Looking To Belong (A Runt's Story)

Chapter 9

I slowly sipped my tea as I glanced at my mate who was sitting beside me on the bench at the table. He was adding cream to his coffee, but I could tell that he was keeping most of his attention on me despite watching the cream pour into his cup. The others were still recovering from their shock. My Omega senses had mostly recovered from the battering of the mate bond, but it still had a ways to go to reach its former level of ability.

He looked at me with his amber eyes, and a smile grew on his lips. He said, "By the way, my name is William, although everyone calls me Will."

His presence and scent had me relaxed in a way that I would not have thought possible. I grinned at him, completely at ease in his presence. "I'm Jade, although you probably know that already."

His silent grin showed that it was not news to him. The Luna shook her head in faint disbelief, although she was happy for us. She said, "It never even crossed my mind that your mate could have been Will."

The Luna, Emily, had decided that we should all grab a cup of tea or coffee while they tried to get over their shock. Will was an Enforcer, and the chances of an Enforcer finding their mate was almost as low as a runt's odds of finding theirs.

Will put an arm across my shoulders and pulled me gently towards him until I leaned against his side. The sparks were gentle and welcome. The burning coal in my senses was no longer overpowering my Omega abilities. It was still the strongest presence in my senses, although I could tune it out if I tried.

"I know what you mean, Emily," he said. His arm still around my shoulders, and he showed no signs of letting me go anytime soon. "I didn't expect it either. I was so stunned that it took me a few moments to go to her."

I glanced up at my mate; he dwarfed my size, even in human form. I was slender and barely stood over five feet tall, while he was well over six feet and heavily built. In that fashion, he was a typical Enforcer, larger and stronger than most werewolves. I could not figure out how an elite fighter got paired with a runt. It simply defied logic.

I had the strangest urge to run my hand through his short dark brown hair. The mate bond was apparently playing havoc with my usual thought processes, and I was beginning to understand why newly found mates acted so infatuated.

Emily watched us with a grin on her face as she said, "Well, you might as well give her a tour of the place once she finishes her tea. The Alpha will be back tomorrow and will probably perform the acceptance ritual at that point."

One of the guys who I hadn't been introduced to asked, "How is that you don't have any scent?"

I tilted my head as I examined the teenager. "It isn't that I don't have a scent. I just rub various plants on my clothing to mask it."

Phil snorted in good humor. "Yeah, that is what she keeps telling us, but we couldn't differentiate her scent from the trees when we were traveling. I notice it inside since it stands out, but until now, I haven't been able to pick up any scent to indicate that she is there."

Will looked at me in curiosity. "Bruce mentioned that you picked up the scent trails of other rogues. He couldn't smell anything though."

I tilted my head in thought before replying, "Their scent was slightly different from the surrounding forest. Rogues use a mixture of plants to keep one from being overly strong and noticeable; so, for example, the hint of a willow tree when none are in sight is a dead giveaway. My current scent still has a tang from the cedar trees despite the fact that I haven't seen a cedar tree for two days. I have seen lots of oaks around here, but I haven't used them, so my scent is unbalanced compared to the local forest."