You Have No Idea, My Dear Alpha

•13•

•Ryder's POV•

"Where did you hear that?" I ask Mara as I face her.

Her eyes are still a little red from crying and there are still streaks down her cheeks, but she still manages to look beautiful. I don't even know why she would hide something like being a tiger shifter from everyone. I think it's amazing.

She's amazing.

She sniffles before she answers, "I saw it when I was reading a passage on werewolves."

I nod and pull her along until I find a rock that is a fairly big size. I sit down and motion for her to do the same.

I pull her to me and wrap an arm around her waist while she rests her head on my shoulder as I begin.

"Because there are not as many werewolves as humans, the Moon Goddess created mates for us to make it easier to love and reproduce. A werewolf's mate is always somewhere out there, but it's not until our first shift at sixteen that we can tell it's our mate when we see them.

"In more specific terms, a mate is like a soul mate, our whole world revolves around them and their safety. Along with a mate, comes the mate-pull. Basically, it's the thing that draws you to your mate, it makes to want to hold them all the time and if it's really strong, you can feel each others emotions. Are you following?" I ask Mara, because her head is on my shoulder I can't see her face.

"Yes, continue." She nods.

I pull her closer to me, "Okay, when you find your mate, you usually follow the mating process. Males have to mark the female so that other males know that she is not theirs. It's basically a way to show off to everyone that they are your mate. Marking them also means that you can mind-link with each other, which I'll explain later.

"The next step of the mating process is well, mating with them. In other words, making love with them. But there is absolutely no rush for that." I add that part in for Mara's benefit. I already know that she is not ready for that and I am more than happy to wait for her.

"Any other questions?" I ask.

She sits up and faces me, "So mind-linking. Is that like reading each others thoughts or something?" She asks.

"Sort of, but it's not exactly thoughts. It's like talking through the mind." I reply.

She nods and looks away.

"What's wrong?" I ask, when I feel a slight sadness in the mate-pull.

She looks a bit hesitant, still not making eye-contact.

"You sound very confident when you say that. Have you already found your mate?" She asks.

I smile, "Yes, I have."

She stands up and looks at the ground.

"I should probably go." She starts walking off in the other direction.

I get up and go after her, "Mara!" I call and come around in front of her, holding her arms.

"What?" She asks a little coldly.

"I think I gave you the wrong message. You're my mate." I say.

She looks up, into my eyes, "What?" She repeats, this time in a whisper.

"You're my mate. The moment I saw you I knew, as soon as I got to know you I was already falling for you. You're amazing and beautiful and I couldn't ask for anyone better for a mate." I confess.

She doesn't reply for a second, she just stands there and looks at me. But then, she grabs my shirt and pulls me to her, kissing me passionately.

We battle for dominance in the kiss, but as usual, I win and move our lips in perfect sync. After a while, we break apart to catch our breath.