange animal that had found its way into the forest. Elizabeth, having spotting the tree house through the growing darkness, quickened her pace, breaking into a run. She raced over broken branches and tree roots that threatened to delay her. 
	The sound of branches breaking under pressure sounded behind her. As she ran as fast as she could, her foot caught on a stray root. She flung her arms out, trying to grab a hold of something to gain her balance even as she crashed down to the earth.  Her hands were cut and bleeding, her ankle throbbed in pain as she lay on the damp earth, too exhausted to run anymore. As she breathed in deep breaths, branches and leaves crunched right by where she lay. Human hands gently picked up her exhausted form and the stranger carried her the few steps to the tree house. 
	Elizabeth’s captor swung her onto his back. She wrapped her arms around the man’s neck, never getting the chance to see who had followed her. The strange man started the climb up to the house with the girl clutching his neck with her face pressed into his shoulder. He walked into the small tree house and sat gently on the stained mattress that lay on the wooden rotten boards. He pulled on her hands softly, encouraging her to release her grip around his neck. The man watched silently as the girl fell back onto the mattress as sleep finally consumed her. 
	Elizabeth’s eyes slowly fluttered open. She took a quick look around her. Everything was the same. Everything except there was a scrawny dog sleeping on the old boards beside the mattress. Elizabeth remembered running through the forest, the strange man. She didn’t remember anything involving a dog. She glanced at the dog, noticing a pile of clothes beside the sleeping animal. Male clothes. Elizabeth moved to the edge of the mattress and stretched her foot towards the sleeping dog. The dog bolted awake seconds before her shoe was about poke the creature. The dog didn’t do anything except stare at the girl. Elizabeth closed her eyes, wishing that somehow this was all some crazy dream. When she opened her eyes again, the dog was gone. There was a half naked man standing in the spot where the dog had been.  The dog/man was buttoning up a pair of loose britches that hung low on his hips. His hair was the same shade of dirty blond as the dog had been. His chest was large but rippled with muscles as he pulled a shirt over his head. 
“Hello.” The stranger said to Elizabeth. She continued to stare at him, lost in her own thoughts.
“Elizabeth, I can explain this, but not here. We have to get going. It’s not safe here.” He reached for her hand. She pulled away from him and stood up, fury clearly displayed on her delicate features. 
“No! I’m not going anywhere with you! You changed from a dog into a human and you don’t even offer me any explanations. I need some answers before I go anywhere with you.” She let out a deep breath and sat back down on the mattress, a headache threatened behind her eyes. The mysterious man paced back and forth in the tiny house. He let out a deep breath, “My name is William. I’m a shape shifter. It’s taken me a while to track you down but you’re in danger and I’m here to protect you.” She closed her eyes for a moment and when they reopened, the man was still a man.
”So a total stranger who can turn into a dog is supposed to protect me? What exactly are you supposed to protect me from?”
	He ran his over his face and opened his mouth, but before he could say a word, a loud crash shook the tree house. William stuck his head out of the small door, when he turned to look at Elizabeth; his face was full of fear.  
“Is there another way out of here?!” 
 She thought for a moment, stood and slid the mattress to the other side of the tree house. 
“We can climb through this. It comes out on the other side of the tree so we won’t be seen if someone comes up the other way.” 
“I’ll go first.” William said, and then practically jumped through the opening. Elizabeth waited a beat, and then followed behind him. As she climbed down the branches of the tree, men shouting drifted on the wind. Another boom shook the tree, Elizabeth held on tight to the branches around her.  She ran out of branches in moments. 
“William?” She looked below her; William was standing below her, ready to catch her. She closed her eyes and let go, falling the rest of the way.  William caught her, placed her on her feet, “We have to run. They can’t get you.”
Elizabeth nodded, William took off and she followed. William bounded easily over the foliage while she tripped and stumbled. She tried to jump over a large tree that had fallen over, but her foot caught and sent her sprawling towards the ground. William turned and looked, and raced back to her still body, but they were faster. In seconds William and Elizabeth were surrounded by large, ruff men. Elizabeth moaned her whole body was in pain.  Don’t move Elizabeth. A voice whispered in her head. It sounded like William. But how…? 
“Well, what do we have here?”   
Elizabeth slowly moved her head in the direction where the man had spoken. His lower body was hidden behind the fallen tree. His upper body was very intimidating enough for her though. His face was hard as stone, showing no emotion. He radiated power and judging from the stance he held he knew he was in control.
“Grab the girl.” The man barked to his unseen companions. Footsteps made their way towards her still body, but just as she sensed hands reaching towards her, there was a large crash similar to when they were in the tree. Elizabeth lifted her head and looked around, the other men had disappeared. It was just her, William and the man who was in charge.
