Warrior's human mate

Chapter 7

Laila

Silently, James came to stand next to me. I could feel his presence in my peripheral vision, but I didn’t acknowledge him—not even with a glance. He didn’t say anything either. He just stood there, beside me. I had hoped to meet someone interesting tonight, but the person who had attached himself to me was someone I didn’t want next to me.

Okay, to be fair, I didn’t know him that well. But I didn’t get the feeling that a meaningful conversation was his goal with me.

I didn’t engage with him, hoping that he would trot off. But I guess he didn’t realize that he was disturbing me. Typical. My skin prickled with goosebumps again, the same strange sensation that made me anxious every time. I couldn’t explain it, and that made it worse. Whenever I couldn’t explain something, I started to panic. And when I panicked, I either pushed it away or ran from it. Either way, I wanted it as far from me as possible. But he was persistent. I had to give him that. So even in the awkward silence between us, he stayed.

Finally, I decided to speak up.

“Okay, so your mom has assigned you to babysit me. I get that. But from all the family introductions, I couldn’t grasp one thing: are they trying to hook us up too?”

I asked, bluntly, remembering the family’s casual remarks. I wasn’t one for playing games or reading between lines. I just wanted things to be clear.

James gave a small smile and shook his head, looking down for a moment before lifting his gaze back to mine.

“I’m sorry if my family was too much for you. They’re just excited that you… are here,” he said, his tone soft but sincere.

I furrowed my brows, not entirely convinced.

“You mean they’re happy to have their house redecorated?” I asked, still skeptical.

James smiled a little with his lips, clearly amused.

“I guess you could say that,” he replied slowly, but the lack of conviction was still evident.

“You still haven’t answered my question,” I pointed out, refusing to let him dodge it.

“I’m here to ‘babysit’ you,” he said, making air quotes around the word. “You’re a guest in our country and our house. I… We all want you to feel at home here.”

He paused, and then his voice softened, taking on a different tone. “Though, after spending all evening with you, I’m compelled to ask you on a date.”

He smiled, and his sincerity was disarming. For a brief moment, I felt a sense of calm wash over me.

“A date?” I arched an eyebrow, a little surprised. He nodded, sheepishly. His bashfulness almost made him seem boyish, and it was… cute. Did he even ask girls on dates, or was it always just a casual hookup? I couldn’t stop my thoughts from drifting to the other women he’d probably been with. But why was I thinking about that? Ugh. I’d deal with that later.

“Because your pick-up line didn’t work easily?” I asked, raising a pointed eyebrow, still determined to make him work for it.

He shook his head, his expression growing serious. “No.”

“Why are you asking me out, then?” I pressed. I wasn’t going to make this easy for him, no matter how drop-dead gorgeous he was. I will not fall for his tricks, and his cheesy lines annoy me.

“You’re... interesting. Exceptional. I could even say—exquisite,” he said, his words sincere.

I squinted my eyes at him, suspicion flickering in my chest. “Big words for someone you don’t know.”

“Maybe,” he shrugged nonchalantly. “But I know it’s my gut feeling. It’s never let me down.”

He smiled again, charmingly. Something warm stirred in my chest, despite my better judgment. I wasn’t sure why, but his confidence was... compelling. Still, my guard remained high.

“So, would you come on a date with me?” he asked again, his smile widening.

I crossed my arms, considering his request. Should I agree? Yes, he was undeniably attractive—his looks, his scent, and the proximity of his body had made me funky all evening. I was surprised I hadn’t caved in already. But still, something about this whole situation made me uneasy. And that feeling was too strong to ignore.

“No,” I said, firmly.

His face fell instantly, his expression turning heartbreakingly sad. Seriously? Had he never been rejected before? I couldn’t help but chuckle lightly.

“You truly have never heard that word when asking a girl out, have you?” I teased, amused at how taken aback he seemed.

I chuckled more, but then I caught the desperation in his eyes. I felt a pang of sympathy, despite myself.

“Alright,” I sighed deeply. “I’ll agree to have lunch with you.”

I said it with a straight face, trying to keep the situation as casual as possible.

His face lit up, his bright smile returning as if he’d just won the lottery. It was a little adorable.

“So it’s a date!” he exclaimed, clearly excited.

“No!” I quickly corrected. “Not a date. Just lunch. No date stuff, and don’t make a big deal out of it. We’re just going to eat together.”

His grin only grew wider. “It’s definitely a date!”

I rolled my eyes at him, his persistence was maddening.

“If you say ‘date’ one more time, I’ll cancel it,” I warned, challendign him.

He raised his hands in mock surrender. “It’s just lunch. Two people eating and talking. No big deal,” he said, tossing my own words back at me.

