The Mating Bond

Chapter 14

I make my way over to the dumpster I had slept in. So close. I'm so close to being able to leave! Malcolm seems so sweet and kind that it does sound completely worth it to leave my entire life to be with him. Bridget is very kind too and seems to want to be my friend! I'm still not too sure about Ace though. He's been making it difficult to hide my life cause he's picking up every little lie I say. I'm usually good at lying but that's usually with my father and I keep letting my guard down around Malcolm. I cant figure out why! Is it the mate bond? Can't it kick in after I'm far away from home?!

"The mate bond is good for us. No more lies. Just truth! Shouldn't lie to mate."

Anara growls in my head. She's already fully trusts Malcolm and Maddox. If she could she'd already have his babies. Good thing she's not in control of the human side. If our wolves were in control of our human sides, nothing in this world would get done. It would just be babies, hunting and mating. A little of each is nice but nothing else would get done. Thankfully humans are the logical side and wolves are the wild side.

"Yes Anara, I don't like lying to him but he cant know about father."

"Why? He's not like him."

I sigh as I jump on top of the dumpster. Of course Malcolm isn't like father now. But what about later? There's no way father could have 2 women fall in love with him enough to each have his child if he's always acted like that. No sane woman anyway. Well, Janelia's mother did die from overdose so she wasn't that smart to begin with. I know addiction isn't so easy but she apparently had family who sent her to rehab. Twice. At that point, there's no excuse.

I open the dumpster. "Yes he isn't at the moment, but once we find out how weak of a werewolf we are, he'll surely won't want us. What Beta of a pack would? We go with him and get properly nourished, gain strength and by the time he finds out, we won't be weak anymore. Well have the strength to open up to him."

Jumping down into the dumpster, I avoid all the mysterious wet garbage and dig out my back pack. Ew. I dust it off then throw it over my shoulder. Anara growls in annoyance but says no more. She's ashamed at how weak we are. I am too.

I didn't ever actually think about Malcolm being a Beta. That means I'm also supposed to be a Beta. That's such a large amount of power and responsibility. I'm helping run the pack! That's thousands of people! How will I ever manage to become that strong of a wolf?

"Go on wolf runs every day!"

Anara quips. I chuckle. That is to cure to anything in her mind now. Not that I can blame her. It was so fun to leap over rocks and fallen tree trunks. The wind in our hair as our body danced through the trees at such fast speeds... I could do that everyday. It would gain us muscle. Yeah, I think that sounds like a good thing to start.

I climb out of the dumpster and close it with a huff. Let's hope that's the last time I ever need to be in one of those again. I begin to count the money I've got as I decide. I should stop overthinking what I'll be doing over at the new pack cause I have no idea what it'll be like there. I can then figure out a solid plan after I've been there a while and get used to what it's like. In the meantime, I need a bath. I don't want them to start smelling the dumpster. I can tell by the smell of my bag that it definitely has absorbed some weird smells. I don't even want to know what makes that smell.

I count the money i had before going to the mating bond, and what I had after selling that bag of bottles when I ran away. I have enough I think to buy some cheap shampoo and laundry soap. So that's exactly what I do. I head over to Walmart and quickly grab a basket. I don't want to be in this store for too long. It's 10pm now and they'll be closing in an hour. there won't be many people here so my scent will linger longer. I go and spend the last bits of money I have one laundry detergent, and some shampoo, conditioner and soap. I brought a toothbrush with me but I completely didn't think I'll need to not smell like dumpster. Ace would definitely question that. After I purchased those. I went into the woods and ran in wolf form to the local river. I have to do this quick so my smell does not linger.

I entered the water and shift back. I dump all my clothes in the shallow part of the water that have a new mystery dumpster smell and chuck the non fabric items on the dirt. The water is ice cold but I need to wash the garbage scent out of these. So I begin with myself. I wash myself before starting the clothes. So my hair can dry as I wash them all and let them drape over a nearby tree's branches. I don't smell as nice as Janelia's body wash but that stuff is pretty fancy so it's no wonder.

When Ive finished washing them which didn't take long cause I only brought 3 extra shirts and 2 pants with me, I shifted into wolf form. I leave the clothes there and grab the rest of my belongings. I find a nearby bush and curl up under it. It was hard to shift this time around too but not as bad as the other night. My fur will keep me warm though. I'd rather be in the dumpster but it's not as empty as the first night, so I'm stuck with here.

I've never slept in wolf form before. It's so much different then in human form. They way I can be relaxed but alert at the same time is quite an odd feeling. I let Anara be in main control as I relax. It's the first time I've let her be in control for so long. I hope in the new pack, me and Anara can be more as one. Even though our souls are intertwined and our destinies will end the same, she's still a side of me I have to get to know. My wilder side that's closer with nature. She can teach me the beauty of nature and animal instinct where I can be the more logical side with knowledge of people. Though I still need to get a hold of that last one. To be an expert at both is to be an expert at life and to be truly content. That is what were told in school anyways. If we can balance the harmony of the beauty of nature with the rest of our lives, we can get the most of life.

It would seem that right now, my life is pretty unbalanced. But maybe Malcolm can be the key that flips the scales in more ways then one. We just have to get through tomorrow. And It'll be smooth sailing from there. Right?