“Very impressive William. You sent all of my men off. I won’t be so easy to get rid of.”  He pulled out a sword and made his way towards Elizabeth, easily jumping over the tree that she had fallen over. She jumped to her feet and backed away from him, to afraid to run for her life. A hand grabbed her arm from behind and tossed her to the side like she was a sack of potatoes. Her back smashed against a tree trunk as she landed on the mushy ground. A sword materialized in William’s hand. The two men circled each other, waiting in anticipation for the other to make the first move. William lunged at the man with his sword swiping through the air like a bird in flight. The man blocked the blow seconds before it connected with his body. Elizabeth stayed on the forest floor, her head aching while watching the two men fight. Blow after blow was blocked by the two men. Elizabeth started to think. She needed to help William. William was facing her as she picked up a large branch from the ground. William watched her as he kept the man distracted as she came up behind the villain, the rough wood cut into her fingers and palms. She swung the branch as hard as she could, connecting with a loud thud as it smashed against the man’s head. The man fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Elizabeth held the remains of the once large branch. Blood was oozing from the man’s head, staining the leaves beneath his head a dark red.  
“Elizabeth. We have to get going. There will be more.” William whispered as he reached his hand towards her hand, grasping the branch and coaxing her to release it. It landed with a soft thud as William took hold of her hand, softly tugging on her to lead her away from the scene.  Soon there would be more men. William didn’t know how he would be able to protect Elizabeth, but he had to. For if he didn’t, they would both die and her death would be on his hands.

Chapter 2

	“William?”
	All sorts of questions were running through Elizabeth’s head; they all had something to do with the strange shape shifter who was supposed to protect her. He was also ignoring her. 
	“William!” Elizabeth yelled, startling birds out of their homes.
	William turned and looked over his shoulder at her. His face and neck were covered in dry sweat and dirt. His arm was bleeding.
	“William, you’re hurt. Let me see.” She reached her hand towards him; he jerked away from her. 
	“We have to keep going. We’ll stop soon and you can look at it then.” He started to walk.
	“Fine,” Elizabeth said when she caught up to him, “but can you please tell me what exactly is going on? I’m in the dark over here.”
	William looked over at her as they walked; the confusion she felt was clearly displayed on her delicate features. “Okay, but we have to keep walking, and you can’t interrupt me.”
	She nodded and smiled at him, glad she had been able to get her way.
	William sighed, and then spoke. “You’re father’s death wasn’t an accident, he was murdered. When he was alive, your father was one of the most powerful shape shifters out there. My mother used to tell me stories of how your father was able to change into any kind of animal. Most of us can shift into one or two different animals, but not your father.”
	He stopped walking and held his hand out to her to help her over a fallen tree. She smiled to herself at the simple gesture.
	“Your mother was also a shape shifter, though not as powerful as your father. Although you’ve never shifted, a lot of people know about your family history. If you have the same power as your father possessed, you’d make the perfect weapon in the wrong hands.”
	“Why are they coming after me now?” Elizabeth asked him, forgetting about his rules.
	“You’re seventeen, prime shifting age. There’s also a war brewing between some of our packs and you would make the perfect asset.”
	They walked in silence as Elizabeth mulled over everything. “How do we find out if I can shift like my father?”
	William smiled at her and she slowly relaxed. “We’re going to visit your uncle. He can help you learn how to shift and keep you safe.”
	“My . . . uncle? I didn’t know I had an uncle.” she whispered under her breath. 
	“You should be with him tomorrow. There’s a small village, it’s not much farther. We’ll rest for the night and continue in the morning.”
	An hour later they were walking into the small village. They were exhausted and filthy. 
	“Follow my lead Elizabeth.” William whispered as he held the door open to the small inn.
	Candles filled the small room with dim light, casting shadows on the plain bare walls around them. An old grizzled man sat behind a low counter. 
	“One or two rooms?” the man asked without looking up from the book he was reading.
	“One’s fine.” William said as he placed various bills on the counter.
	The man took the money, “Up the stairs, second door on your right. Powers out right now, there’s candles lit in the room for ya. Don’t set anything on fire.”
	William placed his hand lightly on the small of Elizabeth’s back and steered her towards the stairs. 
	The room was filled with dim light casted from the various candles littered around the room.
	“There’s a bathroom through that door; you can wash up before bed.”
	Elizabeth nodded in recognition and went to the door, closing it with a soft click.
	William stripped quickly out of his clothes and shifted into his canine self. His wounds would heal fast in this form and his exhaustion made it hard for him to remain human. He curled into a small ball at the end of the bed and listened to the noises around him.
	The noise of the bathtub filling with water filled his ears. But there was another noise that could just barely be heard, like a whisper in a wind storm. Faint footsteps made their way up the stairs. William shifted forms, but not into human form. He shifted into a wolf. He barred his teeth and faced the door. His ear twitched in the direction of Elizabeth as the water turned off. A deep growl escaped his throat as the footsteps stopped in front of the door. 
	He was ready to pounce. 
	The door knob turned slowly. 
	“Sir, ma’am? I brought some clean towels up for you.”
	William cursed under his breath and quickly shifted into human form. “Thank you sir,” William said as he reached his bare arm out to grab the items from the old man.
	“Goodnight sir.” the man said. 
	William closed the doors and sighed in relief as the footsteps faded down the hall. He placed the towels on the bed, pulled his clothes on and knocked on the door to the bathroom.