“Yeah. Just lunch,” I said, narrowing my eyes playfully. “So Monday, around one-ish?”

I asked, mentally checking my schedule. Did I have any meetings that day? Would I even be free?

James

She partially stated, partially questioned the timing of our da…. lunch while glancing at me. I gazed at her face longingly.

What a rollercoaster it’s been tonight! All evening, Laila has been my guiding star, my north pole. I kept returning to her, as if pulled by an invisible thread. When she left the circle of my relatives, my heart urged me to follow her, even if it made me seem like a creep—one who would trail her to the bathroom if necessary. Despite being called away by a few pack warriors to discuss next week's mission, my mind couldn’t focus on the topic. All I wanted was to find her again. It wasn’t just my nose leading me; my heart, body, and soul were all pulling me in her direction.

When I stood beside her, I could smell the Alpha on her, a scent that startled both of us. A surge of jealousy ripped through me, and my wolf growled in my mind. I respected our Alpha, but Laila was my mate. I tried to brush it off, but when Lucas appeared, I didn’t hesitate to mindlink him, letting him know that she was off-limits—she was my mate, and he needed to be subtle, as she was human. But the nerve of him to accept her invitation to dance! I loved him like a younger brother—he was my cousin, the Beta of the pack—but my anger flared as I watched them twirl across the dance floor. It didn’t matter that Laila had initiated the dance; I was furious. The audacity of him, flirting with my mate right in front of me!

I tried to use my super hearing to catch their conversation, but the music and the noise of the crowd only gave me fragments. They were laughing, chatting, and every laugh felt like a dagger in my chest. I couldn’t stand it. My thoughts raced. Would she go home with him if they are having such a good time? The mere thought made my heart ache. The pain of rejection from my mate was one thing, but watching another man touch her was a different kind of torture. Thankfully, there was no flirty vibe between them. They were just talking. But Lucas? He laughed nonstop, always the cheerful goofball of the pack. I could never get a read on what Laila was thinking, but with Lucas, I knew. And yet... it still stung.

When she finally broke away from him and walked to the other side of the room, I immediately followed. I stood next to her, awkwardly unsure of what to say. But I had to stay close. I couldn’t let other wolves near her.

And now? Oh, happy days! Despite the turmoil of the evening, I was finally having lunch with her on Monday. Victory!

She pulled out her phone.

“Give me your number, and I’ll text you my address.”

I took her phone, my fingers tingling as I typed my number into it. Then, I pressed the call button, letting my phone vibrate in my pocket. Yes! Now I had her number. Another victory.

“Quite bossy, I see?” I teased.

She raised an eyebrow as she watched me enter my details.

“No. I’m just arranging a meeting with you. Since it’s not a date, I don’t have to wait for the guy to do… everything.”

She waved her hand dismissively, making it clear she wasn’t bothered by the formality.

I saved my number on her phone under “James My Love,” a little smirk curling on my lips. I wondered what her reaction would be when she noticed that. I locked the phone and handed it back to her.

“Okay, what’s your address?” I asked, pulling out my own phone.

She unlocked hers and began searching for something.

“I don’t know it by heart yet... Wait, here it is! I’ll copy it and send it to you.”

“Just say it,” I said, not wanting her to discover the sneaky little touch I added to her contact info just yet.

But she caught on before I could stop her. She looked at her phone, brows furrowed, and then gave me a skeptical look.

“Oh, you think you’re funny?” she said with sarcasm in her voice.

I shrugged, pretending not to understand her accusation.

She typed something quickly and then showed me the message. I blinked when I saw her contact name for me: “James The Idiot.”

“That’s a fat lie!” I protested, scrunching my nose at her.

“Do I look like I care? The previous statement was an even bigger lie, so s.uck it up,” she replied nonchalantly.

“Anyway, you can choose a place for lunch. I don’t know anything about this city yet,” she added.

I chuckled. I guess the manager’s job had got under her skin as she gave orders one by one. I liked to dominate, but I was happy she agreed to meet me. Just the thought of spending time with her, even in a casual setting, made me giddy.

***

I woke up early the next morning, exhausted after only a few hours of sleep. The headache I had from the previous night made me feel groggy, but I forced myself to go out and let my wolf for a run in the forest to clear my mind. After a quick shower, I felt a bit better.

Every Saturday or Sunday, my family gathers for breakfast. It’s a sacred ritual, one that Mom insists on, no matter how old we get. I don’t mind, though. It helps keep us all connected.

I walked down to the kitchen, slumping into a chair. My mom and sisters were already setting the table, while Dad read the news on his phone. He looked up when I sat down, his smile mischievous.

“So, James, you really are lucky to have such a lovely mate!”

