Mates?

13

*Winter's POV*

I stretched out in Ash's comfortable bed. I could see the sunlight streaming on from behind the curtains of the windows. I must have shifted back sometime during the night because I'm in my human form now. I feel fully rested, but my eyes are still heavy. I glanced around the room until my eyes landed on Ash. There he was, curled up in the corner with a blanket. Light snores sounded from him as he slept soundly.

I felt bad for him. After all, he's been through a lot. I realize now that I shouldn't have held that grudge because I'm pregnant with an Alpha's baby. He could have thrown me out like trash and no one would have judged him for it. He could've killed me and gotten away with it. Instead, he's caring for me. He's sleeping on the floor while I'm in his bed.

I stood up and stretched a little more before the nausea hit me. I sprinted to the bathroom and vomited what was left of my insides out into the toilet. My eyes watered from the burning in my throat. Soon after, a comforting hand rubbed my back and held my hair back. He whispered sweet nothings in my ear until I was done.

When I finished, I caught my breath and whispered a small thank you before getting up to brush my teeth. I made sure all the toothpaste was out of my mouth before going back to lay down. I motioned Ash toward the bed and he followed.

"You shouldn't be sleeping on the floor after all you've done for me." I smiled.

"Winter, it's okay, I'm fine with sleeping on the floor." He shrugged.

Under his eyes were heavy dark purple bags, suggesting he hadn't been comfortable sleeping.

"Please. It's okay for us to share a bed. You need to rest." I insisted, giving him puppy dog eyes.

He chuckled and got in on the other side of the bed. I snuggled in close to him to stay warm. Soon, we were both sound asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I felt someone lightly shaking me.

"Winter, you need to get up." A sweet voice chimed. I opened my eyes to see Ash above me, smiling. "I typically wouldn't wake you up if it wasn't important. You have an appointment in the village infirmary to have an ultrasound." 

"What? Isn't it a bit early for that? I mean, it only happened a few days ago." I fretted, confused.

"Oh. You don't know?" Ash frowned. I shook my head, curious as to what he knows that I don't. "Winter, Alpha pups deliver way sooner than normal pups, which usually takes about a month, but vampire children take about a week to a week and a half if the vampire is a low rank, that is if you were wondering about vampires. Alpha pups usually develop faster and grow rapidly. They only take about 2 weeks to deliver." Ash explained.

Two weeks? That is way too soon! I haven't even processed the information that I'm pregnant, and I'm going to have a pup in two weeks. Tears filled my eyes and they started pouring down my face. I made a horrible mistake.

"I'm so sorry. I know you said it's okay but it's not. I'm eighteen and I'm pregnant with a baby that's not my mate's. I should never have had him help me with my heat. I could've pushed through it. Maybe I could've survived my injuries if I just told you where I was. Then, I wouldn't have all this responsibility. I should've just been submissive to you in the first place. Maybe-" I rambled before Ash cut me off.

"Stop, Winter. It's okay. Everything will be alright. I know it will because I love you and I'll be here with you every step of the way."

His words calmed me but I didn't know what to say to him saying those three magical words because I knew I didn't love him back, at least, not yet anyway. Instead of saying anything, I kissed him softly. He kissed back but didn't let us get carried away and pulled away.

"We can't let you be late." He smiled and before I knew it, I was in the infirmary. He had used his speed to get us there quickly. I was already laying in a hospital bed and Ash was sitting beside me in one of the chairs.

"That may not be good for the baby, you know." I laughed and rubbed my stomach. It had already started to grow into a baby bump.

Ash leaned in close to my stomach and whispered.

"Daddy's sorry he made you dizzy, little one." He planted a sweet kiss on my stomach and smiled. I didn't know how to react from him talking so sweetly and referring to himself as "Daddy". Ash let out a delighted gasp and grinned. "I can hear their heartbeat." 

The door opened and ruined the moment between us. A middle-aged lady walked in with a machine that I didn't recognize.

"How are you, Queen Winter and King Ash?" She greeted with her high pitched jolly voice.

"We're great, Gladys, thanks for asking." Ash glowed.

"Are you ready for your ultrasound Queen Winter?" She asked me.

"Yes…" I managed through confusion, but tried to mask it well.

"Great! It's rare but sometimes gender is determined this early." 

"Really?" I almost choked on my words.

"Yes. Isn't that phenomenal?" Ash butted in.

"Of course, but it is a bit soon." 

"I could always keep it a secret if that's what you would like." Gladys smiled softly.

A small whine came from Ash. I let out a small laugh.

"Could you tell me, and just keep it a secret from her?" He offered.

"Whatever you two would like." 

"Okay. I'm fine with that." I agreed.

