The Contrary Mate

21 Jack

I regretted giving in to my wolf's impatient desire to meet Aura in person. She'd been obviously uncomfortable, and once she'd put her hands on him, he'd been reluctant to release control back to me. He'd been yearning for her attention for so long, and doubly so since I'd finally met her that he had been in pure ecstasy.

I sat down next to her on the grass, and she turned those pretty eyes towards me. "I think I like you better like this."

My wolf was depressed by that thought. "Sorry about that. He's just...needy."

She smiled. "It's fine."

I glanced at her. "Once—if—I mark you, I should be able to use the mind link with you when I'm in wolf form."

"Should?"

"I don't know how it will go, because as far as I know, fae mates are something that's never happened before. It works with humans, though."

She nodded, as if considering my words. "This definitely isn't your usual situation either, is it? Must not be easy for you."

My stomach was in knots. Was I pressuring her too much? "I'm up to the challenge."

She shifted where she was sitting, and looked around the wolf cave. "I'm kind of tired, so I should probably start heading back."

"Can I drive you again?" I asked quickly.

She glanced at me for a long moment. "Yeah, sure."

My wolf was pleased by that concession, and he instantly perked up after the disappointment of her leaving us again. I stood up, and extended my hand down to her to help her stand. She took it, her skin soft in spite of the calluses against my own.

I pulled her up so she was standing before me, and the pace of her breathing increased, and my focus was drawn to her slightly parted lips. I wanted to kiss her, and I would have bet that she wanted me to. But I hesitated. Instead I brought the hand that I was still holding to my mouth and kissed the back of it lightly.

She flushed slightly, and I decided I'd made the right choice, holding back. It was better not to push her.

Leading her out of my home made my wolf depressed, but as long as it wasn't permanent, I could endure the separation. The ride felt short, and when we stopped on the same abandoned stretch of highway she didn't jump out and flee like the last time. She looked at me, and my heart jumped. "When can I see you again?" I asked her.

She smiled. "When do you want to see me again?"

The obvious answer was immediately and always, but I thought she might find that too much. "Tomorrow night?"

"I'm surprised you have so much free time."

I didn't, not really. Lenora had been tearing a strip off of me for how inattentive I'd been about work lately, but I would get my focus back once Aura and I were secure in our relationship. Cementing this was more important than day to day tasks that could be temporarily handled by others. I still completed everything essential. "It's fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. I guess I can't pick you up?"

She considered. "I can be walking along the road towards town around here tomorrow at six."

"I'll be here, then." I wished I could see her safely to her door, but I'd take what I could get.

—————

The next day, I hurried through my work with Lenora hovering over my shoulder like a hawk. She was feeling less like my secretary and more like my drill sergeant lately, but I appreciated it. She herded me to me to meetings while reports, and approvals, and a million other things flew across my desk, and I dealt with them all.

I was relieved when I was able to escape, just in time to rush home while working my way through one final report on my laptop as Paul drove. Then I showered and changed, and jumped back in my car to pick Aura up. It felt like I hadn't seen her in weeks and my wolf was dying to have more time in our mate's presence again. Hopefully he would be less painfully needy once our relationship progressed.

I accelerated as I drove down the highway, scanning the edge of the road. Just as I began to worry something had happened to her I spotted her far off. As I sped towards her, I could see that she was in a light dress again, this one white, and she looked so innocently angelic I was suddenly gripped with nervousness about her walking down the highway alone.

She waved at me and my wolf was delighted at her acknowledgement. A pair of cars sped between us, and then another, and I began to worry about her crossing the road, my wolf getting edgy again. I pushed the feeling away and forced myself to be rational, Aura was perfectly capable of crossing a road by herself.

And she did, just fine, and I pretended I didn't heave a sigh of relief at her safe passage. She wasn't sturdy like a werewolf, and her delicate fae form only made me want to protect her more. I was going to get out to open the door for her, but she pulled it open herself and climbed in. "That would have been so much faster if I could have just flown across."

"Well, as long as the humans don't know, that's not possible."

She shrugged as she put on her seatbelt. "It's safer that way."

"I don't think they're so bad," I commented.

"Maybe. I don't really know any, but I've heard they don't like fae."

"They don't even believe fae exist, at least not most of them."

She shrugged. "Well, if they did, they would want our magic."

"Well, some might."

"There's a good reason why fae cut themselves off from the world as much as possible. Humans, even other species can't be trusted," she explained, her tone almost sad.

"Do you trust me?" As soon as the words were out I dreaded her answer.

It didn't help that she paused before answering. "Yes, I think I do. It's probably this bond, though, that keeps influencing me."

"You're feeling the bond between us?" I asked. I couldn't help but be excited.

"Uh, I think so? It's just..."

"Just...?"

"I keep doing the opposite of what I decide to do. I decide to tell you it won't work, I end up dancing with you. I still think it's a bad idea, somehow we're on a date. And now we're on another one. I'm sneaking out to see you, something I never would have done before. I don't do things that I don't tell my parents about. I didn't, at least, not before I met you."

Her voice was distressed, her eyebrows tilted downwards as she considered her next words.

I ignored the ache of pain that it seemed she was ashamed of me and that was hurting her. "Maybe it's fate."

She raised an eyebrow at me teasingly. "Fate? Wasn't it all a giant computer or something? I thought you didn't believe in fate."

I still did believe it was likely an algorithm, but who was I to say that fate didn't run that way? Maybe there was something deeper than just cosmic zeros and ones, because she seemed so much more than that. "Well, maybe you're enough to change my mind."