CHAPTER 1

 Tindle Gaveston’s life consisted of three types of days. Days when his wild nature was dominant. Those were the ones when Tindle knew exactly how to feel and act. His instincts were at their highest, his senses sharp, the air crisp, and the whole world buzzed and vibrated around him as if there was no tomorrow. He loved those days, living close to nature, being his own man, and not caring the least about anything materialistic. Wasn’t life meant to be like that? The world was about sensations, emotions – happiness, sadness, rage, fear, and peace. The mixture of these heightened emotions made his heart swell and beat even faster than it already did. And Tindle knew it better than anyone; his heart was already beating a couple of dozen heart beats faster than it should have. 

There was the second type of day – those when Tindle put the reigns of his life into the hands of his reasonable mind. During those days, he was the cool-headed businessman – the co-owner of a now multi-billion-dollar corporation, whose normal working day started and ended in business meetings, lunch and dinners were shared with associates, and usually ended sharing a glass of fine whiskey during which most important deals of were made. He was a lucky man. By the age of thirty-five, Tindle and his best friend Dylan Elliot had managed to build a corporation that would allow him not to work till the end of his life if he so wished. Who would’ve thought they would indeed be able to grasp the success they could only dream about as youngsters? He loved his tailored suits and pants on such days, even if on his wilder days he’d keep wondering who in his right mind would pay fifty grands for trousers. They were as good as his worn pair of jeans. Both garments could be shredded into pieces at any moment and nobody would be able to tell what the price tag once said on either of them. 

And thirdly, there were days when he wasn’t sure who he really was. His two natures would not mix well, and the world would turn into a storm of thoughts and emotions. Those days might’ve been the closest to his true nature, but at times, they seemed the most unnatural of all. He dreaded those days, as waking up in the morning, he never knew which side of him would take over eventually and to what sort of trouble that would lead him to. And by all means, Tindle was not a stranger to trouble. He had mastered the art of making it many a year ago and had been perfecting his skills to this day.  

Tindle woke up with that tingly feeling that something was amiss this morning. It didn’t take him long to realize what was the matter – he was living one of those weird days when his two natures were in conflict. 

And one would’ve thought it would get easier with time, he thought to himself as he finished signing the last of the papers on his desk. It was already afternoon, and he had done his best to keep himself locked inside his office the whole day. What could go wrong when he stayed put the whole day?

He had even asked his assistant to reschedule some of his meetings from later this week to this afternoon. Who would refuse Tindle Gaveston, when a man with his busy schedule is willing to bring a meeting forward instead of postponing or canceling it?

Strange times, when one would take seven meetings – each in one distant corner of the world while not even raising his butt off his chair. 

Why shouldn’t he? He had paid a small fortune for that armchair and if anything, it was one of the best investments he had made in his life. His back and ass would thank him one day for the comfort the soft buttery leather provided. 

However, he caught himself smiling at the technology that made it possible for him to take his meetings online. On any other day, he would’ve not even thought about it. After all, he was a successful millennial entrepreneur – he was bound to worship technology. And yet, right now, he knew his wilder nature was rising inside him, and he could feel that strange, heavy sensation when nothing in the modern world made much sense to him. 

Who would’ve thought that a thirty-five-year-old could complain about having all that technology to make his life easier?!

“Better call it a day,” he quickly came to the conclusion, before his mind would start wondering why people needed credit cards and online transactions when one could gather and bury chests of gold in forests. And for that matter, who needed money or gold, when there were vast forests that provided with everything one would need to satisfy their basic needs. 

Tindle discarded the weird thoughts as he got up, powered down his laptop, and headed out of his office. 

“Taking a break, Ty?” Josh, his assistant, pulled the earplugs off his ears and quickly pocketed them. 

Tindle snorted in laughter. This youngster thought that he was fast enough to hide something from him. As much as he was amused by this almost innocent act, he also was quite irritated. On days like this, even a small thing could make him feel annoyed, and that could escalate to anger in a matter of moments.

