Origin

Chapter 26-"Your soul, your body, your love are mine."

I was taught to be on guard, keep my head high and always be aware of the man behind you, a friend or foe, he may hold the knife to end your life. The air can be quiet, unexpected weather may approach before the lighting strikes your house. 

As I walked towards the main Raven home, to greet Sebastian after my journey, I worried how Zari would handle information given to me about mates. She was quiet, buying her time; she didn't stir or make sarcastic comments, no anger radiating from her thoughts. 

I opened the door with a heavy heart. The house smelled like a home, scented vanilla candles lit up the corridor. Lily pedals colored the floor in white, green and yellow. I smiled, following the trail to the backyard. Greeted with twinkling lights and table full of gummy bears, deer chunks and a salad bowl. 

I stepped down the stairs, sensing Sebastian behind me. "Welcome home." He said. 

I turned to smile up at him. "You made dinner." 

He chuckled. "I made breakfast, lunch and two dinners. I thought you would have been back sooner." 

"Oh, sorry. I slept at our house and did some thinking. Is everyone on the hunt?"

He took a deep breath. "Yes. Nick and I took the tunnels back to catch a break from the constant complaining." 

I tugged on his purple button down shirt and pants. "I feel like I should change my clothes." 

"You are fine." He interlocked our fingers and pulled me towards the table. "The deer may be cold, but I can warm it up." 

"Who taught you how to make salad?" 

"Sarmia gave me more than one tip." He teased. 

"Oh first name bases. Did you make a friend?" I put a fork inside the salad bowl, trying it. He seasoned it well: chopped lettuce, radishes, onions, peppers topped with shredded cheese and a sweet dressing I could not place. 

"What did you use for the dressing?"

"A Nomad secret." He smiled. "Do you like it?" 

I nodded. "I do, you did a wonderful job. A gold star." 

He chuckled, pulling out the chair for me. "So lets talk." 

I sat down, blushing. "Okay." 

He sat across from me, grabbing a bag of gummy bears. "I hope you don't mind. I stole your stash from under your bed." 

"I knew these looked familiar." I made a plate for myself. "Are you still trying to prove you are a romantic?" 

He shrugged. "I realized you come from a completely different world than I do. When we first met, I thought White Bear was weak, unorganized and destined to die out within five years." 

"Okay, waiting for the good part." 

"But, I realized having the ability to kill someone doesn't make you strong. Love and people you surround yourself around make you strong. I think I forgot that somewhere along the way. White Bear is secretly terrifying by the amount of possible ways to kill a man with a set of berries." 

I giggled, nodding in agreement. "You aren't the only one. The ones who stayed behind to be with their mates are settling in. A couple of White Bears did run from the Raven but I'm sure they will figure it out." 

I began to eat.

"I didn't pressure you...did I?" He avoided my eyes, nervous about my answer. "I keep trying to remember, but all I see is us after we had sex. It's the one thing that is still fuzzy to me."