My Best Friends Mate

Chapter Forty

I felt Craig stir as he quietly tried to get out of my bed without waking me. Sometimes I wish I wasn't so alert to everything around me.
Opening my eyes I see his broad back covered in tattoos and muscular shoulders facing me. He turned to look over his shoulder at me and smiled
"I'm sorry I woke you" he apologized.
Sitting up on my right elbow, I looked at the clock. 0830?! I hadn't slept that late in a while. I guess I made up for it when I woke up to Craig having his nightmare. I saw an entirely different side of him last night and as much as I hated to admit it, it made me love him more. Still, a piece of me still hung onto Ryan and it scared me that it was slowly slipping away.
"happy birthday" I said staring at his chestnut brown hair and eyes.
He leaned down, kissing me on the cheek and said thank you.
As he stood up, pulling his shirt over his head, I quickly got up and made my way to my closet. As I clenched the gold charm in my hand a wave of emotions came over me. The last time I got a gift for someone it was for Ryan and it represented me. I wanted him to think of me. Is that what I was wanting now? Was I wanting Craig to think about me? When I exited my closet, I saw Craig standing at the window. When the sunlight hit his lightly bronzed skin, he almost glistened
"Here, I got this for you " and extended the gift to him, smiling.
"you didn't have to get me anything you know" he replied taking the charm wrapped in black tissue paper.
"I know I didn't but I wanted to" I reassured him.
He smiled as he opened and when he saw the gold wolf his smile widened and eyes lit up.
"your wolf is gold.." he said looking back at me.
"yes it is" I laughed. "weird isn't it?"
"rare, not weird." he said winking at me.
I thought about how I hadn't seen his wolf and really he hadn't see mine. He'd seen me as a Lycan which I still wasn't sure how I did that and desperately waited for Gabriel to return to get more answers.
I cleared my throat.
"Craig...could you show me your wolf?"

He looked down immediately before making eye contact with me again.

"love, I'm half human. it won't be as impressive as Ryans or Dustin's and definitely not as yours "

"I don't mind" I smiled.
Interlacing his fingers in mine, he took a step closer and came face to face with me, his lips so close to mine they almost touched. His eyes closed he touched his forehead to mine.
"ok" he said.. "but first come have breakfast with me"
I was starving.
My grip tightened. "ok, where are we going?" I asked.
"to my moms.. she always makes breakfast for me on my birthday"
By mom he meant Beta Jasmine. I hadn't had the opportunity to meet the she wolf but from my quick assessment of her she was strong, calm and wise. She seemed very similar to my mother and Emily.
"ok" I said and returned to my closet to get dressed.

RYANS POV

Finally making it back to the silvermoon, I forced myself to focus on the task at hand, becoming Alpha. Arriving to the packhouse, many of the omegas greet me, clearly excited about me returning.
"the prodigal son returns"
My brother said as he stepped out of the main entry way.
I look at the wolf who was my identical twin in appearances but the exact opposite of me in personality.
"Its good to see you brother" He says to me interrupting my silent thoughts.
I extend my hand out to him and he looks at it, hesitating before finally accepting. I don't know where we went wrong but I could almost narrow it down to it having something to do with me leaving. We used to be close as children. Even after my mother miscarried with our sister, we relied on one another for support.
Since then my mother had become so fragile physically and mentally. She secluded herself and hadn't made an appearance in years. She found comfort in my father's presence at night but even then, she was just so... isolative. I never realized until now how much losing the baby affected her.
"Wheres our father?" I mind linked him, shutting out all the noises of excited shrieks and squeals around me.
Markus just nodded his head in the direction behind him. We walked together up the stairs to his office but before we reached the door he stopped me.
"Ryan, I'm glad you're back" He said
I couldn't hide the surprise on my face and it only made him laugh.
"Like I said brother, I'm not after what's yours.. and I wasn't just talking about Kiara" Hearing her name made my demeanor turn cold.
"I'm sorry, I heard about that" he started but I held up my hand.
"Its fine"
"yeah.. "he hesitated. "I found my mate" his pinch becoming higher.
This caught my attention.
"What? When?" I asked anxious to hear it.
Markus smiled and his gaze shifted to the floor. That was another difference between him and I. Eye contact.
"She's the daughter of the Red River packs alpha. We met on one of our trips to make a treaty with them. She's beautiful brother.." Hearing the love and adoration in his voice made me smile and the bond we once had felt like it was returning. I listened to him tell me about her before just flat out asking him.
"so... is it official? have you two sealed the deal?" I asked.
I couldn't think his smile could have become any bigger.
"We have consummated the mate bond"
I just slapped him on the shoulder and congratulated him. He went on to tell me about how he will be going there now that I'm back. I was happy for him but I'd be a liar if I said it didn't make me happy we had this alliance with another pack because of it. We ended the conversation and made our way into our fathers office.
As we both stood there before him, he gazed upon his two sons with pride. I knew it made him happy to see me taking my place as alpha but also us both together getting along.
He quickly briefed us on the new pack alliances, the intell on Michael and the silver poisoning antidote that Tyler and Joanna had been working on. They were developing it in the masses now and working out the quirks and side effects. Of course hearing about Kiaras mate made me think of her and rethink my decision for the fiftieth fucking time today but my father soon brought me back to reality when he mentioned the Alpha ritual. It needed to be done and it needed to be done soon.