“No.” He declared, sounding happy with himself. “I’ve decided to give myself a little bit of off time. I’m calling it a day and going to go for a ride… and then a run.”

“Boss says it – the boss has earned it,” Josh sounded way too agreeable, which meant, something was on the boy’s mind. He had known the lad since he was a pup – he knew exactly what to expect when he had recruited him as his assistant. 

Not that he had a choice in the matter. Dylan had practically forced him into this, saying it was his duty to look after one of his own. The rest was only a matter of luck – and in this case, it had to be no one else but the most stubborn ones of all twenty-year-olds that walked on the face of mother earth. 

“Say it, don’t give me that pointed look,” he shook his head. Gladly, he was still feeling more amused and less annoyed by the kid’s tone. 

“Nah, you’ve earned your right to leave early, boss,” he waved a hand, “however, I am specifically instructed not to allow you to get on your motorcycle without a helmet. And I don’t see one in your hand.” He crossed his armed over his chest menacingly. 

Never give an assistant too much power! Tindle made a mental note. 

“I’m a big boy and can make that choice for myself,” he shrugged, and was about to turn and leave before the stubborn kid could stop him but was late for a tiny moment. 

Josh stormed forward and blocked the way with his body. He even straightened his back to look taller. He stood proudly at the height of six foot three inches and his spiked pitch-black hair added an extra inch or two. Not that he posed any threat compared to Tindle’s huge form. 

Tindle laughed. With his wilder nature slowly taking control over his mind, he would not mind if this small disagreement escalated to friendly sparring. In fact, he would love to beat this arrogant little bastard’s ass properly to release some steam. 

“Sorry, boss,” Josh stubbornly shook his head, “I have strict instructions from your mother, your older sister, your middle sister, your younger sister, and the big boss himself, not to let you ride without a helmet.”

As he named them, he unfolded a finger for each of those five great tormenters that were there to make Tindle’s life difficult. 

“And trust me, Ty, even if big boss D does not fire my ass for disregarding such an important task, your mom is sure to whip that same poor ass.” As if in memory, Josh rubbed his butt. 

Tindle rolled his eyes. If he could manage to turn this hopeless brat into a corporate mogul to rise on the corporate ladder, he had now considered himself at guru level. Josh was of his kind, which already meant he was strong-willed, motivated, and painfully stubborn. However, somehow, he had skipped the lesson on good manners and showing at least a little bit of respect to his boss in the office. 

“Whatever. Fetch me the damn helmet from my office, then,” he spat. “I don’t have the whole day to waste in this. When you, Mom, and Dylan are teamed up, there is little one can do to win.”

“Right,” Josh did not care about human pace when there were no outsiders to notice his preternatural strength and speed. He stormed into Tindle’s office and emerged a moment later, handing him the detestable helmet. 

Tindle could easily put it on, get on his bike, turn around the corner, and get rid of the thing. He was in no mood to care about safety today. He needed to feel the rush of air in his hair, the sting of strong, unforgiving wind in his eyes. Safety was the least on his list of concerns right now. 

“And on that note, you truly don’t have the whole day to waste. Your Mom asked me to remind you about dinner tonight,” Josh pointed a menacing finger to his chest. Tindle let out an amused bark of laughter. The lad mimicked his mother’s every gesture with such precision, that he was afraid he’d shapeshift into his mom if he willed it so.  

“Dinner, right,” Tindle did remember something about it but was not sure what was the occasion and why it was so important that he should be there. A man would never be too cautious when it came to special dinners at his mom’s place. 

Tindle was the third of five siblings. He had lived with three sisters most of his life, who, in fact, looked like miniatures of his mother – dangerously beautiful, strong, and extremely curious. Since their father’s death, his Mom had been too impatient for Tindle to make a family of his own and gift her with a dozen grandchildren. Somehow, the female population of the Gaveston family had always spared their older brother Emil from this kind of pressure. Emil had been dating his girlfriend Alice for almost five years now and any time Mom asked them about their plans of making a family, they would promise to think about it the coming year – as soon as this or that career goal was achieved. 

