His to Have

Chapter 2

“Adam!” Liam’s voice was in my head, urging me to run as Madeline stood outside her car. I knew she could feel my presence. It was the mate bond. It was odd for a human to feel the pull the way she was.

In my trance, I edged a bit too close and I was convinced she had seen me. s**t!

“Let’s move!” Liam nudged me with his snout and just like that we darted off. In the distance I heard her running back into the house.

We ran until we got to the pack house and I quickly rushed to get showered and dressed.

Liam was in the Rubicon by the time I got downstairs, my obsession driving me to go and spend as much time as I could at the bar where she worked.

“Don’t you have things to do around here today?” I asked Liam.

“You’re future Alpha and my job is to support you in your role.” he said matter-of-factly.

“I need you to stay here.”

“No, I need to see this.”

“I found my mate. What’s there to see?”

“You found your mate and she’s human. There’s lots to see.”

This was going to be all sorts of complicated. No one in town knew about what we were and no one had mated with a human in the last half century according to my dad. Our pack had established themselves in the small mountain town of Pinewood over a century ago and the last human/werewolf mating had taken place in a decade when superstition was rife. I knew the couple, but the male, a warrior wolf was killed in a feud between ours and another pack. His mate, a local woman, had since left the pack and moved away.

“Remember the last time this happened, the couple never had kids and you’re about to take over the pack from your dad. Do you think you’d be able to fulfil the Alpha role fully?” Liam’s questions had validation.

“I know what comes with being Alpha, Liam. It’s not like I wanted to fall for Madeline West.”

“I mean, she is easy on the eye. Bit timid for the likes of you, but …” Liam trailed off when he noticed my glare.

The mate bond was sacred. It was so special, that no man or wolf could break it, unless so willed by both mates. Madeline would literally have to utter the words that she rejected me. I might have a chance at finding another mate, but that was rare. It was said that our mates were picked out by the gods themselves from the moment we came into existence.

I had never fixated on the mate concept like so many others did. I knew it was my duty to be mated and carry on the lineage.

My parents were both weres. They came from different packs. My mother left her’s to join my father’s as was the law of our people.

There was so much that Madeline would have to learn and whether she would be able to understand and grasp it all, was another story.

I wanted to see her again. I needed to be sure the pull was not just my imagination, but I knew it wasn’t. I knew the minute I had arrived back home, that my mate was somewhere in town.

I remember seeing her closing up the bar one night, about a week ago when I was heading home from the ski lodge in the next town. She was bundled up in a coat, her auburn hair splayed out over her hood. Her scent was amazing. It was like vanilla and spice. It was warm and peaceful. I wondered then and there what it would have been like to hold her against me and to never let go.

We had gotten to the bar minutes before she did. Liam was bordering on annoying. Instinctively though, he treated her with the respect she would deserve as Luna of our pack. Just as the other guys did the night before. They were drawn to her in a way that would guarantee her safety with us.

When we got the same waiter as the previous evening, I immediately asked for her. She wasn’t meant to be serving tables, but I wanted her close and I couldn’t stand Josh. Also, she was talking to the barman that was there when we walked in. Who was he? I think he went to school with us too. I didn’t like the way he smiled at her or the way she smiled at him.

God! What was happening to me?

“She isn’t moving, man.” Liam said. He was keeping an eye so I didn’t come off as creepy.

“God damn it!” I groaned and turned slightly to call her over. I didn’t want to call using my voice like a d**k, so I flicked my fingers gently. I swear I saw her roll her eyes before taking her sweet time to walk over.

Liam smiled that ridiculous smile which always made every single female turn to Jell-O and he got up, greeting Madeline. What sounded like a giggle, escaped her and I couldn’t help, but growl. s**t.

She asked about it and quickly Liam and I dismissed it. I hate that I scared her.

