Lighting The Fire

8

Sabrina

Oliver wasn't kidding when he said that I would be hearing howling throughout the night. I struggled to keep my wolf under control since she could hear her mate's howls of pain. Sleep escaped me until the early hours of the morning when Oliver finally stopped. 

I wake up at eight in the morning and get myself ready. Oliver said he'll be here at nine, so I focus only on getting myself clean and dressed. For the first time in my life, I have been worried about what I'm wearing. I want to look nice to him, and I feel like everything I put on is all wrong. I settle on a sundress and flats, hoping that it is casual enough for wandering around, but cute enough to make a good impression. 

I hear a knock at the door, and I open it to find Oliver standing there holding a bouquet of wildflowers. He has a huge smile on his face, and that dimple of his is showing. I motion for him to come in, and he hands me the flowers.

"I found a field last night, and these beauties were sitting there waiting for me to pick them. I hope I didn't keep you up too late. My wolf insisted that we stay close by." He says and looks at the floor.

I walk over and take his hand feeling the sparks fly over my skin. He looks up at me, and I see vulnerability in his eyes. He's putting his heart out there, hoping that I'm not going to trample all over it. I smile at him in hopes of calming him down.

"It's alright. My wolf wouldn't calm down because her mate was hurting. I think we may have to talk about a new sleeping arrangement today. Our wolves are never going to let us get rest like this." I chuckle as I turn and place the flowers in a vase. "Ready to go?"

He chuckles and smiles, taking my hand and leading me out the door. I lock up and place my keys in my bag, letting Oliver lead me over to his truck. Of course, he has to help me crawl up into his truck. As soon as I'm in, he closes the door and runs to his side.

"I hope you're hungry. The diner serves a huge breakfast. I eat there almost every morning." He gives me a boyish grin, and I get excited to eat somewhere he loves so much.

We talk the whole way there about where I wanted to go today. He tells me of some great places that I can find some of my research supplies. And some spots in the Forrest that I may want to check out for plants that I need. Before I know it, we are pulling up in front of a diner, and Oliver is jumping out to help me.

"Good morning, Alpha." An older waitress says as we enter the door.

"Good morning, Rita. I brought some company today." He says to the older lady as he hugs her. Her eyes widen as if she's never seen him with a girl before.

"About time you got yourself a mate!" She hugs him tightly.

"How did you know?" I asked, tilting my head to the side. 

"Cause this one here has never brought a girl here his whole life. He would only bring a girl here if she was his mate." Rita says smiling.

I feel a blush starting from the base of my neck up to my hairline. I hear a chuckle coming from beside me, and I look up to see Oliver looking at me with a twinkle in his eyes. This is the happiest I've seen him since I told him we could start over. I smile at him and take his hand that is hanging by his side.

"Well, go sit at your table, and I'll be over in a minute to see what the beautiful Luna wants for breakfast. I know you'll eat the same thing you always do." Rita walks away, chuckling.

Oliver squeezes my hand and leads me to a table in the corner near the back. We sit down, and he hands me a menu. I start looking it over, and he wasn't lying when he said that they have massive breastfast foods. I quickly pick what I want and put down the menu.

"I like this place. Rita is a riot," I say, smiling at Oliver.

"I've been eating here since I was a kid. Rita is like a second mom to me, so she makes sure I'm well fed. She likes you already." His smile is hypnotic. That dimple is drawing me in.

"How do you know that?" I say, laughing. He points to his head and smiles.

"Mind link, Sunshine." His cheesy grin makes me laugh even more.

My heart leaps at the name he calls me. I know that it's something small and that he had called Eva a pet name, but it makes me feel like we are making progress. I feel like there's a chance that we can move forward and become something real.

Once the food is on the table, we both get quiet and dig in. The food is beyond anything that I have ever eaten. I can't help the moans of delight that slip from my lips as I eat my food. Oliver looks at me and smiles, knowing that I'm in food heaven.

"So once we finish up, do you...."Oliver starts to say.

"Oliver." I hear a voice say with a painful sob.

I turn and look to see a girl standing there crying. She looks to be around my age with red hair and beautiful green eyes. She has a tight dress that barely covers her on, and she has her makeup on like she's going to a club.

"Jenny, what have I told you about calling me by name? I'm Alpha to you, remember?" Oliver says in a soft voice. 

I immediately know by his tone that this is one of the girls he has been with. My wolf growls in my head, and I have to close my eyes to get control of her and myself. My own tears start to form in my eyes, and I have to take deep breaths, to make sure that they don't fall. I can't look weak in front of these girls. 

"So it is true. You found your mate. Does that mean that you won't come to see me anymore?" She sobs.

That is the point where I snap and cant handle sitting here listening to this. He was messing around with multiple women at one time. Goddess, what did I do to deserve this drama in my life? I stand from the booth, and everyone in the building's eyes shot to watch my every move. I put on my best fake smile, and turn to my mate.

"I'll be waiting in the truck when you're finished, Alpha. Nice to meet you, Jenny." 

I grab my bag and start walking to the door, waving goodbye to Rita on my way out. I somehow manage to crawl up into the truck and sit there and finally let out the tears that were waiting to fall. I feel like a child sitting here in the truck crying.

I know that there are women in this world who could handle this situation with a lot more grace than I am. I know that many will think that I'm being childish by the way I'm acting about his past. The thing is that until you've had to face this yourself, you never know how you'll react. 

I start thinking about all the challenges that I'm going to face to take my place as his mate. There are multiple girls that he has been with, and we feel differently about mates. What will happen when we have pups? Will we fight over how we teach them to respect mates? And Eva? How could I forget about her? 

Eva is in love with Oliver. I was a total stranger, and I could see it. Did Oliver really make it clear to his flings that it was only for fun? Jenny acted surprised, and Eva thought he would name her Luna. I still feel bad for Eva. She was so happy the other day talking about her relationship with Oliver. I have a hard time believing that she will give it up.

Sebastian wanted me to think hard about what choice I would make. He wanted me to give my mate a chance. I wonder what choice he would make if he was in my place. I would hope that he would be as conflicted as I am.

I look out the window and watch as pack members are wandering around handling their business. Most of them have smiles on their faces and look as if they haven't a care in the world. A few days ago, I would have been considered just like them. Now I face problems that I have no clue how to handle. Goddess, give me the strength to make the right choice.