Desert Rogue

Some time later, Lucky opened her green eyes, her vision hazy at first. She took in her surroundings, looking for the familiar walls and windows of the suite in Vegas. Where was she?

Slowly her confusion dissipated, replaced by euphoria. She was free! They had done it! She and Nyah had gotten out of that hell! She had to pinch herself and even when it hurt she still wasn't sure she wasn't dreaming. She was no longer going to be forced to have sex with strangers and pretend to like it. Those horrid men were never going to hurt her again.

The events of the previous evening were a blur. She remembered blood, clawing her way through the wretches, a lot of blood. Nyah had been soaked in it. She recalled grabbing one of the money bags, running out of the building, and washing herself off in the fountain. She felt a bit embarrassed, remembering the screams of horror from some people, the others who looked on like it was some kind of Vegas show.

"Sorry to ruin your vacation photos folks, but sometimes a wolf just doesn't want to be covered in nasty smelling blood." Nyah joked. How could it be funny? Why was she laughing with her wolf? She wondered if they had found the men yet. She wondered what they would think. No one had seen her, other than the players, in a room with no cameras, they had been disabled for obvious reasons.

The only thing capable of doing what had been done on that floor had been seen exiting the building, and that was her wolf. She wasn't naive enough to believe an investigation wouldn't try to connect the dots. She knew that no dot could possibly land on her human form, and she wondered if they would ever figure out what had happened. She doubted they would even believe the truth, that a young woman was to be the grand prize in an illegal poker game, but in a surprise turn of events, she turned in to a huge black wolf and killed her captors, making her escape. It sounded like something from a movie. Knowing people they probably would make it in to a movie someday.

She didn't think she was in any danger of being caught. She doubted that anyone in the human trafficking crowd, if they caught wind of what happened somehow, would want anything to do with her.

She felt no remorse for what she had done, nor did Nyah. What those evil people were doing was so wrong that if anything she had been too merciful, making their deaths quick. Her lack of remorse troubled her more than what she had done. She hadn't been raised as a killer.

Nyah didn't understand her human conscience, to her it was black and white, good vs. evil, self defense. Lucky agreed with her, but wrapping her mind around the fact that she had brutally slaughtered a room full of people felt like she was trying to wrap Christmas presents with only a scrap of wrapping paper.

She shook her head, once again taking in her surroundings and wondering how she had run in to this second black wolf, right as she had started to worry about what to do next. Escape had been the main plan and she hadn't thought far beyond it, only enough that she had grabbed the bag of money to start a new life. She'd had a moment of a different kind of fear, finding herself alone in the dark, vast desert that went on in all directions as far as one could see. The sky was beautiful, full of stars. The beauty of the Milky Way, spiraling towards the center, full of spinning objects orbiting other spinning objects. The night sky made her feel incredibly small.

She was inside a rather high quality tent, with a stranger she felt like she had known forever. She remembered that she had fainted. How long had it been? She peeked out the front flap. It was dark outside, that terrifying inky black dark, and the desert air had a cold bite to it. She had no idea where she was or what was going to happen but she was free!

She noticed that she was wearing a large black sweatshirt, a pair of sweatpants that could easily have fit two of her in each leg, and a pair of warm, thick grey socks. Her hair felt clean, as though it had been washed. Not a trace of blood on her, it was all gone. She supposed maybe the man had dressed her in some of his clothes, she would have been naked once she shifted out of wolf form. She noticed a few sparkles of glitter, and half laughed half shuddered at the memory. "You need to embrace the dark humor of the situation, Lucky." Nyah's words made sense. "And you have been asleep for two days." Two days? She still felt tired.

She heard a snore and saw the man, the one she met when he was a big black wolf, sleeping peacefully in a a red sleeping bag. A yellowish dog, a slightly plump Labrador, curled up next to him with his head on the man's shoulder. The man's arm encircled the dog, who was snoring louder than his human. Lucky couldn't help but smile, they were so cute, laying like that. Nyah chuckled at the sight as well, finding the concept of a wolf having a pet dog entertaining.