Thinking I would get more time with her, we order our drinks, but she sends another person over with them. I’m pissed. Speaking to her makes me feel like a kid again. Her eyes are set on mine, clear green eyes that have me feeling unsure of myself, but absolutely sure of her.

We have a very brief, but very poignant exchange. She thinks I am playing some sort of game with her. I don’t blame her. I’ve never spoken to her. I’ve never dated a human female. I don’t know anything, but the ways of my pack. A were-female would be much easier to deal with. Maybe this was a bad idea and before things can get any worse, I mind-link Liam to tell him we’re leaving.

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“God! Can someone else please deal with town rich kids next time?” I say it only loud enough for Meg to hear. She’s in the kitchen, placing an order.

“Why? What’s happening?” she asks, passing me on her way to the bar counter to drop off some fries.

“Adam Vance was back. The guy is weird.”

“Weird, but it’s hard to look away, huh?”

“What?” I asked, trying to hide the fact that I’d been eyeing him since he started coming back in here. “No!”

“Yeah, sure. I don’t know. That group has always been a bit odd. Bit scary as well.”

“They’ve never caused any real trouble though. Besides a couple of run-ins at high school, they generally kept to themselves.” That was true. It was odd, how they were all in different grades, but they all kind of stuck together. There were a few girls in their group, but they weren’t girlfriends of theirs.

“What? Like that vampire s**t you were obsessed with back when I used to babysit you?”

“Ha! No.” Maybe..nah! “No. Don’t be ridiculous.”

The night moved on. The regulars coming and going. I tried very hard not to think about Adam, but I did and it felt oddly comforting to think of him. It would be silly to even explore whatever this was (probably him hoping to get his kicks before I left town). Somehow, this didn’t feel like just that. It felt like more.

By midnight, we were locking up. Saturdays always saw us closing a bit earlier. Be it as it may, Pinewood was still a small town and Sundays were a quiet day. I had plans to just spend the day indoors and maybe running some errands in town. I was hoping my parents didn’t expect much help in the guesthouse.

As I pulled into the drive at home, only then did I remember the wolf from the day before. I laughed, thinking about how stupid I must have sounded when I asked Liam and Adam if they’d heard the growl. I also felt stupid about thinking I saw a wolf on the property.

I have never ran in from the car to the house as quickly as I did that night and also never have I laid awake, my thoughts drifting to a tall, auburn-haired playboy at every turn. Needless to say, my body eventually caved just as I heard Mom bustling in the hallway outside my door. The thought of getting up to help with breakfast for eleven people did it for me.

On weekends my mom did all the cooking herself at the guesthouse. I always thought she was crazy. She loved it though as she’d grown up on a farm in the midwest and loved big gatherings.

I must have been out for ages, as when I woke up, it was dark out again. My mind was all foggy about the day, time and even for a second the place. I felt out of sorts. My body ached. I was a cold-sweat mess.

I got up slowly, heading to the bathroom. I looked a mess too. After a good, long shower, I got into some fresh pyjamas. My mom was in my bedroom not long after to check up on me.

“You OK?”

“Think I’m coming down with something.”

“Yeah, you look it. Maybe you should take some time off. I know you want to get in as many shifts, but surely dad and I can cover any shortfall you have when the time comes.”

“Mom, please. You guys can’t give me any more than what you have and I won’t allow you to.”

My mom smiled, her eyes narrowing, “You’re our only kid and you’ve earned everything we can give you.”

“Yeah, I know you want to help, but you and dad need a proper vacation.”

“OK, enough talking. I’ll bring you some soup and Tylenol.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

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When Meg sent out the shifts the next day, I felt even worse. I also felt bad that, after begging for more shifts, I had to turn them down.

She called me to see how I was and I nearly begged to please not give my shifts away, but I knew I wasn’t well enough to stand behind a bar all night, even though Tuesday through Thursdays were quiet.