*Em's POV* 

Ash had left hours ago but it felt like days in this new place. I've stayed in the room, looking at all the strange objects he has. I tried not to touch anything out of fear it would break. What kind of human would I be if the nicest person I've ever met invited me into their home and I broke everything? 

I wonder how Ash is doing. I don't trust the others here. On my way in I saw a boy about my age, which I don't even know, staring at me creepily. Everyone was staring at me but this one boy wouldn't stop and he was with a girl closer to my age than what he was. I sat down in the corner and hoped that boy wouldn't come close to me. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later on, Ash came back in and gave me a confused look.

"Why are you on the floor? There's a bed right here." He questioned.

"I not br-break a-anything." I responded, ashamed of my lack of knowledge about words.

Ash chuckled a little.

"It's fine if you break something. I will fix it. This is your room. You can do what you would like." 

"Mi-mi-mine?" I whispered.

"Yes. It's yours. You can enjoy it later though. I want you to meet a few people." 

"N-N-N-No. They hu-hurt me." I whimpered and cowered back into the corner more.

"They won't hurt you. They're my friends."

I gently nodded. I trusted Ash. He had stayed with me last night and had saved me before that.

"Follow me." He chimed.

I arose from the floor and did as he said. We went through a few different hallways and corridors before we made it to where they were. Four people lined up in a horizontal line, looking at me. The two on the right were blonde while the two on the left brunette. 

"This is Joey, Cole, Alee, and Dustin." He introduced.

"You… Mate?" I whispered to him and gestured to them, asking which one was his mate.

"No, Em, my mate isn't here. She's talking with her friend right now." Ash responded. "Joey is actually my sister." He laughed.

I stood there, taking each of their appearances in as they took me in.

"Would you like to introduce yourself, Em?" Ash requested.

"N-no. I em-em-embarrass myself." I murmured. 

"No, you won't. They don't care how you sound." Ash smiled and turned to them. "Do you, guys?" 

"No."

"Never."

"No way."

"Of course not." 

The chime of the voices boosted my confidence a little.

"M-My n-n-name Em-Em-Em-Em-" I sighed and gave up and ran a hand through my hair.

"Nice to meet you, Em." The blonde boy smiled. Everyone looked at him in shock. "What? I like her." He shrugged.

"You never speak, Dustin." Joey muttered under her breath but I caught it.

"I love your eyes." The blonde girl cheered. "They're so beautiful."

"T-T-T-Thank y-you." I whispered.

My eyes wandered to the brunette boy who had barely spoken. He stood staring at me, still taking me in. Everyone else's gazes landed on him as well.

"Cole don't you think about it." Ash snarled.

I whimpered and cowered backward at the severity of his voice.

"How about Alee and I show her around the castle and get her some more clothes on the way?" Dustin suggested.

"That is fine. I need to deal with Cole. Joey, I need to talk to you as well." Ash finalized.

I liked Alee and Dustin but I don't fully trust them yet. They are nice though. I decided to keep my guard up just in case.

"Let's go to the courtyard." Alee proposed.

"Okay." Dustin agreed.

Alee led the way and Dustin walked beside me.

"So, how old are you?" Dustin inquired. I shrugged. I honestly had no clue. The last birthday I celebrated was five, and I have no clue how many years ago that was. "Okay, are you a vampire, or werewolf?" 

"N-No." 

"Anything magical?" I shook my head. "That's weird. A human wouldn't be this deep into the woods by accident." He wondered. 

He must have heard my heartbeat pick up and changed the conversation.

"So, have you met your mate? If you have one, of course." He questioned, him and Alee glancing at each other.

"N-N-No." I managed to say from my anxiety overtaking me.

"Okay then. We are your family from now on. We will be by your side forever." He grinned.

We reached a set of doors and Alee opened them.  Dustin grabbed my hand. I jumped a little and he gave me a comforting grin.

"It's okay. You can trust me. I'll protect you." He consoled me.

I felt my anxiety melt away and my guard go down. Then I spotted him. The guy who doesn't know how to stop staring at me. His short brown hair and his green eyes. That creepy smile sent a shiver down my spine. I physically shivered and Dustin gave me a questioning look. I glanced and Dustin then at him. It was only then I noticed he had snuck up on us and that his fangs were out.

"You smell good." He smirked.

"Liam, back up, you're scaring her." Dustin warned.

"She's my mate. I just know it." He grinned again. 

My stomach tightened into a knot. I don't like his vibe.

"N-N-No. I not your m-m-m-mate." I quivered.

"Oh, the things I'll do to you." He dreamed.

Then he received a hard punch to his face. Dustin began beating him senseless and shoving him away from me. At one point he tried to bite Dustin and Dustin bit him. The boy slumped to the ground and started flailing. 