He said with a twinkle in his eye. I groaned and and slammed my forehead on the table.

“My mate is amazing... just that I’m anything but lucky.”

I mumbled as if speaking with the table, though thanks to wolf hearing, they all heard me. Mom raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, sweetie, why would you say that?”

“She hates me,” I whined.

“No, she doesn’t! She’s your mate!” my mom exclaimed.

I looked up at her, clearly frustrated.

“Mom, you didn’t hear how she spoke to me last night. She looked at me like I was an annoying fly buzzing around her, one she couldn’t shake off!”

I slumped further in my chair, feeling sorry for myself. My mom had a small smile playing on her lips. It seemed like she was enjoying my misery a bit too much.

“Well, dear, I think the Moon Goddess wanted to teach you a lesson about being so... loose during the past decade,” she said, her tone playful.

“Mom!” I yelled, shocked. My sisters snorted, and Fay burst out laughing.

“Haha! This is a good one! You’re so right, Mom! Karma is a b***h, James!”

Fay was practically in stitches, while I just glared at her.

“You should have been less of a f***k boy!” she teased, shaking back of her hands in front of me. I know what she means by this gesture. We used to flip each other off all the time. But once, mom scolded us so badly that we were scared to do it again at home. We still did it though. We just called it the "read between lines" gesture.

I scrunched my nose at her.

“So she’s feisty, huh?” my dad chimed in with a smile.

I turned my gaze to him.

“I guess you’ve had it too easy with girls so far,” he added, chuckling.

“Hey! Aren’t you supposed to be on my side?” I protested, crossing my arms over my chest.

“We are on your side, dear. Don’t be silly. We’re just teasing you! The deeds speak for themselves. Besides, your dad’s right. All the girls you’ve had before practically threw themselves at you. Maybe the Moon Goddess is giving you a challenge.”

My mom was trying to explain in the gentlest way possible. A challenge. Hmm... I hadn’t thought about it that way. And knowing myself, I loved a challenge. I liked to win. That is how I ended up as a top warrior in our pack.

"Mom's right! So, how are you going to swoon her?" Dad raised an eyebrow, clearly amused.

"I managed to get her to agree to lunch with me."

I said, smiling. I was still on cloud nine about it. That’s why I couldn’t sleep last night—my mind kept running through the best place to take her. Not too fancy, but not too cheap either. I felt like somewhere in between would suit her perfectly. I had a few places in mind, so I planned to call ahead to discuss the menu before deciding where to make the reservation. I had no idea what kind of food she liked, but I knew these spots had variety, so there’d be plenty of options. I also thought ahead about what I could talk to her about. I was determined not to go blank again. This time, I typed up all the questions that popped into my head on my phone, just in case I needed to sneak a peek for a conversation thread.

"Ooh, a date! How romantic!" Fay wiggled her eyebrows at me, teasing.

"I didn’t know you had a gentleman side." She added, sarcasm dripping from her voice. I just frowned at her.

"No, she specifically said three times it’s not a date. It’s just two of us, talking and eating together." I said seriously.

"Who cares what she said? She’s your mate. She’ll come around. Go all in—treat it like a date." My dad said with a confident grin. I looked at him, unsure. This idea didn’t quite sit right with me.

"Won’t she be mad at me?" I asked hesitantly.

"No girl can stay mad if you bring her flowers and gifts!" Mom chimed in.

Maybe she’s right… but I wasn’t so sure. Laila wasn’t like any other girl I’d met so far. Something in my gut told me I needed to be careful. But, I also figured it wouldn’t hurt to give it a try.

“I guess I could try that,” I said, though my voice lacked confidence.

“So, what now? You going on celibacy?” Fay teased, her wicked grin returning.

I gave her a dark look.

“What do you mean?”

My dad looked confused.

“Well, I think Laila isn’t going to jump into James’ bed for a loooong time,” she said, exaggerating the words.

“She thinks you’re just some playboy. She probably doesn’t want to be ‘fump-ed’ by you,” she added with a pointed look.

I huffed at her. The term “fump-ed” was something Fay made up when we were teenagers, and it meant f.ucked and dumped. She’d started using it when my inner misery grew and one-night-stands were frequent enough to leave a lingering scent in the house. It was her way of teasing me about my past behavior.

“Well, you don’t know what you need until you have it,” my mom sighed wisely.

“Keep your head up, son. Laila is smart, decent, and has great values. I can feel it. She’s truly an amazing girl.” She patted my hand comfortingly, and I felt a small sense of reassurance.

“I hope she gives you a tough time!” she winked, and the rest of the table chuckled.

I groaned and leaned back in my chair. I was doomed.