Chapter 11: The Morning After
1761 Words
Christopher’s POV
Last night was unbelievable.
I’d found my mate.
After years of waiting, searching, and wondering if the Moon Goddess had somehow forgotten me, I’d finally found her.
And then I’d spent a good part of the night with her in the back seat of my rented car.
Just the memory alone was enough to make my pulse quicken.
One thing was certain: now that I’d found her, I had no intention of spending my days without her. I needed to see her today. Being separated from a newly found mate was difficult for any werewolf, but for an Alpha, the attachment was even stronger.
After an early morning workout, I met up with Cameron to finish reviewing the details of a potential property acquisition we had been discussing. We were halfway through the proposal when my phone buzzed.
John.
I answered immediately.
“Hey, John. How are things at the pack? Any updates on the rogue sightings?”
“No major developments yet,” he replied. “But Alpha Steven from Lakeside Pack reported that two of his members have gone missing.”
That instantly caught my attention.
“Missing? That sounds like a major development to me.”
“Yeah. At first, a note was left behind saying they were taking some time away to visit relatives. The problem is that the relatives they supposedly went to stay with showed up looking for them shortly afterward.”
I frowned.
“So the story was fake.”
“Looks that way.”
“Does Steven have any leads?”
“Not yet.”
A sense of unease settled over me.
“I wonder if this involves humans.”
“What do you mean?”
“The rogues could be working with humans. We’ve seen stranger alliances before.”
“That’s possible,” John admitted. “I’ll keep digging and let you know if I uncover anything.”
“Good.”
There was a brief pause before his tone shifted.
“So, how’s Jamaica? Happy with the completion of the hotel?”
A smile tugged at my lips. I hesitated before answering.
“I have better news. I found my mate.”
There was complete silence.
“What?!” John practically shouted through the phone. “Are you serious?”
I laughed.
“Very serious.”
“This is incredible news!”
“Yeah,” I said, unable to stop smiling. “It really is.”
“So tell me about her.”
“Her name is Stephanie.”
“And?”
“She works at the hotel.”
“Okay...”
“And she lives here in Jamaica.”
There was another pause.
“Does that mean she’s human?”
“Yes.”
I already knew where his thoughts were heading.
“And before you say anything,” I continued, “I don’t care what the Council thinks.”
John chuckled.
“I wasn’t going to say anything.”
“Human or not, she’s my mate. The Moon Goddess chose her for me, and that makes her my future Luna.”
“I know how you feel.”
“Good.”
“What does she know so far?”
“Not much.”
“Meaning?”
“She knows I own the hotel, but she doesn’t know what I am or anything about werewolves, for that matter.”
“That’s going to be an interesting conversation.”
“You can say that again.”
John laughed.
“I’m assuming she hasn’t accepted the mate bond then?”
I leaned back in my chair.
“No. She’s definitely attracted to me, but she doesn’t understand why. As far as she’s concerned, she’s dealing with an overly persistent CEO.”
“Good luck with that.”
“I’m going to need it.”
“So what’s the plan?”
“The plan is simple.”
“Which means it’s probably not simple.”
I ignored his comment.
“I’m not leaving Jamaica without her.”
John laughed so hard I had to pull the phone away from my ear.
“I figured as much.”
“She belongs with me.”
“That’s a little caveman of you.”
“Maybe.”
“You plan to convince a Jamaican woman to move halfway across the world for a man she just met?”
“I’ll find a way.”
“Good luck.”
“I don’t need luck.”
“You absolutely do.”
I smirked.
“Go enjoy your one-night stands, John.”
“I certainly plan to.”
“Trust me, nothing compares to finding your mate.”
“We’ll see.”
After a few more minutes, we ended the call.
The moment the line disconnected, I started looking for George.
I had no intention of spending an entire day without speaking to my mate.
I’d been strategic the previous night when I insisted on driving her home. Knowing where she lived gave me options.
I found George finishing breakfast near one of the gazebos overlooking the property.
“Morning, Alpha” he said as I approached.
“I need Stephanie’s phone number.”
George nearly choked on his coffee.
“Excuse me?”
“My mate’s phone number.”
His eyes widened.
“Oh.”
“I assume HR has it.”
“Probably.”
“Then I need you to retrieve it.”
George shifted uncomfortably.
“There’s a small problem.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“What problem?”
“The HR office is closed on weekends.”
“And?”
