A Lone Wolf • Mark Tuan

|Two|

You paced back and forth in your kitchen, feeling completely anxious. Today out of all days Mark wanted you to meet the rest of his pack. You had managed to put it off for a few weeks by telling Mark that you wanted to wait until mating season was over, because you knew your scent was stronger during that time. Mark had only agreed because he didn't want anyone else looking at you, not that he thought the rest of his pack would ever do such a thing. But now you couldn't put it off any longer.

Mark had begged you, and you couldn't resist his puppy dog eyes, so you gave in. That was something you had learned about him in the past few weeks. He may have been extremely sexy in bed, but he was just an adorable puppy who wanted love in real life. The idea of falling in love terrified you, though. Loving someone meant giving him your all, and he was free to do whatever he wanted with that, including breaking it. You couldn't imagine Mark ever doing that with your heart, not after the way he had treated you every single day since you met, but the relationship was new.

Still, you couldn't deny the strong bond you had with the alpha. Many would call it love at first sight. That's what finding your mate was supposed to feel like. You thought it was more like love at first smell, though, but you refused to call it love, at least not yet.

There was a knock on your door, and you already knew it was Mark. You could smell him from a mile away. You hurried to the door, your heart racing. When you opened it, you tried to smile, but Mark saw right through the fake expression.

"You're still nervous, aren't you?" he asked, entering your apartment.

You dropped the smile, knowing it was pointless. It kind of scared you how well Mark knew you. Even though you were mates, Mark definitely knew you better than you knew him. He could read and understand any mood you were in, but you still had a hard time figuring out what he was thinking. "How could I not be nervous?" you said, leaning against your counter and crossing your arms. "This is your pack, and they love you. They are going to be so picky, and they're going to think I'm not good enough for you."

Mark moved towards you and raised his eyebrows. "How many times have I told you that they're going to love you? And they're going to think you're perfect. You're my mate after all."

"Just because I'm your mate that doesn't mean they're going to think I'm perfect. Maybe they'll think that there was a mistake and that I'm not really your mate." You pursed your lips at the thought. You had been rejected by packs before, so you were convinced you'd be rejected by this pack, too, even if Mark was the alpha.

Mark placed his hands on your shoulders and lowered down a little, so he was looking directly into your eyes. "Look, I know you're scared. You're not used to this kind of thing, but if there's one thing I know it's that they are going to love you, and not just because you're my mate. You are kind and sweet and caring and funny. If they don't love you, I'll be shocked."

The blood rushed to your cheeks, and as you looked up into Mark's eyes, your nerves melted away. It was hard to worry when he was looking at you. "Okay."

Mark smiled in response. He placed his hand under your chin and gently pressed his lips against yours. "Good, because if we don't leave now, we're going to be late."

"Where are we going?" you asked. Mark grabbed your hand and started pulling you towards the door. You had been asking him that ever since he'd made the plans, but he refused to tell you.

"It's still a secret," he said, shutting your apartment door behind you.

Mark drove, because he wanted to keep the meeting place a secret until the last moment. You imagined going to some forest in the middle of nowhere or an abandoned warehouse. That was where werewolves had meetings, right? You really wish you knew if that was right or not, but you were too embarrassed to actually ask Mark. There were already so many things about the wolf world that you didn't fully understand, and it just emphasized how alone you had been all of your life.