Chương 14: Mates
I take off into the woods and father follows close behind.
"Does Alpha Aaron know we're mates? Am I making this up?"
"You're ruining my run... run now worry later... like when were home and back in human form." My wolf likes to run ALOT.
I try not to think of him... this is hard... I look around at the forest and take it all in.
My father is running beside me now. He is way faster than me but holds back so we stay together. I look up at him and think of something.
"Father... I have a question." I link as we run side by side.
"Go on." He responds.
"Why is your wolf so much bigger than any other wolf?" I ask.
"Eager to get back to your Alpha training hu?" He says bumping me and pulling ahead. I pick up the pace trying to keep up... "I'll give you a hint... the only wolf in North America slightly larger than me would be young Alpha Aaron."
I'm so glad I'm covered in fur because I know in human form I'd be blushing at the sound of his name. I need to get that under control.
"Pack size." I link back. "The bigger the pack the bigger the wolf."
"Precisely." Father affirms.
"So when I become Alpha?" I link
"When I give you the Alpha I will return to my pre Alpha size and your wolf will grow." He answers.
"That means I'll be bigger than you.... soooo does that mean I will get to call you little wolf?."
Father stops in front of me and bats my nose.
"You'll always be my little wolf." He says and we take off running.
"I'm ok with that." I say and smile.
○●○●○●○●
It takes a few hours to get back home. It is a shorter distance than by car but much more tiring especially trying to keep up with an Alpha.
Samantha and Beta Carson meet us near the pack house with clothes. We shift back and get dressed.
"Alpha we need to talk." Beta Carson says as soon as we come up to meet them.
"Lilly take the day off with Sam. You need to rest." Father says
"I'm fine father!" I respond
"You just woke up take the day off this is not a request." He says.
"Come on Lilly let's go talk... I'll make brownies." Sam says
I turn away from my father "fine!" I say in mock annoyance "if brownies are involved I concede."
We go back to Sam's house and I flop onto the couch. Go take a shower while I mix up the brownies Sam says. I get up and go upstairs to the bathroom.
I see why Sam told me to come up here. My hair is a tangled mess. Makeup stains my face... l look all together ragged. I take a long shower the hot water pelting me feels amazing.
I come down stairs with PJ bottoms and a tank top on stolen from Sam's drawer.
"Much better" she says as I flop back onto the couch.
"So..." Sam says offering me a brownie as she sits beside me. "How was Alpha Aaron?"
I sit up straight "What?" I say trying not to blush "why would you ask about him?"
Sam raises an eyebrow. Crap. "Hit a nerve have we?" She says with a smile "I just meant he is kinda a loner and you and your father stayed with him so you might know more about him... but Now..." I gulp. "Now I want to know why you got all squirrely when I mention him."
"It's nothing Sam" I say but I can feel my cheeks going freelance betraying my thoughts. Sam laughs.
"Oh my does someone have a crush?" Sam teases.
"Sam No!" My face gets hotter so I bury it in a pillow.
"Spill Lil." She says
I tell all. From our meeting in the garden to feeling him as I slipped into unconsciousness to him not saying anything as we left I quickly spit it out. The feeling I get when I touch him, his maddening scent, I told her everything.
"You can't tell father." I say quickly as I finish the story.
"Nothing to tell yet." Sam says and it breaks my heart. Nothing? "Let's talk about mates."
I was not planning on this but father never talks about it. The other girls don't hang out with me. Something about me being intimidating. Dalton is my best friend but... no that would be too weird. All I have to go on is what I've read and oh my it is romantic, passionate, amazing. I've never really talked to anyone about it.
"Ok?" I say in a questioning way.
"What do you know about mates?" Sam asks.
"Well..." I say digging into my extensive knowledge of romance stories. "When they meet they can't take their eyes off of each other. A touch is like electricity. The scent is intoxicating. Wolfs go crazy. Protectiveness. Calming effect. They want to be together at all times. You can't get them out of your head...." I trail off ending my list. "That sounds like me and Alpha Aaron!"
Sam looks at me kindly. "Be careful little one." She says stroking my hair. "Don't let your emotions run away with you."
"What do you mean it sounds perfect!" I say.
"It does you are right." I nod at her but she wasn't done Sam sighs "have you ever heard of false mates?"
"No... No... That's NOT the way it goes!... you meet fall in love and the mate bond keeps you together forever! True love!" I yell
"Its not that simple." Sam says. "I'm not saying what you feel isn't real. All I'm saying is sometimes in emotionally heightened situations like let's say "being saved in a romantic garden by a hunky Alpha" you can trick yourself into a relationship you should not be in."
"No way. I've never heard of that!" I say
"You wouldn't." She says "the marking at the mates ceremony ties you to that wolf. No going back. So those who jump in too quickly... well the relationship is not what it could be. Mated to someone who is not your true mate. They become your mate none the less"
"But all the signs..."
"Lilly." Sam says cutting me off. "Carson nearly became mates with someone else."
"How?" I respond
"Before I met Carson he was in another pack. He is an Alpha's son." Sam starts.
"But he's not an Alpha?" I am so confused.
"Let me tell the story and you'll understand." Sam scolds my interruption " when he was 18 the stars aligned he met the one. Her scent drove him mad. Her voice was a song. Every touch magic."
Sam is obviously not happy talking about her mate and another woman but she continues.
"Anna was his world and he rushed into the relationship. Doing everything he wanted with her." Sam was grinding her teeth at the implications of that last sentence. She takes a breath.
"He thought they were mates. She kept postponing the ceremony. As you know Alphas prove themselves at age 20... well typically." She says knowing that wasn't true for me.
