I HAVE A MATE

6

A year later. . .

Star moved around the pack, Crescent glow pack which she had come to accept as her new home because Philip was with her and he made her feel safe only knowing that he was in the same community as her. She had continued to stay in the same room with him.

Right, she was looking after pups while they played. She was regarded as a kind of babysitter and all the pups loved her, she adored them too.  She felt very peaceful and comfortable, watching the pups move around and play, made her yearn for her own

'how about Pups with Phil?' Lisa suggested and Star could almost envision her pout. A part of her had come to finally accept him for what he claimed to be.

Her mate

But seeing as she still didn't feel a bond with him, she could only rely on the affection he showed her and she couldn't deny she had come to trust him. He helped build her self esteem and she now talk without stuttering.

It was past noon so she gathered the young pups back inside so she could prepare lunch. She decided on Rice and beef sauce.

When she was done cooking, she served the kids. 

"Luna, can I tell you a secret?", Ten years old Dylan said while tugging her shirt. 

"Of course", she leaned down so her left ear was level with his mouth.

"Luna, you can cook and I like you. When I grow into a big man like the Alpha, I will marry you" he was grinning toothily.

She looked at him and giggled while patting his head, she gave him a kiss on the cheek before standing up to do the dishes.

Some of the pack moms were coming to take their kids already and later it was just her, Dylan and John, one of the warrior twins.

They were currently playing games on the TV while she looked at them. 

                  ___________________

Too much noise in the background and no Philip on the bed with her but his lingering scent showed that he was here an hour ago, Star woke up and washed her face then went down to prepare dinner for him.

She took out the meatballs from the fridge and rolled in flour then settled down to make the spaghetti sauce while the spaghetti boiled.

"Hey you, get me a glass of cold water , I'm thirsty" a high pitched voice commanded.

Star looked up from her stirring to see a blonde girl with green eyes glaring at her.

"Take a glass from the tray, I'll get the water" Star said but Blondie was already going down the hall.

She mixed the spaghetti with the sauce, fixed a glass of water in the corner for blondie then, she walked down the hallway to Philip's office so he could come for dinner.

She heard purring sounds and opened the door to see the girl on Philip's laps trying to kiss him.

He stood up as if he had been poured hot water 

"What are you doing here and where is my glass of water?", The blond girl demanded but Star just stood there shaking her head in disbelief.

Her heart was aching and she needed to leave the room.

"Dinner is ready"

She turned, shifted and ran out of the house towards the wood to the little lake and sat down to cry

'how could I have thought we were meant to be'

She sobbed.

***

Back at the house, a still dazed Philip sat on the couch furious, guilty and very very sad.

The sadness was from the mate bond 

Guilty because he had let another woman sit on his lap without pushing her off and lastly 

Furious because the other woman who didn't know she was now an Ex was busy insulting his mate.

"Oh shut up Amber, you have been verbally abusing her and she's not even here" he said trying to stop his anger.

"How can you defend her,Phil? She distracted our moment. I'll make her suffer.

Philip was having none of it and as he didn't want to hit a woman but he was close to strangling the woman as she rained insults on his mate who was currently sad and he could feel her pain deep inside.

"Leave my office now, Amber" he was so close to snapping

Amber was shocked, he had used his Alpha tone on her and this was the first time.

Letting out a huff, she stormed out of the office and to her room which was on the other side of the pack house.

Philip used that opportunity to find Star.

Where she was, the cool breeze from the lake and the sound of birds chirping far off on trees was calming to the nerves. She felt weird.

Was this what heartbreak feels like? 

She had lost her will to cry already so she laid down on the ground in her wolf to sleep.

Thirty minutes later, she felt a hand run through her fur. Lisa sighed and Star felt at ease.

She opened her eyes and looked at Philip, who was sitting down beside her. 

'what are you doing here?' She mindlinked him.

'I came to get you darling' 

'why'

Why was she asking him so many questions today? 

He sighed in a frustrated way and looked down at her

'go and change, let's walk home'

She stood up and went behind a tree where some clothes were and shifted back.

When she came out, Philip couldn't help but think about how beautiful she looked but he couldn't touch her until she was ready so he kept his possessiveness and raging hormones at bay.

He walked up to her and pulled her into a hug, apologizing for his mistake.

She bathed in the warmth of their embrace and hug him back, pulling back to stare into his eyes, she was met with the impact of his lips on hers.

This was her first kiss. 

Were all kisses supposed to be like this, a mere joining of the lips.

He swiped a tongue on her bottom lip which made her gasp in surprise.

