Lycan's unexpected mate

What have I done?!

Atalanta

I wake up hot and upset. I don't even remember how I got to this place at night. My head is pounding and I feel nauseous. And I have a vague feeling that I've done something I shouldn't have. I try opening my eyes and I close them immediately because the sun is too bright. This means that it's way past the time I usually get up. I inhale deeply, and a delicious smell enters my nostrils. It's something I would be able to die for and the room is full of it. I can't find its source and I also can't identify what the smell is, though. I sigh and attempt to reach Diana.

'Good morning, Diana,' I greet her, overcoming the fuzziness in our mind space.

'Oh dear,' I can hear her reply before I can see her. 'What a night it was!' she says and comes to me unsteadily.

I have never seen her like this in my whole life. I meet her halfway and check her for injuries before hugging her tightly.

'What's wrong?' I ask her gently.

'Well, I just got intoxicated, too, dear,' she explains and I frown. 'You know, this was the first time we had the real werewolf liquor.'

'Really?' I query in surprise while Diana nods in response. 'I don't remember that.' I sigh and hang my head. 'I don't remember much at all for that matter. To begin with something easy . . . Where are we?'

'You need to open your eyes for that, don't you?' Diana points out.

'But it hurts,' I complain.

'I know, dear,' Diana coaxes me, 'but you have to get up eventually.'

I chuckle and hug her head once more. 'Alright, I'll try again.' I take a deep breath and leave our mind space.

Back in the conscious state, I listen carefully to my surroundings for a while only to hear laboured breathing right next to me. This astonishes me and I widen my eyes in shock. I turn my head to the sound and see someone with short black hair sleeping under the same duvet as me. I swallow thickly and pull the duvet away carefully. And once I see the man's face, I bite my tongue not to cry out.

"Carson . . ." I whisper.

But he doesn't hear me. He's shaking feverishly and he seems to be suffering from something. I make up my mind and pull the duvet further down. And the more I see, the more I am angry with myself because it must be my doing. For first, he's completely naked but he has marks of having his clothes torn off. He's scratched and bruised. But most importantly, I've found a mark on that specific place for Mate mark. I look more closely, wishing, praying that it's not what I think it is.

"Holy s**t," I breathe out when I realise that it really is IT. 'Diana?!' I scream in my head, bursting into tears for hurting Carson like this. I sob uncontrollably because I can recognise that bruise. I've marked Carson as my Mate. How could I have done something like this to a person whom I have sworn to protect?

Diana immediately curls around me and licks my hands and face. 'Now, now, don't cry, dear. Don't cry,' she attempts to appease me. But it only makes me wail louder and more intensely. 'Tali, dear, it's okay, we're okay,' she adds.

'It's . . . it's so not. . . . I've . . . marked him . . . I've marked . . . Carson,' I tell her between sobs. 'Without . . .' I hiccup, '. . . without . . . his consent.' I continue crying. 'I don't . . .'

At that moment Diana licks my mouth and it's so gross that I start spitting and wiping my mouth and tongue in my hands. Eeww.

'That's better,' Diana tells me. 'This isn't like you. I know it hurts to see Carson like this but don't you think you're overdoing it?'

I have nothing to say to that. I'm torn inside and the bond I share with Carson has intensified so much that I can feel where exactly he is scratched and how deeply. And, come to think of it, it also scares me. I keep hiccuping but I try wiping my eyes and I wonder if they have become red even in reality. Diana uses her long tongue to lick my sides and it tickles. I chuckle wetly but she takes it as a victory.

'Tali, we were both drunk yesterday,' she says sadly. 'It's my fault that you lost control for so long that you started to mark Carson. Actually, he and Zeus tried to stop us from causing a scene at the party, I think. And they brought us here, to Carson's room.'

I begin to recall this, I think. I was rather restless after a few drinks and dances. It felt to me that I have to find someone that night but I didn't know who. And then Carson came to me and we danced. Then there is another shard of memory of him pulling me to the packhouse saying that I'd had enough and I was supposed to . . . to . . .

'Diana, why him?' I ask her suddenly.

'We both love him and Zeus a lot and we feel a pull towards him although a different one.'

I think about it when I realise something Diana has said. 'Wait, you said that I had started to mark him, right? What does this mean?'

She lays her head on the ground and looks at me. 'Just that you didn't pierce his skin completely. You broke it, yes, but you never gave him the Lycan mutation. And this mark will fade in some time. I'm giving it until New Year.'

