The Four Mates of Freya Rivers

Warmth & Disappointment

Freya

I avoided them like the plague.

After I sat by the river for fifteen minutes, battling with my wolf who just wanted to run back to the pack house, I finally stood up. And then I walked five paces before going back and sitting back down. That went on for another twenty minutes.

I was actually astonished neither of them had found me so far. Maybe they just weren’t looking… But then somebody mind linked me.

Where are you, Freya? We need to talk about this.

It was Chase. My wolf instantly started jumping hearing his voice.

I knew we needed to talk. Goddess, there was a lot to talk about. But when he said it, I just simply didn’t want to. It was annoying really. My nerves were going haywire, my soul just wanted to run towards them. But then I’d remember how Chase didn’t waste a second before kissing me – saying that he f*****g knew it.

What the hell does that mean? And do I even want to ask him? I could just picture me looking dumbfounded as I try to reel from whatever Chase might mean and I just –

Nope. Don’t think I can handle that just yet.

So I block him out without answering. And to make sure of it, I block out Jax too.

When the sun was obviously getting too high, I just knew my father would kill me for not being able to help him welcome the guests. He’s been too excited for this for so long. That thought was all it took to get me to take one step after the other, back to the pack house.

Instead of going through the kitchen doorway or the main entrance, I snuck in through my Dad’s office entrance. He wasn’t there, lucky for me, so I rushed through the house with my wolf’s speed and locked myself in my room.

I got ready as fast as I can, still thinking about what to do about this situation I’m in. Because I can’t avoid Jax and Chase forever. I’ve got to man up sometime.

There’s only a handful of ways this could play out. First, one of them could reject me. Looking from their perspective, they probably didn’t expect for their true mate to have another mate. Because, they’d be technically sharing – in every sense of the word, whatever it is. I don’t even want to start thinking about what that would entail. The entire situation might be too much for any person.

Secondly, they could both reject me. I’m the next Alpha and I’ll have a lot of responsibilities on my shoulders someday. There’s a chance they wouldn’t want to be tied down to that and my wolf whines with pain as she considers that our mates might not want to be with us. It’s actually hurting my chest quite a lot too.

And lastly, well, they could both simply accept me. Accept things as they are. The three of us possibly riding into the sunset together.

I honestly don’t know which outcome is scarier.

Even though Medora says it was quite normal, I’m still having mixed emotions about it. Weirdly enough, it doesn’t feel uncomfortable. It was more of a scared-of-the-unknown feeling, mixed with a tiny bit of excitement.

Goddess, what the hell did you do to me?

I rushed through getting ready and put on the dress Cora picked out. It was this really soft dress with pink flowers all over it. It had a corseted, sweetheart neckline top and wide straps that tied at a ribbon on my shoulders. I didn’t really say it when we tried it out, but I liked it too. I felt extra girly today, something I rarely get to do.

Rushing through my room, I slipped on my wedges and hopped my way towards the door. I opened up, stepped outside and find Jax leaning on the wall across from my bedroom. It was like time slowed down as we locked eyes, both of us standing straighter.

“Jax.” I begin, already out of breath just by looking at him.

“Frey.” He flashes that warm smile of his, and my knees went weak. “I understand why you’re trying to avoid me. I really do. I know what goes on in that head of yours. We don’t have to talk about all of this yet, not if you don’t want to. But I just…” He exhaled as his eyes roamed over my face, like he was trying to absorb and memorize every detail he could. “I just wanted to see you.”

That made me smile.

“So…” I started, swaying a little bit on my feet. “I’m your mate.”

“Yeah.” His smile grew wider. “And I’m yours.” He paused a little bit, his eyes getting a little more cautious. “And so is Chase.”

I couldn’t help but nod and look away. Hearing him say it just makes it more real.

“Frey.” He starts after a few moments. “Can I just… hold you? Please.”

When I looked back up at him, all I see is my Jax – my simple, charming, never-fails-to-make-me-smile Jax. The emotions were getting to my head that I couldn’t speak. So I did the next best thing, the only thing I wanted to do, and jumped into his arms.

The second our skin touched, I just melted into him. My hands slithered to his back while he wrapped his arms around my shoulders. My wolf was soaring, everything in me settled and I felt the calmest since I woke up this morning. The feeling of him… I couldn’t even explain it. I momentarily considered staying in his arms for the rest of the day.

He on the other hand was rubbing comforting circles on my back, his nose breathing me in as his lips traced my hairline and settled on my temples. That tiny feeling of his lips on my skin felt like everything.

He doesn’t want to reject me, right? If he did, he would’ve already done it by now. Unless, maybe he was feeling conflicted because we’re best friends? How would I even start to ask that question?

“I could practically hear you thinking right now.” He whispered against my skin.

“I’m sorry.” I breathed against his white shirt. I was probably getting make-up all over it.

He breathed in a small laugh. “Don’t be sorry about anything, Frey. I know you’re feeling scared about this. But I’m right here. I’ll always be right here.” I could feel him kiss my temple. His voice was getting lower and it was sending warmth through my entire body. “Until you’re ready to talk, Frey. There’s no need to rush. We have…” He paused, obviously thinking his words over. “Time. We have time.”

I stayed silent for a long while, simply revelling in his scent. Every breath against him felt like sunshine, every touch of our skin felt like electric sparks. I would’ve honestly stayed there if he hadn’t reminded me of my responsibilities down stairs. I could already hear the cars driving towards our pack house.

“Go and do your thing, Freya.” He squeezes me one last time before ducking and meeting my eyes. He was so close, his nose was touching mine and his lips hovering a hair’s width from mine. “I’ll be right here.”

My eyes closed of their own volition, knowing and excited about what I knew would be happening next. My body leaned in so treacherously slow. My heart was erratic, excited more than scared. My wolf was rejoicing, jumping around ready. I breathed him in and he… kisses my forehead. When I wanted him to kiss me. My would've been first kiss with Jax.

Why am I disappointed?

When I open my eyes I find a smug little quirk on his lips, and he looked so much like the Jax I knew yesterday who would rather die than admit losing race. Goddess, yes, I wanted to kiss him. And this little s**t knew it enough to look smug about it.

Now, why is that so hot?

“I’ll see you later, Frey.” He smiles, giving me one last nudge towards the stairs.

Right, okay. I shake my head and hands out, trying to get myself back together again because I’ve got s**t to do.I’ve got to go down these steps, stand beside my father and Victoria, then smile and welcome all of our Alpha neighbours and their officers. Yup, that’s what I’m supposed to be doing.

But one last look over my shoulder towards Jax had me thinking about other things. Like why the hell didn’t I pull him for one of those steamy sessions during parties?

Might wanna consider that for tonight’s party.