The Time I Tripped into a Curse and got two Mates

Chapter 12

“This looks amazing,” Luke said. “Thank you.”

“It’s nothing, really,” my mom replied modestly, though I could clearly see the pride in her eyes.

We dug in for a while and the only sounds were the clinking of cutlery and the occasional satisfied hum. It felt nice. It felt normal. It felt natural.

After a while, my mom turned to Luke and asked, “So, Luke, are you looking forward to the ball tonight?”

Luke nodded and swallowed before he answered. “Yeah, I think it’s going to be a great time. I plan to spend as much time with a certain someone.” He said as he looked meaningfully at me. I blushed and quickly looked down at my plate.

“Oh?” My mother questioned with a knowing smile on her lips.

She looked between us for a moment and blurted, “Wait, is he your mate, Evelette? I knew you would find your mate! I told you. Oh, I’m so excited.”

“Mom, no. He’s not my mate.” I said quickly and glanced over at Luke, who had gone still.

“No, ma’am, unfortunately we are not fated mates.” He said solemnly. “I had a mate once, though she died some time ago and second chance mates are rare. I don’t expect I’ll be one of the lucky ones.”

I looked up at him with surprise. I hadn’t known this man had suffered a heartbreak so severe. In many cases, when someone lost a mate, the surviving mate would also perish or become a shell of themselves.

I put my hand over his and said, “Oh, Luke, I’m so sorry.”

He smiled sadly at me and rested his other hand over mine and said, “It’s fine. It has been a few years since she passed. I’ll be happy to find a chosen mate in the future. I’m sure I could offer her the world.”

I didn’t comment on his words, but I did smile sweetly at him and he returned the smile. I glanced over at my mother and I saw she had the biggest grin I had ever seen on her face as she looked between us. I stood up suddenly and cleared my throat.

“Whelp, I guess it’s time to get ready for the ball, it’s only a couple hours before it starts.” I said. “You’ll want the time too. You need to shower, get dressed, hype yourself up in the mirror…”

“Shower? Are you saying I stink?” He asked playfully.

“Yup, uh huh, that’s exactly what I’m saying. You’ve been gassing me out with your fumes all day.” I teased back.

He smiled at me and stood up as well. He nodded to my mother and thanked her again for the food.

“I’ll walk you out.” I said.

I turned with him to walk him outside and closed the door behind us. Then looked up at him. He really was beautiful. His shaggy, blonde hair shone in the sunlight and I could see that adorable dimple of his as he smiled at me.

“It’s been really great getting to know you.” He started, “I am serious about what I said. I want to spend as much time with you as I can at the ball because I want to get to know you more.”

His words made my spine tingle and my heart speed up. How can he make me react this way?

“I’d really like that,” I said shyly. “I want to get to know you better too.”

He smiled at me again, his dimple making an appearance. Then he took a step towards me and my breathing stopped altogether. He opened his mouth like he was about to speak but he closed it.

Then he took a deep breath and said, “I wanted to know if I can kiss you.”

For several moments all I could do was stare at him. Did I hear him right? He wanted to kiss me? I’ve never been asked this before. I’ve never kissed anyone before. What if I’m bad at it? Do I want to kiss Luke? What am I saying? Of course I want to kiss him!

“Uh, I mean, you don’t have to if you don’t want to.” He rushed as he noticed me hesitating. “I just, I don’t know, really want to and I know we’ve only just met each other, but I really like you already and I thought you’d be into it and-”

I cut him off by putting my finger to his lips. Then I put my arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. My first kiss. Our first kiss. I know it’s cheesy to say, but I felt the warmth from his lips pull down throughout my entire body. He tasted of salted chocolate and berries, which was how he smelled. Who knew kissing someone could be so enjoyable? I never really put much thought into it before the Lycans arrived.

He put his arms around my waist and pulled me closer to deepen the kiss. I felt his tongue part through my lips and the tip of his tongue brushed the tip of mine. All I could think about was every single part of our bodies where they touched. Every connection turned into a volt of electricity, and when either of us moved slightly, the volt would zing through my belly.

He moved his hands up my back and around my sides. Then he squeezed the area right below my breasts and a moan escaped through my lips that emanated deeply from within my body. All I could focus on was the feeling of his lips and his searching tongue and the need I felt for him. At this moment, nothing else existed. It was only me and him and our bodies touching. I want more. I craved to have more from him.

After a few more heated moments, I heard a sound from the other side of the front door. I immediately pulled away and put my hands back down by my side. A heartbeat later, my mother opened the door and looked at us.

“Oh, you’re still here, Luke?” She said coolly. “I thought you would have left already.”

“Uh, nope, Mom, he’s still here.” I interjected. “We were only just saying goodbye.”

She raised a skeptical eyebrow at me. “Okay, well, you really should be getting ready, there is less than two hours before the ball begins and you know Luna Mora will want you there early.”

“Yes, of course.” I said, then I looked to Luke, who was standing stone still. “I’ll see you at the ball.” I turned to him and reached up to hug him.

He squeezed me tightly and said into my ear, “Until tonight.” Then he kissed me on the cheek, nodded to my mother, and turned towards the path.

I watched him walk away for a few minutes before turning to go inside. My mother followed me in and I didn’t have it in me to meet her eyes. I didn’t know why I was so embarrassed, I was 23 years old for Goddesses sake. I was an adult and was allowed to do adult things. But still, I wasn’t ready to talk to my mother, so I rushed to my room to grab my toiletries for another shower and rushed into the bathroom before she could stop me.

After I firmly shut the door and locked it, I looked at myself in the mirror. I was flushed in the cheeks and my lips were swollen from the kiss. Had I just made out with someone right on my front porch? And someone I just met yesterday. I pointedly stared at myself, looking for a change. I didn’t look different, but, somehow, I felt different. It was only a kiss, I knew that, but that kiss was amazing and way more than I had ever expected. I couldn’t wait to see him again.

“Selene,” I thought to my wolf, “We are definitely moving to the Lycan territory. There is no way I’m letting that man walk away without trying to see where it goes. It’s perfect, right?”

Selene was silent for a moment before she replied, “Yes, he is amazing. I like him a lot. He feels good to me. And Goddess, he made you feel things you never have before.”

I could tell that she was holding something back, “What? Out with it. I can tell you want to say something else.”

She hesitated for only a moment, “Well, what if we actually do meet our mate tonight?

I hated to admit it, but she had a point. It would be great to meet my fated mate, but it would also be great to leave here with Luke. At that moment, I felt caught between two desires. If only I could have both…