	“Elizabeth, there’s some clean towels out here for you.”
	There was a rustling of clothes, and then the door flew open. Her hair was damp and her face was clean. She wore an oversized men’s shirt that reached just below her knees.
	“My clothes were too dirty to put back on so I’m going to wash them, yours too if you would like.” Elizabeth sailed into the room and sat down on the bed. “Can I see the cut on your arm?”
	William stood in the doorway of the bathroom, staring at her. “It’s fine, go to sleep.” William stepped into the bathroom and placed the towels down on a small table. 
	When he turned around, Elizabeth stood in the doorway. 
	She did not look happy. 
	“Just let me see it William. I’m the reason you got hurt, all of this is my fault.”
	William sighed and sat on the edge of the bath. She stood in front of him and carefully pulled up the sleeve of his wool shirt so she could see the wound. There was a faint pink scar where the cut had been.
	“I told you it was fine. Go rest, I can wash our clothes. We have a long day tomorrow,” William told her as he stood up to face her. 
	“Okay, but are you going to change into a dog or something?”
	William nodded. “It’s my natural form; it’s hard to hold human form for more than a couple of hours.”
	“Just a scrawny dog right?”
	He flinched at the word scrawny, it wasn’t his fault his canine side was lacking, and he refused to look at her.  “A dog yes, but I can shift into other canine forms . . . you should go to sleep.”
	William walked past her and into the main room. Elizabeth followed; her curiosity had sparked inside of her.
	“What else can you turn into? Can you shift like my father?”
	William sat on the bed, placing his head in his palms. “Do you always ask so many questions?” He mumbled through his palms. 
	She sat gently on the bed beside him, “Just tell me. Please.”
	“I’m sorry,” He looked up at her apologetically, “I can shift into two things other than human. The dog you’ve already seen and a wolf. I only shift into the wolf when I suspect danger and the dog form is for everything else. Will you go to sleep now?”
	“Why do you want me to go to sleep so badly? Don’t give me that ‘we have to get up early’ speech again.”
	A low growl escaped William’s throat. Elizabeth’s eyes grew large with fright.
	“It’s getting harder to remain human and in order to save my clothes I need to undress before shifting.” William stood and paced beside the bed. “Elizabeth, I need you to at least pretend to be sleeping. The faster you sleep the faster I can get our clothes washed and shift. Can you please do this for me?”
	Elizabeth nodded and pulled back the large homemade quilts. 
	“Goodnight William,” Elizabeth said as she crawled under the quilts. 
	Soft breathing filled his sensitive ears as her exhaustion overtook her willpower. He blew out all but one candle and walked into the bathroom. He stripped out of his filthy blood stained clothes and quickly washed them. 
	“I’ll wash in the morning,” William said out loud to himself as he hung up their clothes to dry. He shifted quickly into canine before entering the small bedroom. 
	There was nowhere on the floor that would allow him to sleep comfortably and as deeply as he could allow, so against his better judgment, he jumped up onto the bed. He curled his small body together at the end of the large bed and sighed contentedly. His eyes slowly closed of their own accord. 
	Then he was dreaming.
Chapter 3
Elizabeth yawned and stretched her slim body. She had slept like a rock and felt totally rested. She rolled over onto her side and slowly opened her eyes.
	Dim light filtered into the room from the large windows. Her eyes caught movement just outside of her range of sight. William was standing in the doorway of the bathroom. His hair was wet, the light catching the different shades of brown.
	“Good morning. There’s some food for you and your clothes are dry. As soon as you’re ready we have to get moving.” William said to her.
	She smiled and sat up in the bed. Swinging her legs out from under the heavy quilts, she stood and walked towards the tray of delicious smelling food.
	“Thanks William.” She smiled sweetly at him before biting into a warm slice of homemade bread.
	William nodded in response and set about grabbing the few items that they had brought with them. Elizabeth chewed quietly on the delicious breakfast, watching William as he made the bed. He pulled a small bag out of his pocket and sprinkled something on the bed.
	“What is that stuff?”
	William turned from the bed, meeting her curious gaze. “My mother gave it to me. It will cover our scent and make it harder for someone to track us.”
	She nodded and continued to eat. William continued with his task. When she couldn’t eat anymore, she went into the bathroom and got dressed. When she came back into the bedroom, William was sitting on the bed waiting for her.
	“Ready to go?” he asked her as he stood.
	She nodded at him and smiled. “Lead the way, William.”
	He forced a smile for her benefit, opened the door and led the way down to the main floor. He held the door open for her and she stepped out into the beautiful morning light. She smiled up at him as the wind softly blew her hair.
	“Come on, Elizabeth.” William softly grasped her hand and tugged her towards the forest behind the inn.
	“What’s wrong William? You’re acting stranger than usual,” Elizabeth asked him once they were surrounded by trees.
	William shook his head. “They’re getting closer and we still have a while until we reach your uncle. The closer they get, the harder it’s going to be to control not shifting.
	“You wouldn’t be shifting into the dog would you?” Elizabeth mumbled.
	William looked at her, his face sad, “No, it would be the wolf.”
