The Claimed Promise

I Accept You

“Have mine. I’m sorry Kora.” She gave me a tight hug and I felt a little relieved that she had finally dropped it. When I turned to Samara, I realized it wasn’t going to drop.

“What does she mean you lost your house, Kora?” The sound of her voice saying my name sent shivers down my spine and for a moment, I lost all focus just staring at her. Clearly, she had noticed, and her eyes cleared and softened. “Please tell me what Lindsey means. It would mean a lot to me.” A soft smile appears at the corners of her mouth and I know I can’t say no.

“Well, I inherited a house and Mandi didn’t like it. She said it was too small and we needed something bigger. I sold the house and she picked something that was more then I had. So, I gave her the money to put towards the new house but told her I wouldn’t be on it. I didn’t want that kind of debt for something so trivial. The house was big enough for me, so I didn’t understand needing a bigger one. Since I’m not on the house, I’ve lost my investment. Mandi will never sell that house and give me back my money, especially now that she’s pregnant.” My eyes tear up at the thought of how stupid I had been. I shake my head angrily and shoot back the drink Lindsey gave me. “I can’t believe I have been so foolish.” As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I’m being pulled into a tight embrace. Sparks shoot through my body and the sweet smell fills my lungs.

“Hush, Kora. That woman is the fool, not you. Perhaps this has happened because she was not the one you were destined to be with.” She cups my face into her hands, and we are eye to eye, her lips are so close and so tempting. “Give me a chance, Kora. Let me treat you like the queen you are. You are mine, and you are my mate. If you give me the chance, I’ll bring you to my home and give you all of the love you deserve. Please.” Her eyes pleaded with me and before my brain could catch up with my heart, I nodded at her frantically.

“Yes, Samara. I’ll come with you.” I push my lips against hers and soon her arms are around me and it feels like she’s squeezing the life out of me. Once our lips part for air, I can see the happiness I’ve given her.

“Thank you. Thank you for giving this a chance. I have a lot I need to discuss with you, however, and a lot to explain to help you understand. Would it be alright if we separated from your friend for a bit and headed over to a private room?” She looks at me and then Lindsey to try to judge what we were thinking. Lindsey’s eyes are filled with tears and I instantly worry I’ve upset her by agreeing to go with Samara.

“Lindsey, I’m so sorry if I’ve hurt you...”

“Shut up, Kora. I’m not crying because you’ve hurt me! I’m crying because I’m so happy for you. I finally feel like you’re going to find some true happiness.” Tears stream freely down her face now. “Go ahead, go figure stuff out with Samara. I’ll hold down the fort here”. A large smile appears on her tear-stained face and she looks around at the men in the room.

I laughed and hugged her. “Thank you, Lindsey.” I turned and followed Samara out of the room. We head down the hall and go into the last room at the end. The room is bigger than the last and has its own bar. The decorating is breathtaking; beautiful wood furniture with blue velvet fabric covering every piece. All of the flooring is a dark wood, and a huge black rug sits in the middle, under the furniture. I head straight towards it and remove my shoes to feel the soft fabric embrace my aching feet. A small moan accompanies my sigh of relief. When I look at the bar, I find Samara standing behind the bar, her eyes dark and a lustful look spread across her face. The realization that I had aroused her from these simple actions brought heat to my face.

A low chuckle comes from behind the bar and I met her eyes once more. “What would you like to drink, Kora?”

“Could I just have a beer please?” I smile at her and sit down on the couch. The sound of beers opening and her quickly crossing the room causes my heart to race. We’re alone in here and I can barely control my breathing. My thoughts are interrupted by the cold beer entering my hand.

“Thank you.” I took a quick drink and met her gaze.

“Well, I suppose I’ll start by fully introducing myself to you. My name is Samara Delmor.” Before she continues, she takes a large drink of her beer and hesitates.

“Please, continue. Nothing you tell me will stop me from wanting you. I just want to understand the feelings I have.”

She nods and continues. “Well, I’m not human… and there’s something special about you too for you to feel the mate pull. A long time ago, your family promised my family a mate. I’ve just come to find this information out myself from our elders. The promise will be fulfilled by you. It couldn’t be until someone from your blood line was mated to my bloodline. That’s you and that explains my pull towards you and yours for me. You see, this is a sign from the Moon Goddess that you can feel our mate pull.” Her expression is serious, and I can see she’s looking for a response.

“If you’re not human, what are you? And who is the Moon Goddess? And why would someone in my family promise your family a mate?” My confused look must have amused her because she laughed.

“You see, this world is full of things other than just humans. Most of those things have their own way of hiding amongst humans so as not to cause problems. My family has lived side by side with humans for centuries and we're one of the first packs to insist on not killing the humans but rather, working with them. The short reason as to why a mate was promised to my family is because we protected them and saved them from a rogue pack. But I suppose to understand what I mean by pack; you need to know what I am. I’m a werewolf, Kora, and not just any werewolf... I’m set to be the next Alpha Queen and take the place of my parents with my mate. My family rules all of the werewolf kind and protects the laws set down by our ancestors. The pack I’m destined to rule is the oldest to date. Our pack is called The Lunar Crown Pack to establish our status. The Moon Goddess is the one who watches over all of the werewolf kind and gifts us our mates.”

Once she finishes speaking, silence envelopes us. What do I even say to that? I suppose I believe her. She never seemed normal to me.

“So, if you’re a werewolf, how can you be with a human?”

“Well, because the moon goddess has gifted you in some way and you can feel the mate bond, you may be capable of accepting my blood and being turned into a werewolf. If you were successfully turned and the Moon Goddess found you worthy and bestowed you with a wolf, you would become one of us and lead my pack with me.” Though she has made the scenario seem positive, her facial features were hiding fear.