What was it about this guy that made her feel safe? What was going on? She had a feeling Nyah might be able to explain some of it, so she asked her to explain as best she could what this current turn of events was all about.

"Well," Nyah began, "each werewolf has both the wolf and human souls bound together. The Moon Goddess created us this way. We can get in to more of werewolf history later, but what you are wanting to know now is about fated mates."

"Fated mates? Is this wolf my fated mate?" That sounded like another kind of movie altogether.

"Yes, he is. You were destined to find one another, two halves of a whole. You can tell that because of the energy between the two of you. The way he makes you feel safe. Given what you have been through I can see why the Moon Goddess thought it would be best for you to meet your mate quickly, to help you move past the trauma of what has been done to you by other men."

"How do I know he is my mate?" Lucky couldn't deny what her wolf was saying, but remained a bit skeptical. Fated mates? That truly did sound like something from a movie on the Hallmark channel. She remembered how his hug had made her body buzz with pleasure, like a current ran through them and connected, but couldn't it be that any kind of genuine affection would feel amazing after what she had been through?

The man was attractive, that was certain. He seemed kind. But how could she be mated for life so quickly with someone she didn't even know? Nyah patiently waited for Lucky's mind to stop racing like an Olympic gold medalist in the hundred meter dash. Lucky wanted proof, of course.

"Well, here is one test. I want you to reach out and touch him. Anywhere, just press your hand against his chest."

"What if I wake him?"

"Trust me, he won't mind." Nyah insisted. So Lucky did what her wolf told her to do and touched her palm to the sleeping man's bare chest. Electric sparks seemed to flow between them. She pulled her hand back in surprise! It wasn't just that she was starved for affection, there was an actual current of something invisible that was able to flow from his body into hers. Nyah continued, "those electric sparks you feel are part of the mate bond. You and he, and I and his wolf, were made for one another by the Moon Goddess."

Lucky gave her an incredulous look. "So what happens next?" Nyah often mentioned this mysterious Moon Goddress. She called her the mother of all werewolves, she was their creator. Lucky hoped this Moon Goddess knew what she was doing. Right now, she didn't have much to go on, so putting trust in the Moon Goddess made as much sense as anything else.

Nyah chuckled. "Normally, you probably would have gotten it on like two horny teenagers and marked one another by now. That's just how werewolves are. Very sexually driven. They don't question the mate bond, they can feel it too strongly to deny it. You were raised as a human, and that causes you to suppress your primal needs, especially sexual ones. And after what you have been through, it might take a while before you can get past it. " That thought sparked anger in both woman and wolf. How dare they take that away from her?

"What's marking?" She asked, looking at the man and his dog, which quickly snuffed out her anger.

"Marking is where he bites your neck, and you bite his. It comes naturally, usually the first time you two have sex, and it solidifies the mate bond. One it is made, it cannot be undone until one of you dies." Nyah yawned. "I'm going to take a nap. Maybe you should do the same."

Lucky considered all of this. It was a lot to digest given where she had just come from. "What's up with this dog?" The Labrador had woken up and made his way across the tent to snuggle up against Lucky, gazing at her adoringly. He was awfully cute. She admired his sweet brown eyes. He was a master of puppy dog eyes, this one! She petted his soft fur, scratched behind his ears. He let out a contented sigh and laid his head on Lucky's belly, snoring again in no time.

"I think he likes you," the man spoke, startling her. She continued petting the dog, sure she had turned ten shades of red. She was more embarrassed by her jumpy reaction than anything else. She ran her fingers through her own tangled hair, she must be a mess, she thought, but he was staring at her like he was afraid she would disappear. She found herself unable to look away from him, as though caught in a tractor beam. His eyes were an ocean she could float dreamily in forever. She had never seen such an attractive man, honestly. Maybe this mate bond thing wouldn't be so bad. She could have done worse!

"I like him too," Lucky replied. "What's his name?" She thought. Hell, what's your name? She laughed at herself, thinking of the Carrie Underwood song.

