Mate to Match

Mixed Feelings

4. Mixed Feelings

(Aiden)

I watch her go out of the corner of my eye, her final words ringing in my ears. 

"I'll stay out of your way."

"I won't show you my face."

I kick a rotten log in frustration, and it falls apart. My head falls into my hands as I start shaking. What the absolute hell was the Moon Goddess thinking when she paired me up with this one? The first time I saw her in that hot-as-hell black dress, I wanted to grab her and kiss her senseless. She had her strawberry-blonde hair tied up out of her way. I wanted to unravel that bun and see them cascade all over her petite shoulders. And oh Goddess, her eyes! Such a deep blue that they looked almost violet, silver flecks shining like stardust in a supernova. 

"I won't show you my face."

What man in his right mind would not want to see that face again? Why had I spoken to her like that? Had my high and mighty speech messed with my brain? I asked her what rank she was, right off the bat! 

Somewhere in the back of my mind, Grandfather's voice echoes: You are only as strong as your weakness.

I'd always thought I'd find my mate in the daughter of an Alpha, or that she would be an Alpha herself. Instead, I'm stuck with this half-blood? There's no way her wolf is powerful enough to defend herself, and that's if she even knows how to fight. There are so many wolves out there who'd love to mess with me by attacking my mate. Those bastards in the Falling Crescent pack, for instance. How am I supposed to concentrate on the power struggles in the damn Council if I'm constantly worrying about her?

Fuck, she was so skinny. Did she never eat? Sure, waitressing would give her plenty of exercise, but what nineteen year old looks so small? Perhaps I should shut her in my room and fatten her up before letting her go anywhere. 

I'm lost in my thoughts when I hear a twig snap somewhere close to me. I am instantly on guard, the hackles on my neck rising, until I realise it's only Jax. He pushes aside a low-hanging branch and steps over the log I destroyed earlier.

"What's up, Alpha?" he asks, frowning. "You left the party all of a sudden."

I stare at him, wondering whether to tell him the truth or not. Protecting this woman is not a task I can always be on hand to accomplish. It would be good to have someone I trust be on the lookout as well. 

Sighing in frustration, I tell Jax everything. 

Contrary to all my expectations, he's smirking when I finish. "I know Rey," he says when I ask him why. His use of the nickname sends a shiver of jealousy through me. "She's a good girl. Smart, sincere, hardworking. Kind to people less fortunate than her. Stands up to bullies. Those are all Luna qualities."

I simply scowl at him.

He shrugs. "That's what a Luna's supposed to be, you know. The Mother of the Clan. Everything you're worried about--her fighting skills, her lack of rank--those things are secondary. Traditionally, the Luna hardly ever left Clan grounds. She had warriors around her to protect her. Her job was to bear the Alpha's pups and mediate disputes amongst pack members, so that the Alpha could concentrate on expanding the pack and maintaining relations with other Alphas. Raina's pretty good at all that, if you really think about it."

"I don't need a history lesson, Jax," I snap at my Beta. "Just be sure nothing happens to her, that's all I ask."

Jax nods. "Of course." He puts his hands in his pockets and smirks at me once again. "You know, it looks like you care about her, even if you don't want to." 

"Yeah, well, I can't help it, can I? Stupid mate bond..." I mutter. 

 "Are you gonna...reject her?"

I don't look at him. I fold my arms and lean back against a tree trunk. The memory of how I pushed her up against that birch flits over my eyes. I think about how her scent almost drove me insane right then and there. About how much I wanted to feel those pink lips under mine. 

I can't believe I made her cry.

"No," I mumble. "I'm never gonna reject her."

"Then that settles it," says Jax, rubbing his hands together. 

I throw him a reproachful glance, but only get a wide grin in return. This is why I chose Jax as my Beta. He knows how to calm me down and keep it light. When we used to play together as kids, he was the one making sure I didn't get carried away in the pretend fights we had with the other pups in the pack. He knows how to take me in hand when I underestimate my own strength. 

"How about we get back to your party, and you can deal with these mixed feelings in the morning?"

I chuckle and follow him out of the woods.