Such an answer could not save Tindle. He had achieved almost every possible career goal already, which had come with a side effect of making him one of the most eligible billionaire bachelors not just in the whole county, but especially for people of his kind. 

That was another thing that was different from Emil’s situation, as his older brother had not inherited the family gene. At times, Tindle did envy him, knowing how much simpler it should be for Emil. He also knew that that was only one side of the coin, as his brother would never know the thrill of wilderness the way Tindle did. Emil had come to terms with his ordinary life, although that had driven a ridge between the brothers for life. 

His sisters were a totally different matter. And now, the three of them and their mother were plotting and planning again to introduce Tindle to one or maybe several young ladies. 

Tindle had given up fighting them. If he had had a heart available to be conquered, he would maybe worry or try to save it from whatever invasion was coming. However, that blood-pumping muscle in his chest had been shuttered to pieces long ago. Right now, it was not good for anything except its primary function – pumping blood into his body with a speed slightly faster than normal. 

“Tindle?” Josh raised a brow as he called his boss’s name several times. He had zoned out for a moment. Tindle shook away the thoughts. They were for another time. Right now, he needed to take care of his more primal urges. 

“Yeah, dinner,” he confirmed with a nod of his head. “I’ll be there.”

“At seven. Sharp. Looking like your very best hot self,” Josh beamed. “I am only quoting your mother. It is not my place to judge whether my boss is popular with girls or not. I know I am.” He shrugged and waving a hand returned to his seat. 

Tindle swallowed the comment he was about to make about Josh’s popularity. From the day of his first shift, the spoiled brat had broken more hearts of young ladies than bones in his own body. But who was he to judge?! Everyone had been sixteen once.

“Alright, kiddo, hold the fort while I’m away. See you tomorrow,” Tindle hurried to put the helmet on his head and fasten it as soon as he could. If not for his safety, at least to make sure Josh would not say anything else and keep him there any longer. 

“Does that mean I can leave early too, boss?” Josh called after him. 

“You may as well go, Josh. Don’t get into any trouble though,” he gave him one final piece of brotherly advice and left. 

Tindle cursed the elevator several times for moving so slowly. And he would have thought that they had the best of everything in this building. Yet, the elevator was as slow as a turtle, while the wild beast in him was getting more restless by the minute. 

Finally, he arrived at the parking level of the building and rushed to his motorcycle. The metal beast shone like an obsidian dragon. Tindle cut the distance between him and his vehicle in a matter of seconds, jumped on it, and was about to hit the gas pedal when the phone buzzed in his pocket. 

Tindle growled. His brain told him to ignore it, but it was his senses that he always trusted. This time was not an exception. The call was from Dylan, which meant that it was important – could be anything from a multi-billion-business-deal-related question to something more vital. Something about their people and their politics. He took off the helmet and brought the phone to his ear. 

“Your timing is perfect as always,” he snapped at his best friend. 

“I can hear how cheerful you are to talk to me,” Dylan teased in return. “Am I holding you back from some important trouble you’re about to get into?”

Not really. But if he did wait any longer, he would turn into trouble himself for everyone nearby. 

“No. I was on my way to the reserve,” Tindle rubbed his forehead. He suddenly felt exhausted. Somehow, the weight of ignoring his natural urges for so many days was now taking its toll. He knew he needed to hurry. 

“Has anything happened there?” Dylan’s voice carried a hint of alert in it. 

The reserve was the most important of all the possessions the two of them shared. For a reasonable business-minded person, it was nothing but additional costs. With each year, they would invest more and hardly get any returns. But this one property was not for profit, it was the source of the vitality of their people. Hence, they needed to make sure the forest flourished, and nothing ever happened to threaten it, or its inhabitants, and those who were occasionally allowed to run and hunt in it. 