“And what happens if the Moon Goddess does not believe I am worthy of having a wolf?”

“You will die, Kora. My blood would kill you.”

The silence between us lasted a long time. I didn’t want to die, but I didn’t want to lose her either. What could I do? What should I do?

“Samara, if I didn’t accept your blood and stayed this way, could I still be with you?”

A small but sad smile appeared on her face. “Yes, we could still be together, but you would never be able to lead the pack with me. Without being a werewolf, you couldn’t be bound to the pack.”

Silence once again overtook us. We sat there for a while sipping our drinks. Her smell was still driving me crazy even with the news I had received. There’s only one thing I felt like I could do.

“I’ll do it, Samara. I’ll accept your blood and be judged by the Moon Goddess. I can only hope she finds me worthy so that I may fulfill everything you need from your mate.” My eyes begin to water at the thought of potentially losing her before I ever had my chance to experience the love she had promised me.

“Kora, there is one more thing we need to discuss. If you choose to come with me, learn where we live and become one of us, you can never return to the human world. Once a human learns of our existence, they must either live along side us or be put to death. It is strictly for the safety of our kind and to keep peace.”

“So, I could never come back or see anyone here again?” Panic began to set in. On one hand, the mate bond she has spoken of does push me towards her and the thought of not having her hurts me more deeply than I care to admit. On the other hand, how can I just leave everyone I know and love?

Samara grasps my hand and looks at me seriously. “It is a huge decision, Kora, that only you can make. I hope you will come with me and be my mate. The Moon Goddess only gifts a werewolf one and though I could have an arranged marriage, it will never be my mate. It will never be love.” Her eyes water but she keeps herself under control. “Please consider, I will always be by your side and the pack will be your family. I know it is not the same, but we will do everything we can to make you happy and feel loved.”

My head is spinning but something stands out to me. “Samara, if my ancestors promised your family a mate and I’m it then…” Before I can finish, she cuts me off by holding up her hand.

“Technically, you should not have a choice. You were promised to my family to repay a debt. However, I could never force the one I love to do something they did not want to do.” I can’t believe she would do something like this for me. She has the upper hand and there’s no way I could fight her off if she decided to just take me. Instead, she gave me a choice. Something I’ve never experienced in relationships. At that moment, my mind came to a decision.

“I will go. I will go with you and stand by your side. The only request I have is to give me a week. I need a week to spend with my family and friends and say goodbye in my own way. Is this ok?” Tears are flowing freely down my face now.

“Yes, of course that is ok.” She pulls me into her body and holds me there for a long time. The feeling of her warmth calms me and soon I find the tears have stopped.

“Samara, what did you mean by an arranged marriage?”

My question must have surprised her because she became flustered. “Well, I was set to have an arranged marriage if I could not find my mate. The woman would step in as my mate and help me lead the pack. In our culture, each Alpha must have a Luna, male or female. So, had I returned without you, that would have been my fate.”

I nod in understanding but can’t help feeling jealous. “That’s a weird law but I suppose not an uncommon thought process.” I consider the queen of England and chuckle quietly.

“Do you have any more questions?”

Thinking for a moment, I nodded. “So, if the Mood Goddess finds me worthy and gifts me a wolf, well, what does that mean?” Confusion once again spread across my face as I considered everything.

“It means that she will give you a wolf that will become apart of you. You will be able to speak to her and she will help you. When you shift into your wolf, that’s when she gets her opportunity to be free and take control for a while.”

“Apart of me? Wow. So, if werewolves are joined with a wolf, then, whose yours?” My eyes light up.

One of the biggest smiles I have seen yet appears on her face. “My wolf is very excited that you are interested in both of us and is excited for when you have your own wolf. We will all be joined together in the mate bond. Yuri is my wolf’s name and Yuri says thank you for being our mate.” Samara gives me another smile but this time her eyes darken, and her canines have elongated. This must be Yuri.

I reached out and brushed her face lightly. “You are welcome.”

Yuri instinctively rubs into my hand affectionately and makes me blush.

“We should probably get back and make sure Lindsey hasn’t had her way with everyone in there. Or passed out drunk…” I laugh at the thought of her hanging off a couch drooling and, thankfully, I receive a nod in agreement from Yuri.

We head back towards the other VIP room and Samara holds my hand the whole way. Butterflies don’t just flutter in my stomach; they zoom around like jets. The things this woman makes me feel are unbelievable.

Lindsey, to my surprise, is not passed out but very much drunk off her ass.

“Kora! You finally came back!” She throws her arms around me and squeezes me tightly. The smell of liquor pours off her breath.

“Yup, I sure am. By the looks of you, we should probably start heading home.”

Lindsey looked down at her body and gave me a confused look. “Is there something gross on me?”

I doubled over laughing and tried to explain to her between breaths what I meant. “Lindsey, you’re drunk, and we should head home. There’s nothing on you.”

We got an uber and Samara and some of the gentlemen that had been in the room walked us out.

“Be safe tonight and call me if you need anything at all.” Samara smiled at me and I nodded. I shove Lindsey into the car and before I lose my courage, I return to Samara and kiss her lips quickly. As I turned to get into the car, I feel a hand wrap around my waist and pull me back. Our lips are smashed together, and her other hand is tangled into my hair. Breathlessly, we separate, and I slide into the uber. I’m acutely aware of my arousal and the darkening of her eyes indicating hers.

“Goodnight.” I managed to gasp to her.

“Goodnight, Kora.”

After dragging Lindsey to her bed, I slumped onto her couch. My mind quickly wandered to Samara as I settled in for the night. The thought of the kiss as we said goodnight lingered. Please Moon Goddess, let me be enough. Let me be worthy to be her mate.