What Color Is Your Wolf?

Dragana POV

I would be lying if I said I was not nervous about speaking with Roman. I was fidgeting and getting ready when I heard Art’s voice. “Let him tell you his side of the story”, he encouraged me gently, always thinking of me first as always. “I do not know what story he has Art and I do not think I care in particular. I know he is risking his life trying to save Jasmine, so I am trying to do a respectful thing”, I said in reply, fully knowing that was only partial truth. Part of me knew why I wanted to speak to Roman, no matter what. Part of me was still in love with him, although I did not see our relationship ever happening. After all, he chose Alice, and there was nothing I could do about that.

“You may be surprised, Dragana. Roman cares for you. He always did”, Art retorted, his eyes locked on mine. I could tell this was not easy for him, not easy for those words to come out. His brow was furrowed and there was a hint of sadness in his beautiful dark eyes. I made my way across the room and came closer, putting my hands on his chest, feeling the flutter of his heart. “Art, I love you. It took me a moment to realize that”, I said sheepishly, stealing eyes from him. He pulled me into an embrace, his warmth and scent enveloping me. Kissing my forehead gently, he surprised me “I know you love him too”, he said, only the quickening rate of his heart betraying that this indeed was not a simple statement.

I was not sure what to say. He continued “Your case, your situation – it is different. I am not very educated on Tribrid lore, but from what I understand, you can have more than one mate. I know I am not your fated, but I do love you, Dragana. In fact, I always have. But that does not mean that I want to be selfish. I love you more than anything and if you chose him, I choose not to stand in your way. Your happiness is all I want”, he further clarified, breaking my heart in the process. His selflessness was something I did not feel I deserved.

I needed him, needed his scent, needed his strong arms around me. Lifting my face up, I gently brushed his lips with mine, in a soft, sensual kiss, putting all my heart, all my feelings for him into it, wanting him to understand how important he was to me. Our tongues danced together softly, and the sparks started bursting all around. My breathing was accelerating and the butterflies in my stomach were fluttering … I was getting lost in his cedar scent, the warmth of his tongue. Almost breathless, he pulled back gently, placing his forehead on mine. “I want you…. Soooo, sooo much…” he whispered, his warm breath on my face. “But before you decide on anything, you really should speak to him”, he said, stepping back from me. I immediately missed his touch, his arms around me. “He is right Dragana, Roman is our mate. We owe him the conversation”, Aisha found a way to voice her ever growing support. I knew she wanted Caleb – he was her fated mate after all too. “I will be with the Alpha King Jonathan until you return. Keep an open mind love”, Art said, leaving my room.

Putting on a quick light blue sundress, I decided on minimal makeup and just let my hair down. The tension palpated over my whole being, it was pulsating all around me. “Put your great grandmother’s ring on”, Vasilla reminded me. I did not fully understand its powers, other than the masking of the bond, until I was fully ready. However, the moment I put it on, I felt slightly better, the nervousness was still there. However, somehow, I felt more centered, more anchored.

I made a quick trip to Roman’s office. I knew he would be there this time of the day. Coming closer to the doors, his scent hit me, pulling me to him, before the doors even opened. Before I could knock, he was already at the door, opening them wide for me. The white shirt he was wearing was rolled up on his huge arms, showcasing the muscles and his tattoos. His hair was a mess, and his face looked disheveled. Wearing simple dark jeans that hugged his God-like body perfectly, he looked completely yummy, his strong body fully on display. Aisha was howling in my head, wanting to come forth and claim her mate with such urgency that I struggled to push her back.

“You came”, he said, almost in disbelief. A relief washed over his face, and he moved out of the way gallantly holding the door for me. “Can I get you anything? Tea? A drink? Did you eat??? I could have some food brought up”, he was rambling, obviously nervous. “Tea would be lovely, but I am not really that hungry, thank you”, I replied politely, not wanting to completely refuse his hospitality, but not wanting to stay there for hours. I wanted to get the conversation over as quickly as I could. He pulled out my chair and mind linked somebody about the tea. “First of all, allow me to thank you for agreeing to help Jasmine”, I started, not looking at him directly, fidgeting with my hands. I did not know how or where this conversation would go, so I figured a neutral topic and the most pressing, would be the way to start. “You do not need to thank me. Jasmine is an ally to the Kingdom, and we are obliged to assist”, he said curtly, also not looking at me, but rather at some papers on his desk. “I see”, was all I could reply, and he just nodded, uncomfortable silence began now between us. “You wanted to talk”, I started again, not really knowing what to say.

He slowly lifted his eyes, and the endless blue depths of his sapphire-colored irises started burning a fire in the pits of my soul. There was something different about him, something in his eyes I had never seen before. “Is he your mate?”, his husky voice asked, breaking the tension and the silence.

I decided that honesty is the best policy. “He is not, not my fated one”, I rushed to clarify. His eyes were stirring all kinds of emotions in me and I did not know what to think. “Caleb can sense your wolf”, he said, surprising me. The ring was supposed to suppress the mate bond. “He senses something, he has been calling to me, trying to bond, saying he feels some type of a pull”, Aisha clarified. “I know, Aisha can sense him too”, I said slowly, our eyes still locked on each other. I could see that he was trying to decipher me, to understand. The air itself crackled with electricity – something was happening between us, something neither of us wanted to break. I held his gaze firmly, the fire within me threatening to consume me from within. Something unexplainable, a force I did not recognize was pulling me like an invisible cord toward him. The magic that was normally around him, the shields my mother placed, were somehow breaking and weakening.

He leaned forward and somehow instinctively I mirrored that. His large office table was between us though, as was this connection, almost palpable, a bond of some kind that you could almost touch, filling the air with itself, all around us.



“What color is your wolf Dragana?” he asked, breaking me from the spell.