Maze of Trees

First Impressions

    "We have just met and yet you are eager to leave so soon? Are you so displeased with me that you are contemplating rejecting me?"  He said with a slight growl in his tone, “because if you are, I won’t have it. I’ve spent a long time watching you. Long enough to know you will be a good match for me.”

    At that I was surprised. How had he watched me when his scent had always been hours old every time, we had crossed it? He seemed to read my mind and gestured to the bench seat he had risen from when I had gotten close.

    “If you’ll sit down, I’ll explain everything.” He said, but I wasn’t going to give in, my stubborn brain wouldn't allow it. I needed to present a strong front from the beginning.

    “Actually, my friend Clarke has a table waiting, as well as food. You’re more than welcome to come and join us, unless you want to sit alone. I'm okay with that as well.” With that I turned on my heel, something Mefitis was not happy with. She wanted to be right beside him. not walking in front of him as though we were fleeing. Which I was in a sense. I needed to get my thoughts organized and set myself up for success at holding him off. This wouldn’t be the run of your mill mate-meets-mate type of a thing. I wouldn’t jump into his arms all hot and ready, and there would be no claiming until I was done and over with what I wanted to do and was ready to settle down, as selfish as that may sound. I didn't even know what pack he was from, his name, his age, nothing. Although he did look a little bit older than I was. My wolf, on the other hand, could have cared less about any of that, in her eyes he was absolute perfection and nothing else mattered.

    We rounded the corner and I spotted Clarke sitting in a booth ,with the sun hitting the table. Spaced out, her face turned to the sun and gazing out over the water. It was always a mystery to me why she hadn't been snatched up by some available bachelor. She truly was an amazingly beautiful woman. I sat down clearing my throat and she immediately snapped to attention.

    “So? Did you .. . ahhh, and you must be . ..?" she stammered, looking to me for direction, as my mate sat down right next to me. The feel of his arm touching mine made me jump as though a bolt of electricity had just shot through me and I quickly glanced at him, startled. Had he felt that as well? His deep laugh sent shivers down my spine.

    “How terribly rude, I’m Greyson Forsythe of the Blood Island Pack, but you can just call me Grey.” He introduced himself to us. “Now I believe this is the part where you tell me your names?” he asked looking only at me now. I inwardly face palmed myself, how rude that I wasn't the one doing introductions. 

    "I’m Clarke Burke, A’s roommate and best friend.” Clarke stated matter-of-factly. He looked at me questionably “A? Your name is a letter?"

“It’s Amberleigh Greenwood, but C and I only refer to each other by the first letters of our names.” I explained. Wait, why was I explaining it? I could have just told him my name and been done with it. “And I don’t have a pack to claim as my own, if that was your next question Grey.” I said and knew I had answered what would have been his next question because he seemed to pause and think about what he was going to say next.

“But we have a pack now! With him as our mate we join his pack, we aren't rogues anymore!” Mefitis sounded over joyed. l knew for her it was much harder to be without a pack than it was for me, she constantly yearned to be where she belonged and know what rules to follow. We were very different from each other in that regard.

    "Well, you’ll join my pack today.” Greyson stated matter-of-factly. 'We can have some of our fighters come and gather your things and have you moved in by Tuesday.” Clarke gripped my hand under the table tightly and I could feel her fear of losing me with how hard she was squeezing. I squeezed back in reassurance.

    "no thank you, that won't be happening, nor is it necessary. I have a perfectly good dorm room to stay in, and I don‘t plan on that changing any time soon." I gave him a look of defiance. "I just started college, as you well know since you've been, apparently, keeping your eye on me as you say. I want to stay on campus and I want to stay with Clarke." I deliberately left out the part about me traveling for he seemed like the typical male wolf, where you had to break big things into small doses of little things for him to be more capable of accepting it. Unfortunately, I knew this would be a battle as the way things were normally done was not how I wanted to do them. Once you found your mate, traditionally. you immediately moved in with him and his pack. You then would take part in a mating ceremony. which I had only seen a few times and wasn’t too eager to take part in it myself. Afterwards, you assumed your pack duties, whatever they may be, and that was your life. It was a life that I was determined to fight until I was ready. My wolf on the other hand was already scribbling Amberleigh Forsythe on everything and anything like a little school girl who had the hots for the football team captain.

    “Speaking of you being on campus, weren’t you going to tell me what you meant when you said you had spent a long time watching me?” I reminded him. Clarke, having just heard this little factoid, looked from me to Greyson with leer eyebrows raised.

    ‘“Wait, have you been stalking A?” She asked incredulously. “Please tell me you wear one of those trench coats and brimmed hats that all the spys, undercover agents, and stalkers wear in movies. Like Carmen Sandiego, just not as fashionable.” she waved her hands around her head as though there was an invisible brim there.

