The Alpha's Reluctant Mate (wattpadprize14)

Chapter SEVEN

BEAU

"Look - this is not happening." Devon tried to yank herself free of me as I led us through the front door. No part of this is how I imagined coming home with my mate for the first time. "I'm not staying with you. You can forget it!" I towed her into the living room then lifted her by her elbows and sat her on the sofa. "I don't even know you!"

"You don't know my parents either but you were willing to stay with them." I sat down on the coffee table in front of her, using my legs to box her in and resting my hands against her knees. I needed to be close to her, needed to touch her - even just that little bit of contact felt...awesome.

"Yes, but they haven't held me anywhere against my will either." She looked around the room, clearly assessing the situation.

"You're not going anywhere, Devon." She groaned loudly and ran both hands through her hair. Her hair looked so soft - I was dying to touch it. And her eyes, they were huge. Big, beautiful, round greenish brown eyes you could get lost in. Her body was a series of unbelievable curves.  Looking at her made me imagine what it would feel like to touch her  everywhere - anywhere.  Michael wasn't kidding. She was gorgeous. And she was mine. Whether she wanted to be or not, every cell in my body knew it. My wolf and I had never been more in agreement on anything before. She was ours and nothing was going to change that. Not the fact that she was half human. Not the judgment some people would have about my mating with a non pure-bred wolf. Not the inconvenience of her knowing absolutely nothing about our ways. Not even her refusal to admit that she felt what I felt too. She looked at me with an expression of exasperation.

"Please - you have to see reason. I don't know anything about being a wolf and I don't know anything about you. I don't have anything against you, or any of you for that matter, but I didn't come here for this. I'm only here because my parents wanted to keep me safe and right now I don't feel very safe -"

"You're safe." She pulled her knees up to her chest in a clear attempt to move away from me. She wrapped her arms around her legs and turned away.

"But I don't feel safe. Look, you have to understand that none of this makes any sense to me. How can I be your mate when I know nothing about werewolves.  I'm only half one.  I can't even change into a wolf.  I don't understand what you say - what I feel." She hesitated and then looked at me, "Why can't you let me go back to stay with your parents?"

How could I explain to someone who had been raised human what mating really meant? Why I was so drawn to her after being with her only a matter of minutes? Why the idea of her staying in anyone else's home - even my parents' home - was unimaginable for me. Everything I wanted to say to her would only scare her more. If I told her that I was fighting as hard as I could just to let her sit two feet from me, that my wolf wanted to claw its way out from under my skin to be with hers, that I would never be able to let us live apart again I knew it would only make this harder for her. I ran a finger along her calf because I couldn't stand not to touch her anymore.

"I just want to keep you close, okay?" She shook her head several times.

"I can't stay here with you. In your house," she cautiously looked up at me, "in your bed. I can't." I put a finger under her chin and lifted until she looked at me.

"Devon, I will not hurt you. I want you in my house because you're my mate and that gives me this really strong drive to be near you. I do want you in my bed, I won't lie to you. But until you want me there too I just want you in it. Alone. I'll sleep in a guest room.  You don't have to be afraid of me." She gasped out a breath and a single tear drifted down her cheek. I wiped it away with my thumb, wishing that this all could have been easier - not for me but for her.