I stare at her and wonder what the heck this means. I've temporarily marked Carson as my Mate?! Does such a thing really exist? I take a few deep breaths. 'Say I didn't start the process of turning him. Why is he suffering so much?'

Diana shakes her head in thought. 'You really don't remember what you did to him, do you?'

I turn my head no. Although, come to think of it, one muddled thought of me straddling Carson appears. I feel I was wet and cold on the outside but burning inside and Carson was trying to pacify me. I didn't let him. The next thing I know, I felt some strange pressure in my lower belly and then I felt some hot liquid there that extinguished my own burning. And at that specific moment, I leaned down to Carson's neck and bit there hard. I don't want to believe these broken pieces of information but . . .

'Diana, tell me the truth,' I order her and her ears perk up. 'Did I . . .' My voice fails me so I have to start anew. 'Did I r**e Carson?'

Diana stiffens and treads around the answer carefully. Finally, she claims: 'You can't r**e a man unless he himself is willing to give you that pleasure.'

'But did I?' I pressure her.

Diana sighs and admits: 'I don't know. It all happened so fast that I really don't know.' She licks her snout. 'But he's suffering now only because he feels everything that you feel. This is what the Mate bond does. He feels your fears, your joys, everything that makes you . . . you. Even without the Lycan thing, it's a lot for him.'

I feel so ashamed! 'Will he be alright?' I ask in a weak voice.

'Yes, he will, dear. But maybe you could help him and calm his mind,' she suggests. When I look at her incomprehensibly, she clicks her tongue and explains: 'Hug him, talk to him. Just like I did it with you a while ago. At least you will have a training for when you mark someone for real.'

I look at her horrified as she stands up wobbly. 'Now, if you'll excuse me, I need sleep. Don't wake me up unless it's a life or death situation.' With that, she pushes me out of mind space and I'm back hovering over Carson. I touch his cheeks and he's burning up. I lay my cool forehead against his cheek and whisper: "I'm so sorry, Carson."

I do my best to send my emotions to sleep just like Diana advised. My heart doesn't want to obey, though.

"Clear skies. Clear blue skies," I tell myself aloud as I close my eyes. I take a few deep breaths. "All of my troubles are fading away. Everything that is bothering me is drifting away." To my surprise, it is working and the jumbled hurricane of my emotions and feelings is gradually coming to a stop. Suddenly, I feel a thumb touch my cheek and move towards the hand that is cupping my face. I open my eyes and look straight into Carson's. We stare at each other quietly, only Carson's finger moves from time to time. Then I decide to smile a little but it only makes a few tears drop down my lashes. Carson catches them immediately and wipes them away. He carefully gets up in a sitting position, keeping his hand on me all the time. Then he takes me all in and blushes profusely. I also look down and see my exposed breasts and belly. And I realise I'm not wearing any panties, either. I lick my lips but don't bother covering myself. He must have seen it all during the night and I have nothing to be ashamed of.

Carson

I don't know how I've managed to fall asleep with all the aches, bruises and scratches. I could feel that the scent-covering potion was wearing off and that Atalanta began to catch my scent roughly around midnight. She looked lost and then, when I found her, her pupils were dilated so much that her eyes looked black, and it seemed that she had drunk quite a lot. She pulled me to the dance floor and we danced for about three or four different songs before I managed to pull her away from the party. She didn't want to acknowledge her drunken state and her eyes were always wandering all around us, searching. I knew I couldn't let her stay around like this so I did the only thing I could - I took her to my room. What I didn't take into account was her strength. She didn't want to be pushed around. We fought all the way up and behind my door which I had to lock. I know I pushed her on the bed to gain some time to hide the key and, when I turned back to her, I knew something was different. She felt lustful as she breathed deeply. I remember that I attempted to push her under the cold shower but to no avail. She pulled off her dress and then she went for me. I had only my shirt on; the blazer stayed on a chair by our table. And then one thing led to another and we got to my bed where we did the deal. Roughly, hotly, wildly, needingly, without any inhibitions. I felt it deep inside of me when I tore Atalanta's virginity. My Mate gave me her precious virginity and even Zeus was over the moon. And then we continued and together we soared to the sky in ecstasy. I believe she bit my neck during that because my pleasure intensified. Soon, we went to rounds two and three before she collapsed over me in exhaustion. I tucked us both under the cover and I promised myself that I wouldn't fall asleep and get away in the morning so that Atalanta doesn't feel bad about this night. It was the best night of my life for me but maybe she would regret it once she woke up.