    "No no, nothing like that," He laughed, shaking his head as he did. "My father works as a professor on campus teaching history. You probably know him.” He nodded as the realization hit me. “I would come drop him off for his classes and come pick him up later in the day. We only have one car and I refuse to let him take the bus.” So that was why I was crossing his scent trail but it was never fresh.

    “But your last name is Forsythe, not Hansen. So how is he your father?” I asked trying to find a reasonable explanation in my head.

    “My father’s parents were not mated. Both their mates had passed and they found happiness with each other. When my father was born they gave him both their last names, Hansen-Forsythe. It’s a bit long so he prefers to be called by the first half of it and I chose to go by the second half of it. Though on legal documents it is written Hansen-Forsythe” he explained. Now that made sense. And here I was thinking it would be some big complicated story.

    "So, you knew I was on campus and yet never bothered to come find me?” I asked, my wolf also eager to hear the answer as to why our mate had not made the first move.

    “I had to watch you, make sure that you were someone that I could really have as my mate, someone worthy and capable. Not someone who wouldn’t be suited to my lifestyle. Although I never would have imagined that you were a rogue.” He said with a hint of derision in his voice, a tone that I had heard used towards rogues when I had belonged to a pack but I had never heard it directed towards me. I wasn’t going to explain my reasoning, he didn’t need to know why I had chosen the life of a rogue. But it didn’t mean he had to look down on me. So much for the mate bond making mates love each other no matter what. 

    "That a deal breaker then Greyson? Me not having a pack and living as a rogue?” I asked leaning back against my seat and crossing my arms over my chest.

    “It means,” He paused, and I could tell he was thinking carefully on what he was going to say next. "It means that it may take you awhile to get used to pack life and the dynamics of living in a pack.” He said gently. I knew he was trying his hardest to not offend me and my life choice as well as cover up for his tone just a moment ago.

    At that moment the captain came over the loud speaker letting us know we were about to dock and that it could possibly be a little rough as the tides sometimes pushed the boat into the dock bumpers.

Greyson stood and waited as Clarke and I hurriedly finished up the last of our food. We were going to get off, take a walk around, and then head back on the next ferry that came through. I secretly hoped that Greyson would take this one back and let Clarke and I have some space. He had told me a lot of things and I had to consider many things as well. It was a lot for my head to wrap around so fast. But no such luck, I should have expected that once we finally met up, he wasn’t going to allow himself to stray too far from my side.

    We walked away from the dock and wandered into a bike shop called Classic Cycle. We weren’t looking for bikes by any means, but it had quite the inventory. Plus it said that it was also a museum as well so it pricked our curiosity. It was fun getting to walk back through history and see how bikes had started out. A couple times I would spot something and step back to read the sign that accompanied it, only to feel my back push against Greyson’s chest. I couldn’t help but think that our forms fit quite well together, all my curves complimented and fit his body like two puzzle pieces fitting snuggly together. My wolf kept giving me ideas, some that made me blush, every time my body contacted his.

    “Careful!” He grabbed my arm as I tripped over an extension cord running across the aisle. I had been so wrapped up in my thoughts I hadn’t even been paying attention to where I was walking.

“oops, thanks. and sorry!” I said embarrassed, righting myself and continuing down the aisle. This little outing with our surprise guest really couldn’t end fast enough at the rate I was going. The museum came to an end and we wandered along the waterfront trail until the next ferry to take us back to pier 52 arrived. Greyson and I, at one point, had held hands for a short moment before I had snatched my hand back. While we had been holding hands there had been a sense of  peace, safety, and security and it was something that I couldn’t deny. I hadn’t realized how on edge I had always been, even when I thought I was relaxed, until I held his hand. I quickly broke my thought process when we approached the ticket booth. I needed to be more careful that I didn’t want to give him the wrong idea, that he would win me over and we’d be living the modern day werewolf fairy tale.

    We boarded the ferry and enjoyed the trip back to Seattle. We stopped by the flower vendors before heading back to the car. I found the perfect bouquet that I wanted for our room, Greyson paid for it before either of us could stop him. He said something along the lines of he wanted to be the only person to buy me flowers. It made me smile a little which I tried to hide but by his smirk I know he had seen it. 

    Greyson shook Clarke's hand as we started to say our goodbyes. He wrapped me in a hug, crushing my outstretched hand between us, and I couldn't help but breath in his scent and snuggle into his warmth. Mefitis was practically purring.  As we walked away from him and towards the bus stop I realized I would need to be much stronger in the future, especially since he seemed to be the typical male wolf. Once he found his mate, he wouldn't leave her alone. And with his father working on campus he would have every excuse in the world to make constant appearances.