Blood and Silver: First Bite

The Mate Bond

Abigail could barely contain herself on the drive home. She asked endless questions about shifting, how to do it, when Jackson had first shifted… he, of course, laughed off her questions and promised to show her everything the following day.

‘I can’t really tell you, it’s more something you need to feel. And don’t be upset if it doesn’t happen right away, shifting for the first time can be tricky.’ He said.

‘Did you manage straight away?’ Abigail asked. His face gave away the answer and she playfully punched his shoulder.

‘What? I’m an Alpha! We’re built different!’ He said, subtly flexing his bicep.

Abigail laughed. Things felt so good with Jackson. So natural. Why was it the , that she was afraid of being intimate with him?

When they got to the house, Laura was already in the kitchen cooking dinner.

‘Hey mom!’ Said Abigail, giving Laura a kiss on the cheek. ‘How was work?’

‘Oh it was great, thank you! Mr Tate had a huge meeting today, the girls and I worked our asses off but we made some really good tips! We’re going out for drinks tomorrow to celebrate!’ Said Laura happily.

‘How was school? And your outing to the Packhouse? Mr Lennox was telling me about the place today, it must’ve been amazing!’ She turned to Jackson, ‘Jackson, thank you so much for taking Abigail out and letting her learn more about her heritage!’

‘You are welcome!’ Said Jackson. ‘You look like you’ve had a long day, how about I take over the cooking and you go and sit down? You girls can catch up.’ He continued, smiling charmingly at Laura.

She tried to protest, but realised she didn’t really want to turn down such a good offer. ‘Thank you, Jackson!’ She said, as she made her way to the couch and sat down, putting her feet up.

‘Mom,’ started Abigail. ‘It was AMAZING. There were soldiers and training grounds, and Jackson turned into a wolf! He’s going to show me how to do it!’ She said, blurting everything out at once.

‘I don’t think I will ever get used to any of this, but it does sound exciting!’ Laura said, laughing at the absurdity of the life they had been thrust into.

Jackson cooked them a lovely beef stew with buttery mashed potatoes. After eating, all three of them had full bellies and heavy eyes, and headed off to get ready for bed.

Abigail went into the bathroom and started running a bath. She sat on the edge of the bathtub, running her fingers through the water in an elegant waving motion. The door was still open, as she needed to get a fresh towel from the linen closet, and Jackson peeked into the bathroom and looked in awe at his beautiful mate. Everything about her was perfect, from the way she learned towards the water, to the delicate swirls she made with her hand as the bathtub filled up, the way her thick, rich, dark brown hair fell in waves around her, the way her tiny waist curved into her beautiful, round ass. He couldn’t believe his luck.

‘You are so beautiful.’ He said, tenderly.

Abigail looked around and giggled, her cheeks warming up with a rosy glow.

‘You were looking at the back of my head!’ She laughed.

‘Back, front, side, top, bottom, every angel is pure perfection. It’s one thing that I found a mate, something I didn’t think would ever happen for me, but for it to be you… how did I get so lucky?’ He asked.

‘I’m the lucky one.’ She said, turning off the water and giving Jackson a kiss. ‘But, I was wondering, how does the mate thing work?’

She had decided that she couldn’t wait until she saw Mr Howard again, and to just bite the bullet, ignore how awkward it was, and just ask Jackson.

‘Well, I think it’s like the human soulmate thing, how does that work?’ He replied, looking for the right words to explain the concept.

‘It doesn’t really, you meet someone, you fall in love, and I guess you just hope that it works out.’ Said Abigail, shrugging her shoulders.

‘Oh no, no that’s not how it works for us. It’s very different to that.’

‘So how does it work?’

Jackson paused at the question being fired at him again. ‘Babe, your bath water is going to go cold.’ He said.

Abigail let out an exasperated sigh.

‘Wait here, do NOT leave.’ She commanded.

She disappeared into her room for a few minutes, and came out wearing a turquoise, string bikini.

‘Now you can sit with me while I bath, and tell me everything.’ She stated. She had gone from feeling awkward about asking the question, to demanding an answer with confidence, and felt quite proud of herself.

Jackson laughed. He couldn’t deny that Abigail in a bikini was a sight to behold. Her tanned, naked skin was smooth and flawless, and he could see how her curves blended seamlessly into each other. She had some muscle definition on her stomach, which surprised him, and something about seeing so much of her skin made him feel drugged.

‘You’re going to have to let me see you naked one of these days.’ He smiled hazily.

‘Not when my mother is right next door and could walk in at any second.’ She grinned back.

Abigail got into the warm water, soaking her body and looking deeply at Jackson.

‘The mate bond…’ she started.

‘Yes, the mate bond. For us, it’s different. It’s not a wait and see, or a hope. It’s something you know, and you feel with every fibre of your being. When we meet out mate, it’s like our souls leave our bodies to join together as one, and there’s no denying the bond. It takes us over and the word “mate” comes out of your mouth, without you even meaning to say it.’ He started.

Abigail nodded. She remembered how she felt when she saw Jackson on her birthday, and how she genuinely felt like she had an out of body experience, and how exhausting but amazing it felt.

‘Why didn’t it happen before when we met?’

She asked. ‘I mean at the cabin or in the diner, we met before and it was only at school that we knew.’

‘You weren’t 18.’ Jackson smiled. ‘You only meet your mate after you turn 18. But I feel like there was something drawing us together before your birthday. Like the mate bond was starting to form but couldn’t quite get to the surface until you were 18, you know?’ He responded.

Abigail nodded. ‘Okay and then what happens?’ She asked.

‘You are your best self when you have your mate, but that’s only after you’ve marked each other. But it’s like fairytale type true love. You want to be with each other all time, touch each other, kiss each other, f**k each other…’ he stopped, deciding to change the direction he was going in. ‘You will do anything to protect your mate and will never hurt them in any way. When your mate is in pain you feel it yourself. You become one, and you become stronger and more powerful because of each other. It is the most sacred of all bonds.’

Abigail smiled, her eyes glistening with the start of tears. ‘You would never break my heart, would you?’ She asked.

‘I’d rather die than give you a single moment of pain.’ Jackson replied.