The Alpha's Forgotten Mate

16. Who Are You?

_______________________________

.

.

.

Rowan was confused. For the first time in his life, he had woken up to an empty bed. Well, it was true that it was partially his fault because he was the one who always left in a hurry, and it was almost always during Jamie's heat so she was exhausted from all the pain and passion.

Almost always because there were times - like this one for instance - when he could not keep his hands off of his mate. He had to blame the mate bond for it, didn't he? Because there was no other way in hell and heaven he would do it voluntarily. Right?

He looked around and was not surprised to see that there was no clock in the room. Jamie had redone the entire place and added in the weirdest of trinkets and art for decoration, but she had conveniently forgotten about useful wall hangings.

That sounded like his mate.

He got off the bed and picked up his jeans that he had discarded by the bed the previous night and fished out his phone from the pocket. The screen came to life - it was thirteen minutes past seven.

Jamie had her first hour at eleven today. She had plenty of time so why was she up in a hurry?

Because she wants to defer the confrontation for as long as she can. He thought to himself. That's why the little vixen was so eager to bed you yesterday.

Rowan would die but he would never accept the fact that Jamie did not have to even bat an eyelash to have him where she wanted him. He was always more than willing to have her in his arms, to be buried inside her.

He put on his jeans and shoes and exited the room, in search of his mate. And he found her, sure enough, in the kitchen. Her hair was damp and up with a towel wrapped around it and she had a pink oversized tee on, a new pair of black lace panties peeking from under as she reached over for the plates placed on the overhead cabinets.

"Do you walk around in these for all of them to see?"

She froze for a second, hearing his grumpy, low, and delicious voice, first thing in the morning. It took her another second to process the nonsense that he had just spewed.

Rolling her eyes, she turned on her heels and leaned against the counter, folding her arms across her chest. "Why? Do you have ownership of my body now?"

She was teasing him. One thing about Rowan was - he was not the kind of book boyfriend she was obsessed with who would growl 'You are mine' or 'You belong to me'. He hated her too much - or so she believed - and so he would never want anything to do with her.

"Is this how you got them to follow your every command?" He asked, ignoring her previous question.

"Nah." Jamie took a step forward, grabbing the hem of her tee and taking it off in one fluid motion. "More like this."

She was not wearing a bra and the sudden exposure to the cold made her n*****s pucker up. She advanced toward him, taking the towel off of her hair and reaching the spot right in front of him.

"Is it hot?" She wiped his forehead with the damp towel, poisoned with her scent. "You are sweating."

Rowan was stumped. Where did she get all of this from? It wasn't there the last time he had seen her.

He grabbed her hand, confiscating the wretched material from her frail hand.

"You hate this?" Her voice was barely a whisper but it managed to send every single one of his neurons into overdrive, throwing electric currents through his entire form in all possible directions.

"He doesn't seem to hate it." She ran a finger down the bulge on his jeans. And that was the breaking point for Rowan.

He grabbed her hair, tugging at it as he brought his lips crashing down on her.

"Jamie, you up?"

The mates jumped, both turning to the source of the sound. Maria appeared at the kitchen door and her eyes widened.

"I-" She was speechless.

Rowan turned sideways and covered Jamie's breasts with the towel he had with him before looking back at Maria.

"Scram!" He commanded.

And Maria was ready to run for her life, except Jamie wasn't letting her. "Stay."

Jamie threw the flabbergasted Alpha a flat look before getting her tee and putting it back on. "I am hungry. I want heart-shaped waffles."

Maria was still in shock, but she still managed to nod her head.

Jamie left Rowan standing at the center of the kitchen as she made her way out the door, and he became increasingly aware of the awkward position he was in, and not to forget his painful appendage throbbing inside his pants.

Jamie turned around just outside the door. "I think I need another bath." Her eyes lingered on him before she disappeared, conveying everything she needed to convey. Her mate followed her just like that.

She was not a vixen last night, but she was just then. And she had her mate right where she wanted him. Little did she know that she already did.

.

.

.

"Is the Alpha always this crazy?"

Jamie snorted out laughing but coughed violently to cover it up when Rowan threw his infamous glare her way.

"The Alpha also happens to have excellent hearing." She whispered as she entered the college building, turning to Rowan. "I don't think you are allowed further in, Rowan."

"I am." Rowan said and as if on cue, one of the administrators waddled over to them with an entry card dangling on her arm.

The short woman smiled up at Rowan while Jamie rolled her eyes. Of course, her mate had come to ruin her day. He was not leaving until he saw it through.

"Welcome to our campus, Mr. Serge." She bore all her white shiny dentures at him.

"Thank you."

How did she even know this was the guy? Jamie wondered. Did her boss ask her to come to find the most good-looking man she will find on campus? Was that the instruction that was given to her?

"Is this necessary?" She was bored. She was already bored with the course she had enrolled in on an impulse, and now her stupid mate was here to make her life even more miserable and also to remind her of the extent of his hatred for her, especially after the stunt she had pulled in the morning.

Didn't he have anything better to do? Like taking part in a war?

"Let's go." He grabbed her hand.

Jamie sighed. But then she realized the little something that she had going on at the college, and she knew it was going to make her mate mad. He was already mad, in the other sense of the word, and this was going to make it worse.

"You should keep your hands to yourself." She pulled her hand out of his hold, making his hand feel cold and empty. He flexed his hand, trying to get rid of the awful feeling, and then looked at her quizzically.

"Why?" If she didn't know him any better, she would have actually thought that the man was disappointed.

Felix looked around, wondering in which he should run the moment Jamie revealed the situation to Rowan. He put Ody and Maria in front of him for an extra layer of support.

"If push comes to shove, I am getting my promotion by catching you for him." Ody snickered as Maria gave him a flat look.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Of course, it didn't go unheard by the mighty Alpha. He turned back to his mate. "What is going on between you and Fel-"

"NOTHING!" Felix yelled before Rowan could even finish his name. "NOTHING. Absolutely nothing! Why would you think that?"

"Oh my god!" Natasha appeared out of nowhere, squealing in a voice that would annoy any normal human. But it was especially torturous for the five werewolves and their supersensitive ears. "I knew there was something going on with you!" She pointed at Jamie.

Jamie raised a brow. Could she not stay consistent with her character? She was changing her personality like Jamie changed clothes.

"Excuse me?" Rowan was not amused either. "Who are you and why are you interrupting us?" He lowered the finger she was pointing at his mate.

Jamie tilted her head, a smirk appearing on her face just like that. "This is Natasha, the girl whose brother flirted with me on my first day and I said I was dating Felix to get him off my back." She was sort of grateful to Natasha for popping out of nowhere - she was directing all of Rowan's annoyance and anger toward herself.

"Best friend. He is my best friend. Not brother."

"Same thing." Ody shrugged, making Natasha's nose flare in anger.

"Not." She said, her voice clipped, and then turned to Rowan. "And who are you?"

Rowan looked over at Jamie, expecting her to answer that question.

Jamie gave him a confused shrug. It was not like she could tell her that she was Rowan's destined mate - no, that would be too sappy and unrealistic.

She finally decided to go with boyfriend - and merely thinking the word was enough to make her feel funny all over.

"He is my-"

"Husband." Rowan said. "I am her husband."

And all of a sudden, the whole world froze in its orbit.

.

.

.

________________________________