The Mark of the Wild Flower

Chapter 8, The truth

I jump out of her window and let chase take over. I can feel how happy he is. He is actually making me feel comfortable for once. I try to link with Lucian,

“I got her to talk to me. I am coming home to get ready.”

“Great, why?” He responds suspiciously.

“I think I am taking her on a date. Anyway, I am coming home to shower and then I will pick her up and take her somewhere private.” I honestly hope it’s a date.

“Date?” he sounds like I just told him about the existence of dinosaurs. “Huh, who knew that rock hard Fabian will me gushy. Where?” He really likes to get to the point

“I don’t know.” I imagine something romantic but not creepy.

“I know where, I’ll ask Donna to go get it ready.” I get an image of a p**n scene and get immediately disgusted.

“I am not going to mate her, she’s not 18 yet.” I try to show him the image of a restaurant with candles and food.

“She’s a human, so it doesn’t count.” If it weren’t for something that I picked up earlier, he would’ve made a valid argument.

“She’s not human… I can smell something different but she’s not human.”

“Fine no s*x but still private.” He gets it.

“Great!” I get excited and feel Chase just being free. He clearly feels like a dog let loose in a park.

I reach home and spend the next two hours linking with Donna and Lucian and approving everything. Donna is very excited and giddy about this, and Lucian seems to be enjoying this “new Fabian” as he refers to me. I also get ready, take a shower wolf and non-wolf because Chase found a mud puddle on the way home. I try to find a good clean shirt and brush my hair. Finally, the time has passed and I get to leave and pick her up.

Ellie

I enjoy dinner and relax into the conversation when I notice that we’ve been sitting here for nearly an hour, and I don’t have a lot of time to get ready. I convinced mom and dad that I am going to Phoebe for a study session and a sleep over.

I jump and run out of the kitchen. I jump in the shower, noticing a few extra bottles of things, I don’t know what they are and where they come from but decide to use them anyway. I shower using a shampoo that smells like lavender and a bodywash that smells like roses.

After that I run to my closet, I want to wear something bright or even light coloured. Upon opening it I find a few dresses I never seen before but was my size and colours I used to love. I pick a light blue dress and a pair of dark blue pumps, I’ve also never seen in my life. I find new underwear, in my underwear drawer, very expensive and comfortable but yet very sexy underwear. Fine I’ll be wearing all these things. On my dresser I find little flower earrings and brand new expensive make up.

“Where did all this come from?” I yell out of frustration.

Looking around franticly I find a note stuck to my mirror:

Hi Ellie

Since you’re now part of the pack

And soon going to be a very important member

We thought to gift you so long with things you will need.

I dropped it off while you had dinner

Please wear some of the new things for your date tonight

Don’t tell Fabian.

Love D and P

Uh, okay. Is this what happens when you start dating the estate kids. Surprisingly I am not upset by these new items after reading the note and just continue to get ready.

After that I look in my closet and find a overnight bag I’ve never seen in my life, there’s a note stuck to it as well.

We packed you an overnight

Fabian is taking you somewhere and we know exactly what’ll you need

No, you are safe there will be no s*x

Please take a cardigan or jersey

D and P

Well, that was very cryptic. At least I know I won’t have s*x. I haven’t waxed anything except my legs and pits, in weeks.

I grab a white cardigan off the top shelf when I hear a car pull up outside.

At the door I say goodbye to my parents and run out of the door before they can follow me. My mom did give me a confused look, but I think it passed quite quickly. Must be the clothes.

I run to the gate and stop right in front of the car. I look at the car and I think I can hear my heart stop. This beautiful silver Lexus RX Hybrid is in front of me. I knew these people had money but this is not the car you buy your son.

“It’s just a car.” I hear Fabian and I turn to look at him.

“Is this your car?” I am still stunned by his words.

“Yeah, the pack likes to live large, and an Alpha should look large so then this happens.” He looks genuinely disinterested in the car I am drooling over.

“What alpha?” I am getting confused again.

“That, my darling will become clearer soon enough.” He walks to the door and opens for me to get in. He takes my bag just before I try to gracefully slide in the front seat

I hear him opening the boot and putting my bag in the boot while I ponder the interior. He then gets into the driver’s seat. He starts the car, and we drive in silence for a few minutes before he starts talking.

“You’re probably very confused.” Yes, I am. He sounds serious.

“Yes. I want to know what the hell is happening, and I want to know now!” My calm façade washing away with a storm of emotion.

“Okay then let me explain. So, about a 100 years ago, a woman came to Almeria, and formed her own pack. We are the pack of Almeria.” He looks at me and sees my face contorting. “Yeah, great start I know. Have you ever wondered about the supernatural, vampires, werewolves, witches, warlocks?” He looks at me and sees me nodding. “Well in some part that is true. 2000 years ago, man and wolf came together as one in a time of great famine. For 20 years food was scarce and both of them were fighting for it. But instead of killing the other they declared truce under a full moon, and the moon graced them by making them one. They are stronger together and can survive a lot more and they eat less. Both predators survived. No, it is said that all alphas are decedents of the original wolf. But some wolves are bitten. Of course, the werewolf had to find love and then found his mate. But on the eve of their wedding, he bit her in a moment of intimacy and instead of dying she too got a wolf and then they started a race of werewolves. So, to prevent the wolf from acting like a true dog and mating everything with 2 feet and creating a whole world or werewolves the moon gave restrictions to our existence. We mate for life and if we were to be mated outside of age, we can lose our wolf. Our mate will be drawn to us and us to them until we meet and after we have mated and marked each other we are bound. Of course, you can force mate on someone else, but we don’t like it and only really do it if our mate dies. My pack and I are all werewolves by birth.” Everything he says makes me feel comfortable. Why? I should be calling him a lunatic, ha lunatic. Why am I not freaking out? I am freaking out about the fact that this isn’t bothering me. So, I say the only logical thing I can think of.