"His official name is Mr. Flaps. But I call him Flappy, he doesn't mind being called Flappy. He seems to think it is a compliment." The man laughed, the sound like music to her ears. "He's just a flappy little guy. I suppose his ears do flap quite nicely in the wind, but mainly he got the name from what he does when he catches a rabbit. He flaps it back and forth, to kill it quickly so it doesn't suffer and we have dinner."

"Flappy," Nyah snorted. She was laughing her wolfy head off. "He should have seen what I did to those demonic bastards. That was some flapping for sure." Lucky couldn't help herself, a giggle escaped her. Again, laughing about killing people. What was wrong with her? "NOTHING is wrong with laughing right now!" Nyah seemed to be getting impatient with her human partner's lack of appreciation for the humor the wolf found in the ordeal. She huffed and lay down in her realm, preparing for some more sleep. Then, food. Flappy would have to catch them a couple of rabbits. Maybe she would help.

Lucky hoped the man wouldn't be offended, "I was laughing at my wolf. We have been through some shit, putting it mildly. My name is Lucky," she told him, with what she hoped was a charming smile. She was pretty sure it looked fake as could be.

"I'm Traven." He smiled back. "My wolf wants to be sure Nyah knows his name as well. It's Miles." He added, "my last name is Blackpaw." It suited him. He did, indeed, have black paws. So did she. His were streaked with silver, he had a few silver streaks but the dark rich black fur was the same as hers. Were they related? She hoped not, that would mess up the mate bond! Nyah assured her they were not blood related, though they might have originated from the same pack.

"Well, Traven, it's nice to meet you, Miles, and Flappy." Despite her inner turmoil, she felt happier than she had ever felt before. The whole situation felt so cozy, so perfect. Maybe she was overthinking everything. Maybe she should just let the Moon Goddess do her thing and hope for the best, but she had to wonder why the Moon Goddess hadn't stopped her torment sooner, why she had allowed it to happen to begin with.

They lay in their sleeping bags, silent for a moment. Lucky finally broke the silence, saying "you are probably wondering what I was doing running through the desert like that."

"Well, Lucky, from the state you were in I imagine you were running from something. And that, my little mate, is something I can well understand." Traven sighed deeply. "You probably dreamed of your mate being an Alpha or a Beta, not a Rogue like me."

"What do you mean? What is an Alpha? Beta? And what is a Rogue?" Lucky was confused. Nyah told her it was werewolf terminology, a social ranking system. She felt like an idiot, and hoped he wouldn't hold her ignorance against her. "I guess I should tell you, I had no idea I was a werewolf until about a month ago. I was raised as a human, in an orphanage, so I am assuming my parents were werewolves. But I had no idea. I'm sure glad I am, though. Or I would still be in that hell." Lucky shuddered. "I am still learning all the werewolf stuff. It was quite a shock."

Traven burst out laughing, "oh wow, I can't even imagine what a shock that would be! You shifted without any idea you were a werewolf? That had to be intense." He shook his head, smiling at her in a way that made her feel like she was a kid on Christmas Eve. "How about we get a good nights rest and we can get started on your werewolf education in the morning?" He had noticed how tired she looked, beautiful beyond belief, but her eyes were weary. Too weary for such a young and beautiful woman, one whose heart was made of gold. His wolf sensed the sweetness of her heart. "MATE," he said again, before lowering his head to his paws and closing his eyes. She was so perfect. Traven was already smitten with her.

"Sounds great." Lucky scooted closer to Traven, laying her head against his chest. The sparks hummed pleasantly, more gently now. It seemed the mate bond could recognize that this was not the right time for intensity. Flappy adjusted his position so he could snuggle between them, and Lucky marveled again at how lovable he was. She had never had a pet, unless taking care of the class guinea pig during summer vacations counted. Her eyes met her mate's, until they fell shut under the weight of exhaustion. Soon, all three of them were wrapped in sleep's embrace.