Chapter 6 An Offer from A Gentleman
1262 Words
Lorelei
Two days after my ill-advised walk to the park—and the day I found my mate—I decided enough was enough. There was a Memorial Day bonfire and a feast for the whole pack on Friday and if my mate was from this pack—which she had to be, right?—she’d be there. I had to find her. Rhiannon and I had been thinking of nothing else since we saw her.
Emmett kept us under even more supervision, so I’d had no chance to sneak out and find her. He’d been acting cagey and pent up (worse than me, even) and the only thing I could think is that he was still frustrated with me for leaving the cabin. He’d barely spoken to me, actually, and his attitude did not make me feel inclined to share with him that my mate was here. Rhiannon seemed to think it wasn’t me he was mad at, so my only other guess as to what was up was that there was renewed danger somewhere. I wished he would just f*****g tell me.
We are going to that bonfire, Rhia, I told her resolutely, walking up to Emmett’s bedroom, where he’d been spending most of his time this weekend, and knocking on his door with my cane.
“What?” Emmett demanded.
“What’s up your ass, Emmett?” I demanded, hitting the door again with my cane, harder this time.
“Do you actually need something, or do you just want to yell at me some more?” I could hear Emmett getting closer to the door.
“Please just open the door?” I sighed.
This is not the best way to get him to agree to let us go, Rhiannon remarked unhelpfully.
After a long moment of silence, Emmett unlocked the door and swung it open, filling the doorframe with his large body. “Yes?” he asked, still sounding annoyed, but at least his words were a little more polite.
Might as well just come out with it. Being indirect would just frustrate him more. “There’s a bonfire Friday,” I stated, meeting his eyes.
I expected one of his patented resolute stares or an immediate shutdown of my hopes, but instead, I saw hesitation in his face, so I pushed on.
“I want to go. I want to see the pack,” I said quickly, “They’re my people, and if I’m going to rule them, I need to know them.” I threw that last one in to appeal to his unflappable sense of duty.
He looked at me, clearly running through scenarios in his head.
“The whole pack will be there,” I added. “If anyone was going to attack, we’d be sitting ducks in the cabin while everyone else is at the party.”
Emmett gave a short nod. “Fine.”
Yesssssss
“But—” Emmett cut off my internal celebration, “You’ve gotta stay within my eyeshot at all times.”
“Deal,” I agreed quickly.
He nodded at me again. “Now, please, Lore, don’t bother me until then?”
I had no problem agreeing with that either, not with the foul mood he was in.
Mate! Mate! Mate! We’re gonna find our mate! Rhiannon rejoiced in my head.
Finally. I’d been waiting my whole life for this.
`~o0o~
Azalea
Mark cornered me in the cafeteria. I was kind of expecting something from him since I knew Ivy was probably being pretty loud to the other wolves.
It hurts! Ivy complained.
I know! I shot back, annoyed. Obviously I knew it hurt, I could feel everything she could. She just huffed at me and went back to giving me the silent treatment.
“Is—uh—” Mark sat down next to me at the lunch table, “everything okay?”
I rolled my eyes at him. “Fine. Please leave me alone.”
“Maggie told me—” Mark tapped a finger on the lunch table, getting right to the point, “—that you found your mate, and it didn’t go well.”
My head shot up. “She told you what?” I demanded.
Mark was not cowed, not even when my eyes flashed amber as I felt Ivy come forward.
“It’ll be okay,” Mark said soothingly. “You don’t need him. Not if he’s going to treat you this way.”
“He’s my mate,” I started to say, “Of course—”
“Chosen mates exist,” Mark reached out and covered my hand with his own. “And— well—” he cleared his throat, “there’s always me.”
Ivy growled so loudly that I don’t even know what my own first reaction to his words was.
NO! Ivy snarled. MATE!
I ignored her, for once. Why the f**k should I mope around for a guy whose name I don’t even know when I’ve always wanted Mark in the first place? I leaned toward Mark, smiling for the first time that day. “Thank you, that means a lot to me.”
He looked embarrassed, his cheeks pink, “You understand what I mean, though, right?”
I nodded, but he clarified anyway.
“If you want, I’ll be your chosen mate. I’ve always liked you, Aza, and I’m not hung up on the idea of fated mates anyway.” Mark looked straight into my eyes, gripping my hand on the table. “If you’ll let me, I can make the pain go away. Marking someone else will stop it.”
Ivy snarled again.
Even I balked at that. “Mark me?” I frowned. “That's a bit extreme, right? We haven't even dated.”
Only mark mate!! Ivy was so angry she was having a hard time putting sentences together.
Mark shrugged, “We could always change that.”
I hesitated, biting my lip. “Are you asking me out?”
He ducked his head, “I guess I am, yeah.”
“Why?” I blurted. Two days ago, I would’ve been over the moon and wouldn’t have questioned it.
Mark sighed. “I’ve always thought maybe one day . . . I mean, you’d be a good partner for me when I’m Beta.” He shrugged.
So not very romantic, but still kind of sweet.
“Ivy doesn’t like it,” I told him. “She’s been whining nonstop since you asked.”
Mark leaned towards me, “If we mark each other, she’ll feel the same way about me as she currently does about your mate. She won’t feel bad about it later.”
That felt a little insidious to me, tricking Ivy like that, but it would take her pain away. It would take both of our pain away.
Ivy was whining and snapping at me incoherently.
It'll be fine, I assured her, I'll make a deal with you, Ivy. Let's entertain Mark. That might knock some sense into our mate, and if not, then maybe we can take him up on his offer. Either way, the pain will stop.
Ivy quieted down, thinking. Ren likes us. If he realizes we're going out with someone else, then maybe he can convince his human. . .
“Okay,” I said to Mark after a beat.
“Okay?” His eyebrows shot up.
I nodded. Ivy was still unhappy, but she wanted to get our mate’s attention in any way possible.
- Writer