	She forced a smile. “Wouldn’t be able to do a whole lot of danger as a dog right?”
	He nodded in response, too worried about protecting her. He listened to the forest around them, listening for any noises that didn’t belong.
	“William, how come you’re the only one protecting me? No offense, it just seems like there should be more.”
	William sighed under his breath, still not used to her constant question asking. “Everyone was either too scared to come with me or they are preparing for a possible attack. Either way, it’s just me which makes my job a lot harder.”
	They walked in silence; Elizabeth was out of questions for the time being. William was relieved; it was easier to concentrate on the forest around him without having to answer her questions. He wasn’t used to having someone ask so many questions about his abilities and everything about shifting. To have met someone who has so much potential as a shifter was a great opportunity, but that person not having any knowledge of their family or even their capabilities, it was outstanding, and not in a good way. If Elizabeth had ended up in the wrong hands, like the people that they had already encountered, who knows what Elizabeth’s future would have held for her. 
	You don’t need to worry about that, William thought, she’s safe. But even that did little to comfort him. If something happened to her, he would never forgive himself. She was his responsibility, his destiny, his life. 
	That’s one of the problems with being a shifter; all shifters are very protective of their mates, even if they aren’t mates yet. Wolves mate for life; it had been engraved into his head since he was first born.  But when his mother had had a dream that his future mate would be a shifter so powerful with no knowledge of her past, he knew he had to find her. 
	After her father’s death, word of her existence had spread. Elizabeth’s parents had done a great job of hiding her, but when they were gone there was no one to hide her anymore. Her uncle spoke of going to find her, of finding the shifter that could save them all. William had volunteered, for he knew in his heart of hearts that she was his mate. 
	“What are you thinking about?” Elizabeth asked softly.
	William shook his head, “Nothing. How are you feeling?”
	Elizabeth looked around them at the forest, not wanting him to see the tears that sprang to her eyes. “Honestly, I’m terrified. I know you’ll do your best to protect me, but what if it doesn’t work? What if they, whoever they are, manage to get me?  I don’t want to find out, William, but I can’t help but think about it.”
	William glanced down at her. “I don’t know anything I can say that can ease your mind. All I can tell you is that I will die to protect you. The future of our kind depends on you, I know you probably don’t want to hear that right now but it’s true.”
	She brushed a tear from her eye and looked at the shape shifter. “Can you tell me a story about my father?”
	William nodded and thought of a story that would make her proud of her father and of being a shape shifter. “Fifty years ago, a war broke out between two packs, it was the worse there ever was and probably ever will be. The chief of the pack that I belong to now, he called your father in and asked for his help. The other pack, they called themselves the NapayshnI, were a strong willed pack. They wanted to destroy our chief Bidziii and claim our land for their own, but your father would not let them. He and Bidziii planned a way to destroy the other pack without harming any of our own. They still talk about your fathers’ bravery from that day. He ran straight at the Napayshnl and shifted into a leopard. It’s something that had never been seen before and it stunned the Napayshnl long enough for our pack to attack. Your father was branded a hero that day, but the Napayshnl never forgot.”
	“Are the Napayshnl the ones coming after me?” Elizabeth asked. She had been surprised by the story of her father. She didn’t know that he had done any of this. 
	William looked around the forest, on alert. “They’re just one of the packs that are coming after you. You don’t need to be afraid, after what your father did they became weaker as a pack.”
	“What about the other packs? Will you be able to fight them off?” She needed to know. Her thoughts had been going a mile a minute. 
	“I’m the next in line to be chief. I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe; I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
	Elizabeth nodded and they walked through the quiet forest in silence. William knew that it was natural for her to ask so many questions. All of this was new to her; she had a right to be scared. He just hoped that he wouldn’t let her down.

Chapter 4
The sun rose high in the sky and the travelers were still moving through the dying forgotten forest. William was nervous. They were only an hour away from his village but he could hear a pack gaining ground behind them. He needed to find a place for Elizabeth to hide. Hopefully if worse came to worse he would be able to distract them long enough for Elizabeth to run. Or they both might get killed.
	William looked around at their surroundings. He walked away from Elizabeth and over to a fallen tree. The decaying tree lay against the base of another tree. It was the perfect hiding spot. There was a hole in the trunk of the still standing tree that would allow for Elizabeth to be hidden and the fallen tree added more coverage to the hole. 
	“William, what are you doing?” 
	William turned to look at her, easily seeing the fear projected from her eyes. “They’re getting closer Elizabeth. We’re only an hour away from the village but they’ll get to us before we reach it. I need you to hide in here. You’ll be able to see what’s going on but they shouldn’t be able to see you. If something happens to me . . . I need you to run. Keep heading in the direction we were going and it will take you right to the village. ”
	He watched as the color slowly drained from her features. He had to survive this fight. “We don’t have much time Elizabeth.”
	She barely nodded her head in agreement before walking over to her hiding spot. She looked up at William and brushed her knuckles across his cheek. “Come back for me,” she whispered. 
	He turned his head and kissed her palm. “I will. You are mine to protect and love.” He wrapped his hand in her hair and pulled her close, sealing her lips with his kiss. 
