I woke to an empty bed, Callen didnt come home and I have a feeling he wouldnt until tonight anyway. He had work so I didnt hurry out of bed. Soon enough I heard an impatient doorbell be rung several times at once. I lept up and to the door to find an impatient Jade tapping her foot.
"We have to talk". She said.
When she finally pulled up at an empty park bench we sat down and she unloaded her heavy heart onto my already burdened shoulders.
"Nala Im a werewolf, this you know. A born rouge actually. My mum and dad left their packs to be with each other. I dont have a pack. Dad died and mums too far away and stoned to actually care about what I do." She said as tears welled in her eyes.
I frowned deeper, "That guy at the club last night? He was your mate wasnt he?" I asked not comprehending why she was feeding me this information now of all times. "You said your only ever tell me this when it involved me." I said frowning.
She nodded. "Nala, it always involved you! Callen is a wolf but you are not his mate.." She said slowly, tracing my reaction.
How could I be the mate of a wolf, if it was not a wolf I had already met? My mind swam with the possibilities of what could happen and who my actual mate could be. I wondered if it was a friend, I had had over the years. If it was someone I loathed. All the possibilities ran through my head, sending my nerves into over drive.
"Nala, when you find your mate, there are five things that happen when you do. The first step is that you of course find them. They have a distinct scent that lures you to them. Because you are human your mate at first will find you and soon enough he with be your life line. Tingles trace your skin after their hand graces your body. They make you feel like no other has ever made you feel and you find yourself, in time, in love with them." She said shrugging her shoulders. I lean forward off the set as she leads me to the cubicles behind us. Once inside, she started as if she had not stopped.
The second step are the natural marks that grow on your skin like a tattoo. She said lifting her dress to show me the black patterns of what I can only assume are the marks from her mate.
The marks only grow from touching your mate. She said putting her skirt back down. The colours vary depending on what rank the wolf is in their pack, my mate does not have a rank. So their black. Your mate is an Alpha, your markings will be a deep midnight blue. She said, as if she hadnt just dropped a massive bombshell on me.
Do you know what just fell out of your mouth? As you said, Im human. The chances of me having a mate if its not Callen is very, very low! Listen to yourself Jade! What am I supposed to do? Last time I checked I remember the last full moon.
Jade began to laugh and I stared at her desperately. Whats so funny? I asked in hopes its all a pathetic joke her and our best friend Bella had pulled. Nala, we dont shift once a month. We shift at will. She said grinning.
I didnt really know how to react to that. Every full moon I had cancelled plans with her worried that she would, well you know, kill me.
Nala, stop being so naïve. Just listen. Your about to meet the one guy that will change everything for you. You are going to need to listen. Everything is relying on you to know whats going on. After finding your mate, the next two steps can happen in any order, but either way you end up marked and mated. She said pausing to see my reaction.
What do you mean marked? I asked noticing I must be missing something. Oh, um, well your mate will mark you. He bites into the crook of you neck and his name scars there after a while. I know it sound like a whole lot of pain but it feels really good apparently.
He bites, breaks skin and leaves a scar. You expect it to feel good? I said sighing.
I didnt feel like this was believable, any of it.
He has sex with you and then voilà, you become the very thing that he turns into. A wolf. She said, studying my face.
I took a breath in and thought, until it began to hurt my brain to comprehend everything.
I didnt think I wanted to believe her. I wanted to just go on with my life and make it work, but something was shifting as we spoke and I knew my life was changing. I knew that it was never going back.
Nala, come meet someone who can prove that Callen is not your mate. Jade says leading me back to the park bench.
