Forbidden Mates

Rebounds and Gothic Architecture

“Um… wanna tell me what that’s all about?” Marilee practically shouted at Eva as she came through the door.

“What what’s all about?” Eva replied as she continued walking, playing dumb.

“Don’t do that. I saw you out there with Nate, and it looks like you guys just got back from a run together. What is going on?”

“Ugh… I don’t know Mari! So much has happened in the last 24 hours.”

“Well you better start spilling, because I seriously cannot think of a single reason that you would want to be in that jerk’s presence.”

“You don’t have class until this afternoon, right?”

“Right… don’t you have class in like 25 minutes?”

“Look at me Mari… I cannot go to class like this.”

“Alright, girl. Spill it. Do not leave a single detail out.”

“I’m not spilling anything right here. Let’s go up to the room and I’ll tell you everything you could possibly want to know.”

They headed up the stairs in silence, and for some reason Eva was feeling guilty about her run with Nate. She didn’t understand why, it wasn’t like it was anything planned, but she wished she could have told Marilee about everything that happened the day before sooner.

They finally made it to their floor, and Eva trudged toward the door with Marilee in tow, still huffing to make sure Eva knew she was irritated about being in the dark.

When they finally got into the room and closed the door, Eva sighed, and fell forward onto her bed, burying her face in her pillow.

“Don’t you dare try to hide in that pillow, Eves. Sit up, and tell me what’s going on.” Marilee demanded, standing directly in front of Eva with her hands on her hips. Reluctantly, Eva sat up and looked directly at Marilee, with red-rimmed eyes.

“You’re not going to believe any of this, but here goes…” Eva proceeded to pour out everything that had happened through the entire past 24 hours, telling Marilee about her conversations with her wolf leading up to the library, trying to find the courage to go into the library to find her mate, only to be met with a letter from her mate, rejecting her. Then running into Nate that night, and feeling sparks as they collided, and then the way his scent filled her room when he passed by in the morning. The pull she felt when they were sitting on the log together and how he almost tried to kiss her, and then how on the way back she smelled her mate again as they passed the library.

“Wow… that’s a lot to unpack, Eves.”

“You’re telling me!” sighed Eva.

“So… in short, what you’re telling me, is that you almost found your mate, he rejected you, and now you’re thinking about giving Nate, the man we know and hate, a chance with you.”

“There’s so much more to it than that. And please los that judgmental stare.” Eva gave Marilee a hurt look, and continued, a little bit softer, with her eyes on the floor, knowing she couldn’t look Marilee in the eye when she told her what she thought might be happening with Nate. “I swear, when I smelled my mate, Nate’s smell completely disappeared. It was so strong up to that point, and the crazy half of my brain thought that maybe I’d already been given a second chance mate, but I was pissed because it was Nate! But even if that were true, why would my first mate’s smell overpower his so strongly? If he truly rejected me, I shouldn’t be able to smell him because he’s no longer my mate. And if Nate is my mate now, the sparks should be just as strong all the time, but when I could smell my first mate, Nate touched me and I barely felt a thing! I mean, the sparks were there, but it was so much weaker than the few times before… why would that be? And why is Nate all the sudden being so nice to me? Did he truly become my mate, and it changed the way he acts toward me?” Eva looked at Marilee and hesitated for a moment before continuing. “I’m just… I am overwhelmed, Mari. I am overwhelmed. And I feel like my heart is just shattered after reading this letter,” she handed Marilee the rejection letter and took a deep breath, looking back up from the floor, catching Marilee’s eyes. “Remember when I said I wasn’t sure I wanted to meet my mate? Well, here I am, in exactly the sort of messed up situation I wanted to avoid!” Eva fell backwards, letting out a huge breath and stared at the ceiling, until she felt Marilee sit down next to her.

Eva sat up and Marilee wrapped her arms around her. They sat in supportive silence for a while before Marilee spoke.

“There’s only one solution to this, you know.”

“Oh? Wh-what’s that?”

“Eva. You obviously need to find your mate. The one that is not Nate. Because regardless of all the weirdness going on right now, I just cannot imagine that the Moon Goddess would curse you with a mate like Nate. You deserve so much more.”

“But… he already rejected me. I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to find him. I’ve been aching for him since I first smelled him. Aching all the way to my bones. And when I got his letter I just… I felt like part of me just crumbled. Stella is confused and can’t figure out what’s going on. And how do I find a mate who doesn’t want to be found?”

“Easy. A tracker. Our packs have them. Ask if you can use one.”