"Stop! Stop! I'll leave her alone!" He pleaded.

Dustin backed off and walked back toward me.

"You don't want him as a mate." He dejected. "He's scum. You deserve better." 

"Okay." I agreed.

The boy stood and walked back to his little cottage with a scowl. 

"Okay… let's go get some clothes for Em!" Alee exclaimed.

"Yeah… let's do that." Dustin grunted. 

Power rolled off of Dustin and anger seeped through him. I grabbed his hand and gave him a small smile. He smiled back and he squeezed my hand lightly. 

“I l-like y-y-your hair.” I muttered. 

He grinned brightly and his eyes lit up. 

“Thank you. I love yours.” He complimented and rubbed a lock of my red hair in between his fingers.  

*Dustin’s POV* 

Alee and I always wanted a kid. Specifically a daughter. Ash told us about Em and our hearts broke. We wanted to take her in as ours, and Ash accepted our offer. Em doesn’t know yet. We haven’t talked about when to tell her- or ask her rather if she wants us to be her parents.

The moment Liam laid eyes on her I knew he was a dead man. I don’t want him anywhere around her. I’m assuming she is around fourteen at most. He is sixteen, and I’ve seen first hand what he thinks of his love interests. Dylan is completely miserable.

Alee is scared to talk to Em and say the wrong thing so I offered to get her to open up first. Ash's mind linked me earlier and said she sat on the floor because she didn’t want to break anything. I didn't know her full story, only she does. She is the only one who can tell us about her life. 

I hope she likes me, I really do. I want to be there for her. Alee does too. Before I knew it, we had arrived at Jules' place. She has all the clothing for the pets but she also sells better clothes, for the vampires. I walked in the small store that was really just an extra house. Em hid behind me and I let her because I know what it is like to be shy.

“Queen Alee and King Dustin, it’s weird seeing you here. Anything I can help you with?” Jules greeted.

“Actually, we are here to buy some things.” Alee explained.

“Really? Usually Masters come with their pets to pick out for their preferences.” Jules gave a strange look while obnoxiously chewing on her gum. 

“Well, she actually is reserved for the royal family.” Alee clarified,

“Oh. I didn’t know and I promise you I'm not judging.” Jules shrugged.

Alee gave her a confused look. Poor thing. She’s too innocent for this world.

“She meant she won’t have a Master. She’s becoming part of the royal family.” I corrected and I gave Alee a look that meant that I would explain later.

“Well okay. Where is she? You guys know that I need her here to measure her, right?”

I moved a little out of the way so she could see Em. She barely peeked out from behind my back and gave a hesitant gaze. Jules melted when she saw her. 

“Awe. She’s so adorable.” Jules cooed. 

"H-hi." She whispered softly.

"Hello. I'm Jules." She introduced.

"I-I'm Em." She smiled and shook Jules' hand.

"Well, Em, go through everything and find things you like. Don't worry about the price. You look like you would wear a small, so go for that section. Alee and Dustin will help you." Jules instructed.

*Dylan’s POV*

“I-I’m what?” I managed. 

“He said you’re in heat.” Liam snarled.

“I swear I don’t know who my mate is.” I pleaded.

“As far as I’m concerned, I’m your mate, but I’m not helping your heat. You can deal with it.” He stated and turned to Declan. “Now what was this agreement you wanted to propose?” 

“I was wondering if we could maybe… share Dylan?” Declan inquired, glancing at me.

Liam’s face contorted into fury. 

“You really think I’m going to fall for that? She has a crush on you already, which she has to face punishment for. You really think that’s going to happen?” He growled furiously. 

“Liam, calm down.” Cole ordered.

“Calm down? How can you want me to calm down? My pet is in heat and this string bean wants to play with her!” He shouted.

Declan let out a low growl and clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. 

“He gave you an order. I’m new to this pack and I already know to listen to the higher ups. He’s like your Alpha. You're supposed to listen to him.” Declan informed, stepping closer to him. 

“You wanna fight me? Go ahead, say the word.” Silence. “What’s wrong, you scared, string bean?”

“I don’t wanna fight you. Not because I’m scared, but because I know Vampires are stronger than Werewolves.” 

“Okay, enough you two. We don’t need this right now. Declan, good job keeping your cool. Liam, you need to chill.” Joey demanded, steeping in between them. 

“I love it when a woman takes charge.” Liam smirked, showing his fangs a little. 

In a blink of an eye, Liam was whisked away by his neck. Cole did not like what he had said. 

*Ash's POV* 

I gripped the bag of blood tighter as I sucked the blood faster. I felt so weak. I hadn't had s*x or done any s****l activities since I found Winter. I plan to keep things this way until she's ready. Right now, she's with Declan, just hanging out with him. Meanwhile, I'm drinking blood like there's no tomorrow.

