TWO ALPHAS, ONE MATE

ACCEPTANCE| 12

"That's okay, right? You turned and nothing happened," I quickly mutter out, my eyes never leaving Ethan's.

My muscles seize. It seems my mind has not understood the gravity of the situation. After all, I have witnessed Crystal shift earlier with full control.

Josh responds, "Lillian, it's a bit more complicated. We can explain, but first calm him. His wolf is acting up."

My body is working against me, refusing to follow my commands. Based on Crystal's and Josh's attitude, I can sense danger.

"What do you expect me to do," I question.

Crystal responds, "touch him, kiss him... do anything to him. Any form of affection should calm him down."

I swallow hard, attempting to pass down my fear. I lift my arms, but my hands cannot stop trembling. A growl comes from Ethan's lips, causing for me to retract my hands.

Crystal looks at me, encouraging, "don't worry. You are safe. He won't harm 'you'."

Emphasizing the word, you.

I muster up courage and grab the hand that is placed on my lap, giving it a gentle squeeze. Ethan brings my head closer to his. Our foreheads are touching.

Now, my breathing is labored. The proximity, the sense of danger, and my increased vulnerability has my adrenaline running.

He takes in a deep breath, moving his head closer to the crook of my neck. In one quick sweep, he lifts me up, setting me on his lap. I feel his chest move more slowly. Contemplating to move out of his hold, I decide it is best to lay my head on his chest.

After about five minutes of silence, he spoke, "I'm sorry if I scared you."

Lifting my head up from his chest, I look into his eyes, releasing a small smile. His emerald, green eyes shine brighter than ever.

I lift myself from his lap. His arms try to linger on my body for as long as they can, but he allows me to resume my previous position next to him.

Almost as if nothing happened, Ethan starts up again by saying, "Lilly, you ARE my mate. There is no mistake. Just look at what happened. I was about to lose control to my wolf, and you stopped that from happening. Only a mate can do that. Ask anyone of us."

I turn my head towards my friends, and they quickly nod yes. I am becoming increasingly confused with their reference towards their 'wolf'.

I thought they are one in the same. I am also trying my best to accept Ethan's feelings, but I am still convinced that he has made a mistake.

"Is there a reason you talk in third person because I thought you are the wolf...at least, you turn into one," I ask.

"Yes, I am, but we are different when we shift. When we turn into a wolf, our primal instincts kick in. We become more animalistic in nature. It's almost like we forget social constructs. If we are not careful, we can completely lose control, essentially become like wild animals," Ethan responds.

"But Crystal seemed fine."

She intercepts, "yeah, but I consciously shifted. I had full control. When we turn into a wolf, it's still us and we have control, but we are powered by raw emotions and instincts. We can easily lose ourselves to these instincts if we don't exercise caution," Crystal pauses to see if I am keeping up.

I confirm with a nod.

She continues, "Ethan was losing control. He did not choose to shift rather the strong emotions he was feeling were going to cause him to shift. When we say our 'wolf,' we are still talking about ourselves, but we are talking about that animalistic personality."