Eva laughed loudly at that suggestion. “Borrow a pack tracker to find my mate?” she began pacing as she continued, “I’d be the laughingstock of the pack! No. I need to do this myself. I think there is so much going on, that I need to go through it. And maybe, if Nate really is my mate now, going through the pain of searching for my first mate, and dealing with the rejection in person and allowing me to reject him in return, will help me move on with Nate.” She sat back down next to Marilee and laid her head on her shoulder.

“Ugh. I just can’t imagine that this thing with Nate is real. I don’t personally know anyone who has been rejected… but… maybe it’s like a rebound thing? Like… when you go through a breakup and need someone else to move on with, to get you over the last guy.”

“That’s an interesting thought… I mean, that could also explain why my first mate’s scent still overpowered his. Even when you’re rebounding, you still really want the one who broke up with you… not the one who you’re replacing them with.”

“Well there we go. Nate isn’t your mate, he’s just a rebound. Give it time, that’ll all pass.”

“And in the meantime?”

“We find your first mate. Obviously. You need closure. You need to reject him back so you can truly move on. We will start at the library.”

“We?”

“Of course! This is like, the craziest, most interesting thing I’ve ever heard of in my entire life. And you’re my best friend. We’re going to figure this out together.”

Eva wasn’t an emotional person, but she felt the tears begin to well up in her eyes. She’d not allowed herself to truly feel the impact of the last 24 hours, and now, having someone sitting next to her telling her they were going on this journey with her, allowed her to truly let go and feel vulnerable. Even if only for a few minutes.

Eva let the tears fall, Stella joining in the emotion with some heart wrenching howls, and Marilee wiped each tear that fell, smoothing Eva’s hair from her face and just letting her cry. Eva only allowed this to continue for a short time. She took a deep breath, straightened her shoulders, and stood from the bed with a new look of determination in her eye.

“Alright. I’m ready. I don’t need a mate, and I’m not going to sit here crying over someone who doesn’t want me. And if they in fact don’t want me, they are going to say it to my face, and give me the opportunity to reject them in return, so we can both move on with our lives.”

“That’s right, girl! You’ve never needed a man… don’t start now. I’m with you all the way.”

“Well let’s do this then. To the library, Mari!” Eva said, throwing her fist in the air.

With that they marched out the door and down the stairs, straight out the front door without a second thought. They were women on a mission, and anyone who knew Eva, especially, knew that once she had set her mind to something, there was no stopping her.

Nate watched as the two women left the Hold, contemplating following them. He had other things to tend to, but he also knew that Eva had class about now, and she left without her backpack, meaning she wasn’t planning to attend. Ultimately, his curiosity got the best of him and he snuck out, keeping a distance as not to be noticed by them. When he realized where they were heading, he stomped his foot in frustration. Why is she heading back to the library? He thought to himself, I need to keep her away from there. He knew he could intervene, and seriously contemplated it, but was afraid if she ran into him there again, for the second day in a row she might be suspicious that he was following her. One of the things he loved about her was her sharpness. It was nearly impossible to fool Eva, so if he was going to pull this off he needed to treat carefully. He decided just to shoot her a text and see if he could distract her, or at least make sure he was on his mind when she got to her destination.

Hey Eva! I just wanted to say again how much I enjoyed our run this morning. I know you said you’re not interested in anything, but I’d love to continue learning more about you. Lunch?

He watched her pull her phone from her back pocket, then stop in her tracks. He wondered what was going through her mind, and then he saw her show the phone to Marilee. She quickly began shaking her head and waving her arms, and he didn’t have to hear the conversation to know what Marilee was saying about it. She had always hated Nate, and made it that much more difficult for him to get close to Eva. He always blamed Austin. They were good friends at one point, but it fell apart when Austin convinced the young Marilee that he was her mate, and took the one thing from her that belonged to Lukas. It wasn’t that Nate cared about Marilee giving it up, she was stupid to do it. But, after he got it and dumped her, Marilee insisted that Nate was just trying to do the same to Eva. Anyone who was not clearly her mate, was not allowed to touch her. He knew it was just Marilee’s inner Luna trying to protect those she cared about, but it was extremely frustrating to deal with. But he couldn’t blame Marilee alone… Eva, by nature, was committed to her mate. Even though she proclaimed she never cared to have one, she had saved herself in every way for that partner of hers, and that was part of his draw to her. She was genetically, physically, and even spiritually, pure. The opposite of Nate. He had bedded more she-wolves than he could count, played second fiddle to his Alpha brother genetically, and hadn’t thought twice about selling his soul for Eva and power.

