Oddly Fated Mates: Freya and Atticus

Chapter Five

Freya

His ears are bleeding, his breathes ragged, and his heartbeat frantic. He's scared. And I know I hate him, I know that the sight of his blood makes me smile, but the sight of his submission thrills something inside of me. My wolf chuffs, happy. And before I know it, she licks her tongue up his face and cleans up the trail of blood down both ears.

She's . . . caring for him.

Why is doing this?

And why am I happy about this?

My heart thrums with contentment, but my head pounds with confusion.

I hate him, but he's submitting to me.

His scent wakes something up inside me, but it also reminds me of Mom and Dad, and I'm both thrilled and horrified in equal measure. I want to both howl in joy and rip his throat out.

And I still haven't decided which emotion will win out.

But clearly my wolf has.

And I hate it.

I need to get out of here, away from his scent, from his submission pleasing every part of me.

Peeling off of him, I sit under the nearest tree and frown.

What am I supposed to do?

If I reject, I'll be cast out. But if I accept, I'll be mated to my enemy.

Atticus sits under the tree opposite me, confused and pain lancing across his face in equal measure. He wants to say something—he keeps opening his mouth and closing it again. But it eventually settles on saying nothing.

Good boy.

Tomorrow, we're to move into our house together, and it's supposed to be joyous occasion, but now the idea haunts me. I'll have to live with him. Alone. And somehow not kill him.

But we don't have to actually be in love. We just have to live together and be mated. There are no other requirements.

Except to have cubs to carry on the Alpha and High Matriarch lines. Line, now, I guess.

One thing at a time, Freya. One hurdle at a time.

I shift back, my human body naked and cold, and I walk up him. Say something, Freya. Anything. "Come on." I turn and walk away, back to my house.

"Wait, what?" Atticus shoots to his feet. "You learn I'm your mate, go to rip my throat out, and that's all you have to say to me?"

I turn on my heels, a scowl ripping my face. "What do you want me to say?"

He looks at me helplessly. "I don't know. Something more than come on, I guess."

"I don't have anything more to say." I turn back toward Grandma's house. "I'm going home. I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

Defeated, that's how I feel. Utterly, hopelessly defeated.

Fate can fuck off. I'm done with it's bullshit.

***

Grandma's house feels strange the next morning. I've always regarded this place as home, but it's not now. Or it's not supposed to be. But it's so full of memories. Of Mom, Dad, Grandma, our old pet cat, Tibbles, and all my old happiness. It lives here with them.

I guess I'll just have to move on.

"Freya?" A knock sounded on my bedroom door. "May I come in?"

"Yeeeaaaah," I groan, because this is Grandma. She's going to give me some speech about how I should embrace my Fate.

Grandma sits on the bed, a gentle but nervous smile on her frail face. "I can't imagine how hard this must be, dear." She takes a deep breath and places a warm hand on my arm. "You and Atticus were so close once. Maybe this is Fate's way of telling you that what's best for you is to let go of whatever hate you're holding on to and reforming that friendship."

"I think Fate has a little more than friendship in mind."

Grandma laughs, hearty and gentle. "I have never seen Fate make a mistake before. This is meant to be."

"Do I not get a choice in all of this? Fate has always made mistakes with me. My lack of magic, Mom and Dad dying needlessly, and now this." Tears brim the edges of my vision, but I sniff them back. "Grandma, I've always been a failure, handed the opposite hand to what I think would be best. For once, I just wanted something that was easy. Something that came naturally."

Her soft hand caresses my face, her skin smelling of oil lavender oil, and my wolf purrs beneath the scent and the touch. "You have never been a failure, Freya. Whatever is happening with your Fate magic is meant to be."

I frown, confusion hitting me like a ton of bricks. "You really believe that? That my lack of magic is designed by Fate? Why? What did I ever do to her to not be blessed like you?"

"Oh, sweetheart, you're so emotional this morning. That's not like my Freya." Her eyes smile, kind and motherly. "How about we curl up on the sofa this morning and watch one of those unruly action movies you love so much?"

"But what about moving? Don't each Fated mate pair have to move in together the day after?"

"We can do that later." She waves a hand through the air, dismissing my concerns. "Right now, the most important thing is honouring the memories of everything that's here." She leans down and whispers, "Besides, I want a last morning with my granddaughter."

While keeping our pajamas on, we go downstairs and snuggle under the blankets. And after a few minutes, Grandma walks in with two steaming mugs of something chocolate smelling.

"I know you don't like being treated like a child, dear," she says, handing me my hot chocolate, "but indulge me just this once?"

I nod, understanding her needs. She needs this last moment with me living here before losing me to Atticus. And after losing her only daughter a few years after losing her husband, this'll be hard on her. Harder than I think she's ready for.

We tuck the blanket Mom knitted for me when I was young around our legs, and I rested my head on Grandma's shoulder and watched The Terminator.

One hour and forty-seven minutes later, a knock interrupts us just as the credits start rolling, and I sigh. Here we go. Time to start a new life.