One

Marigold

Right when I thought I’d successfully hidden myself away in my room for the night, Ronnie showed up to drag me downstairs for the meeting that was taking place with everyone else.

In the beginning, I felt okay aside from a few nerves due to so many familiar faces, but I could feel my cool slipping away by the second as time ticked by at a snail’s pace.

Scarlett and Ronnie tried to keep me engaged in conversation, but my attention was dwindling, my wolf unexpectedly on high alert.

There was no denying I had smelled the fresh apple and woodsy oak aroma seeping into the room before, but never in a dose so potent as when Asher strolled into the living room a minute later.

The fragrance had driven me mad when I caught the faintest whiff of it prior, and I hadn’t slept well in a week, as a result. I supposed I knew the reason why now, but it didn’t give me back those hours of rest I’d missed.

Although I hadn’t known my mate was approaching beforehand, the sensations surging through me had notified me that something big was coming, nonetheless.

It helped that I felt a little more comfortable around Ryker and Reese now, but I would still take any opportunity to sneak away so I could cuddle up with the rest of my latest novel, ‘The Alpha’s Freakshow,’ instead of spending the evening feeling awkward.

Hence, I attempted to tiptoe from the room while everyone was distracted by Asher’s appearance, but my wolf snarled in my head, trying her damnedest to halt my escape attempt, yanking my body in the opposite direction of where I’d instructed it to move.

On top of that, another force seemed to be luring me in. I did my best to ignore them both, but I unfortunately hadn’t mastered full control over my inner animal, so I was rotating against my will before I knew what was happening.

Howbeit, my eyes were ensnared by the brilliant jade orbs set into a handsome face in the next second as the Alpha of the Eastern Province fiercely growled, “Mine.”

I was well aware of who this male was, having heard his name several times by this point, but I’d had no idea he was destined to be my other half.

I stood stock-still as a deer trapped in the headlights might while my eyes scanned his lean figure of their own accord where he was cockily sprawled out on the sofa.

Time seemed to stand still as I started at his shaggy caramel-blonde locks, moving my gaze down to his square jaw and the bulging biceps straining at his pale gray T-shirt, but then I found my eyes drifting further south without me being fully conscious of the action, a wildfire breaking out across my already heated flesh as I felt our mating bond snap into place.

Joy blasted through me alongside my swelling lust in the twinkling of an eye. I had a mate!

I noticed how he tensed when our eyes connected, as if ready to pounce at any second, but I couldn’t concentrate as my blood rushed through my veins with everyone’s eyes glued to my reaction.

Then, I remembered all the baggage that came with being mated to me, and the stimuli from around me seemed to amplify as I felt my panic rise. Ensuing, I dug deep into my reserves of strength, sprinting up the stairs as soon as I comprehended the direction my mind was heading.

I was aware that I was trembling as I fled, and I couldn’t stop thinking about how my friends and their mates were judging me, even if somewhere inside me I knew better.

It felt like I was leaving a part of myself behind, but I couldn’t handle the pressure bearing down on me. I wasn’t prepared to find my true mate tonight, so I wasn’t completely sure how to handle the situation.

I heard Ronnie discourage Asher from following me, and I made a mental note to thank her for her interference later, letting out a sigh of relief as I entered my domain.

Trying not to think once I shut the door behind me, I beelined straight for the shower in order to douse the inferno that had razed me inside and out with Asher’s intoxicating scent and mesmerizing presence.

All the same, I realized I would have the chance sooner than I anticipated when Ronnie entered my bedroom hot on my heels, catching me with one foot across the threshold into the bathroom.

The other she-wolf’s perceptive eyes zeroed in on my position, clearly putting two and two together as she said, “That’s not going to help, sweetie, but I can wait if you want to give it a whirl, anyway.”

Her voice was sympathetic, but her emerald eyes were too much of a coincidence at the moment, so I elected to push forward with subjecting myself to the glacier-like temperature of the shower for a few minutes before rejoining Ronnie.

She had more than enough experience resisting the pull of a mating bond, so I knew anything she had to share would be invaluable.

Without warning, my breathing sped as it dawned on me that was exactly what I had done by running away from my intended mate. Resulting, I clambered to turn off the freezing water that was still beating down on me from overhead, sputtering as I gasped for air and staggered my way out of the tub.

My wolf reared up again in response, arguing that she had tried to stop me before I left my mate without so much as giving him my name, but I hurled her presence into the recesses of my mind.

What if I’d messed up my one chance for happiness by bolting? I didn’t intend for my action to be taken as a rejection, but I had no clue how Asher would respond. In fact, I knew very little about the male who was supposed to be my missing link, and that was regrettably my fault.

