You Have Always Been Mine

Chapter 14 - Knowing One’s Place part 1

His wolf starts laughing in his head and Max finds it nearly impossible not to do the same. His lips twitch as he tries to fight back a smile and fails. She really is full of surprises.

“What!?” Ginny growls in defiance, her cheeks stained red with embarrassment. “I’m serious!”

“I know,” he murmurs. “But are you sure that’s what you want? It might seal the deal, you know.”

She glares at him, unimpressed. “So you say.”

Ooh, the kitten has claws.

“You don’t think I can convince you with a kiss?”

She shrugs. “I’m just saying, it’s a tall order, and you’ve never kissed a girl before. The odds are not exactly in your favor.”

“You don’t know that.”

"What? That the odds are not in your favor or that you have never kissed a girl before?" Ginny’s eyes turn to narrow slits as she regards him suspiciously. “Are you saying you have kissed another girl before? I would have heard about it.”

“I’m rather private about my stuff, you don’t know what I do in my free time.”

“Oh, trust me, I would know if you had kissed anyone.” She smirks. “I have Luna Lessons. It is the Luna’s job to know everyone’s business in her pack.”

“Is that a real fancy way of saying you’re a gossip?” He teases her. “And why would you be interested in whether or not I have kissed somebody? Are you jealous?”

“Jealous? Oh please!” she scoffs. “I plan to learn from experimenting around so why should I expect my mate to be—?”

Experimenting!? Aw, hell no!

“You’re mine!” he growls, his voice pinning her in her seat.

Ginny freezes, staring at him wide-eyed. “M-Max—”

“Mine, do you hear me!?”

Ginny winces. “I think the whole pack heard you. Please calm down!”

“Swear to me!” He rasps, his voice almost unrecognizable, guttural and primitive as his wolf side demands to be heard. “Swear you will never kiss or lay with another!”

“Please be reasonable—”

“MINE!” He glares at her, his eyes glittering with a different color as his wolf refuses to let it go.

“Max, you’re scaring me now—”

As much as he’d like to pin all the blame to his wolf and pretend none of it is his fault, he would be lying, for he feels just as strongly about the matter as his wolf does. The thought of Ginny being intimate with someone else feels like poison spreading all over him, making him see red and tasting something worse than bitter in his mouth.

But Ginny’s well-being has always been his priority and that protective side of him is deeply ingrained, stronger than anything else, and right now she is looking at him with fear in her eyes.

Breathing heavily as he struggles to regain control of himself, Max gets out of the car. Away from her intoxicating scent and the temptation to do something that he will regret for the rest of his life. He closes the door and takes a big lungful of fresh air, clearing his mind.

‘She’s young' he tells his wolf. 'Let her be. Forcing her to do anything she doesn’t want will only alienate her.’

‘But she’s going to—’

‘I know. I don’t like that plan either. But maybe if we love her just right, it will be enough.’

His wolf scoffs and curls up in the corner of his mind. Max doesn’t need to hear it to know what he’s thinking.

What a fool.

“Max?”

He closes his eyes, praying to the Moon Goddess for extraordinary patience that day. Ginny is young—they both are—but she might have a point. Maybe he ought to practice a little bit first before kissing her, just to be sure she won’t be disappointed. The thought of kissing another girl doesn’t really do much for him but it’s not entirely repulsive. It could be some sort of experiment. A learning curve.

“Max, I really need to go home now." Ginny grimaces. "I know it's the worst timing but I have to use the bathroom…”

With a sigh, Max slides back into the car and starts it, not looking at her.

“Sorry…” she murmurs ruefully. “You’re probably rethinking that chosen mate thing now, aren’t you? Not that I’d blame you. It’s okay if you—”

“I’m not,” he mutters as he drives on. “I’m not changing my mind.”

It’s a little too late for that anyway. He had loved her all her life and like muscle memory, it’s not just going to go away.

“I saw your eye color change a bit… you know… when you were angry,” Ginny tells him quietly. “Is that… is that your wolf talking?”

He frowns. “I suppose it’s both of us.”

“Wow…” she takes a deep breath, her tone incredulous. “It’s true, then. You really do have a wolf now!”

“What, you thought I was just messing with you before?”

She shrugs. “I’ve never heard of anyone getting their wolf before their coming of age but unable to shift yet. I mean, of course I was thinking there was a possibility you were just trying to impress me. To get back on my good side.”

“I told you because you’re my mate and there should be no secrets between us. I trust you kept it as you promised.”

“Of course I didn’t tell anyone!” She glares at him, sounding a bit offended he even had to remind her. “You specifically told me not to!”

“Thank you,” he murmurs.

They finally reach the packhouse and she rushes outside, probably in a hurry to relieve herself. Grinning as he thinks of something, he calls her again and she groans as she stops and turns back.

“I have something important to tell you…” he says.

“WHAT!? I swear to the Goddess, Max, if I pee in my—”

“Do you know you're very beautiful, Momogin?”

“Yes! And..!?”

“That’s it. See you tomorrow.”

The look she gives him makes him laugh out loud. She gives an indignant huff and marches away again, muttering about wanting her own driving permit and threatening to have him lynched if she didn’t make it to the bathroom.

Chuckling, he drives the car to the garage, whistling as he grabs his stuff and locks the doors.

“Hey, mutt. Alpha wants to see you.”