“Who is your pack?”

“All of the estate, Phoebe, Donna, Lucian, Craig, all of your friends.”

“Well, that will explain so much. So, Donna and Lucian are mated for life?”

“Yes, they are. They were drawn to each other from birth but only imprinted at 18.”

“Imprinted? What does that mean?” I am starting to sound like a 5-year-old.

“Well, that feeling, it’s like falling in love but only stronger. Sort of like a marriage that never divorces.” I can feel him glancing at me. None of this is real? It feels normal yet surreal. Maybe I am stuck in a Dr Seuss inspired dream.

“So, what happens when you imprint?” I am getting curious because I remember he kept on saying sorry for imprinting and he didn’t know.

“Well, that is a question I shouldn’t answer, since I suppressed mine for 2 years. But here goes. It supposedly feels like a shift inside your body, almost like you enter an anti-gravity chamber. You feel flushed and feverish but alive and full of adrenaline, hungry yet satiated. You supposedly feel like the earth is shifting beneath you and that you drank too much but you feel empowered.” I feel my eyes stretch.

I glance at him he is looking at me with intent. It feels like his willing me to understand. “Is that how you felt today?”

“No,” I hear a sigh of defeat in his voice. My heart sinks. “I didn’t know what I was feeling but to tell you one thing I felt like I was dying, a rotting corpse inside me when I saw you this morning. And until I kissed you, I felt this way. I completed my imprinting when I kissed you. Before you ask what it means to complete it, it means that you accept the other as your soulmate, as your forever.”  And then a look dawns on him, a look of terror.

“That sounds a little like a possessive relationship, but sweet.” Pretending that I did not see his face contort, I’m probably the last person he wants right now.

“Uhm…” his voice changes and he sounds afraid actually. “You never completed the imprint on me.”

Relief I think is what I feel, “What?” equally confused.

“Well, when I kissed you were passed out on phoebe’s floor writhing in pain. When I kissed you I relieved your pain by accepting you but you’re going to go through that again if you don’t accept me.”

“Well, that is a little quick, I thought the usual way was to ask the girl on a date and then force her to spend eternity with them.” I am getting pissed again. Am I a drama queen? I have been losing my cool all day! This whole situation sounds like a bad spoof on Twilight.

“I didn’t mean it like that, Ellie. I actually love you, but I am not going to force you to stay with me if you don’t want to. I will however occasionally drop in to make sure the bond doesn’t kill us. I’m afraid I cannot go around this. I cannot reject you because I already accepted you, but you can reject me if you want.” I detect sadness and guilt in his voice, this calms my anger tremendously.

“I don’t want to reject you, but I am hurt. I have been thinking for 2 years that you didn’t like me while I was obsessing over you, and then that I didn’t shift the earth for you. You shook my world like a hurricane and just when I built up my town you decided to rush back in and destroy it again only this time you bring a plague.” Okay I am dramatic, but I am still hurt.

“Ellie, my world is shifting. And you are this hurricane that is wrecking my mere existence.” We stop in front of a beautiful cabin. “We’re here.”

I get ready to climb out of the car when the door opens, and a hand is waiting for me. I look into his blue eyes. He really is gorgeous, and I just want to be with him every minute of every day, for the rest of eternity. I take his hand and he helps me out of the car. He leads me to the front porch. He opens the door and gestures for me to enter.

Fabian

That car ride was rather awkward. I wanted her to understand, and she seemed understanding, but I think she is still reluctant. She is very strong willed, and I am attracted to that.

I watch her as she looks around. She looks amazed. I always loved this cabin. It has a star gazing bedroom and a normal one. The kitchen is very modern and has every bell and whistle imaginable. And the bedrooms are all designed so that you could sleep in summer heat even if it is snowing outside. There is a pool on the bottom floor and a hot tub. I don’t know why I ever leave this place.

“Where’s the bedrooms?” She sounds okay.

“Upstairs, come let me show you.” I hold my hand out to her, she takes it and we walk upstairs. “This is my bedroom,” I open the first door, a very light and open room with the most beautiful shades of green. “And this the stargazing bedroom,” I open the door to reveal the glass roof that extends all the way to the floor. You can see the mountains in here. The room has mother-of-pearl shades and silver and even specs of black. I see her eyes widen and she is mesmerised. “I always sleep in this room, my bedroom is just for show.”

“And the other rooms?” She is getting curious and I realise she thinks it’s a family cabin.

“Well when Lika died, my father built Craig and I our own cabins to escape when life gets too real. I chose this spot, Lika always loved this mountain. Craig’s cabin is on the other side of the peak. He wanted to be closer to home since he isn’t allowed to bring Phoebe here until they’re 18.”

“Wow!” Her mood and feelings are so hard to gauge, “Where am I going to sleep?” Her voiced pitched at the end.

“Uhm, with me.” I haven’t thought this through.

“I am not ready for that Fabian.” Now she is getting angry, and I can feel her fear. She must be fearing s*x.

“Don’t worry I won’t lay a hand on you, but if you’re planning on rejecting me, I want to spend as much time in your presence possible.” I really do. “Your virtue will be intact.”

And then I hear her say something that melts my heart “I don’t want to reject you Fabian, I just want to wait until I’m ready.” And with that I grab her and start kissing her violently.

I grab her face between my hand and start kissing her, willing her to let me in, in her walls and her life, in her thoughts. I don’t even care if she kisses me back, I snake my arm around her waist, oulling her body against mine while my other hand snakes into her hair keeping her in my embrace. I pull just far enough to catch my breath when she says something, she puts both her arms around my neck and then whispers against my mouth “I accept you, Fabian.” And I that is where I drag her to the bed.