Lycan's unexpected mate

Common favourite place

Carson

I enjoy Atalanta's touch and caresses. I love the way she breathes into my wolf's fur, and I bask in her strawberry smell. And Zeus is even purring contently! I have never heard him make this sound. However, also more of Zeus's body begins to react and I don't want Atalanta to see that. Hell, I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I can't even begin to imagine how Zeus would react if we could see Diana. I'm afraid they would get on with it straight away, no questions asked. Zeus loves our Mate already and I've fallen for her as well. I watch her movements, the care she shows for me. And I can't take it anymore.

I gently poke Atalanta's side with my snout. She reluctantly peels away from the warmth of my body and looks at my face. For once I'm glad that wolves can't blush because her whole appearance is just . . . delicious . . . and I get inappropriate thoughts. I have really won the lottery with her. But will she ever want me?

Suddenly, I hear Atalanta's voice in my head: "What's the matter?"

I blurt out the first thing that comes to my mind: "It's cold for cuddles."

"Oh." Atalanta's face shows no emotions.

"I don't want you to catch a cold," I quickly explain while Zeus laughs at my logic in the back of my mind. That wolf pushed me right overboard! I know our wolves keep us warm, I just panicked! What's more, Atalanta starts laughing, too.

She hugs my head and whispers to me: "I'm a big girl, but thanks for the reminder that you care." She brushes her lips over my snout so quickly that it could have been a figment of my imagination. But it wasn't a dream; the place still tingles. She walks away to my clothes and starts stacking them in her arms. Thankfully, they aren't sweaty after today's training because I didn't spar with anyone.

I try to open the mindlink to her, but I realise that I can't do it. I chuff and walk to her. I wonder how to let her know and decide to lick her. She is wearing three-quarters trousers and a sweatshirt so her calves are the only bare skin I can find. I stand behind her and do a big lick from the inside part of her calf to the outside. Atalanta cries out in surprise but keeps holding the clothes. Then she looks at me, the culprit, and flicks my left ear. "You monster," she says with a grin, and I know she isn't mad at me. "What's up?" she mindlinks me.

"You've cut the mindlink," I tell her. "I couldn't talk to you."

"Oh my! Sorry, Carson," she apologises. "I forgot that it doesn't work the other way round."

The scratches me between my ears and keeps the link open this time. I lick my paw and use it to wipe my ear and the area further to the centre of my head. Atalanta bursts out laughing, and I attempt to pounce at her. She evades it without a problem, accepting the challenge. She sticks her tongue out at me and starts running away.

"Catch me if you can!" she tells me playfully and I don't hesitate a minute to follow after her. I'm in my wolf form which means I should be able to catch up with her easily. However, she is as fast as me maybe even faster despite running once more through a forest she doesn't know. Zeus pushes us forward and I let him lead our body. Suddenly, he turns to the left and I realise where we probably are. We have reached the lakeside and, if I remember it correctly, the supply river should be emptying into the lake close to our right. So, Zeus is running to the left to overtake Tali and surprise her by the lake. The good thing is that we are chasing each other in the general direction where I would be taking her anyway. I'm only unhappy that she isn't close to me and she's moving like a breeze without much exertion. I thought I would try to carry her because this is what mates do for one another during an injury or when one can't shift.

I can still smell Atalanta to my right as Zeus takes me to the lake. My assumption about my whereabouts is correct and I appear on the bank. I just hope Atalanta won't choose to return because she's taking too long. Suddenly, there is a sound coming from the right direction and Atalanta comes barrelling into me with a cheeky grin. Her grin diminishes after the collision which sends me sitting down on my hind legs. But it reappears when she sees me. "I was worried that I lost you," she says gently. "It would be for the best if you didn't hide your scent, you know?"

"I'm sorry but the potion is still working," I mindlink her with pretended sadness.

"But mine only lasted for a few hours!" she argues back.

I shake my head. "Even Daniel told me that you're special. Maybe the potion has a shorter effect on you because you're from Silent Heights Pack," I suggest.

"But others can clearly recognise you even with the active potion," she complains in our link and I think it wasn't intentional because she immediately presses her lips into a thin line as if she hoped I didn't catch it. It has happened a few times before and I believe this is the only indication that she has said something she either regrets or doesn't feel good about.

"When I take the potion, it lasts for about three days so tomorrow . . ." I leave the sentence open, and Atalanta looks at me hopefully.