So now, it's almost 8 o'clock, and Atalanta is sleeping peacefully cuddled to me and holding me. The scent-covering potion has stopped working completely which means that unless I take another one, my secret will be exposed. I push myself out of Atalanta's arms to get to my drawer where I have an emergency vial. I almost don't get it in my hand because Atalanta pulls me back. I smile at her and kiss her forehead. Her lips part slightly and I suppress the urge to kiss them, too. I uncap the vial and whisper: "Sorry, love, but it has to be."

I drain the vial and throw it under my bed. What I didn't expect was the sudden pain when it got to my stomach. Normally, it only tastes bad. This time something very bad was going on.

Even Zeus chides me: 'Carson, you i***t, what have you done? Your internal organs are failing at once!'

'I took the scent-covering potion,' I admit, bearing through the intense pain.

Zeus stops in his tracks, and I can feel that he wonders whether to shout or cure me first. He opts for the second possibility. I can feel my temperature is rising and I start to tremble. Therefore, I pull the duvet up to get at least a sense of feeling better.

It only worsens. Add to it that I feel Atalanta has woken up and her emotions of not being able to remember much come my way. I keep my eyes close not to disclose that I can hear her. Then she whispers my name and swears. She can probably see the state I'm in. I bite my cheeks to keep a stoic expression, but I guess she can see the pain I'm in. Then there is nothing more and I wonder what is happening. Zeus must be successful in saving me from dying because I start to feel better. I still shake in fever but it's not so bad anymore.

Suddenly, a cool hand touches my cheeks. Then another cool body part touches my left cheek and stays there. "I'm so sorry, Carson," I hear Atalanta's broken voice.

I was right. She regrets everything. I should have known. I grit my teeth not to sigh. Then Atalanta starts to talk some more: "Clear skies. Clear blue skies. All of my troubles are fading away. Everything that is bothering me is drifting away."

I can't help but open my eyes to see what is happening. Atalanta's eyes are red and swollen but she keeps them closed. Surprisingly, the flood of emotions has dimimished into a stream and it's much more bearable. Zeus is doing his healing magic, and my scent must be already covered. So, when a tear falls down Atalanta's lashes, I use my hand to wipe it. I cup her face and look at her lovingly. She opens her eyes in shock and stares at me. I caress her cheek and hope for her to say something, anything. But she only smiles and starts crying. I immediately wipe the tears away. She doesn't deserve to weep due to me. We carefully sit up but I never break the contact with her. Then I do the fatal mistake - I lower my eyes. Heat rushes to my cheeks when I see her gorgeous breasts and the n*****s I worshipped but a few hours ago when she called my name to the night. I quickly look back to her face. She doesn't look bothered by that, though. She even straightens her back and those two peaches stand firmer. I know that I shouldn't stare but there is no safe place to look at now. I also realise that maybe she is trying to help me deal with this. But I'm the one who must look after her after this act. I put on a mask that I wore when we first met.

"Strawberry," I say gently, "are you alright?"

Atalanta blinks a few times. "You haven't called me that since you found out who I am," she claims in surprise.

"I was unsure whether I can," I admit with a shrug.

She takes my hand. "You can call me this if we're alone. And to answer your question, I will be."

I look appalled and inquire: "Do you hurt anywhere? Did I . . ."

She puts a hand on my lips to stop my rambling. "Carson, you don't need to worry about me," she says carefully. "You are the one I'm worried about. I've marked you. Temporarily, yes, but still, you're my Mate now."

I frown. She has marked me?! So, it's not just a regular hickey? Could it be why the potion has had such strong negative effect? Because my body reacted to the Mate bond and I suppressed it externally?

"Carson, I didn't mean to," I can hear her say in a small voice.

"I . . ." I begin unsure of what to say next when there is a knock on the door. Then that person tries to open it and I instinctively cover Atalanta with a blanket. The door is locked so the person only curses and calls: "Carson, are you in there?"

I recognise that voice as Daniel's but I mustn't let him find out about our mating night like this. I motion to Atalanta to stay quiet, and she nods.

"Master," comes Daniel's voice again, "as your Caretaker, I can feel you are unwell. Let me check you."

I wonder how to deal with him when he suddenly offers: "If you are embarrassed about anything, I can give you some time to sort it out. Just answer that you're up and about."

I look at Atalanta and she nods once. So, I call: "I'm awake, Daniel. Just . . . give me ten minutes and I'll meet you outside."

"Thank the Sun!" he says in a relieved tone. "Take as much time as you need. Just come see me as soon as you can."

"I promise," I call and wait for him to leave. Atalanta keeps observing me through it all.