Saved by the King

Twenty*

Two Weeks Later

"Kate," I said curiously, causing the thin blonde to turn and look at me in curiosity. She had her feet propped up on the coffee table, a blanket across her lap, and the television remote in her hand. She was flipping through channels in annoyance, and when I said her name she tossed the remote beside her in defeat.

"What's up?" she asked.

I hesitated. I wasn't sure how to frame the question.

"How does a...bond...get completed?"

I knew there was something more to a mate bond than just meeting. Something binding, something permanent, something final. I had a vague memory of something like this being mentioned when I was little, but more than that. I could feel it with Logan. A little hole, a missing piece, just a small, absent element in the bond. A small part of me yearned for it to be completed, and I knew that Logan was hurting because of it. His wolf was much closer to the surface so he felt everything more strongly.

Kate yawned and tilted to the side, resting her head on the pillow and dropping her feet to the floor. She thought about the question for a few seconds before answering.

"It's called the Shift," she said finally. "It's when you shift your souls from two separate beings into one. Like knitting it together. It completes the bond, and adds a few extra perks."

"Like...?" I prompted hesitantly..

She grinned. "You can share your thoughts. Project your emotions so the other can feel them. With some emotions, the really strong ones, the other feels without you trying. It's very intimate and very intense."

I bit my lip, thinking about Logan. I knew it was hurting him, the bond not being complete. Among werewolves, I've known him a very long time without bonding. His wolf wanted it, I knew, but I also knew that he would never ask me to do it. He didn't want to rush me.

The bond between Logan and me was very strong. It strengthened quickly. The memory of being terrified of him seemed like a crazy, far-off dream that I had long ago. The absence I felt in the bond started nagging me recently, and I couldn't imagine what it was for Logan.

I wanted to be his mate. I was glad I was his mate. I wanted to complete the bond, for him as much as myself. Even though my wolf was buried too far down to bring to the surface, she was restless with the bond being incomplete for so long. I was restless, anxious to complete it when I didn't even know what that meant.

"How do you actually do it, though?" I asked nervously. As much as I wanted Logan, and as gentle I knew he was, I wasn't ready for sex. Just the thought was enough to bring up horrific, lashing memories of the past. I shivered and dismissed the thought.

"It's a mental thing," Kate said. "It's hard to explain. The bond can sense your intention, so it helps out when it's time. You...focus on the other. I don't know. You focus on the other, and something opens up between you, like a bridge, sort of." Her voice was hesitant, but she described the experience with reverence, like she was talking about a religious ceremony. Her awe-struck voice decreased in volume as she became lost in her memories.

"You'll know what to do when it happens. The bond will help you. Logan and your own wolf will help you." She paused, regarding me with renewed interest. "Are you planning on doing this soon?"

I blushed, embarrassed, and started fiddling with the blanket folded next to me. "Oh, I, um, I don't know, I was just...I don't know, wondering." Kate smirked at me knowingly.

"Mmmhmmm. Sure. Just wondering."

I glanced up at her quickly, a new question forming in my mind but I wasn't sure if I should ask.