“Nothing. I did not mean to rush there at this time of the day, but I haven’t changed for over a month. I think if I delay any longer, I am going to unleash the beast right in the middle of the street.” Tindle was joking. However, he could never be sure. With years of experience, of course, accidents like that never happened. But he had never ignored his wild side for such a long time before. 

“Ah, I see. I should let you go, then,” Dylan was about to hang up but Tindle could hear that there was something unspoken in his brother’s voice. 

“What was it that you wanted to talk to me about?” He asked. “It sounded urgent.”

“As a matter of fact, it is,” Dylan took a deep breath. Knowing his best friend so well, he knew right now his eyes were shining with the intensity of the thoughts in his head. Dylan had one big disadvantage as a successful CEO – he never mastered the poker face. His eyes always spoke the truth – there was always that sparkle in them that would give away whatever was going on in his head. “I was hoping you’d be in your office and we could talk,” Dylan explained. 

“I could come back if needed,” Tindle offered. He was really hoping that he didn’t have to, but he knew very well he had to leave his own needs behind when the matter was of greater importance. “Is it a work-related matter or clan?”

“Both, I guess. But it can wait.” His friend made the quick decision and spoke with the authority of a CEO in his voice. “I need your mind clear and your full concentration.”

Dylan never exaggerated any matter. If he said something was important, it was serious. Tindle felt a wave of unease travel down his spine. He could hear it in Dylan’s tone, could perhaps even sense it in the air. Something was coming. Some sort of danger – a foe they had no knowledge of just yet. 

He pushed the uncomfortable thought away. Telling himself that it was the doing of this urge for the change. A month was a long time to keep the beast locked inside him. 

“I can join you in a couple of hours. Mom is having this big family gathering, but this could be a perfect reason for me to skip it,” he confessed. He did not feel guilty for using whatever important matter Dylan had to share with him to ditch his family’s little matchmaking party. He would find a way to earn their forgiveness on a later date. And whoever the beautiful lady guests were, he was only doing them a favor by sparing them the heartbreak. 

“Well, this is just a very unlucky matter for you, bro,” Dylan laughed, “Aunt Edna has invited me to that dinner too.”

Even though he called her his Aunt, in truth Dylan loved Tindle’s mother as his own. Having lost his own parents at a very young age, the Gavestons did everything for Dylan to feel like part of their big family. Back then, both were boys in their young teens and hated one another with heat only kids of their age could. It had taken a couple of years and an unexpected turn of destiny to bring the two of them together, moreover, make them friends for life. 

“Ah, so she’s decided you are also in desperate need of a wife,” Tindle teased. “She’s finally figured you are completely hopeless if left on your own.”

The truth was Dylan was quite lucky with women. They were drawn to him like a moth to a flame – only to realize their beautiful love lasted only one night. By the morning, many of them would have started to imagine their perfect wedding and three little kids playing in the backyard. But Dylan was not ready to settle down yet, nor was Tindle.

Been there, done that! Tindle considered himself a smart man not to try entering the same river twice. Relationships and himself were a bad mix. He did not need to prove it yet for one more time. 

“Alright, tiger, enjoy your hunt,” Dylan bid him goodbye. 

Tindle turned his phone off as he slid it back into his pocket: he was not going to need it for a few hours at least. 

The disturbing feeling in his head was getting louder and louder. He could feel a twitch between his shoulder blades, and an unpleasant wave of anxiety ran down his spine once more. He reminded himself it was nothing but the need to transform. 

Without further delay, Tindle put back the damned helmet on his head and finally pressed the gas pedal. The metal beast roared to life, and Tindle’s whole body ignited as well. Moments later, he would arrive at the reserve. He could almost smell the damp earth beneath his feet just as he could taste the fresh forest air on his tongue. 

The city views turned into a blur. He loved it that way. The skyscrapers downtown was not always the most pleasant image for the eyes of a man with wilderness in his heart. 