CRAIGS POV

After we got dressed , we took Kiaras jeep to Jasmine's. Growing up, she always made me breakfast on my birthday and now that I was home for the first time in 2 1/2 years, she was pulling out all the stops. I was anxious for her and Kiara to become better acquainted. Jasmine was a good judge of character and she liked Kiara. She sure as hell liked her better than Genevieve. I don't know what the hell I was thinking dating a hunter and when I brought her home, everyone was on edge, rightfully so.
We arrived and Jasmine comes running out to hug me followed by James who while remaining much calmer, still radiated excitement.
"what's all the fuss about?" said Jennifer as she descended down the steps.
I watched her lock eyes with Kiara and their faces twist. After what seemed like a staring contest and a long pause she turned her head to me, not taking her eyes off Kiara.
"welcome home big brother" and walked away, breaking eye contact.
James and Jasmine tried not to make it appear like they noticed but it was blatantly obvious.
"well come on! it's almost ready. I'm just making the biscuits and gravy" she clapped.
I smiled at Kiara who returned one back to me and we entered into the only home I'd ever really known.
The smell of eggs, bacon, and hashbrowns filled my nostrils. The sight of my "mom" in the kitchen and my "dad"
watching sports on TV made me realize how much I missed home.
"Kiara, will you help me in the kitchen?" Jasmine asked.
"sure!" Kiara responded. She let go over my hand and stepped beside my mother who handed her a sift to begin sifting flour for the biscuits.
"you do the biscuits dear, I have to pay close attention to this gravy"
I sat down to watch the Los Angeles Angels Ball game with Dad who went on about their poor draft picks this year.
I noticed Jennifer was in her room with the door closed. Excusing myself from James, I walk down the hallway and gently tap on Jennifer's door.
I see her staring outside the window, arms crossed and a scowl on her face.
"I don't like her" she said to me with her back still facing me.
"why?" I asked wanting to hear her say it. I knew she had always had a thing for Ryan. As much as I saw Jennifer like a sister and loved her like a sister she was childish as fuck. She was a beautiful girl but damn, no one could stand her. She was entitled and acted obnoxious all because she's the betas daughter. James and Jasmine weren't like that at all.
She turned around opening her arms wide and giving me a dramatic face.
"She was Ryan. Her and Ryan were TOGETHER. You know I always secretly had a crush on him"
Yeah, there was nothing secret about it.
"I know that Jennifer but she's MY mate. My MATE. So whether or not you like her because Ryan was with her and not you, you will treat her with some courtesy." I turned on my heel exiting the room. As the door slammed shut behind me I heard her scream into her pillow.
Walking back into the main room, I see her and Jasmine talking, laughing and baking. Kiara had flour all over her face and the red rooster apron Jasmine always wore. I watched them both and saw how natural their interaction was and how finally I felt home and happiness I had been searching for all this time.

KIARA

Goddess this felt surreal. Craigs family were absolutely amazing.. well except Jennifer who didn't say a word to me the entire time at breakfast. She sat in silence as we all ate and laughed and Jasmine showed me photos of Craig, sharing stories of his childhood.
Emily was great but we never cooked together, we never did any of this. This felt so normal and well, peaceful.
They made me feel like I was a little girl with my mom again.
After we ate Craig and I walked through the woods behind his house for what seemed like an hour. It didn't take me too long to realize we were approaching the cave where Ryan had taken me.
Craig knew where we were going the entire time and he chuckled when I finally registered it.
He inhaled the air around us staying silent for a moment.
"I used to come here when I wanted to get away from everything.. I've only showed one other person. This place is very special to me" He kept his gaze in the direction of the cave but his eyes glanced over at mine. He had showed Ryan this cave.
Hoping to quickly change the tone, I jokingly poked him. "hey, it's your birthday, what else do you want to do?"
He turned to face me completely.
"how long do you think it'll take us to get to the silvermoon?" he asked.
I was taken aback by his question..
"a few hours.." I replied.
"good, we should get there by sunset. let's go" and he grabbed my hand and began leading me back to his car. He said his good byes to his family and we headed off to my home.
"Craig" I laughed lightly. "you want to go to my home for YOUR birthday?"

"yep. I want to see where you grew up" he said non chalant as if driving 5 to 6 hours was nothing. I hadn't been home since I left the first time. Ryan was there. Tyler and Jo were there and now me and Craig, were going to visit. I was curious to see how this was going to play out.