The Delta's Cursed Mate

Last Run

Reina’s POV

Rowan and Richard were pacing the office, and I could tell they were pissed. Whatever Leon had told them, was not in consensus with my family. Even Christina didn’t look happy.

Leon sat as close to me as he could without touching me, knowing Emerald’s temper. It was nice. Even though I was frustrated that no one was telling me what was happening, I wasn’t angry or upset. I felt an odd sense of calm. Leon would look at me every few minutes and smile. He had a nice smile. I never got to see it before because I was constantly pushing him away.

I saw someone come into the room from the corner of my eye and Emerald was pissed, she didn’t like not having full view of the room.

“It’s just Jeremy, Ginger.” Leon signed.

I furrowed my brows.

“My Beta.” Rowan told me.

“Will someone tell me what’s happening? No one is signing.” I looked around the room, hoping someone would fill me in.

Rowan looked at Christina who was staring at Richard. Richard had his glare set on Leon.

“I want to find a witch to help block Emerald. At least until we find a way to reverse whatever curse that warlock put on you.” Leon signed.

“Can it be reversed?” I asked.

He just shrugged.

“What happens to Emerald if we do this? Would she die?”

Leon pinched his thumb and forefinger together, “No. She just would be asleep, more or less.”

Emerald growled and rolled her eyes but didn’t force a shift either. So maybe we could do something.

It’s not forever. I will come back.

What if it is forever, what if they can’t find the warlock that did this?

Then you get to finally be happy and I don’t have to listen to you complain anymore. It’s a win-win regardless. She was such a smart mouth.

I sighed and looked at Leon. His deep brown eyes held something I thought I would never feel again: hope. He really did love me. Even if he rejected me. He loved me.

I nodded my head, “Emerald and I want to do this. I’m tired of being alone.”

Leon’s face lit up in a bright smile. He twitched but stopped himself. I put my hand on his and patted it. That was about as much contact that Emerald would accept. My skin was slightly warmer on his, and there were tingles on my fingers. I had read about the mate bond; the tingles should have been sparks. It was our souls connecting, becoming one.

“Reina, you know that there’s no guarantee that this will work, or that we’ll find the son of a b***h that did this to you. You could lose Emerald forever.” Richard said his eyes still glared at Leon.

I nodded. Being a human with the ability to create bonds was better than being a wolf with no bonds. I would finally be able to make new friends and even let Leon love me. I would get to meet his wolf, and his family. I could get to know my own family again. I wouldn’t have to be alone anymore.

“He rejected you, and you’re still willing to do this?” Richard asked.

Emerald growled; she was tired of the questions. We had made up our mind. For the first time in a long time, we agreed on something. She was tired of hearing me complain all the time, and I was tired of being alone. I had a chance to be happy again. So, what if I never got to be a wolf again, I would at least be a human and be able to live with other people. The days of spending days upon days in the forest and hunting bunnies were over.

“I’m not doing it for him. Do you have any idea how painful a forced shift is? Or what it’s like living in a pack to still feel alone? Emerald can’t connect to anyone, and she doesn’t want to. I’m a werewolf with a feral wolf spirit. It f*****g sucks.” I glared back at him. “I’m doing this because I’m tired of being alone. I don’t care that I’ll be human.”

Leon patted my thigh to make me look at him, “You wouldn’t be human. We’re not killing Emerald, just blocking. You’ll still have your strength and heightened senses, just won’t be able to shift.”

Rowan plopped on the couch in front of us, “It’s up to you. I can have a warlock here in the morning, but I really want you to think about what you’re asking.”

I shook my head. I knew what I was asking. I wanted, no we wanted peace. Emerald and I were at odds all the time. She wanted to be feral, and I wanted to belong. Somewhere. She forced shifts and I could do nothing about it. She only came back after I got on her nerves too much and she wanted to shut me up.

“Okay. I’ll make the call.” Rowan waved us off, “Go do whatever mates do.”

I rolled my eyes.

I led Leon to my bedroom and plopped on my bed. The day had been exhausting. Leon softly threw a pillow at me and smiled.

“Kane wants to go for a run, just one run with Emerald.” He signed.

Emerald huffed; she was only agreeing because she hadn’t gotten to shift in nearly a week. She hated that.

He mounts me and I’ll rip his jugular out. She growled.

Leon smiled as I stood up. We walked to the backyard towards the large trees that smelled so much like him. He didn’t even try to find a place to take his clothes off, he just shifted. His wolf was huge with black fur that almost looked dyed. There was a white marking on his chest and instead of a black nose, his was bright pink with black dots. Kane had to lay on his belly to meet my eyes. I rubbed under his chin, and he vibrated in a way that reminded me of a cat. He rubbed his huge head into my belly and nuzzled into my chest as I petted his head. I remembered Leon telling me that Kane was a giant puppy.