At any rate, I didn’t have any experience with the opposite sex, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to let my first attempt go down in front of a group of people.

After spending a few minutes trying to get my breathing under control, I realized it wasn’t going to happen, so I settled for the short bursts of breath I’d managed as I donned my robe and twisted my blonde locks up into the towel before exiting the bathroom.

“Are you all right, Mari?” Ronnie’s voice immediately sounded, drawing my notice where she’d hopped up from the end of the bed with my reappearance.

I was aiming for a reassuring smile, but her face told me I hadn’t quite succeeded, so I answered with part of the truth as I said, “I’m coping for the most part.”

I fidgeted with how attuned she was to me as she patiently waited, and I spat out the uncertainty causing me the most distress after a fleeting moment as I inquired, “Asher didn’t leave, did he?”

I felt a shiver of excitement shoot through me when I spoke his name aloud for the first time, not able to stop myself from voicing at least one of the worries plaguing my mind.

Thankfully, Ronnie didn’t leave me hanging, swiftly soothing my fears as she replied, “I have a feeling he’s not going anywhere anytime soon, Mari. You can relax. If it helps, he was just as worried about you ghosting him like Scarlett did to Reese.”

“I would never do that.” I answered vehemently, going on after another sharp inhale, “I want a mate. I really do, but I need time to sort out my emotions. I’m not good at interacting with people, let alone a good-looking male who oozes confidence.”

“Everything is going to work out fine, and I am positive you will see Asher again tomorrow. I’m here if you want to talk, but I honestly think a good night’s rest is exactly what you need.”

I pondered her suggestion for a minute, and I decided to take her up on her offer, filling her in on the conversation I’d had with Scarlett earlier this afternoon.

I’d rightly assumed she had figured out the same information as my other friend, and she agreed that my true mate wouldn’t give a damn about my mixed genes. There was also the hurdle of my need to return to my sister, though I knew I could never go back to the life I lived before.

On the whole, Ronnie listening to my asinine anxieties aided me in calming down enough to consider getting some shut-eye, and I entered dreamland with a promising outlook in spite of how my evening began.  

The succeeding couple of days proved to be a tumultuous journey of emotions as Asher resolutely began his bid to win over my affections the next morning, yet he remained respectful of my boundaries all the while.

I continued to adhere to the same schedule I had for the last two years, stepping in to help my friend with Roxi, but a few things did change.

I volunteered to help Ryker monitor the cameras he’d installed with his appointment as alpha here in the Southern Province, and I’d been roped into traversing the whole town the morning after that.

In any case, Asher had intuitively known to take the lead when we chatted with the community in an effort to ensure everyone was aware of the evacuation plan.

It was a breath of fresh air watching the way he interacted with people. He was so carefree as he brought laughter into my life again just by being himself.

I’d grown closer to him with the amount of time we’d been spending together, even if I hadn’t mentioned Iris yet, but I found I relished in each moment with the male who was constantly putting a smile on my face.

Subsequently, I felt a sense of satisfaction at being able to contribute in some way when I’d pinpointed Seth emerging from a heretofore unknown bunker on the cameras, but things escalated until they came to a head with the bears shortly after the discovery.

It wasn’t uncommon for me to feel useless at times, but I’d come to terms with my limitations a long time ago. I wasn’t as strong and didn’t have as much endurance as the rest of the wolves, but I couldn’t change those facts, either.

Therefore, I was elated my other skills were making up the difference, and it served to strengthen my self-worth, which in turn spilled over into other areas of my life.

Asher had hovered in the background in the beginning, but he grew bolder when it was just the two of us, risking casual touches that bordered on being inappropriate.

Be that as it may, I reveled in the attention he wrought on me. It spurred me to move faster than I’d previously believed I would be at ease with, but it felt right when I’d spent the night with him at his lodge.

Ronnie and Ryker needed space to themselves, their budding relationship still firmly entrenched in the touchy-feely stage, and it was nice to have a night away from the toddler as much as I loved her.

The first night I’d stayed over before we canvassed the town, Asher had kept his distance, shifting into his massive blonde wolf in order to sleep in the same room as me, but I knew my mate had no intentions of repeating the same pattern tonight.

There was a tether binding our souls together, and I’d been resisting the temptation for too long, scared of the unknown in my inexperienced state and striving to tear down the wall I’d built around my heart over the years as we’d gotten to know each other.

Asher could have died today when the bears invaded. The detail has been burned into my brain ever since he strode into the house, covered in blood to let Ronnie, Willow, and I know the fighting was over.

My need to be nearer to him had not abated, and the fire in his eyes as we entered his guest lodge later that night told me the battle had fueled more than just his bloodlust.