	Finally, Elizabeth thought, he finally did it. 
	William pulled away, much too soon for both of them. “You need to hide. I’ll come back for you, I promise.” He kissed her briefly once more then helped her into the hiding spot. Once she was safely in the hole, he moved away and stripped out of his clothes. His wolf was fighting to get out; he couldn’t control it anymore as his wolf took over. Where there once was a man, there was now a black Timber Wolf. He walked in front of Elizabeth’s hiding spot and heard her slight intake of breath. He walked over to another area of fallen trees. The pack was almost there; their heartbeat’s filled his ears. He crouched low to the ground, hiding in the shadows waiting for the perfect opportunity to pounce.
	“They’re just up ahead.” A deep voice said, his voice carried over the wind and straight to William’s ears. Elizabeth had heard a twig branch; she tried to calm her heart rate. Surely if William had been able to hear them coming they would be able to hear her. 
	“Come out come out where ever you are! We know you’re here William. Just give us the girl and we’ll let you live. If you don’t, we will have to kill you.” a different man said. 
	Elizabeth whimpered and covered her mouth. I can’t let them find me. She sat farther into the hole and silently hoped that William would survive.
	Just a little bit closer, William thought. The men were almost standing right in front of his hiding spot in the shadows. Perfect, William thought just as the men stepped in front of him. He launched out of the shadow and clamped his strong sharp teeth into the closest one. The man’s scream pierced the air as he flung his arm around, trying to dislodge the wolf’s strong grip. 
	The sudden loud rumble of a shotgun rippled the air. Elizabeth shivered, worried about William. Meanwhile, William never let his grip slip. The man’s warm blood gushed into William’s mouth and he smiled inside to himself. He was mentally patting himself on the back until he felt the cold metal of a shotgun barrel press against the side of his head. 
	“That’s enough, William.”
	William had two options, get his head blown off or to let go. He didn’t like either option. But he slowly released his grip on the man’s gushing arm and landed back on the ground. He looked up at the man he had attacked. Pieces of bones were visible through the damage and blood.
	“Just tell us where Elizabeth is. We don’t have any business with you unless you want to start something.”
	William looked up at the man who had spoken and instantly recognized him. He belonged to the Napayshnl pack, the pack that Elizabeth’s father had fought off. His name was Leo. 
	“It’s nice to see you again William. Tell us where the girl is and you can go.” Leo said as he kept the shotgun pointed at William’s head. 
	William snarled and bared his teeth, the fur covering his body stood up straight as a pin. Leo took a step back but the shotgun never wavered from its targets. “Come on William. We just want the girl. Shift to human so we can talk like the civilized beings we’re trying to be.”
	William pondered this. If he was to shift back into human, he would be defenseless; he had no weapons except a sword that he would be able to materialize, but shifting back into human would give Leo the opportunity to kill William while he was shifting. William made up his mind, bolted away from Leo and shifted back into his human form behind a cluster of fallen trees. He walked out from the cluster and faced the men. 
	Leo had a total of three men with him besides for himself. William was now able to see the full effect his teeth had had on the man he had attacked. The man lay screaming in pain on the ground clutching his bleeding useless arm. William smiled to himself for he knew that there was no way the man would be able to fight. 
	“Aw here he comes in all his glory. Good to see you again William.” Leo said. 
	William nodded and made his way to the group, fully aware of the fact that he was naked. He would normally go and grab his clothes, but that would bring Leo and the rest of his gang to where Elizabeth was hiding. 
	“Now William, tell us where Elizabeth is hiding and we’ll be on our way. Don’t tell us and you’ll regret it.” Leo said as he cocked the gun.
	“She refused to come with me, she said I was crazy and there were no such thing as shape shifters. She’s gone Leo; I don’t know where she is,” William said as he walked back and forth, he had to try and sell his lie.
	Leo laughed. “That’s a good one. Come on William, everyone here knows you know where she is. We can all smell her. Just tell us.”
	William laughed in response. “You think that if I knew that I would tell you so easily? You know me better than that Leo. Just be on your way, Elizabeth is long gone by now.”
	How I wish that was true, Elizabeth thought. She huddled in her dark hole, feeling totally alone even though William only stood a few feet away. A cold chill ran down her spine and she shivered, she was scared. Scared for herself and what those men would do to her if they got a hold of her, but more scared for William. Those men were planning on killing him if he didn’t tell them where she was. She couldn’t let that happen, but then she would have to give herself up and who knows what they would do with her. 
	“You’re bluffing William. We know that you would never let that girl out of your sights, for more reasons than one.” Leo said smirking.
	William shook his head, “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Can we just get this over with so we can all be on our way? You’re in my way of a nice steak dinner Leo.”
	William took a step toward Leo and grinned when Leo took two steps back. It was good that he was afraid of him; it would make this fight easier once he shifted back into his wolf form. It would be even easier if Leo didn’t have the shotgun still pointed in his direction.