"She was buying time. She wanted power. To be Luna so she needed an alpha... when Carson turned 20 it was obvious he was not an Alpha... and he didn't want to be." Sam said
"How did I not know that? I mean I know he's powerful but Alpha blood." I say smiling as I think of how I can whoop him. Sam seems to know what I'm thinking.
"You know he holds back when he fights you." She says and my jaw drops.
"But he submits. No eye contact that..."
"Is for your benefit." She says "Lilly don't get mad at him." Sam says grabbing my hand which I now realize is clenched in a fist. "You needed to feel powerful. Feel like an Alpha. Carson is not too proud to lower his head in respect to build you up. He loves you little one." I think about this a moment.
"Go on with the story Sam... he didn't want to be Alpha?" I say
"Yes... Carson knew for a while that he wasn't Alpha but his father wouldn't have it. He tried beating him into showing himself a true alpha but Carson never did. After he turned 20 he tried to get Anna to run away with him but she refused." I could see Sam's heart breaking for her mate. I put my hand on top of hers.
"Carson begged calling her his mate and then she told him. "You were never my mate Carson. I wanted an Alpha and you are weak. Leave now and never come back."" Sam begins to cry. "He told that to me word for word and it still breaks my heart that someone hurt him so deeply... anyway leave he did and he ended up here. Your father needed a Beta and Carson fit the bill."
"So you can think someone is your mate without them being your mate?" I ask defeated. "So theirs no telling?! No certainty?! You are meant to spend your life with someone and you can't know for sure?!"
"Is anything in life certain?" Sam asks "Are we promised tomorrow? Can you change the direction of the wind or make the sun not shine?" Sam wipes a tear from my face. "I love you little one so be careful."
"How can I know anything about him? About love? If he is my mate?" I ask desperate for answers.
"I'm home." I hear Carson call from the front door. I wipe my eyes and jump up to meet him. When I see him I punch him in the chest.
"Hay what was that for!" He yells
"Don't go easy on me Beta! I don't need you to boost my self esteem with false submission and laid back fights! I Am an Alpha and I Am powerful!" I tell him off.
Carson looks down at me and smiles. He wraps me in a hug.
"Yes you are little one!" He holds me a moment then turns into the living room with an arm around my shoulders "and what have YOU been telling her!" he says pointing at Sam as we enter.
"We've been talking about mates." Sam says nonchalantly. Mine and Carson's jaws drop. She said that so flippantly! my face gets redder and redder. He turns me to face him.
"MATES?!?" Carson questions eyebrows raised. I turn even more red and look away. "Who?" He says this time to Sam.
"Not telling babe... tho... I expect you'll find out soon... maybe even tomorrow." Sam says with a wink to me. "I was telling Lilly about how we met. Wanna help?"
"You know I love to tell that story!" Carson says jumping onto the couch beside Sam and grabbing a brownie.
I take a seat in the chair watching them. Carson leans back with one arm on the back of the couch the other stuffing his face. Sam automatically leans into him resting her head on his chest back to him. Carson puts his arm down grabbing her hands that are resting on her stomach. He squeezes her and she reaches up to wipe chocolate off his face. He licks her finger and she wipes the slobber on his shirt. When I'm with someone 17 years I want to look like that.
"So where did you leave off the story? Carson asks.
"You just came to this pack." I said.
"So you were telling her EVERYTHING." Carson says with a sigh. "Anna left me and I ran. I wasn't planning on stopping here but your father convinced me to. Said he could use me. Said I was a strong wolf... I look up to him ya know."
"Anyway." Sam cuts in "I saw this guy (Sam elbows Carson and he laughs) and got ALL the feelings we talked about."
"Ohhh... tell me more about these "feelings" you have for me." Carson says tickling Sam "you LOOOOOVE Me!"
I clear my throat.
"Right so as I was saying (she gives a sideways glance at Carson) I had feelings but Carson was broken."
"Harsh babe." Carson says with a sigh "but its true. I didn't want a repeat of my last relationship and behaved poorly (he looks at Sam) ok I was a jerk. I wanted it to be good with my little Samantha but didn't know how so I talked to someone who's relationship I envied." He paused their.
"Who?" I asked.
"Your parents." Sam says "your mom was like my big sister. You were 6 and she was pregnant." Sam stops about to cry. They got together the year my mom died.
"So we went to them for advice." Carson continues. "They guided us through the relationship. Chaperoned us at first. Helped us see if we were true mates. They told us that even with the mate pull that all relationships require work."
"How exactly did you do that?" I ask
"Well." Sam says "we started with friendship." Carson groans
"The hardest 3 months of my life. Being around you made my high but I couldn't even take you out on a proper date. No kissing, no nothing. All we did was talk and work together." Carson complains.
"3 months! That seems excessive!" A say in awe.
"Maybe." Sam chuckles "but as much as he complains now. That was his doing. He was so afraid of moving too fast I had to wait for him." Carson shrugs and hugs Sam.
"It was because I Love you!" He says
"Ok then what?" I ask
"Then we dated and I got to kiss her!" Carson jumps in.
"Who kissed who first?" Sam asks and I chuckle. Beta Carson looked embarrassed then he kissed her.
"After a couple months of that we desperately wanted to mate." Carson says.
"To Become Mates." Sam corrects "BECOME!"
"Tomato, tomato" Carson says.
"We set the date for the ceremony marked each other and became mates." Sam said with a smile.
"And then we mated." Carson says "we mated ALOT!"
"Knock it off Carson."
"Make me" Carson says pinning Sam and kissing her.
"Alright guys I'm gonna go." I say. With no response I slip out the front door.
"Well." I think as I walk to the pack house watching the sun set. "That was not what I expected but... I want a relationship like that soo... I think I want to follow their example and hay if he doesn't go for it maybe he is a false mate...... But I hope Not!"
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