I wake up to a knock on the door, and I sit up, staring at the door in horror. His smell is everywhere, but I know I locked the door, so he hasn’t been in here. I hope. As the knocking continues, I get up from the bed, and walk over to the door, and slowly turn the lock around, before I open the door up.
I brace myself as I look through the door, but it isn’t him. I exhale in relief as I look into Soraya’s kind eyes.
“May I come in?” she asks, holding up a tray with two sets of breakfast on it, and I nod, stepping aside so she can come into the room.
She walks through the room like she owns it, and I guess she does, but it’s a little intimidating, at the same time as it’s very calming and reassuring. She sets the tray down on the bed, and sits down on the edge, patting on the bedding next to her for me to sit down, too. I close the door again, and walk over the the bed, and crawl up into it.
“I’m sorry for yesterday,” I tell her, and look down at the tray. It smells amazing, and I’m so ready to just devour every last crumb on the plate meant for me. It’s pancakes, and I spot some brown spots in them, that has to be chocolate chips. I have to stop myself from licking my lips as I look up at her again. “I just got a little overwhelmed.”
I send her a soft, apologetic smile, and she just huffs at me, waving her hand in the air between us, before she picks up one of the plates and takes a bite of the delicious-looking pancake.
“Don’t worry about that, child,” she says, smiling. “I know my youngest pup can be a little much. He has a temper. I assume you listened before he stormed out of the house?”
She looks at me with her eyes wide and full of wonder, but she looks like she already knows the answer to her own question. I swallow a little, unsure if I should admit to it or not, but it’s not like I wanted to listen. I end up just nodding as I pick up the other plate of food after she gestured to it being for me, and I take a bite of the pancake. It’s delicious. Even better than the dinner yesterday, and I have to stop myself from letting out a moan. It’s just that good.
“I know you didn’t mean to eavesdrop, Yohanna, that just happens when one meets ones mate,” she says, smiling knowingly at me.
“Mate?” I ask, after swallowing. The word is still so weird to me. I want to ask her more about it, but she eagerly opens her mouth to talk before I get the chance.
“Yes, mate,” she confirms, and takes a deep breath before exhaling, dreamily. “I remember when I met mine. Juan. It was really overwhelming at first, but we both knew what it was, of course, so it was a little easier than with you and Azaire. Juan was in Alpha training, visiting my family’s pack far away from here, and when he walked past me it was like being hit with a wave of emotions. He felt it too, and immediately looked at me. Then he just walked over and kissed me. Right there, in front of everyone.”
She smiles fondly as she tells the story. It sounds very romantic, like love at first sight?
“Excuse me for asking, but what exactly is a mate?” I ask her, as I take another bite from the pancake.
I really needed something to eat. I didn’t eat too much at dinner last night, but I was basically full. I’ll probably be really full from this one pancake, too.
“It’s just a shortened word for soulmate,” Soraya answers, and I choke on my food.
I pick up a glass of water from the tray, and gulp the whole thing down, before I cough a few times as I register what she actually said and look up at her. Soulmate? She has to be kidding, right? There’s no such thing.
“I know what you’re thinking, Yohanna,” she says, offering the other glass of water to me, too. “It probably sounds crazy to you, being raised by humans and all, but every werewolf has a mate. Juan is mine, and you met Alba and Nate’s mates, Marco and Calithea.”
I nod as she talks, gulping down more and more water, and I bite my lip a little as I think about it when the last drop has slid down my throat. It really does seem too good to be true, but then again, so did turning into a wolf on my fifteenth birthday.
“So I’m Azaire’s mate?” I ask her, taking another bite of the pancake when I deem it safe to do so.
She nods.
“Yes, you are,” she says, smiling as if she’s really proud of that. “You seem like such a nice girl, and with some training and education on our way of life, you’ll be just as strong and fast as him.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because he’s gonna train you, dear,” she says, and again I choke on the piece of pancake that’s on it’s way down to my stomach.
Okay, nope. I’m not doing that. I’m just gonna eat up, then, and pack my stuff, and then I’ll leave this village. My way of living has worked out this far, so why would I ever stop doing it that way? I suck at interacting with other people, and when that other person is supposed to be my soulmate, I can’t imagine how stupid that will end up being. I’ll just break his heart.
“Oh, I don’t mean to be rude, Soraya, but I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I say, when I’ve gained control over my breathing again.
