Chapter 1

The swamp was nothing like what Charles had experience before but something seemed to be drawing him there. There was a presents in the swamp; one that was both familiar and alien at the same time. The wind shifted and the steel gray werewolf caught a scent. Suddenly he knew what had drawn him to the swamp; there was a female paranormal wolf nearby. Following the scent, he soon came across the most beautiful she wolf he'd ever seen. Though dirty and matted, he could tell that her fur and long hair were sandy and tawny in color and she had the most beautiful blue eyes. Despite her dishevel appearance, Charles couldn't help but be taken by her and knew that she was his destined mate.

The she wolf wasn't a werewolf. Charles had seen female werewolves before and they looked like female versions of their male counterparts: brawny and definitely a combination of a wolf and a human from the wolf-like features of their faces to the canine claws that tipped their fingers and paws. This she-wolf had a super model like figure and looked more wolf than human, even had a tail; almost as if a wolf had tried to become a human. No, she wasn't a werewolf; she was a cousin of the werewolf: a demon wolf.

Charles took a step closer and the demon wolf backed up, clearly scared. Why was she so scared? For that matter, why was she alone? Like their nonparanormal counterparts, paranormal wolves loved to be in groups, or packs. While a lone paranormal wolf wasn't unheard of, it was extremely rare; especially a she-wolf.

"Don't hurt me!" the she-wolf cried, backing up even more.

"Why would I hurt you?" Charles asked.

"That's what dominates do."

Charles didn't ask how she knew he was a dominate; it was an instinctual thing. Plus he knew he carried himself like a dominate and there was authority in his voice. He also knew that, despite how scared she was, there was authority in the she-wolf's voice. However, he knew she wasn't a dominate because he didn't have an overwhelming urge to assert his own dominance. This had only happened twice in his life: once when he encountered an omega werewolf and then again when he encountered an omega moon wolf. There was no doubt in his mind, this she-wolf was an omega demon wolf.

Omegas were extremely rare with all the protective instincts of a dominate wolf but none of the aggression and viewed differently within the social structures of each type of paranormal wolf. The werewolves saw them as a gift and treated them as such while the moon wolves saw them as a healer and treated them as a shaman. However, in his ten years as a werewolf, Charles had never encountered an omega demon wolf, at least not an adult. The oldest he ever met was five-in-a-half.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Charles said. "My name is Charles, Charles Spaniel."

"Is this a distraction?" the demon wolf asked. "You keep me talking and your buddies attack me?"

"I'm a lone wolf. The only one I had any long term contact with was an old alpha werewolf who was forced out of his pack by a younger wolf."

The she-wolf looked at him as if trying to figure out if she could trust him. Finally, she made a decision.

"My name's Siberian Husk."

"Where's your pack?"

"Out west somewhere. My parents brought me east fourteen years ago to protect me."

"Where are they?"

"They died nine years ago. I've been hiding out in this swamp ever since. It's not safe for me out there. My parents used to protect me from the other paranormal wolves. Now I have no one."

Charles looked at her. Though her fur and hair were unkempt and covered in mud, he knew there was beauty underneath it. She was also had courage. She was scared yet trusted him enough to give him her name.

"I'll protect you," he said.

Blue eyes met his brown ones. Charles moved forward until he was close enough to take her in his arms if he wanted to. This time Siberian didn't back up.

"I'll protect you," Charles repeated. "I won't let anyone hurt you."

Siberian looked like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Charles had no idea if Siberian knew that they were destined to be mates or not but he wasn't going to pursue it...not yet any way. He'd let Siberian get used to him first then go about courting her. Until then, he would do what he promised and keep her safe from whatever or whoever it was that she was afraid of.