Less than fifteen minutes later, Tindle arrived in the parking lot of the reserve. His heart swelled inhaling the scent of home. Tindle was glad to see there were no vehicles parked in the lot other than those of the two rangers on duty. He was not up for company today. 

He smiled as he heard the approaching footsteps of Martin – the old guy had been there long enough to move as heavily as one of the ancient trees of the forest. 

“Tindle, son,” the old ranger’s deep voice carried laughter and welcome in it. A couple of coughs followed as he cleared his throat. “Been a while. Think you’ve gotten too civilized for a good run, eh?”

“Good day to you too, old man,” Tindle beamed at the old guy. As Martin hurried toward him, Tindle noticed a slight limp in his walk. “What has happened to you?”

“Ah, this?” He patted his knee not-so-gently. “Not a big deal, son. Nothing to trouble yourself with. Just a minor accident caused by an unpleasant visitation. Do not worry. It’s been taken care of.”

“Does Dylan know?” He did not like the sound of this. 

Usually, nothing really happened at this reserve, apart from more and more money being invested to keep it healthy and more secure. An unpleasant visitor sounded strange, if not inconvenient. Somehow the sound of this caused the same nagging feeling inside him, that he had been pushing back the whole day. 

“Aye, he is aware and said it’s being dealt with,” Martin reassured. “Sorry for troubling you with this, lad. I can see that sparkle in your eyes. Been a while, eh?”

“Indeed,” Tindle hissed, as he knew the sparkle was not the only sign giving away his need. He could feel his muscles were getting too tense, bones hurt as if they were stretched to the point of breaking. “I should go in. We’ll talk later.”

“Enjoy your time, son, this is a fine day for a run through the woods,” Martin stared into the depth of the forest longingly. Tindle wondered what had caused that nostalgic feeling in the older man, however, like everything else that had happened today, he pushed it to the back of his mind, to think about it some other time. Right now, he needed time for himself, and blessedly, that time was going to be free of any daily concerns and troubles. 

As he entered the forest, he walked into the small cabin that was built especially for his kind. He carefully undressed. Usually, when there were more people around, he had put his clothes and possessions he carried on him into a locker. No need for that now, as he was probably going to be alone and enjoy the forest all by himself. 

He walked out buck naked, and as anticipated; his toes curled with pleasure the moment he stepped on the moss-covered dump ground. He immediately felt the need rush through his whole body. 

Tindle started to run as fast as his human body would allow him. He loved concentrating on running while transforming, as it made it less painful and took away the hateful feeling of bones breaking in his body. He ran fast, ignoring the stinging pain of the branches that poked from the ground. He let the wind embrace his naked body, sending goose bumps and causing the absolute thrill as his speed increased, as his wild senses took over, and his bones broke. His fingers curled and legs gave away for a moment, as he arched his back in pain. A moment later, a roar came out of his throat. The wind carried it away, spreading its echo through the woods, warning the big and small inhabitants of the forest that a mighty creature was coming. A magnificent white tiger emerged and the land shook as his paws landed heavily, branding the earth with his presence.

In his tiger form, Tindle was a beautiful creature. Often, he wondered how he would be able to cope with contemporary life if he was not born a shifter. This was his little escape from reality. This was his refuge, his haven, for, like nowhere else, the forest was filled was nothing but the honest beauty of primal life unmarred and untouched by the technology of modern days. 

Ancient blood ran through his veins, and when in his tiger body, Tindle could feel the wisdom, knowledge, and the spirit of those times when his kin were the kings of these woods. 

With his senses heightened, Tindle could hear every whisper and every tiny noise the thousands of inhabitants of the forest made, which mixed into the sincerest melody that sang the unspoken words of old and new times. Tindle ran and could feel the forest responding to him – the birds flew to higher branches to avoid any interaction with the mighty tiger; the smaller beasts hid in their nests or behind the bushes, holding their breaths. As if they could fool me, Tindle smiled to himself. As if they could hide their scent from his now super-sensitive nostrils. 

