the Blind Bond

Chapter 04

AMELIA

Erin says that the relationship between a guide dog and its master is similar to the relationship of a married couple. Sometimes the dog and its master do not have the right connection, thus a "divorce" is necessary. But after the first few steps, I felt that Daria and I belonged together. Daria kept monitoring at what pace my feet were moving and in which direction, yet she always managed to stay one step (or one paw) ahead of me. She could indicate whether there was an obstacle in front of us or whether we needed to stop on the side of the road. Amazingly intelligent dog! After a very long time, I felt so motivated.

"It is important to talk. You may feel foolish talking to someone who doesn't answer you, but remember that Daria is absorbing your words, memorizing them, and it will help her in further orientation." Erin explained and I nodded in agreement.

"As we agreed, let's go to your apartment first. I want Daria to learn the route from your place to Mom's café. If there's some kind of an emergency, which of course I hope will never happen, Daria will be able to seek help from my mom as well."

"That sounds like a solid plan. My flat is on Chester Road. It takes me about 15 to 20 minutes by foot. I'm ready. Shall we get going?" I asked, full of determination. I waited a moment for an answer, but it didn't come. Strange.

"Uhm, Erin?" Still no answer. Hopefully she didn't walk away from me. I didn't want to look like a lunatic shouting in the street if there wasn't anyone around, so I tried to engage my other senses. I could smell her perfume - the scent of spring flowers. She wasn't far from me. I could hear her heavy breathing. Hm...

Daria cut my concentration with her stuttering and pacing around my legs. She did not sound joyful like the first time we met in the café. This time it was a warning signal. Oh, God, what's going on? Why can't my stupid eyes see? Daria was still barking, but suddenly she squealed as if she was scared. My heart began to race. Something was definitely wrong. Breathe, Amelia, just breathe.

"Erin please..." A desperate gasp broke through my trembling lips. And right at that moment, I felt her hand on my shoulder.

"Please forgive me, Amelia. I didn't mean to scare you. I thought I had seen an old friend of mine. For a minute, I lost myself in the cloud of thoughts. I'm sorry." Her words were sincere. My heart was still beating wildly, and to calm down I took a deep breath in and out. In and out. I felt a bit better. I recognized a bell ringing, but it was probably just in my head.

"I think Daria's upset about something."

"She sensed your restlessness, that must be it." Erin explained promptly.

"Uh-ha. Let's go then." I said quickly. The whole situation made me uneasy and suspicious, but I had better put it behind me. I made a step forward and four paws immediately mirrored me.

~*~

NATE

I drove my car to the parking lot on the corner of the street and took a lungful of air. I wasn't thrilled about the whole situation. I knew that sooner or later I would have to pick one of the she-wolves, put my mark on her and make her a Luna. But I wouldn't have thought I'd meet my mate. I didn't think it was even possible. My first mate died during the war. She was only 17 and she didn't know she was the one. Since I was two years older at the time, I could feel the mate bond. It wasn't that intense because she hadn't come of age yet. But I knew it already. And I kept it a secret because I was afraid my enemies would use it against me. Nowadays, I know that pretending she wasn’t my fated mate was a mistake. I should have hidden her on the other side of the world. She died, but she didn't know it was because of me. She died, and completely for nothing. It was a meaningless death.

And that is why I didn't believe the blind girl was my mate. Besides, I didn't even want her.

"But I want her!" My wolf acted like a spoiled brat who didn't get a fancy toy. Instead, he should look at matters rationally and evaluate the relevant facts.

"It is not the time to deal with your emotional outbursts. You better start thinking about how it's possible that there is a human in our territory and we're learning about it just now."

"The Moon Goddess brought her to us because she is aware we need a Luna." I couldn't believe my own ears. I was convinced my wolf had definitely gone crazy.

"Our mate is dead. Deal with it." I cut him off and Nero howled sadly. I knew my words were harsh and I didn't want my wolf to be traumatized, but I needed him to stop babbling.

"Listen, even if she was our second-chance mate, we couldn't take her. Now is not the time, and you know it very well. We should go over to Beth's and find out what this human's doing here and how long she plans to stay."

"I agree. We should go to Beth's, take our mate into our arms and lick every inch of her lovely body." I covered my face with my palm. This animal is going to drive me insane one day. Up until this morning, he acted like a frigid old hag and b.itched around nonstop, complaining about every single female I took into bed. But one look at this ordinary human and he's become a changed wolf.

"Because she's not ordinary at all." He sang in my head in a disgustingly sweet voice. I immediately sent him to the far corner of my mind. I have officially given up on this conversation. I got out of the car and made my way over to Beth's. Cinnamon just came outside. Erin, Beth's daughter, was with her. I haven't seen her since she left to study in Toronto. We've all been eagerly waiting for her arrival. The current pack doctor wanted to retire long ago, but she didn't have a suitable replacement. I was therefore very pleased when Beth told me Erin was coming back and wanted to take over the position.

"Erin." I called her name using the mind-link. And I could tell from her startled look she was not overjoyed to see me.