	Leo’s remaining men retreated into the forest, not willing to risk their lives to help Leo with his quest. Leo was alone. Clearly Leo’s men hadn’t known what they had been getting into. William grinned and let out an ear splitting howl before quickly shifting into his wolf self. Leo, who was never known to give up a fight easily, threw his gun to the ground and shifted forms. 
	Few shape shifters could shift into wolf forms, it was an honor to be able to, but it made this fight fairer. William faced a light brown Timber Wolf who was half his size and strength, Leo had always been the weaker one. Leo pounced at William, jaws wide and snapping at his neck. But Leo was no match for William.
	William quickly dodged Leo’s attempt and was rewarded with an angry snarl from his opponent.  William spun around and sunk his sharp teeth into Leo’s thigh muscle. Leo’s howl of pain echoed through the forest. William’s teeth sank deeper into the fleshy muscle and pulled back, causing Leo an insane amount of pain.
	Just give up, William thought as he released his grip for a split second before sinking his teeth back in. Leo let out another yelp of pain and tried to pull away, making William’s teeth do more damage. Leo made a swipe at William and failed. Leo was growing weak, the blood that he was losing oozed from between William’s canine teeth. William snickered to himself and released his grip.
	Leo limped away as William licked his muzzle, attempting to get rid of some of the blood that stained his fur. Leo shifted into his human form and glared at William. 
	“Fine, you win William. Go get Elizabeth and be on your way.” Leo said breathlessly as he tried not to groan as he put pressure on the gaping wound on his upper thigh. 
	William glanced again at Leo, the man was in so much pain, there would be no way he would be able to go after them. William shifted quickly into his human form and ran towards Elizabeth’s hiding spot. He threw his clothes on quickly before crouching down in front of Elizabeth’s hiding spot. She looked so small crouched down in the dark hole. “Come on Elizabeth, its okay.” He held his hand out to her and she softly grasped it. She slowly stretched out from her hiding spot and hugged William. “Thank you.” She whispered into his chest as she was finally free of the hole in the tree.
	“Let’s get you out of here.” William whispered into her hair. He led her away from where Leo was lying in pain on the ground from his wounded pride and wound.
	Elizabeth was shaking as they walked away from the wounded man. William realized that she must be terrified for her safety, she had no idea what would be after her and frankly he didn’t know himself. “We’re almost to your uncle’s house. Once we get there you’ll be safe and won’t have to worry. I won’t be the only one protecting you anymore; you’ll have a whole pack of us to keep you safe.”
	Elizabeth nodded softly and grasped his hand tightly, stopping all blood flow to his fingers. “I thought he was going to shoot you and I didn’t do anything to help.” She finally whispered. 
	William sighed and pulled her close to his side, casually wrapping his hand around her thin shoulders, he knew she was seeking comfort but he didn’t know how to give it to her. 
	“William, will I still see you after we get to my uncle’s? I. . . I don’t want to lose you.” Elizabeth whispered. She was terrified of losing him. He had done so much, risked so much just for her safety and she didn’t even know if they would see each other again once she was in her uncle’s care.
	William laughed. “Of course you will. Do you think I would go through all this work to keep you safe if I didn’t want to see you again? I wouldn’t dream of leaving you.”
	She casually shrugged his arm off her shoulder and grasped his hand. “Thank you so much William.”
	William was embarrassed, he had been doing his job and it was his duty to protect his mate even if she didn’t know that that was how he thought of her. Once they were safely in the village he would tell her.  
	He just hoped she wouldn’t go running for the hills when she found out she was his mate and therefore meant to spend the rest of her life with him. This was going to be a fun conversation to have.
Chapter 5
Elizabeth’s eyes couldn’t believe the sight before her. They had finally reached the village that William had told her about. She wasn’t prepared for how rustic it would be; it seemed like they were still living in the medieval times. The houses were made of simple building materials, not brick buildings anywhere in sight. There were few people wandering about and they all seemed to be wearing simple clothing similar to the clothes that William wore. She reached for William’s hand, hoping that it would make her turn invisible.
	William looked down at her and smiled. He was slowly realizing that despite her previous tough exterior, she was a nervous wreck. She was probably talking herself into not running as far as she could. 
	“Come on Elizabeth; let’s go see your uncle.” He squeezed her hand softly and led her towards a small hut like house. He walked into the small house first, Elizabeth following close behind him, still grasping his hand.
	A petite frail man sat at an antique desk scribbling furiously on a piece of paper. He turned as he heard them enter the room, his wrinkle covered face beaming as he recognized William. “Aw William it is good to have you home. I trust your voyage was an interesting one.”
	William laughed and nodded, “Quite interesting but there’s someone here who I know you would love to meet. Richard, meet your niece.” William stepped to the side so Elizabeth was finally revealed to her uncle.
	Tears filled the old timer’s eyes as he stood and rushed as fast as his frail body would allow, to his long lost relative. “Oh Elizabeth, how I have dreamt of this moment.” He grasped his niece in a tight hug. William had thought that Elizabeth would reject the gesture, but she held onto the man as tightly as he held her. 