There were so many messages from Michael. I felt bad. He was asking if he could stay at the guesthouse for a couple of nights. I messaged him back and said I’d make his booking. He called me back almost immediately and when he heard I was sick, he had postmates deliver me chicken noodle soup from our old after school hangout, a local diner at the start of town.

“I love you.”

“And I, you. Now you need to rest and don’t even stress about having enough money besides your tuition for next year. Besides, we have mommy and daddy’s trust to keep us going.”

Michael always cheered me up and I missed him terribly. I had other friends, but Michael was everything to me. With us both not quite fitting into small town life, we knew we were meant to be in one way or another. I would even say, my soul mate.

____________________________________________________________________________

I never got sick, the werewolf gene saw to that, but somehow the last twenty-four hours were the worst.

“You’re what?” Liam asked.

“Sick, I think.” I said into my phone.

“Dude, that’s weird. We don’t get sick.”

“You don’t think I don’t know that?”

“I’m calling the pack doctor.”

Eurgh! The pack doctor would tell my dad and I didn’t want him to think anything weird was up. I had an inkling as to what it was.

“Have you met your mate by any chance?” Dr Green was too intuitive; a bit nosy even. She was petite, her thick dark hair was cut into a short, harsh, no-fuss hairstyle. She had three massive boys, in their late teens now and they dwarfed her. They were in training to join the warriors in our pack. She was immensely proud of them. Their father was in charge of training. A proper were-family. Would I have that with Madeline? I didn’t think I could. I decided to ask Dr Green.

“Could a were have a family with a human?”

“Is your mate human?”

“That’s not what I asked.”

She looked at me as if to say, ‘Watch your tone, pup.’

“Sorry, but is it possible?”

“It is. I’ve heard stories. Not in our pack for a while though. We’ve had a wolf with a human mate, but he died and she moved away. Never had kids.”

I nodded, “Yeah. I know the story.”

“You know, what’s happening to you is that your body is reacting to the fact that you haven’t made the bond with your mate.”

“I didn’t say I found…”

“I’m not asking you to confirm or deny, but perhaps a run will help. Besides the run, perhaps solidifying the bond will do the trick. No medicine is going to help you.” She did not seem very sympathetic to me or my situation.

“Thank you, Dr Green.” and with that she left.

My skin was burning. I got into a shower, a cold one at that and tried to rinse away the feeling starting to swell in my chest. There was a dull ache almost and I didn’t know how I was going to go about curing it.

____________________________________________________________________________

I hated that the bar was closed on a Sunday and Monday. I drove through town, having offered to do a packhouse run for my mom. She was the current Luna and had to make sure there was enough to go around.

The trip was a perfect excuse to take a detour through Main Street and then out to the next town, which was bigger than Pinewood and where we got most of our supplies.

I remember Madeline West as the shy, normal girl in my grade, who was kind, but not very popular. She wasn’t part of the Friday night crowd that hung out at the old campsite or swam at the lake during summer. Then again, I wasn’t part of that crowd either. The pack members kind of all stuck together. We didn’t join any of the sports teams, or the after school clubs. It was all about keeping our pack safe and secret.

Something suddenly occurred to me. Madeline was always with some guy in school. Good looking, came from the snootier side of town. Then again, that’s what people thought about us. I wondered if they were a couple. The thought upset me. A lot. I wondered if he still lived there. Maybe I could drive by on my way home.

Our pack was deeper into the forest though. Secluded enough, but still a distance not too far out to rouse suspicion. For all intents and purposes, the main house looked like it housed a normal family, which it did, at first. My parents lived there with me, until about about five years ago.

I moved to the pack house after my sixteenth birthday, to build camaraderie with the other males, leading them and did it early enough to form a bond with who would become the men who would lay down their lives for me if needed.

Liam was a couple of years older and had run the packhouse before I got there. He was to become my Beta (second in charge). His father was my father’s Beta. They were a great team, but not as formidable as my mother and father together. While she was not as physically imposing, she was his Luna and she could incite fear into the biggest warrior with just one look.

