Alpha Gideon’s deception

Meeting my mate

Jesse is startled, both by the request and the unexpected physical contact. His grip isn’t painful, but it’s somewhat forceful. More than anything else, she’s shocked he’s seeking her out so suddenly. He barely knows her. What could he possibly want with her?

Her gut feeling is to refuse him, to not be alone with a perfect stranger, but this man isn’t just about anyone. He’s the neighboring pack’s Alpha. His opinion will be integral during these ongoing trade negotiations; she knows her parents will be furious if she insults his feelings, today of all days.

While Jesse feels uneasy, she isn’t scared. Alpha blood runs through her veins. She has yet to meet a man who can overpower her physically. She’ll be safe enough, that much she knows, and she has to admit she’s curious to find out what this is all about.

She answers Cassie’s puzzled look with one of her own, but gets up from her chair nonetheless, nodding her consent to Gideon. A silent look that tells him she’ll play along.

“Over here, Alpha.”

She takes the man into a separate, smaller meeting room, closing the door behind her. As soon as the door falls shut, the two of them no longer visible from the outside, he moves towards her, grabbing her firmly by her waist.

“Oh, Jesse, I couldn’t wait for a second longer to touch you. I can’t believe I found you. My mate!”

Caught in his powerful embrace, Jesse freezes. His… mate?

She’s his mate?

Could that even be possible?

He smells nice, for sure, really nice in fact, but this isn’t exactly how she expected her first meeting with her mate to go. She had always pictured she would be swept off her feet in a daze of butterflies. Get struck by a lightning strike of romance out of nowhere. Fall utterly and madly in love, all at once, instantly.

Not this. Whatever this is.

He’s not even her type. Not really. Not the dashing prince charming she’d visualized when thinking about her ideal man. He’s too short, too buff, too… flashy.

But if he says he’s her mate, he must be, right? Who would lie about such a thing?

But if he is, then… how could she not know? How could her wolf not alert her?

She reaches out to the wolf inside. Amethyst? Amethyst, what do you think of him? Is he our mate, Amethyst?

Her wolf doesn’t respond.

It’s strange and unsettling. She can always feel her wolf. Sometimes the wolf slumbers and doesn’t respond right away, but Jesse can usually rouse her awake if she tries. But even then, she can still detect her presence, detect her gentle snoring from deep within. But this time… this time it’s like she’s not there at all.

Jesse is alarmed, but doesn’t have much time to reflect on it. She needs to say something, anything. With or without her wolf. So, she does her best to rationalize the situation.

He’s not exactly bad looking; and he’s an Alpha of his own pack. Her parents always hoped she would end up marrying an Alpha, so he does fit that picture perfectly. Maybe the moon Goddess has chosen him for a reason? Maybe this is what finding your mate is always like, not grandiose like the stories always claim it will be? How would she know? She’s never met her true mate. Until today, at least.

If he is her true mate. If only she could be certain. It still doesn’t quite feel real to her.

Gideon lets her out of his embrace, pushing her body against the door. His muscles feel hard all pressed up against her, his body warm and a bit sweaty. He reaches up to caress her cheek, finally attempting to be a bit more gentle with her.

“God, you’re beautiful. So perfect. My perfect mate.”

Jesse smiles meekly back at him. A tad unconvincingly, perhaps, as Gideon hastens to explain himself.

“I’m sorry I didn’t greet you properly, earlier on…”

“It’s all just politics… I didn’t want to derail the meeting by announcing our mate bond. But I couldn’t stop thinking about you the whole time I was in that room — believe me. I wanted to touch you so badly. I’m sure you felt the same, sweetie.”

Jesse is not sure how to respond. The situation feels like it’s getting away from her entirely. He can’t stop thinking about her? But he barely knows her! How can he possibly be so certain already? Why is the Moon Goddess not filling her with the same passion?

She simply smiles at him again, feeling too flummoxed to come up with a proper response. It appears all words have left her.

But a mere smile of encouragement is apparently more than sufficient for him, it seems, as a second later, his lips come crashing into hers. His kiss is passionate, deep, prolonged. He’s not a bad kisser, but his stubble is irritating Jesse’s chin, distracting her. It is all a little too forceful, too overwhelming. His smell is nice, in fact it’s nothing short of arousing, yet something is holding her back, taking her out of what should be a romantic moment. Her mind is jumbled as she tries to figure out how to feel and what to do.

Jesse has always been in charge before. She’s the one who approaches the guys at the bar, the one who makes the first move. She’s confident, she knows what she wants and knows how to get it. Yet this time, he is the dominant one, setting the tone, making the moves. Grabbing her, claiming her. She feels like she’s merely along for the ride, letting it happen without control over the outcomes, and it feels uncomfortable and suffocating to her.

She feels an urge to flee, get out of this room. Away from him. Away from the overwhelming, arousing odour that surrounds this man.

She steps to the side, away from him, trying to create some distance so she can compose herself.

“We should get back, Alpha. The others might ask questions.”

He steps closer towards her, covering the distance she created, reaching for her hips, then moving his hands further back, caressing her butt eagerly.

“Call me Gideon. My mate doesn’t need to use titles.”

She smiles, trying her best to look coy this time. She needs to find a way to persuade him to leave her be for a little while.

“Of course, Gideon. Shall we return to the group?”

He acquiesces, reluctantly moving his hands off her body and placing them back inside his pockets.

“Anything you desire, my princess, you get.”

With those words, he finally opens the doors to the room. He lets her pass through first. Jesse can’t help but feel he does so to get a final look at her — she can feel his gaze on her even with her back turned to him. She stands outside, frozen, as he passes her, returning to the conference room. He peeks over his shoulder at her as he does so; a hot, smoldering look. But it doesn't fill her with the same desire. She merely looks at him in disbelief.

Everything is in turmoil.

Could he really be her mate?

If that's really true, then why didn't she recognize him as her one true mate before? Earlier, when they were making introductions. Is it her stubborn refusal to commit to a new relationship that's holding her back, even now her mate has shown up? Is her urge for independence that strong?

And why can't she feel her wolf? Is something wrong with Amethyst? Is that what’s stopping her falling for this man?

Why didn’t she feel the butterflies she was expecting?