Chapter 10 ~ Mate part 1
1048 Words
Max clears his throat once more, feeling a headache coming as he juggles between conversations.
“I… I… uhm, I’m just worried, I suppose. About things getting worse for my mom if I… if I don’t get a wolf,” he answers lamely.
Alpha Timothy smiles and puts his empty glass down on the table. “I don’t think there’s anything to worry about, Max. I told you what happened. I’m certain everything will turn out fine in the end and that your mother’s name will be cleared of that distasteful stain once and for all.” He walks to the door and opens it. “Now, if you’re sure there is nothing for me to worry about Ginny, I’ll have to bid you goodnight because I still have a lot of papers to review for the acquisition of land in the northern side of our territory.”
“No, Ginny’s okay,” Max murmurs and stands up. “Thank you, Alpha. I appreciate you telling me about the past.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad I can give you some peace of mind. See you tomorrow, kid.”
Max knows he promised his mother he would be coming home as soon as he’s done talking to the alpha, but he can’t make himself go home just yet. Sharing a mind with another is a very strange experience and he can’t even talk to anyone about it.
‘Uh, that’s not exactly true,’
He frowns. ‘What do you mean?’
‘There is someone we can talk to, and technically it would be okay to tell because we’re halves of the same whole.’
‘What are you talking a—you mean Ginny!?’
‘Not so slow after all, folks!’ his wolf mutters sarcastically. ‘Yes, her. There are no secrets between mates and we can tell her everything.’
Max is not exactly sure how to react to that. ‘Are you... are you confirming she’s our fated mate?’
‘She’s our mate, period. Whether it is fated or not is irrelevant because we make our own choices in the end and that’s what matters most. You chose her long ago and I respect that. I trust your choice. Just as you would have trusted mine if you hadn’t met her first.’
Max nods, too overwhelmed to say anything at the moment. He takes a deep breath and looks up at the night sky, wondering if Ginny would talk to him if he throws a rock at her window tonight. Probably not, given how they parted yesterday.
‘I'm not even sure how to deal with her right now.’ He sighs, throwing his head back as far as he can to look up at the night sky. ‘I gotta be honest, I am a little disappointed with her at the moment, but I also know that she’s young… and she still has a lot to learn…’
‘Then you already know what to do.’
With a sigh, Max heads to the eastern garden. Ginny’s bedroom window is on the second floor, the only one with a balcony. As fate would have it, she is there, leaning against the balustre and staring at the stars.
“You’re still up…” he murmurs, hoping it’s loud enough for her to hear him, but not too loud that it wakes others up or draws unwanted attention.
She gasps a little in surprise before quickly wrapping her nightgown tighter around her. There’s something almost defensive in the way she does it, as if she’s expecting him to be antagonistic.
His eyes soften. This won’t do at all. He never wants her to feel like that, as if she needs to protect herself from him. No, never that!
Max takes a deep breath and looks up at the sky again. It is cloudy and very few stars are visible. He wonders if it might rain, but the air doesn’t feel damp enough.
“What did you wish for?” He asks quietly.
Ginny doesn’t answer right away, but he can feel her eyes on him, wary and a little bit nervous. He waits patiently, not saying another word or even moving an inch, trying to be as calm as he can given the circumstances.
She sighs. “I haven’t. Wished anything yet, I mean. Bloody stars keep disappearing behind the clouds,” she mutters, her tone annoyed. “I’m starting to wonder if they’re doing it on purpose, wish-blocking me.”
That makes him chuckle. Typical Ginny.
“Must be a terribly reprehensive wish, if fate is intervening,” he teases her.
It’s dark but there’s light enough for him to see her blushing and looking away, embarrassed. Which he finds interesting and now he’s really curious about her wish.
“So what is it you dare ask the stars so late in this cloudy night?”
“I can’t tell you. Wishes are meant to be kept secret so they will come true.”
“Says who?”
“Says—well…” she frowns, looking adorably confused. “I dunno, it’s always been like that, isn’t it? When blowing birthday cakes or dandelions, you aren’t supposed to say, otherwise they won’t be granted.”
“It seems rather contradictory to me,” he murmurs, shrugging. “I mean, how will whoever is supposed to grant wishes know what to do if no one tells them?”
“Oh, but we do tell them! Just… quietly. They’re supposed to understand what’s in our hearts, even without the spoken words.”
“Riiiiight.”
“It’s true!”
“Of course,” he chuckles. “Tell me, has the tooth fairy come to collect a tooth from you lately?”
“Oh, you’re—I’m not even gonna dignify that with an answer—” she sticks her nose up in the air, but Max can see a hint of the smile she’s trying to hide.
Emboldened, he steps closer and in a conspiratorial whisper, he tells her “Do you want to know a secret?”
She huffs and rolls her eyes, but inches closer towards him anyway. “Very well, I’ll bite, just so I can go to sleep now.”
“I have a wolf. He’s awake now.”
- Writer
