My mate and my gift

Chapter six: Matthew

Once back in my room I pushed the door shut, maybe a little harder than I had intended, but I was frustrated. What had just happened? Did this really just happen? To me? With her?

I closed my eyes and fell on my bed, placing an arm over my eyes. In my mind I kept seeing those beautiful eyes. One was green like newly sprouted leaves, the other was brown with shades of orange and yellow chasing each other. It was like spring and autumn combined. She had heterochromia. This was extremely rare for a wolf and it usually meant she possessed great powers. How could I never have heard about this before? This was something people loved to gossip about. And how could I never have noticed this before?

I heard a knock on my door, and I jumped to my feet. Maybe it was her? Maybe she had just needed some time to understand what had happened and was now running to her mate. Mate. I couldn’t quite grasp it myself.

Had I been in wolf form, my tail would be wagging, and my ears would flick.

I ripped the door open, wanting so much to be near her.

On the other side of the door was Colin, who jumped two feet back when the door was so suddenly opened. “Whoa!” he said, his hands up in a defensive gesture.

I was so disappointed it must have shown on my face, because he said “Gee. I’m happy to see you too!” His tone was playful, but I was in no mood for it.

“What do you want” I almost growled at him.

He nodded, the corners of his mouth moving down slightly. “Well, ok then” he said, “I came to pick you up for patrol”

“What?!” I exclaimed, my head jerking up.

“Remember?” he said “We’re going to the southwest outpost? Wolves from the Shadow pack has been spotted several times, which is suspicious and we’re going to take over for Grant and Charles. I’m sure Grant is looking forward to getting home to his mate and pups”

“But that’s almost a two-day patrol!” I said, worry creeping into my voice.

“Yes?” Colin said, eyeing me suspiciously. “And we’ve known this for months now. Grant and Charles have been there for two weeks. Don’t you think they deserve some time off now?”

“Fine” I said, not wanting to press the matter any further. I wasn’t ready to tell Colin what had happened just yet. I still needed some time to get used to this new feeling before he bombarded me with questions. I also wanted to make the bond official before letting the world know we were mated.

A quick trip to the kitchen for supplies and we were off.

We walked to the edge of the forest before we shifted, taking off into the woods.

I had a feeling that my heart was being pulled out of me and back towards the mansion. The farther we got away, the more painful it got.

“So, what is on your mind?” Colin spoke to my mind, a touch of concern in his tone. A moment later he added “Could you not perform with Roxy last night?” his tone now mocking instead.

I growled at him. His laugh resounded in my mind.

Colin was 4 years older than me and had been my best friend since we were pups. I had always been able to share everything with him, but ever since he had found his mate, the age different felt like it had doubled.

“How long has it been since you and Julianne paired?” I asked him instead of answering his question.

“About a year” he answered

“How did you do it?” I asked. He glanced at me and I avoided his gaze.

“What do you mean? We found each other. There is nothing more to it. No one can deny the bond and we didn’t even try. And now, you know…” he trailed off

“What?” I asked

“Well, she is pregnant”

I stopped so abruptly it took him a few seconds to notice. He slowed down and turned around, trotted up to me, tongue hanging out of his mouth.

“Already?!” I asked, clearly surprised. Again, his laugh sounded in my mind.

“What do you mean ‘already’? It’s been almost a year, it’s about time it finally happened” he said

“Wow. Congratulations, man!” I said, genuinely happy for my best friend, but once again I felt the gap between us widen. He was right, there was no denying the bond between a fated pair. I could still feel myself being pulled back towards the mansion. Back towards her. I wondered if she felt the same.

As we picked up our pace running towards the outpost my mind kept wandering to Mira. I was sure she just needed some time to get used to the thought of being mated. To me, no less. Once I was back at the mansion, I was sure she would be going out of her mind with loneliness, longing for me as I was already longing for her.

I let my thoughts run wild as we made our way through the forest: Her running into my arms when I return. Falling helpless into my bed. She and I running together, being intimate, playing with our pups in the backyard of our own house.

I was glad we were in wolf-form, otherwise Colin would see a big smile on my face.

Pups. I wondered if she would fall pregnant within a year from now, like Colin and his mate had. A sudden fear grabbed me. Was I even ready for pups! I had only just turned 20! What if I was a horrible dad? Was I even ready for a mate? I mean, yesterday I was still playing around with other girls. s**t! Other girls. How would Mira take that? I mean, she already knew about that, right? But that was over now! I would never betray her. She knew that too, right? s**t! Roxy! What was I going to do about her? The two of them were close. How was Roxy going to react to this? What if Mira told Roxy what had happened? And what if Roxy ruined everything before I got back? She could certainly have a mind of it. But she wouldn’t dare, would she? This was out of our control. s**t! s**t! s**t! I had to get back as quickly as I could. These coming two days could not go by fast enough.