Scent of a Mate

Chapter 9

Ricky
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Well... He certainly knows how to leave a girl worked up....

It had been a long day. We'd only just met each other, so it's not like I expected him to rip off my clothes and sleep with me on the first night. However I started to think of the look in his eyes when he was on top of me. He wanted me.

So why did he leave?

I'd never met a man who saw a girl he wanted and walked away from her. I'd observed guys and teased guys for years and they always rushed to the woman they wanted. Nate wanted me then. I knew he did.

So why did he leave?

I checked my breath. Minty. I ran to the mirror to check for pimples. Clear. I smelled my pits. Deodorant. So it was nothing physical that drove him out.
I laid down on the bed and did what every girl does when confused and anxious. I over analyzed everything.

"Did I come off too strong? Maybe I made him angry when I called him cute. That's it he was angry! But he didn't seem all that angry. Then again he did pin me down to the bed. Man, that was hot."

I shot up from the bed and started pacing the room.

"But he wanted me after that! I saw it and I'm never wrong! Then again he's not like any other guy. He's sweet and funny and, too be honest, kind of innocent..."

I stopped pacing and slumped back down on the bed in realization.

"Does he think I'm a slut?"

I laid there a few minutes in thought. I looked and the bedside clock. It was already two in the morning but I didn't care because in my head there was a war raging.

No, he doesn't!

Yes, he does!

No, he's your mate! He would never think that!

Did you see how fast he bolted from the room? He was running from your sluttiness.

I was convinced. His innocent mind saw me as a hoe and couldn't stand to be with me because I was a dirty, slutty girl. That's what I get for teasing men in Robbie's bar for a living.

I grabbed a pillow and covered my face with it while I started to cry.

"He thinks I'm a hoooeee!"

With that thought in mind I fell asleep after crying for a few hours.
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"Ricky. Ricky wake up."

I felt my body being shaken gently. A wonderful, honest smell was invading my senses. I opened my eyes and saw a beautiful, red haired man leaning over me. I reached my hand out and poked his freckled cheek. He gave me a look of confusion.

"What was that?"

"Are you even real?"

His eyes widened in humor before he bust out in laughter. That woke me up real quick and I immediately remembered yesterday's events.

I was running away when a man put a deadly (and ugly) lanyard around my neck. I tried to kill myself but didn't. Now I'm at my mate's pack and he thinks I'm a slut.

I sat up in shock and looked at my mate who was recovering from his laughing fit.

"Whoo! That was funny!" He swiped a tear from under his eye and cleared his throat. "But no seriously do you know what time it is?"

Millions of questions and concerns were running through my head.

Do I get to meet your pack and Alpha today?
Will the lanyard ever come off?
Do you think I'm a slut?
Will you just shut up and kiss me already?

I sat up and rubbed my eyes while yawning. I wanted to ask him all these thing but I was just too sleepy and decided to just answer his question.

"No, why? Did I wake up too late?"

He gave me a very serious look.

"Late?! Ricky I thought you were dead! I don't think anyone has ever woken up this late!"

I stood up in panic and started to head into the bathroom.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! I was just tired from yesterday. I was actually hoping to meet your Alpha and stuff but I guess I've wasted so much of my day already!"

I frantically found a new, packaged toothbrush and the toothpaste when I heard Nate walk up to the door.

"I was honestly very concerned. I don't think anyone should be waking up at 9:30 in the morning."

I stopped brushing my teeth and looked at him through the mirror just in case he was joking. However, he was as serious as ever.

"9:30?" I asked him with a mouth full of toothpaste, saliva, and shock.

"Yeah. Nobody at this pack wakes up later than 7:30 am."

I stared at him in shock until the toothpaste started burning my mouth and I turned around and spit it out.

"So what you're saying is that you and your pack usually awake at 7:30 in the morning?"

I turned around to see him looking at me strangely.

"Umm, yeah. You don't wake up that early?"

My jaw was almost to the ground.

What kind of hell have I just walked into?!

"Umm. No. No I don't. In fact I have to admit that I'm not a morning person."

He shook his head and chuckled.

"Well good luck around here. Everyone is kind of a morning person with the exception of a few people."

Oh heeeeellll nah! I'm not waking up at 7:30 every morning. So buh bye! Get the hell out! I'll see you at 12:30pm when I wake up!

That's what my mind was saying but, honestly, I just wanted him to see me as a good mate and not a slut. I wanted him to think that I could fit in with this pack. I wanted Nate to accept me. My pack and my parents rejected me. I just didn't want my mate to reject me either. If that meant I had to wake up at 7:30 every morning then I would do it.

"Ok then. I'll remember that for tomorrow. 7:30 am."

He flashed me a smile and caressed my cheek giving my belly butterflies.

Good! I made him happy!

Suddenly he removed his hand from my cheek and looked at his watch.

"Alright, we were supposed to meet Craig at 9:00am to talk about that lanyard around your neck, but since you woke up so at 9:30 we're late and I don't usually do late."

I was taken aback. I didn't know he had plans. I started to frantically look for things to get ready.

"Oh! I'm so sorry I'll just take ten minutes to get ready an-"

He looked at his watch a clicked a few buttons which made obnoxious beeping sounds.

"You have five. This meeting's very important and I don't want Craig, the Alpha, to think that my mate has the tendency of being late."

He had this very serious business composure that was, although incredibly attractive, a little bit annoying.

"Um ok. Sorry. Five minutes."

He checked his watch.

"Actually you have 4 minutes and forty five seconds since you spent fifteen seconds standing around."

He then with that stepped out of the bathroom and looked at me expectantly.

"I'll be outside."

My mouth was hanging wide open in shock. I didn't know my mate was such a control freak. I heard him walk across the room and open the other door.

Before he left he yelled out "4 minutes 30 seconds!" and then slammed the door.