	William knew that his job was done. He should leave the two to get acquainted but he didn’t want to leave Elizabeth. She was his mate and he had promised that he would not leave her, but he felt like an intruder. Mentally kicking himself, he left the two alone and went to see his own family.
Chapter 6
Elizabeth smiled as her uncle sat her down on the neatly made bed in his house. He reminded her so much of her father that it brought tears to her eyes. She could tell she had a similar effect on her uncle because he had to wipe the tears from his eyes whenever he looked at her.  “You must be exhausted my child, and hungry!” Richard said as he busied himself around the small one room house. He rushed out of the door without a word and returned in mere seconds with a bowl of steaming stew. 
	“Eat, and then you will sleep. You must recover from your journey before we start with your training.” He kissed her forehead before handing the bowl to her. 
	She smiled up at him. He was such a lively spirit for being so frail. But despite his constant chatter, she hoped William would come back for her. She spooned the stew into her mouth and moaned. It felt like it had been a lifetime since she had ate normal food despite having breakfast at the inn that very morning. The breakfast she had had with William. A cloud of sadness passed over her face quickly before she replaced it with a happy expression. But her watchful uncle had noticed. 	
	“You are missing the young William, are you not?” her uncle asked as he sat on the bed beside her and smoothed her hair down. 
	Deep down she knew it would be useless to lie to him; she was a terrible liar especially since she knew her face always showed the truth. “Yes, we became good friends. He did so much for me and I miss him.”
	Her uncle smiled, it almost seemed like he knew something that she didn’t. “Young William will return. He is informing his family that he is safe and giving you time to rest. He should rest as well; the trip would have been a difficult one.” He took the empty bowl from her and kissed her cheek, “Rest for now, I will make sure William is here when you awaken.”
	Elizabeth smiled at her uncle who she loved already; he was a very loveable old man. She lay back on the bed, her head slowly resting on the soft pillows. Her eyes drifted closed and sleep consumed her.


Chapter 7
William paced back and forth outside Elizabeth’s uncles house. She had been home for half a day now, he knew that she would be sleeping but he wanted to see her, he needed to see her. He knew that he should sleep more; he had slept for an hour. But dreaming of Elizabeth made him want to see her, but she needed her sleep. The next couple of days would be hard for her. William growled, he wanted to run into the house and sleep with Elizabeth wrapped in his arms. He had never felt this way before. It was driving him crazy! 	
	“William, go to her. You’re starting to freak everyone out.” Richard stood in the doorway of the house, the only thing between him and his mate. 
	“But what if she doesn’t want me?” 
	Richard smiled. “She does. She misses you already, deep down she knows you’re her mate, but she doesn’t know what that means yet. She keeps whispering your name while she sleeps. Go to her and let her know she’s safe.”
	William didn’t need any more convincing. He rushed past Richard and into the house. Elizabeth lay on the bed, eyes closed, lips parted. She looked beautiful. William walked to the side of the bed and lay beside her, softly pulling her into his arms. He buried his face in her neck, breathing in her scent, committing it to his memory. He fell asleep, happy and in love.
Chapter 8
Elizabeth woke wrapped in William’s arms, warm and fully rested. She tried to pull free from his grasp, but he pulled her closer to his body, not wanting her to go. “Let me go William. I want to go find my uncle.” 
	William moaned and tightened his grip on her. “Not yet, just lay here for a little while longer with me. Please Elizabeth.” He mumbled despairingly into her hair.
	Elizabeth sighed in frustration and pulled from his grasp. “William, I need to find out if I am able to shift like my father and you’re not helping.” She said as she looked down at him on the bed as she stood beside it, hands on her hips.
	William’s eyes fluttered opened and he smiled. “I know, but we deserve to have a bit of a break. Sleeping for five hours doesn’t count either Elizabeth.”
	Elizabeth sneaked a peek out of the small window beside her; it was pitch black outside, the only light coming from a large bonfire and the full moon. “How did you know it was so late? You’ve barely even opened your eyes.”
	William grinned and reached for her, but she stepped out of his reach. “I’m a shifter, we always know when the sun rises or sets, it’s just something we do. Come back to bed Elizabeth, you still look exhausted. You and your uncle won’t be able to start any training at this time of night anyways.”
	“I guess you’re right.” Elizabeth said as she sat back on the bed. She lay down on the bed beside him, her face mere inches from his. 
	“Hello.” William whispered, his warm breath softly blowing on her lips.
	“Hi.” She whispered back to him, her cheeks blushing at their closeness.
	William smiled and pressed his lips gently to hers, scared that she would run. When she didn’t, he kissed her deeper. He loved the smell and taste of her. She filled his senses. He wrapped her in his arms, not wanting her to be able to leave him and he would be able to protect her. He broke the kiss and Elizabeth flipped so her back was against his chest. He slowly fell back to sleep, content that she was wrapped safely in his arms.
Chapter 9
When William woke again, he knew that it was nearly six in the morning; the sun had only been up for a little while. He crawled out of bed, leaving Elizabeth sleeping peacefully.  He left the small space of the house and went to find Richard. He found him in the middle of a small group of people. 