“Don’t be silly, girl, it’s a wonderful idea. You’re in training right? But you don’t have a trainer. He’s really good, and even though you’re his mate, he won’t go easy on you,” she says, and smiles at me still. This woman doesn’t ever stop smiling, does she? “In training?” I question again. I feel so incredibly stupid, and I just want to know when the fuck I can move on so I don’t have to break this guy’s heart. If I walk away now, he won’t get sad, and we’ll move on with our lives. I internally groan as I reaAlbae my thoughts. I sound like I think I’m a catch, but in reality I’m just a loner. I’ve learnt to take care of myself, and while I would love to have a soulmate and someone to rely on, I can’t. “Can you shift at will? Use your powers whenever?” she asks, raising an eyebrow at me. I swallow. “N-no,” I stutter. “Perf
My eyes open up slowly, and they immediately meet with a pair of green ones, very much unlike his siblings’ eyes. I was expecting brown, but I guess he got his mother’s eyes. My breath has stopped, that’s safe to say, and I don’t really know what to do except stare into his eyes. They’re so beautiful, like two bright, shiny emeralds. One corner of his mouth quirks up into a half-smile as he looks back at me.After what feels like an eternity, I finally move my eyes to look at him, and not just his eyes. His skin is pale, just a little darker than mine, and he has a beard. My so-called soulmate has a beard, and I’m not repelled by it. It’s more like the opposite is happening, judging by the tickling feeling everywhere, even between my legs. I really want to wrap my arms around his neck and be even closer to him, but I can’t do that to myself. I need to leave soon.His short beard is dark brown,
“I’ve been looking for you since I turned fifteen. I was already finished with my training and I could focus on looking for you. I went everywhere. By the time I was twenty I had lost hope. I thought you were dead, that my mate had died before we met,” he says, his voice is a lot softer than before, but still deep, and the vibrations from his chest it sending shivers down my spine.“I don’t understand,” I whisper.I find myself leaning my cheek against his warm chest. He is so warm, even though it’s cold outside. He is very aesthetically pleasing, too, which is of course a bonus, but I’m still unsure if I even believe this. Did he spend five years looking for me?“What don’t you understand, little mate?” he asks.“Everything.”He sighs, but somehow his arms tighten around me.&ldquo
I turn around to face away from Azaire, and look at my surroundings. We’re in a clearing inside the never-ending forest. It looks almost like someone has made it this way, with the tree stumps scattered around, a log there, and a fire-pit in the middle. A few meters away from me is a treehouse, leaning against one of the bigger trees surrounding the clearing. It looks like it’s filled with comic books and toys, and I take a step closer to it, just to see if I’m right.“I used to come out here with dad when I was a kid, when he had patrol,” Azaire says, but he doesn’t move. “Dad and his beta, Paul, built it for me and Paul’s son Tyler, who is my best friend. You should meet him, and his mate. I have a feeling you’d hit it off.”I turn around and frown at him.“Just because I’m supposedly your mate, it means I’d become friends with your friend&rs
My heart seems to relax a little as I listen to his words and stare into his eyes. His last words feels a little like a stab to the burnt outside of it, though, making me flinch. I try to move my head, but he won’t let me. He holds my head in place, and he keeps staring into my eyes. He’s way too intense for me to handle right now, even though I’m glad I’m already on my knees. His smoldering eyes would bring me down if not. He’s everything I’ve ever wanted, and everything I never knew I liked, in a man, but he won’t get me this easily. I still need to leave.“Why don’t you try to focus on the feelings you have when you’re a wolf?” he suggests, still staring at me.“Uhm,” I utter, trying my best to word my feelings as a wolf. “I’m free? I don’t know, honestly. I never remember much.”I clear my throat and look down at his
“Sweetie, how did training go?”I look up from my packed backpack to see Soraya standing right next to me. I didn’t even notice it, because my hearing is focused on Azaire in the other room. Just behind that wall. He’s pacing back and forth, growling now and then. It’s distracting as hell.“Not good,” I admit, and send her a small smile. “Thank you for everything, Mrs. Kaios, but I should go.”I sniffle, and look back down at my backpack. I’m about to close it, when Soraya snorts next to me.This time I hear Azaire snort on the other side of the wall. He apparently didn’t think it was that much fun doing that fucking puppy-training on me. I roll my eyes and look up at Soraya again, with a kind smile.“I appreciate it, but I just heard him laugh at that. He doesn’t want to train me,” I say, and rea
I stop to put on the shoes Soraya let me borrow earlier today, but Azaire seems to have other plans, as he spins around with his back towards me.“Hop on,” he ushers.“What? No!” I protest, and bend down to put the shoes on.“We don’t have time for this, I’ll carry you,” he says, pulling me up again. “And I think you prefer a piggyback ride instead of me carrying you bridal style.”He smirks at me, and I scrunch my nose up. He is right, but we’re wasting time. I could have put on my shoes by now if he didn’t complain so much.“No,” I tell him firmly, and rip my hand from his hold.He sighs excessively, but waits for me as I slip them on, and I send him an over-exaggerated smile as I’m done, and brush past him to exit the house. Once I’m a few meters away from the h
I stare at my two hole cards for a moment, hiding them with my hand so Azaire won’t see. He’s tried a few times already, but I always shoot him a glare. One time I even slapped his arm to get him to look away, and that seemed to work for a few rounds. Alexander is awesome, though. He’s loud and dramatic, but he’s amazing. He’s got the most chips right now, while Aiden is almost out, and Azaire and I are about the same.My cards are actually kind of good. I have the ten and Queen of spades. I can only hope the community cards are just as good, and that I’ll end up with something awesome, so I can beat Azaire and take all his chips. I’m quite competitive, which I had forgotten during these past five years, being on my own. We all place our bets, and Aiden eventually flips over the first three community cards, the flop, revealing a Jack and Ace of spades and a three of diamonds.Hope builds inside me as