I want Winter to feel safe here. She needs to feel safe in my presence. I love her so much. I imagined I was drinking from Winter as I drained the bag of blood. When I drink from someone, I can make them feel whatever I want them to. Hence why she felt lust when I bit her in the woods.

I pretended I could hear her moans and I bit my lip. Drinking even quicker than before, I started rubbing myself through my jeans. Just with the small touch, I could feel myself getting stronger. I kept going and let out quiet moans every now and then. I quickly imagined my hand was Winter's and I instantly became more turned on.

"Ash?" I stopped when I heard her. 

I. Am. Screwed. I turned around slowly and made eye contact with her.

"Hi, Winter." I whispered ever so quietly.

"What're you doing?" She asked.

I don't wanna lie to her, but I will be terribly embarrassed if I tell the truth.

"I was just drinking some blood." I shrugged.

"That's not what your lower half says." She commented.

"Okay… so I may have been doing something else but in my defense, I'm slowly dying." I defended myself.

"I understand but you may wanna take care of that." She said and motioned to the tent in my pants.

“Uh… yeah, I was planning on it.” I blushed furiously.

Winter just smiled and walked back to where she came from. I felt so embarrassed.

*Declan’s POV*

“Declan, I still want to go through with the plan. I don’t care if I’m pregnant.” Winter informed, sitting down on my bed.

“Okay. I’ll tell Alpha X.” I responded, quickly mind-linking him.

He didn’t agree, but knew Winter and how she wasn’t going to give up, so he finally said he would continue with the original plan. 

“He caved.” I grinned. 

“Is the plan still the same? I get ahold of Grant and he helps transport them to Xavier?” She restated our previous and still current plan.

"Yes." I simply replied. 

I could tell Winter had been acting different since she found out about the baby. I was honestly concerned.

"Did you ever think you would have pups one day?" I asked, fiddling with the hem of my shirt.

"No. I still can't believe I'm having one. Especially since it's not my mate's." She frowned.

"What're you gonna name it?" I asked curiously.

"I wanted it to be named after my parents, so I thought about using their middle names. If it's a boy; Tate. If it's a girl; Phoenix." She smiled as if she was reliving a memory.

"I like those names. How's it going with you and Ash?" I questioned.

"Good I guess. It's going to be hard leaving him. I mean, he's been so sweet to me lately, but I still despise his kind and I know what he's capable of." He shrugged.

“I mean, it’s for your own safety.” I mumbled.

“I should go.” She muttered and stood before quickly walking out of my room. 

I huffed from exhaustion and stood, stretching a little. I decided going on a run in wolf form would be a good idea before it got dark and my wolf hadn’t been out for a few days. I opened my door and started down the long hallways, admiring the small decorations and the things I hadn’t taken time to notice. Like the dent in the floor, which had seemed to have been there for awhile but had been neglected in the minds of others. I heard voices coming from a connecting hallway and I panicked. I just kept walking with my head down, hoping it wasn’t Liam. I know if we are ever together alone, he would literally kill me. 

“Hey Declan!” Dustin exclaimed and I looked up to see the girl I’ve taken an interest in. Her hair is a bright red that I just dream of touching. Her big green eyes held so many secrets that I wanted to know desperately. Her small figure is just perfect… everything about her is perfect. “Have you met Em yet?” 

“Uh… um… no, not yet.” I sheepishly responded while scratching the back of my neck.

Great, Declan, that was a memorable response. I am so awkward.

“Well, Declan, this is Em. Em, this is Declan.” Alee introduced.

Her large emerald eyes looked up at me and she cowered once we made eye contact. I felt a little hurt but understood because of all the rumors I had heard about her. I got down on my knees so I wouldn’t seem as scary or intimidating. I took her small hand in mine and she hesitantly looked at me again.

“See, I’m not that scary, huh?” I cooed, rubbing her hand tenderly. 

She shook her head gently. 

“There was a little run in with Liam earlier after you, Joey, and Cole left.” Alee said.

“That’s not really surprising to me. He tried to fight me earlier. What was it about?” 

“He was convinced that Em was his mate. Which, isn’t probably the case anyways.” Dustin rolled his eyes.

I don’t know why, but deep down inside me, I felt jealous. I mean, she’s just a girl. A girl that I can’t help but be attracted to. We locked eyes again and I gave her a tiny smile. 

“Even though I don’t know much about you, I know that you deserve better than Liam.” I informed.

“T-T-T-Thank you, D-D-D-Decl-l-lan.” She spoke.

My heart melted when she said my name. It just felt right. Everything felt right with her.