"I will finally be able to catch your scent, won't I?" she finishes. I don't want to ruin her good mood however it mustn't come to that. At least, not yet. I look around, unwilling to meet her eyes. I decide to find out where exactly we are so that I can take her to my favourite place and we can interrupt this conversation topic. Nevertheless, she understands the gesture as something different because she adds unhappily with a sigh: "It isn't healthy to take another potion so soon after the first one stops working." She comes closer and cradles my head with her right arm. "David told me so and I don't want you to hurt yourself. So, if you really don't want me to know who you are, I will respect your choice and leave early."

I look at her in shock and I'm sure my jaw is hanging despite me being in my wolf form. I look at her and shake my head. "Please, don't," I say, hoping that I don't sound too desperate.

However, Atalanta understands and looks at me with compassion. "I feel the pull, too, Carson," she admits. "I also don't want to leave you here while I return home. But we have to part ways as each of us has responsibilities we can't escape." Her eyes get a faraway look that speaks of her difficult duties. Working for the princess has to be demanding. And I'm not counting the pressure of being the future Luna for the guardian pack.

I press myself closer to her and she looks back at me. "Tali," I say silently as her face melts into a small smile that I have used her nickname, "You're too hard on yourself and you deserve to unwind." She lifts her brow as I continue: "We're close to my favourite spot. Hop on and I'll take you there."

She blinks a few times, then shrugs, nods and looks at my back. I'm too high for her to climb without help so I lie on my belly and wait for her to make herself comfortable. She rocks a little on my back and grabs my fur to keep her balance as I get up. She is sitting rather high, close to my shoulder blades and I can feel that her feet are in a strange position - not straight but with her toes up and heels down. She's holding me with her thighs, keeping her calves loose.

"Are you okay up there?" I ask in our mindlink.

"More than okay," comes her hoarse but giddy response.

"Don't worry, I won't let you fall," I calm her down as I take a few careful steps with the precious load on me. Soon, Atalanta gets in sync with my moves and she even changes her feet position to put her toes down. Her heels grip my sides and I snicker to myself. You want to go faster, don't you? So let's be it.

From a walk, I quicken into a trot. I jump over a log and Atalanta whoops in delight. I can feel she's having the time of her life, and her cheerfulness is contagious. I'm running to a small watchtower on a high riverbank. The structure is completely wooden and offers magnificent spectacular views of the water's surface and the greenery around it. However, it's almost winter and there is nothing green in the area. All leaves are yellow, orange, red or purple and almost half of them must have already fallen off the trees based on the amount I'm trotting through. I hope Atalanta can see the potential of this place and the hope it surely promises in spring. Goddess, how would I love to spend more time in this area! It's perfect for my people.

I am lost in my thoughts so I almost don't register Atalanta's urgent tugs at my fur. I blink and realise that we are nearing the cliff with the watchtower. I slow down fast and stop right at the edge. Atalanta exhales deeply and lies down on my neck. "You scared me there for a second," she reprimands me mumbling into my fur.

"You thought we'd jump?" I suggest jokingly but my insides finally catch up with the possibility that we could have plummeted into the lake. And they begin to shake a little because it's quite high.

"Well, you didn't seem like slowing down and we were running to a cliff. All I knew, you could have taken a wrong turn and expected a meadow here," she explains in our link.

"I knew exactly where I was going," I claim and walk along the edge to the watchtower, shaking up my back a little so that she tears her face away from my hairs. She does so and sighs contently in awe. The view is really extraordinary because the sun is shining through the leaves and the whole area is glowing.

"That's magical," she says with a deep awestruck exhale. I walk us to the watchtower and climb the stairs to the first floor. I am careful not to leave many claw marks as I set my paws down on the wood. Somehow, it also affects Atalanta because she slows down her breathing and pulse, waiting for something great.

"Close your eyes," I suggest to her but don't check if she obeys or not. I open the door with my head and get us to the oval room with a gypsum miniature of the area in the middle. "You can open them now," I say and hear another amazed breath. I guess she also likes this place. I crouch to the floor and Atalanta slides from my back. She places my clothes on the only free place on the table and walks to the glass partition overlooking the lake. I use this opportunity to transform back into a human and get dressed. She can hear the snapping of my bones because she gulps and looks outside determinately. I put everything on quickly because it's really cold. Then I walk to Atalanta only to see her stroking a flower meticulously carved into the wooden ledge. It's in a specific place but I will say it later to try to impress Atalanta. "It's a skilful carving, isn't it?" I say mildly instead.

