Ready Or Not, Here I Come

The Real Mate

We ran as fast as we could, tearing over the soft ground, not even feeling tired after miles went by, even though a few days ago, even the thought of running all of these miles would have tired me out so much that I would have grabbed some fast food, a pop, and sat down on the couch.

However, now that I knew the psychopath behind the guy that tried to pass himself off as my mate, I was more than ready to run away from the possibility of eternal servitude. Or whatever Alpha Carter had cooked up for me.

In other words, I was going to escape whatever fake fate Carter had had set up for me. 

With three long strides, I managed to make it over a shallow creek. Four more strides, and I began to smell the other pack- the 'rogues'.

Gratefully, I lengthened my strides into the sprinting pace of a wolf that covered miles in seconds. With two final bounds, I managed to make it to the front door of the pack house, where I promptly collapsed and started to hyperventilate, what Carter said finally sinking into my head.

He declared war.

Was that war on me, all by my little lonesome, or me and my mate?

I had a sinking feeling that it was the latter. Wonderful. I could now push my bad luck to other people. Or rather, I could share it, as that was what I would be doing. Sharing my fate with them.

Trying desperately to slow my breathing before anyone showed up (which I was surprised that no one had yet, considering how rogues were hunted down and killed, thus making them watch their backs very closely), I closed my eyes and curled up into a miserable ball of fur.

I stayed that way when the door opened and a startled boy kicked me, half-fearful, half-protective. I gave a weak snarl, unfurling slightly with diluted anger, and he gasped, going back inside the house- not fearful, but not feeling strong enough to deal with me on his own. I returned to my balled up condition, not even caring when someone came back out. Either they would kill me, or they would bring me to Mason. Better yet, Mason would come to me.

I heard someone bend down, and I immediately knew who it was. Good. I could test my theory.

I felt warm arms wrap around me, and a wave of feelings flooded me. Foremost among them were security and a sense of being safe. An electric tingle went up my spine, and I knew, right then, what I was going to do, as soon as I could.

Mason dropped me onto a bed in a room and turned to leave me in peace, or at least give me some space. How polite and gentlemanly. Most of the men I had known would have preyed on me being weak and seemingly defenseless. But he didn't.

I, however, was not going to let him just walk away.

I quickly shifted back to human form and sat up, which made my head spin and my eyes see black. I managed to stumble to my feet, lunge forward, and grab a fistful of his shirt. He was surprised, I felt it in the way he tensed, muscles clenching. As soon as he was facing me, I leaned forward and nuzzled his neck.

I let Cynder take control of me. She knew exactly what to do. Or at least, she seemed to.

I licked his carotid artery, making him shiver with delight. His muscles tensed up again, and, at that moment, I felt so powerful, being able to make another feel desire for what was to come.

Grabbing my waist, he whispered in a husky voice, "Now, Beth, now."

My canines lengthened into fangs, and I bit deep into his neck.

He flinched, in pain, and suddenly, I wondered if I was doing something wrong. Odd. Then, his muscles loosened, and he groaned with pleasure. His eyes snapped open, and he pushed me backwards. Not expecting this sort of rough play, I flew back towards the wall, rolling slightly to loosen the impact.

He moved towards me, not quickly, but much like a wolf stalking his prey. I shivered. So this must have been how he felt when I licked his neck- slightly intimidating and...well, something else. A lazy grin lit up his face, showing his perfectly aligned, glistening white teeth.

Suddenly, his body was pressed against me, all 6 or so feet of him.. My hands flew out to prevent what I imagined inevitable squishing, and I felt his sculpted chest pressed against them. One hand slid slowly up his chest, guided by some deeply rooted instinct, so that it was directly over his heart, which was beating so quickly, it felt as if it might fall into my hand.

Mason's eyes turned darker and darker, before he leaned forward and nuzzled my neck as well. The deep, earthy scent of him, laced with undertones of spices made it hard not to just sniff him (which would be extremely creepy, so I do not recommend it). His hot breath was moist, and I pressed a small kiss to the part of his neck I could reach. This made my neck even more open to him- an invitation. Then, ever so delicately, he licked my neck. I couldn't stop this shiver either.

Lazily, my brain starting to go numb, I thought that I might be getting a cold; being unable to stop shivering was probably a good sign of that.

With much more care and meaning than I had, he bit into my neck, slowly pushing in his fangs until they were as deep as mine had been..

A feeling much like I would imagine a knife slicing into your neck and major artery would feel cut through me, the very millisecond that his fangs pierced my neck. Then, a mere second after that, the feeling blossomed into honey, dulling what I had felt before and making the very feeling of his fangs in my neck welcome and sweet like sugar.

Slightly startled at the way I was feeling, I pushed him away and licked at the part of his neck where I had bit him, running on instinct alone. Cynder was in a world of bliss, all by herself, not feeling anything other than utter desire and pure bliss. She was like a pup again, belly up and soaking in the sun's rays.

Mason quickly licked my neck as well, where it was still numb, while I watched in fascination as black ink appeared from nowhere and ran around in beautiful loops and curls, forming my name- my full name, all three words of it- right where I had bitten him. A few embellishments of rose thorns around the letters completed the tattoo, and I wanted almost nothing more than to touch it, feel how it felt on his skin. However, there was one thing...

I had a suspicion that needed to be confirmed. Gently lifting his shirt over his head, I looked at his chest, feeling his stare burning into my face and a blush forming. But this was too important for me to stop because I was feeling self-conscious about looking at my probable mate's body.

I touched my hand to his chest, right where his heart had been beating so fast, and still was. Except, there was one thing different.

Right over where his heart would be, my first name and his were entwined, taking on the shape of two wolf tails wrapped around each other. How ironic...

Wait. I had another sneaking suspicion...

I ran to the mirror across the room, took off my shirt (don't judge me too harshly, as this was the only experience I had ever had where magical tattoos were appearing on my body-I am not a whore), and saw the same tattoo across my heart.

Walking up behind me on the feet of a practiced hunter, Mason wrapped one of his arms around my waist, pulled me close to him, and whispered in my ear, his breath sending tingles into every single one of my stupid nerve endings.

"You are so beautiful, Beth. So beautiful." Hmmph. The lies men tell us women. But, at the same time, I did feel kind of pretty. That, however, didn't stop the stupid blush that ran up my face and burned my cheeks a tomato red.

He took his spare hand and gently ran it over my tattoos, first the one on my neck, then the one over my heart.

I gasped. I felt him.

I felt his emotions, his presence in my mind. It was overpowering, but at the same time, it felt like he belonged. He belonged with me, and I with him. My soul, as fake and overstated this is, was part of him. He was the yin to my yan, the beat to my heart.

At that moment in time, I knew that he was the real deal.

He was my true mate.

And  I loved him.

All I can think of for an author's note is how sorry I am for not updating within 2 months.