“And I’m not technically supposed to access employee files.”
I stared at him.
George sighed.
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thank you.”
A few minutes later, he disappeared toward the administration building.
Meanwhile, I mind-linked Cameron.
Bring my laptop to the gazebo.
Working on Sunday? He asked.
Trying to.
Trying?
Sean won’t let me focus.
Cameron laughed.
Mate problems.
Yeah. He wants to find her.
Oh, I see. I’ll be down with the laptop in a few.
While waiting, Sean paced endlessly in my head.
Shortly after, George sent me her cell phone number.
Call her, Sean insisted.
I will.
Now.
It’s still early.
I miss hearing her voice.
You are a simp.
I sighed and dialed her number.
The phone rang.
And rang.
And rang.
No answer.
Sean immediately became agitated.
Something’s wrong.
Nothing is wrong, Sean.
Then why isn’t she answering?
Because normal people sleep in on Sundays.
He growled.
We should go to her house.
We are not showing up unannounced.
Why not?
Because that would make us look like stalkers.
Sean had no response to that. Fortunately.
A few minutes later, Sean insisted I try calling again.
Still no answer.
This time, I sent a text.
Hi Stef. I miss you already. Can I see you today? Chris
Then I waited.
And waited.
Nothing.
Trying to distract myself, I decided to call my parents.
They were two months into a three-month cruise around Europe.
My mother answered on the second ring.
“Christopher!”
“Hi, Mom.”
“How’s Jamaica?”
“Everything’s going well.”
“We wish we could have attended the opening.”
“I know.”
“So how are things?”
A smile spread across my face.
“Actually, I have some news.”
“Good news?”
“The best kind.”
Her voice immediately sharpened.
“What happened?”
“Put the phone on speaker.”
A few seconds passed.
“Okay,” she said. “You’re on speaker.”
I took a deep breath.
“I found my mate.”
The scream that echoed through the phone nearly ruptured my eardrum.
“Oh my goodness!”
I laughed.
In the background, I could hear my father chuckling.
“Congratulations, son.”
Simple.
Direct.
Classic Dad.
“Thanks.”
“When do we get to meet her?” my mother demanded.
“Mom.”
“When’s the Luna ceremony?”
“Mom.”
“Should we come back early?”
“Mom.”
Finally, she stopped.
I rubbed my forehead.
“One question at a time.”
“Sorry.”
Not even remotely sorry.
“She’s human.”
Silence.
Then my father spoke.
“A human?”
“Yes.”
“And how does she feel about all this?” he asked.
“She doesn’t know yet.”
“Ah.”
“Exactly.”
I explained the situation and told them a little bit about her.
When I finished, my mother sighed fondly.
“Be patient with her, Christopher.”
“I plan to.”
“Bring her home when she’s ready.”
“Well, I don’t plan to leave without her, but I’ll figure out a way that works for her.”
“And, son?”
“Yes?”
“We trust you.”
The warmth in my mother’s voice made me smile.
“Thanks.”
After saying goodbye, I ended the call.
The rest of the morning passed painfully slowly.
With the rogue situation developing, I wasn’t planning to tell the Council or any neighbouring Alphas that I’d found my mate.
Not yet.
First, I needed Stephanie to understand who I was and that her safety was important to me.
My initial plan was simple.
I’d introduce her to the pack as my girlfriend.
Allow her time to become comfortable.
Let her get to know our people.
Then, when the time was right, I’d tell her the truth.
This was a lot slower than the norm.
Normally, mates moved at lightning speed. They mated within days, moved in together almost immediately, and became inseparable.
Humans, however, viewed relationships very differently.
If I wanted Stephanie to trust me, I would need to respect that and find a balance that worked for both of us.
Even if every instinct within me demanded otherwise.
By noon, I still hadn’t heard from her.
I checked my phone again.
Nothing.
Sean was now pacing.
I sighed and typed another message.
I still haven’t heard from you. Starting to get worried. Let me know you’re okay. Chris
I stared at the screen after pressing send.
Hopefully, she’d respond soon.
Because if she didn’t...
Well, Sean was becoming increasingly convinced that a visit to her house was a perfectly reasonable idea.
Sean thought three unanswered messages constituted an emergency.
I thought it constituted a woman sleeping late after a party.
Unfortunately, the bond was making it increasingly difficult to convince either of us.
And I was beginning to agree with Sean.
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