"Yes, probably," she agrees absentmindedly. "It took the whole afternoon to create this peony and it's still imperfect because it misses petals and leaves. There just wasn't more time."

I lean to her so that our shoulders touch. However, we still face the glass wall and look outside at the lake. In the glass reflection, I can see her finger gliding along the carving while her mind is somewhere else. I bump her shoulder a little. "I don't care that it's not a standard flower. I'm sure somewhere in the world, one peony flower looks just like this one and it makes it unique."

She looks at me with a smile and misted eyes. It feels to me that she's fighting back tears but I can be easily mistaken due to the sun. Then something clicks and I ask: "Wait, how do you know for how long it was carved?"

Atalanta jerks her hand away from the flower and rubs her shoulder. She looks at the ground and whispers: "Did I say so?"

I sigh inaudibly and grab her hand. She looks up at me, her lips thin and almost white. "Your secret will be safe with me," I promise to her. Atalanta takes a deep breath and licks her lips. I continue: "And then I can tell you something you don't know about this peony if you want."

She chuckles. "Now that I would like to hear," she admits. Then she slips out of my hold and turns back to the flower. "It was me who carved it," she reveals silently, expecting me not to believe her. "I was eight . . . something . . . I think. My family came here on holiday in June. I loved this old watchtower and I could spend hours observing the lake." I listen with bated breath - who would have thought that such a young girl could be so skilful? She drops her hand by her side and goes on: "On the day of summer solstice, I stayed alone because my father had to deal with some problems and my mother decided to . . . cook for us. I wanted to remember that day and the place where the sun rose above the lake's surface." She smiles fondly thanks to the memory as I look at her in admiration. "You are a woman of many talents," I say and gently place my arm around her shoulders. She keeps it there and looks at the peony once more. "I'm surprised nobody has removed it, yet. It's been so long and this place looks renovated otherwise," she wonders aloud.

I know why. At least I suppose I do. I also lift my hand to touch the carving and trace the outer lines. "Ten years ago, the nearest town decided to renew this watchtower to attract more tourists. To keep it as authentic as possible, they left this peony as a navigation point and some other wooden parts are exhibited upstairs. You weren't the only one who carved into the wood but you were probably the last one who did so in the original watchtower," I explain and Atalanta lifts her brow at me. "Well, you're eighteen, the renovation took place ten years ago, you were eight. It all adds up," I say, attempting to prove my point.

Atalanta nods and grins. "Yes, you have your math right," she tells me cheekily. "It only surprises me that we can meet in such a place. I thought I wouldn't return here again until I have my own children, but look at me now."

"I would say it's destiny," I suggest warmly. "Your peony has been protected for you and your Mate to let you both know that the past is as important as the future and it can be preserved if given a chance," I say in a convinced tone. I just can't understand how it's possible that both of us love this place despite coming here years apart. We must have been meant to meet like this.

Suddenly Atalanta hugs me and holds me close. And then I can feel a hot drop on my shoulder. She leans her face on the fabric, subtly wiping something I believe is a stray tear. I pat her back a little and embrace her a little stronger. We remain close for a while, then we release one another. She swallows embarrassedly and asks: "You said there was an exhibition upstairs, right?"

"Do you want to see it?" At her nod, I grab her hand and pull her to the spiral staircase. The Mate bond tingling is much fainter and bearable. "Let's go then."

We reach the middle platform with the exhibition only to find a note with a huge arrow. I recognise the writing as David's and snicker to myself. It reads: 'Breakfast is served on the top floor. Enjoy.'

Atalanta reads it, too, and starts laughing. "I only wonder," she wheezes but doesn't release my hand, "if we'll look around first or eat first."

I shrug. "Well, I suppose we can find out what's on the menu and then decide."

She surely agrees because now it's her turn to lead the way upstairs, pulling me behind her without considering it strange. We reach the final floor and there is a nice picnic-styled breakfast prepared for us. Some meat, some cheese, fresh bread. Coffee and tea are still steaming so David must have brought it in only a while ago. He has had great timing and even Atalanta is impressed. What's more, the view from up here is making the atmosphere much more romantic. We walk to the food and Atalanta says with a smile. "There really is a lot to enjoy."