Emerald was bored so she slowly pushed herself forward, not forcing me to shift, but nudging me into it. I guess I could give her this one. No one was sure if I would ever be able to have moments like this again. I didn’t bother taking off my clothes and shifted. Emerald didn’t bother giving Kane any sort of attention, she just took off and weaved through the trees. She would rub against one she found particularly nice and put her scent all over it. Kane would go and sniff the tree and claw at it.

After being chased for a couple of hours, Emerald did her favorite thing and began to dig a huge burrow. She found leaves and sticks to put at the bottom and would chew on them later to keep her teeth sharp. She found rocks and would scratch them to sharpen her claws before rolling in the dirt and leaves. Kane sat on the outside of the hole watching as she covered her scent so a wolf wouldn’t smell her. Emerald growled and gave him a stick before she curled into a ball and fell asleep.

*****

I woke up in my bed wearing a t shirt that hung down to my knees and my hair was put in a too loose ponytail. Leon was softly snoring on the chair in the corner only wearing jogger pants and a blanket around his shoulders.

I sat up to go to the bathroom, hoping I was quiet when I felt him tap my shoulder. He had a huge smile on his face and pointed to the computer desk. A cold plate of steak and bacon wrapped asparagus with roasted broccoli and garlic bread was waiting for me.

“You shifted back in the burrow. I had to get your mom.” He signed sadly.

If I shifted then he saw- my eyes went wide as I looked at him. A small tear fell from his eyes.

“Why didn’t you tell me? I would have done something. I would have helped you.” He signed and stood.

I couldn’t answer. Emerald always said that to show anyone the cut would show our weakness and we weren’t weak. We couldn’t remember who gave it to us so for all we knew it was someone here at the pack. I always thought it was because Emerald was always forcing a shift so it never could heal, my body wouldn’t let it. It didn’t bleed or even really hurt. Sometimes it would burn though.

I simply shrugged.

Leon looked down, “I’m going to warm up your food.” He grabbed the plate and left the room. I noticed that the pictures shook on the wall.

I hurt him again.

I made it to the bathroom and took the fastest shower I had ever taken. When I got back to my room, Leon was facing the wall and I could smell the delicious food. Dressed in my pajamas, I tapped him on the shoulder and motioned for him to move so I could eat. He smiled and moved to sit on the edge of the bed.

I quickly ate, shifting always made me hungry, and I couldn’t remember if I ate at all earlier. It was around 3 in the morning, and I was full of energy, but I could tell Leon was still tired.

“Do you want to go back to bed?” I signed.

He shrugged, “I’ll be fine.”

I looked around the room uncomfortably. He always had something to talk about, and to be honest, I had lost my social skills. I didn’t know how to make small talk in especially not in ASL. What am I supposed to talk about? The weather? It was 3 in the morning and still 80 degrees, it was hot. I could thank him for the food, but I seriously doubt he cooked it. He did bring it, so I guess.

“Thanks.” I signed, “For the food. I mean.”

Leon rolled his eyes, “No big deal.”

Well s**t. What now? I looked down at my hands. Leon softly threw a pillow in my lap, and I looked up at him.

“Why didn’t you tell me about the cut, Reina?” He went slowly, as if he was second guessing himself.

“I don’t know how to trust. Anyone. I didn’t know where it came from, so I hid it.”

He nodded, “Have I ever given you a reason not to trust me?”

I blushed in embarrassment. He had told me everything about him within the first week of meeting. Sure, he had to write a lot of it down since he couldn’t sign yet, and he hadn’t marked me, but he tried. He told me his deepest secrets and I had told him that he smelled like almonds. This was why it was easier to be alone, even if I hated it. I didn’t know how to talk to people, Emerald hated everyone anyway.

“I just want to know how to help. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.” He signed.

I nodded and looked away from him, “I know. I just don’t know how to let you in.”

I turned around completely and started fiddling with my projects. I couldn’t really focus on them, and I didn’t know if I would be loud or not, so I just gave up. Leon had curled on the bed and his breathing was even, so I sat in his chair and pulled my knees to my chest. I couldn’t deny that I had missed watching him sleep, as creepy as it sounds. He would relax so much, and he looked like for at least a few hours, he could be happy. Not like reality where his mate rejected him so much that his wolf almost died. Or he was still in a lab with some psychopath.

He could imagine anything in the world and for those few hours he had everything he wanted. At least that’s what I hoped. I couldn’t remember the last dream I had. I would even take a nightmare over the darkness that invaded my sleep. I wondered if that had to do with the curse too. Emerald and I didn’t really share a bond either, she was just there, so I don’t even know if she dreamed. She didn’t talk to me unless she was telling me I was weak or annoyed that I was lonely.

Leon rolled over and his arms were open, his chest in full view. He was muscular with large pecs and a nice ten pack abs. It was nice to look at, and from what I felt through his shirt, nice to touch. I wondered what would happen if I just touched him. Would it wake him up, or would it piss Emerald off? What would my mark look like on his neck? Would he like it, like I liked his?

Ugh, fine. Emerald shoved herself forward and I felt our teeth extend. She walked over to Leon and roughly threw his head to the side and bit into him.