Would I be able to have that with a human? My body ached to be near her. If she had been wolf, she would have felt the pull and ache like I did. I wish I could know. Liam was ragging me to tell my parents. As much as I hated the idea of disappointing them, I knew I had to tell them soon.

My dad would know what needed to be done. Or even better, if the link could be undone.

First, there was somewhere I needed to be, one last time. I turned the car around and drove towards the West’s guesthouse.

____________________________________________________________________________

I dragged my ass out of bed that Monday afternoon and headed downstairs. The weather was promising. There was no cold wind and the sun was bright. I pulled on some leggings and a jumper and sat on the back porch of our section. A wooden fence was built around the guests’ back porch, ensuring they had their privacy and I had mine.

The coffee I was drinking was doing wonders. It didn’t hurt that the sun was warming my aching bones either. At least my fever broke that morning. I sat there, legs outstretched on the chair in front of me, my eyes closed.

My thoughts drifted to Adam Vance and his perfect smile and that broad chest. He was quiet at school, confident, but not arrogant. He never dated anyone I knew of. There was one girl that hung around him a bit during senior year. Pretty, leggy and raven-haired with the iciest blue eyes. He was probably dating someone just as good looking. Eurgh! The thought irritated me.

I felt the sun disappear behind the clouds and shifted uncomfortably. Opening my eyes, something caught my eye in the corner of the porch and I nearly fell off my chair. Remaining completely still, I prepared myself for either an attack or the fight of my life.

The wolf was huge. He was russet, almost auburn coloured and had the most intense yellowish-brown eyes. This was it, it was sizing me up. My mind raced with ideas. I could throw it with the coffee mug and try to run for the guesthouse porch, but there was no way I could outrun this predator. I could have also tried to circle it and run for the front of the house and into the garage or the street.

Was this animal hunting me?

He edged closer and I swear my heart stopped for a few seconds. I shifted back in my chair once and then again when it made the weirdest sound, like when a dog tries to ‘talk’ back. It sounded like a sort of whimper. Not pained, but sad instead.

“Oh my God. Please don’t kill me.” I said quietly as it edged even closer. I tried leaning back even further, until I was off the chair and in a corner on the decking, waiting for whatever was to happen next.

The wolf, as big and imposing as he was, didn’t look like he was going to harm me. I relaxed a bit and straightened slowly. It’s face was nearly up against mine. I felt a sudden sense of calm and began to reach out with my hand and stroke its body. I made sure to make my movements as small and slow as possible, when suddenly, the animal leaned into my touch. This had to have been the oddest thing to happen to me, in my life.

“What the actual f**k is happening?” I whispered. The animal made an almost-groaning sound as if to agree.

We sat there, for a good couple of minutes, this wild animal, sniffing me, nuzzling me and making what was definitely whimpering noises.

Suddenly, the wolf jolted up onto all fours and spun around to face the French doors to my left. I turned to face my dad, who was standing there, completely frozen, “Maddie. Get up slowly and back away into the house, NOW!”

“Dad, it’s OK.”

The wolf growled a bit, looked down at me on the ground and held eye contact for a bit, before leaping over the porch railing and back out into the forest that ran along the yard.

“Well, that was odd.” I said matter-of-factly.

“Odd?” My dad looked perplexed. “Are you crazy? I’m calling animal control.”

“Dad! We live on the edge of a forest! I don’t think it will help.”

“It’s like this thing is hunting you.”

“At least you know I wasn’t exaggerating the other day.”

“Come on. Let’s get you in the house.”

I nodded and got up to follow my dad inside, but he pulled me into a hug. I felt like he was overreacting and turned away from his hug, to see if my big, russet coloured friend had hung about. He was gone, but I heard a howl in the distance, followed by another and then another, until it sounded like there were several of them. Dad yanked me in so quickly as he looked around, completely freaked out. Somehow, I didn’t feel scared. I felt OK. I felt safe.