If the hunt were on his mind, he would have chased and feasted on any of them in a matter of seconds. However, Tindle did not care much about hunting. Once, when he was younger, the thrill of chase had been his driving force – he loved listening to the heartbeat of his prey and following it as the predator nature had made him. These days, though, it was more about enjoying his true home – the forest. 

It was curious, that in his tiger form, Tindle’s thoughts took a different course. He never thought about anything that happened nowadays outside the reserve. In his tiger body, time and space changed their meaning. Often, it was memories that flooded his mind, and sometimes – on days like this – it was the nightmares of the past that would chase him. 

And so, Tindle ran – as fast as he could – as if it were possible to escape and hide from the shadow of one’s own thoughts. 

Today, Tindle remembered the first time he had felt the urge to transform. He had known for some time already that he was born to be a tiger. It had been a relief to finally feel the tingly sensation of the upcoming change at the age of sixteen. With both parents being tiger-shifters, many would say it was the natural course of destiny, that their offspring would also be shifters. 

Destiny had been cruelling to Emil, Tindle’s older brother. The firstborn son had cherished the hope of inheriting the most sacred family gene until he had reached the age of twenty. After that, one would have been foolish to even allow himself the dream of shifting.

On the day, when Tindle knew the shift was inevitable and was finally coming to him, fate had brought not one but two blessings to him. He was the third child of the family, and the first one among his siblings to inherit his parents’ legacy. 

Ironically, on that same day, the tiger nature had come to claim another one of his kind – Dylan Elliot – back then, Tindle’s biggest enemy at school. The two boys competed with such vigor, that one would think a basketball match was to determine the future of humanity, or that he who first answered the teacher’s question was to own the world. None of them remembered when and how the animosity between the two boys had begun; nor what had driven the first ridge between them. All each cared about was to be better than the other. Looking back at those days, it was nothing but boyish pride, but, damn, that felt way too important at the time. 

That morning, Tindle knew he would finally meet his tiger. He had skipped the last class, as he knew the urge was too strong. Had he delayed any longer, he was going to lose control over his body right then and there. And, screaming in pain when his bones shuttered while the whole class was watching was not the best idea. 

It was Martin who had been on the watch that day. The older man had prepared him for what was going to happen. His own parents had described the change to him in every little detail. Nothing could’ve truly prepared one for what was to come, though. The sensations were so overwhelming, that he wanted to scream until his lungs burst. So, he had done exactly that, until eventually, the scream had turned into a powerful roar that had sounded so alien back then, and yet felt like the most natural sound in his ears now.

When he first came across Dylan in the woods, each of them hissed and bared their teeth threatening the another. His first thought was to run the opposite way and mind his own business. Tiger or not, Dylan Elliot was not his friend. He growled and was about to turn when the sound of gunshots echoed through the woods. Both tigers jumped – something was terribly amiss. Nobody was allowed into the reserve carrying firearms. This was not a place for humans to hunt wildlife. The reserve has always been supervised by shifters, and so, Tindle knew things were out of control. They had to stick together.

No words were needed. One look into Dylan’s emerald green eyes and Tindle knew the other boy thought the same. Things happened in a blur after that. None of them could have imagined that the day was going to determine the rest of their lives. None of them knew that following that gunshot sound was going to lead to scars for the rest of their lives. 

That day, they both had vowed to keep the events of that day a secret that would die with the two of them. That secret was the binding spell to the friendship that would last a lifetime. They could never know it back then. Friendship carried a completely different meaning for two scared boys, who had unwittingly become part of a big dark secret that was a bigger weight to carry than either of them had signed up for. 

If tigers could smile, a sad smile would have bloomed on Tindle’s lips. He allowed his mind to wander back to that day and replay every single moment of it as he ran. Today of all days, he needed these memories to remind him who he was, as deep in his heart he knew, things were about to change soon.

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