Mate to the Mated

Doing Her "Makeup"

Enjoy, my pretties xx

Before I knew it, she had dragged me into the kitchen and was climbing up onto the granite countertop. I sighed and watched as she grabbed a bottle of wine from above the upper cabinets.

“Vanessa-” Her eyes snapped to mine as she chugged straight from the bottle, perching herself on the counter like some demented doll waiting to suck out the souls of the living.

She paused after a few swallows and held the bottle out towards me. I shook my head, and Vanessa laughed.

“Suit yourself, babe.” She chugged a little more. “If I'm going to listen to you and Jaime flip the fuck out about your pup while we root around the suburbs for a little piece of hell, I don't want to be sober.”

She hit the bottle again, and I just rolled my eyes, moving to stand in front of the pantry as my stomach began to rumble.

“I need makeup.”

I snorted, grabbing a box of cinnamon toast crunch and a giant bowl for my starving belly. “And I need breakfast.”

Her little button nose scrunched up, and she jumped off of the granite. “Breakfast is overrated, my eyebrows are not.” She kept the bottle in a vice as she made her way towards the door. “I'll be back in 30.”

I didn't want to know the details of how she planned on redecorating her face. Knowing Vanessa, it would probably involve some sneaking around that my moral conscience wasn't so keen on. Instead, I focused on filling my bowl with cinnamon deliciousness and figuring out how to work the coffee machine.

I was a little surprised that no one else was in the kitchen, but I couldn't exactly remember what day it was, and I hadn't bothered to check the time, so my loneliness in this giant space could be simple timing.

A part of me enjoyed the feeling of normalcy.

Another part of me knew that this sliver of normalcy I was starting to understand was about to change again.

“I fucking knew it!” The shrill squeal of the little blonde model as she burst into the kitchen made me jump.

Elissa literally flew into my arms and perched herself in my lap like a pup, a giddy grin on her face.

“He got a pup in your belly before the mating ceremony, what a wolf.” She giggled and stared down at my flat stomach. “Northblood will be praising the Goddess. Cerulli finally has a little heir.”

She hugged me tightly, and I smiled into her embrace. Elissa was such a sweet wolf. I hugged her back.

“I'm a little scared.” The back of my mind replayed the stories I was told when I first arrived. The stories of my mate failing to reproduce and executing the she-wolves who attempted to carry his pups.

Elissa nodded. “Being a mother is terrifying, we all understand that. I can imagine that growing up without the practical knowledge of mating between wolves doesn't help.” She offered me a smile. “Humans like to wait until they've been paired for a while, usually, am I right?”

I laughed. “Yeah, most of them like to be very settled in before they start making babies.”

The blonde tilted her head from side to side. “Well, you have mates, they have prestigious jobs and significant amounts of resources, and you have a ‘job' through your connection to them; I don't know if I'm making much sense, but what I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't have those human fears of not having proper security and support to start a family.” She kissed my cheek. “I can't speak for the feelings of your mates or their packs, but you can always find a home here. I like you.”