After watching them converse a bit, obviously about his message, he watched Eva put her phone back in her pocket without responding. Of course, this infuriated Nate, but he couldn’t do anything about it right now. He hung back and watched as they approached the library, where he could see Eva hesitate. This hesitation gave Nate a smile, and a small feeling of triumph. He had successfully sewn a seed of doubt, and she was questioning whether she really wanted to find her mate. He knew she smelled him when they passed the library earlier. He didn’t know anything about her mate, other than that he had been staying at the library for some reason. He just assumed he must be human or something. He couldn’t believe that the Moon Goddess would waste someone like Eva on a human mate. His new friend had told him that he didn’t need to know who the mate was, so long as he convinced Eva that he was her new mate, and seal it with a kiss. That’s all he needed to do.

As he wrapped up that last thought, he saw the women enter the library, and despite his confidence, his stomach dropped a bit at the possibilities that building held.

“Wow, I’ve never been in here before… it’s huge! The crown molding is incredible. The obvious gothic influence on the internal structure and buttresses is mind blowing. I didn’t know anything in this area had this type of design. I wonder who originally constructed this building, it actually feels (and smells), quite vampiric.” Marilee exclaimed as they entered the library. She slowly traced her hand along the banister of the entryway stairwell, and continued along the window sills, in absolute awe.

“Yeah, yesterday was my first time. I hadn’t really noticed its rafters. It is cool in here. It feels very… historical.” Eva gave Marilee an awkward smile, not really knowing how to contribute to this conversation.

“Blah blah blah… I know you don’t care about that stuff.”

“You’re right. What do you mean, vampiric, though?”

“I mean, it looks like it could have been a coven at one point in time. See the finely sculpted leaves on these columns? That detailing, along with the curvature of the columns where they meet that cathedral ceiling is quite typical in early French gothic architecture. These were modeled after the Roman columns, of the Corinthian order, and vampires often adopted that popular style, but if you look closely, you’ll see other small, ornate details… Right at the capital of the column, you can see roman numerals embedded in the carvings, hidden among the leaves you can just make out bats and gargoyles. They’re hidden within the stereotypical design… humans would never notice such intricate details, and I only notice because I’ve studied vampiric architecture specifically. It’s so discreet, typically only vampires will pick it out, and easily identify a coven. I even feel like I can still smell the vampires, like the scent of blood and iron has been absorbed in the walls...” Marilee was caught up in her own world for a moment, before she turned to Eva with a mysterious smile, and continued in almost a whisper, “In fact, if I didn’t know any better, I would swear there was a vampire here now.” Eva caught a chill up her spine at Marilee’s words, and quickly redirected the conversation. She couldn’t figure out why, but she found herself both terrified and excited at the prospect of being in the same building as a vampire. She always found vampires fascinating, and had done a lot of her own research, given her interest in her ancestor, Rosemary.

“Really? All I can smell is my mate.”

“Okay, change the subject, that’s fine. So, can I ask you… what does he smell like?”

“Like… like fresh baked bread and cinnamon and sugar,” Eva started as she began wandering around the lobby area. “The bread gives me this warm feeling, like home. The cinnamon and sugar is sweet and enticing. It smells like a carnival, or my favorite breakfast toast. It evicts so many feelings, and every one of them is happy. I… he just smells like home and happiness to me.”

“What about Nate? What did he smell like to you?”

“Pine and fresh rain. Like a run through the forest after a storm. He smelled like peace to me.”

“Interesting. They’re so vastly different, even in the way you describe them. Do you have a preference?”

“I don’t know… they smell and feel different to me. But like I said, when I smelled this earlier, it completely overpowered Nate’s scent. So, I guess maybe I subconsciously prefer, and am more strongly drawn, to this one.”

“Good. I’m glad Nate is still losing. So let’s get looking! I wish I could smell him, that would make it much easier for me to help you. But I’m here for moral support, either way!” Marilee gave Eva a huge smile and hooked their arms together as she led her through the elaborate archway, into the main portion of the library.

They began walking the rows of books, Eva’s nose in the air. “Weird. I feel like the smell got significantly weaker in this room.”

“Really? Well, should we head back to the lobby and see if there is another doorway to a different area?”

