Sweet Charity

Charity: Chapter 12: Mates

From the moment Anthony had bumped into me Monday morning, I knew he was my mate. I also knew that he hadn't shifted yet so Lauren told me I couldn't tell him until his first shift. I wanted to. Luckily, he spent the week in detention so I didn't get to see him in class. Surely, I would have spilled. I can't keep a secret to save my life.

Layla stirs in my mind. 'Be still. Mate needs sleep,' I tell her. She responds by shifting more. 'Hush now.' I snuggle more closely to Anthony. He looks so peaceful. He's back in human form and his body is so warm. Anthony starts to stir when I snuggle closer.

"I'm so glad it's you," he mumbles in my hair. "I've been thinking about you for days."

I roll over to face him and I see he's awake. His eyes are two different grey colors. "What have you been thinking about?" I ask.

"You're so beautiful." He traces his thumb under my jaw. "What brought you to Harvest Falls?"

"I was born here fifteen years ago. I guess the pack had a different name then."

He nods. "It was Diamond Moon pack when I was a baby. They changed it when the Alpha took over. Come on, let's take a walk," he says, standing up. I blush because he's naked.

"We brought some clothes. They're behind that tree," I say pointing. He looks at my blushing face and then down at his naked body.

"Holy smokes!" He covers his man bits with his hands. "I am so sorry!" Now, it's his turn to blush. I cover my face with my arm. Lauren and I phase naked, but we do so in her house. Plus, we're family. I've not seen a man naked until today. Anthony comes back to where I am and sits beside me. "I'm dressed now, sweetheart." I uncover my face. We look over to where Jeremy and Lauren are still sleeping. "Who is she to you?"

"That's my cousin, Lauren. She's been helping me. I was raised by witches about thirty miles north of here."

"That's my cousin, Jeremy. He's set to be Alpha."

I shake my head. He looks at me with confusion all over his face. "About that walk. I'll explain it to you." I stand up and he follows suit. We walk away from our cousins. "What do you know about Jax and Amber?" I ask. I know the stories I just heard at the pack meeting.

He starts telling me the stories I heard at the pack meeting. He tells me some stories he's heard about their baby. I nod along with everything he says. I see the literal click in his eyes the moment that he realizes what he's telling me. "You're their pup?! That makes you Luna regardless, which will make me Alpha!" He surprises himself with this cognizance. I didn't have to tell him anything. He whistles. I giggle. "My girlfriend is wolf royalty," he tells me.

"I'm your what now?" I ask him, teasingly.

He turns crimson as he blushes. It takes him a second to realize he said girlfriend. He didn't even ask. I smile brightly. "You're cute when you blush like that."

He reaches over and takes my hand. Tingles slip up my arm at his touch. "Do you want me to ask, mate? Or are you good?" It's my turn to blush. We walk hand in hand along the creek. We make our way back to our still sleeping cousins. By now I am famished. "Jeremy," he almost kicks his cousin. "Get dressed, dude. I'm starving."