	Richard met William’s gaze and smiled. “Please excuse me folks.” He walked through the crowd gathered around him and stopped in front of William. “Is she well?”
	William nodded. “She’s still sleeping deeply. Do you think she’ll be able to handle the training?” William was worried about her, she was a strong girl but the past couple of days had taken a major toll on her mind and body.
	“Walk with me William.” Richard said and started walking between the houses, leading them to a secluded area away from the group of nosey shifters. “Elizabeth is a strong girl, I can already tell that she posses the strength her mother had and the unique shifting abilities of her father. She will be a strong shifter and an easy learner. ” Richard placed his hand on William’s arm. “I know of the feelings that you feel for my niece, if it will make it easier for the both of you, you can be in attendance when we begin her training later today.”
	William smiled and nodded in agreement. “Thank you.”
	Richard smiled. “Now go back to her and make sure she doesn’t wake up alone in this strange new place.”
	William nodded solemnly and walked back to the small house where Elizabeth was sleeping. He entered the house quietly, relieved to see her still sleeping.  He crawled onto the bed beside her, wrapping her softly in his arms. He breathed in her scent and sighed. He would never be able to leave this girl.
Chapter 10
“Okay Elizabeth, first I want you to close your eyes and breathe deeply.” Richard’s voice filled her ears as she complied. She could feel everyone’s eyes on her as she breathed deeply.
	“Don’t pay any mind to the people here it’s just you, me and William. The rest of them don’t matter.” 
	She could feel herself relax; knowing William was there made her feel safe. 
	“Picture yourself as an animal, imagine the process of changing into that animal, imagine the pain, the overwhelming scents and sounds, imagine every little detail Elizabeth,” Richard whispered.
	She pictured herself as a wolf, the change, the agonizing pain of being that animal, she could feel the pain in her mind and her body ached with it. The pain was overwhelming; she screamed but continued to imagine herself as a wolf. A beautiful black timber wolf. When she imagined the change being done, she could smell everything, the smell of William, the forest. She imagined her paws sinking into the soft lush grass as the wind blew through her fur. 
	“Open your eyes Elizabeth,” Her uncle said with a hint of satisfaction in his voice.
	She slowly opened her eyes, not scared of what she might see. She was not prepared to be closer to the ground and black and white vision. She turned to look at Richard; he was standing much taller than normal. She tried to ask him what happened, but all that came out was a questioning bark.
	She heard a noise to her left and looked over to see William walking towards her. He bent down in front of her and kissed her muzzle. “You did it.” He had tears in his eyes, she wanted to comfort him. She nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck, so happy that she had William. Elizabeth gently pulled at the hem of his thin t-shirt with her teeth, careful not to bite his skin.
	“Before you two get to comfortable, we need to do one more test to see if she inherited her father’s abilities,” Richard said as he walked up to them. William pulled away from her, Elizabeth could tell that that was the last thing he wanted to be doing at that moment. Elizabeth looked up at her uncle, waiting for his instructions.
	“I want you to do the exact same thing you did before, but I want you to imagine yourself as something exotic, like a lion, tiger, leopard, something that is from another country.”
	Elizabeth nodded her head slightly, slowly closing her eyes and taking deep breaths. She imagined the African plains full of life and animals. She imagined herself as a strong lean tiger and the pain that would come from her shifting. The pain was less severe as it had been the first time, but there was no way to block out the pain except to imagine everything. She sees herself as a tiger and feels her body change, her fur becoming shorter and changing color. She could still smell and hear everything just as she had been able to do before as a wolf, but it seemed almost different this time. 
	“Oh Elizabeth, your father would be so proud of you,” she heard her uncle whisper, either to himself or to her she wasn’t sure. 
	Elizabeth opened her eyes and looked over her furry shoulder to see the rest of her body. Sure enough, she had the coloring and markings of a female tiger. She turned to look back at her uncle and watched as he hugged William. It seemed like Richard was whispering something to William but even with her animal hearing she couldn’t pick up the words. Her uncle walked away from her, looking back at her as he whipped the tears from his cheeks. 
	Her attention was drawn back to William as he crouched in front of her. “You made your uncle very proud Elizabeth. Do you want to go for a run?”
	 She yipped excitedly; she would be able to be alone with William. William laughed, “Okay, you should shift back into a wolf; we won’t draw as much attention then.”
	She closed her eyes and imagined the wolf; there was significantly less pain this time. When she opened her eyes again, William was gone and a wolf stood in front of her. She knew it was William, he still smelled the same as always, she was glad about that. Elizabeth stepped closer to him and sniffed him, and then she nipped playfully at his ear and bounded off into the forest. 
	William bounded off after her, adrenaline coursing through his veins as he darted through the forest after her.	Things would be so much easier for her now that she was able to shift, she wouldn’t have to feel as if she was weak. She had so much potential as a shifter. Now William just had to convince her to be his mate and keep her safe from the packs that would still attempt to kidnap her. 
	William was sure he was way in over his head.





Please let me know what you think. This is my first time publishing and I would like any sort of feedback. Thank you very much for taking the time to read my story.