“I guess so. Stella is yelling at me to hurry the heck up.” Eva laughed as they made their way back to the lobby. She couldn’t help the ball of anxiety forming in the pit of her stomach. But it wasn’t necessarily a bad anxiety, just a sense of extreme excitement coupled with nervous apprehension. She was overwhelmed by the new wave of cinnamon that washed over her as she crossed back into the library. “It’s unbelievable how much stronger it is here! There’s got to be another room we can explore.” Just as she said it, she spotted an almost hidden door in the far corner. She beelined toward it with Marilee on her heels. “I can smell him so strongly…” She leaned against the door and took a deep breath. Before she could stop herself, she grabbed the doorknob in an attempt to storm into this hidden room, only to find it locked.

She turned to the librarian at the front desk, “Excuse me, ma’am, can you tell me what’s on the other side of this door?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, dear. That area is closed to the public. And my name is Ms. Gibson.”

Marilee jumped in, with a new approach. “Oh, we’re sorry. We are students at the university, and I’m working on one of my final projects, focused on Gothic Architecture in the Western World. I’m just so amazed by this building, I was hoping to see more of its internal structure. Do you think you could just let us quickly look in this other room?”

“It’s just a stairwell to a basement, where we store decorations, books that have been retired from the library, and other odds and ends from around the building.”

“A basement? In a gothic-style structure? That is nearly unheard of, and even more impressive than an additional room! I promise, we’ll be so fast. And you can stay with us to make sure we don’t do anything inappropriate.”

They looked at Ms. Gibson expectantly, and she finally sighed. “Okay. But only because I highly value education, and I am both impressed with your architectural knowledge and flattered by your interest in my humble library. But we must be very quick, as this is not encouraged by the building owner.”

“Perfect! Thanks so much!” She led them to the door, and paused to knock three times, before putting the key into the lock. Eva and Marilee shot each other a quick glance. “Glad we knocked. I’d hate to walk in on some decorations doing something naughty.” Marilee chuckled at Ms. Gibson.

“Oh, silly me. Force of habit, I suppose.” She stated with a wave of her hand, but Marilee and Eva caught each other’s eyes again.

Do you think she seems a little nervous? I can smell her uncertainty, Eva said to Marilee using their mind link. I thought the same… I wonder what is down here… or maybe who… Can you smell him? Marilee linked back. Oh yes… it got much stronger, almost like a wall, the moment she opened the door, and every step I take is overwhelming. Marilee nodded but did not continue the conversation as they made their way down the stairs.

As they reached the bottom, Marilee looked at Eva, Vampire! she linked. I think I smell it, too, but mostly I smell my bread, cinnamon and sugar. If there is a vampire, he won’t attack. He’ll recognize us as wolves, and I have a feeling Ms. Gibson knows a lot more about this building than she will ever let on. I wonder what convinced her to let us down here?

“Well, as you can see, it truly is just a basement. No fancy woodwork or rafters, or anything else of the kind. Let’s head back up now, dears.”

Definitely nervous, Marilee linked Eva, but Eva wasn’t paying attention. Instead, she was walking straight to another door in the corner, almost in a daze.

“Oh, my dear, that room is strictly off limits. You absolutely cannot go in there.” Ms. Gibson said firmly, with a bit of a shake to her voice. “Please, let us return to the lobby at once.”

Eva continued to stand in front of the door. She couldn’t resist the pull in her heart and the howls from Stella as she screamed Mate! Mate! Mate! In her mind. She reached for the doorknob, when Ms. Gibson pulled her out of her trance.

“Young lady! Let go of that knob this instant! How disrespectful of you!”

Eva quickly turned, shaking the fog out of her brain, “I-I’m so sorry, Ms. Gibson. I don’t know what came over me.” And rushed for the stairs.

As they all made their way back into the lobby, Ms. Gibson locked the door and turned on the two young women. “I think that’s enough for today, and you ladies should go. I am very disappointed, and ashamed that you took advantage of my kindness in taking you down to the basement. The owner would be outraged by this incident.”

“Who is the owner? Perhaps we could apologize.” Marilee offered.

“Absolutely not. He would have my head if he knew I allowed you down there in the first place. Now scoot. And next time you decide to come here, I suggest you bring a better attitude.” With that, she marched back to her desk with her head held high, telling the women it was time for them to go.

As they made their way out the door, Marilee turned to Eva, “So what happened down there? I’ve never seen you blatantly ignore instructions, and you almost seemed like you were in another world.”

Eva stopped walking and turned to look at Marilee. “My mate was in that room. He was on the other side of that door. And Ms. Gibson knows something. I don’t know what it is, but I’m going to figure it out. And I don’t know why he wouldn’t come out and face me, but I’m going to get into that room.”