She liked it

He used that opportunity to invade her mouth with his tongue exploring her.

She was stiff and didn't know what to do.

What do you do when kissing someone you like?

In her failed attempt to respond to the kiss, he pulled back and kissed her forehead.

Then she realized they were both breathing heavily from their mini coupling.

Nervously she looked up; " It's about to rain, let hurry home. Dinner might get cold."

Then she sprinted away from him in the direction of the house.

He looked up and saw the heavy rain clouds forming in the sky.

She heard him walk up to her and take her hand in his.

They were up the front door to the pack house when a loud sound erupted from the sky. Star shivered in fright, it was as if the moon goddess was angry or crying in anguish. 

Philip immediately pulled her into his arms to protect her.

She loved the warmth in their embrace, he has hugged her twice today. 

'I'm already used to this' Lisa sighed in her head.

Star blocked her off to envelope this moment in her heart.

Suddenly the door was yanked open from the inside to reveal a raging woman.

"You!" Yelled Amber who was seething, she had been looking out the window waiting for Philip to return so they could catch up on things that happened while she left. 

She had only travelled for a month and two weeks to visit her aunt who's pack moved to another continent. But she stayed some few months later and didn't expect it to become a year.

She had returned to finally take her place as luna, only she didn't expect Philip had found this innocent looking b***h to take her place.

"How dare you try to steal my man!? He's mine, we're engaged"  she pointed at Star who looked like a deer caught in the headlights. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't know" Star mumbled much to herself than to her attacker. She was greeted with an earpiercing laughter and a depressed vibe came from it.

"You didn't know? How could you? You are just a man snatching whore." Amber cried bitterly, she didn't expect also that the pack members easily accepted this newbie while it took her about 5 years before they could even acknowledge that she and Philip were dating.

She hated them all.

"Amber, I already told you that she's my mate, given by the moon goddess herself." Then he turned to star..."Star, don't mind her words, they were in the past", he didn't want to do anything to Amber for old times sake and he was currently very close to snapping.

"I know but its just that I ruined your relationship, I feel guilty" Star mumbled and somehow they were already in the sitting room of the large house.

Amber stood by the door where she had been, looking at the both of them conversing and that did it.

She lunged at Star with her claw like nails aiming to scratch her face, Philip blocked her.

She was really angry now, for the fact that no words from her was heard by Philip, he now has eyes for this girl. 

She sat down on a nearby sofa balling her eyes out. Philip just gave her a once over and strutted to his office after whispering to Star that she should heat up dinner.

She went to the kitchen and put the food in the microwave and after it was ready, she dished it again.

She mindlinked Philip that dinner was ready again.

She walked to the sitting room aiming to also let Amber know but she didn't expect that she would be greeted with a slap and a snicker from her obvious attacker. She let out a whimper as memories she had buried in the past year came flooding in.

"You bastard, who do you think you are? You are classless, what could possibly attract Philip to you?" Amber growled

"You are a mistake of the moon goddess, your parents and yourself" she ranted while dishing her more slaps on each cheek.

When Star didn't reply her, she clenched her palms into fists and aimed at the whimpering girl who had received too many slaps for one night.

Star closed her eyes waiting for the contact of fist with her flesh and when it wasn't coming, she opened her eyes and looked up to see Philip holding Amber by her neck.

"You w***e! Do you think you can come back to my pack after sleeping around and expect me to marry you?!" He roared

Star quieted down and stared at them

"You left for a year, I thought you were the one, you were supposed to be gone for a month." Philip faltered a bit at the last part.

Amber was shaking her head, how could he find out? She was already crying again.

"You even had the guts to attack the Luna of the pack that means you have disrespected the pack as a whole" Philip said.

She knew what was coming next, she had seen this side of him two years ago when he had done it. She shook her head, it can't be.

It couldn't be!, Philip loved her.

"Phil, Baby don't, please I beg you. I won't do anything stupid, Phil , you love me right?" She cried pitifully but He had given her too many chances in one day, many years even.

His wolf already hated the girl. Had hated her for a long time now. 

"Amber Stone, you are henceforth banished from this pack and anywhere near it's lands. You are now rogue, left to wander alone." His Alpha tone.

Star was shocked. Being rogue was not something anyone wished for. She hugged herself tightly on the floor. Philip walked up to her and held her for comfort and he needed her scent to calm his wolf down.

Amber glared at the couple with tears in her eyes and hatred in her heart. She turned and ran out of the pack house swearing that it wouldn't be the last time they saw her. Then she left running into the woods just as the rain started to fall.