The Alpha’s face falls, “if she’s afraid to come near me I won’t find out why my wolf wants us to find her.” He looks at the one who had shoved me "if I cannot find her before we leave you will regret shoving her in the store. I will chain you with silver for a month.” I see the guy cringe and I am floored, while silver could hurt me it’s not as bad as it is to a wolf. Not right, I agree; it’s not right. I take another mouth full and drop the money for the meal on the table and I stand up.

The Alpha freezes when he sees me stand, I keep my head down again and I walk right up to him. “What that man did is not worth torture, I am right here so talk.” I cross my arms, still not looking any of them in the face. I recall my mother’s warning about other shifters, she told me it the first time she took me away from the property.

“Never look them in the face, our kind isn’t suppose to be mated; and they find their mates by seeing them eye to eye. If you become a mate to one of them you’d have to leave here.”

It bothers me to think of leaving my home so I refuse to be chained to someone. The Alpha tries to look me in the face, “why won’t you look at me?” I shrugs, “family superstition; I don’t look shifters in the eyes except for my one friend.” I hear the Alpha growl low and stop himself, one of the other’s says. “That sounded like jealousy Alpha, she doesn’t even smell like a shifter. So how could she be your mate as that would be the only thing keeping us here.”

My heart stops, this Alpha was unmated and he wanted to look me in the eyes. I run out the door and jump in my truck and floor it before they could stand up. A while outside of town I check my mirrors and I don’t see them following me, so I head home. I know the butcher will send my order to my home so I don’t have to go anywhere.

I can feel my other self growling, neither of us wished to leave our home. We can’t anyway, to far away from here and I won’t be able to contain her. People who know her already fear her, I don’t need to be hunted because people are scared of what they don’t know.

I drive down my driveway and turn around backing the truck up to where I store the feed at, and I hop out of the truck. I instantly relax at being at home and my other self relaxes as well, she feels calm. I will probably have to go on a run tonight. So I will make sure the doors are properly closed before sunset.

Mom would run during the day, but after my first shift I was banned from it. She was to afraid of my other self to let me run during the day. I send another prayer to the Moon Goddess wishing for understanding. I start unloading the animal feed directly into the storage building, on my fifth trip a bag is dropped into my arms and I smell the Alpha wolf.

I drop the feed bag and he grabs my shoulder before I run away, “easy. I promise I am not going to harm you.” I look around to see he only had the two older wolves with him, he holds me still and touches my chin slowly forcing it up. “I only brought my Beta and my bodyguard, you are safe I promise.”

He tilts my head all the way up and I see bright green eyes and black hair, and he says; “as I thought. You are my Mate, but what are you?” He leans forward and tries to smell me, and shakes his head. “why are you masking your scent?”

I try to lower my head and he won’t let me, “please; why are you hiding your scent?” I notice one of his men sniffing around and he says, “Alpha; sir. I smell cats, it’s a very old smell.” He looks me in the eyes and I can feel my other self look out for a moment, his eyes shift briefly to yellow. “So you are a feline shifter then? Is that why you mask your scent?”

I gulp and try to wriggle free my other lending me her strength so I can get out of his hands. “My mother was a cougar shifter, I am something else.” The Alpha looks angry for a brief moment after I got out of his hands and hides it, “what are you then?”

I inwardly shrug since the damage is done already and I look him dead in the eyes, “I am a special. Do you know what that is?” The Alpha tilts his head a moment, “all I know is there are some extremely rare types and that some people call them ‘specials’.” I snort, “yes there are rare types and then there are ‘specials’. I am the second in my family line, of the same type.” The Alpha scratches his head in confusion, “your type is inherited but not directly?” I nod my head then I say with finality in my voice, “and those who know my form are afraid of it. So I will not discuss it with you.” I cross my arms and look for a way to dash off into the woods.

He steps towards me and I step back, “but we’re mates. You must tell me, I will find out anyway.” I hear Dang hiss at the wolves and when they turn to look at him I dash off into the woods, my other helping me run. We find a tree to climb up and I leap across about seven of them and hide in a hollow on an older oak. I wait then, I know they’ll follow me.

I hear them after about twenty minutes, “where is SHE? Why did she run? Doesn’t she feel the bond we have?” Oh I felt something alright, I felt something connect in my mind when he looked me in the eyes. He sounded pained though and I have no idea as to why.

He punches a tree and the body guard speaks, “Sir? I know some things about the cougar shifters, my mom had a friend who was one. When I was a pup I’d visit with her and my mom said I had to stay calmer than I normally am and to not jump all over her. She also told me about their history, the cougar shifters have a tale about their people. None of them seem to feel the mate bond and they say it happened due to the Moon Goddess not giving it to them. Their tale is that after she created Lion shifters she was upset the males tried to take control over the warrior women she had created. So she created the cougar shifters to be strong warriors with no mate bond.”

The Alpha looks upset, “how can that be? If there is no bond how do I have a connection to her?” The body guard shrugs his shoulders, “I do not know Sir. We cannot find out till we find her, and convince her to come with us.”

I mentally snorted, yeah right I’m not going with them anywhere. I saw his head shoot up when I thought that, “I heard her nearby. Maybe she’s hiding in a tree, and with her hiding her scent we’re going to have a hard time.” He looks down as if defeated, “we need to get the others here to find her. I didn’t want to scare her, but we need to find her.”

I shake my head and drop out of the tree, “no; don’t you dare send your goons through my woods.” He rushes to me and grabs me, “do not run from me again!” I shake him off, “I’m not leaving my home.” I cross my arms, he looks at me sadly. “Yes you are,”and I feel a cloth go over my mouth and nose and I pass out.