Alpha's Blue (BXB)

Chapter Seventeen

"I need to talk to you about something." I started, looking at Nicolas' back.

The rest of the day went by playing with Tobias in the clearing along with Marco. When I hugged Tobias goodbye, Nicolas started leading the way back and I followed him quietly. The sunlight was no longer bright enough to get through the dense trees and I was trying not to lose the sight of his back as we walked.

He stopped in his tracks when he heard me but didn't turn around.

"Do mates start living together right away?" I asked, remembering Tobias' question from before.

He nodded his head. "The mate bond makes it impossible to stay apart."

My eyes widened at his response. "For you as well?"

"I know you can't stay here and I will never ask you to. We have our own responsibilities that we can't forgo and I hope both of us understand that." He answered monotonously.

"But, what about your pack? Will they be okay without your mate around?" I remembered Marco letting me know that they all seemed to be fine without one, but I needed to hear everything from Nicolas and clear it for once and for all.

"They insist they're fine with it." He said, repeating what Marco had told me.

"And you are too?" I asked, probing deeper.

He finally turned around to look me in the eyes. "I am."

Our eye contact relieved me more than his words did. His expression was that of determination and surety, he seemed to be truly willing to try.

"I'll be going back this weekend. I still have my final exams left." I informed him.

"Okay. Good luck for your exams." He sounded sincere and it made me smile.

"Thank you."

"Is there anything else you want to talk about?" He asked after a few moments' quiet.

I thought for a second before answering. "Did you expect to be mated to a guy? A human on top of that?"

He let out a humourless chuckle. "I didn't even expect to find my mate. Not all of us do. They either end up waiting all their life or choosing one on their own."

"What were you going to do?" I asked before I could've stopped myself. Even though a part of me was dreading his answer.

"I was going to wait." He answered almost instantly and I let out a sigh of relief. "As for your gender, we are taught to treasure our mate if we ever find one, nothing else matters."

"If only it was that simple in my world too." I muttered under my breath in disappointment.

I remembered another thing just before Nicolas was about to turn around and walk. "Do you still think I'll be a burden for you and your pack?"

"That's not what I meant." He seemed to be shocked and offended by what I had said. "It wasn't even about you. I-" He started pacing sideways with his head down. "I was scared that you'd ask me to leave everything behind for you and I won't be able to say no."

"My wolf sensed your arrival the moment you entered the town. It was too sudden, I was overwhelmed and Marco kept talking about you. I was restless for days until I saw you. Then you continued coming here and I realized how powerful these feelings can be. Just your presence was enough to make me feel like sooner or later I will have to choose between the two most important things in my life." He returned his gaze back to me and stepped closer.

"When you followed me and said all that, my fear took over. I thought you were going to make me choose right then and there. I can't help but retaliate when threatened, it's instinctual for us." He stopped barely a few inches away from me and my heart quivered in my chest.

"I'm not ashamed to say that I was scared and I apologize for allowing my fears to cloud my judgement." His face turned somber. "I hope you can forgive me."

It took me a minute to process what he had said but I couldn't seem to open my mouth to respond, not when he was standing so close to me and looking at me with such earnest gaze.

Despite my body's clear resistance, I took a few steps back until I felt like I had enough distance between us to kick-start my brain again. I resisted the urge to look into his hazel eyes and looked at my fiddling hands instead.

"I- yeah, I understand." I stuttered, trying to organise my thoughts to respond clearly.

I stepped back again and let out a frustrated sigh. "Why is it that I can't look at you for a moment without feeling like I'm going to pass out?"

"I mean, I'm a human. It shouldn't affect me so much, right?" I looked at him and saw a smile take over his face. My frustration disappeared right away and a similar grin settled on my lips.

"I've never witnessed a mate bond between a human and a werewolf. It's rare, but if one of us ends up with a human mate, they usually leave the pack to go live with their mate. But my guess is that your soul recognises mine." He stepped closer and cupped my face in his hands.

"You'll get used to it." His thumbs moved over my cheek bones and my soul fought to escape my body.

A tremor shook me, forcing me to close my eyes and just savour his gentle and warm caress.

"I don't think I will." I whispered under my breath.

His hands vibrated slightly when he let out a laugh.

He removed one of his hands and grabbed mine before pulling it closer to him. He pressed my hand against his chest and I felt his pounding heart underneath. His heart was palpitating wildly and the quickened heartbeats assured me. I wasn't alone in this.

"Is this because..." I trailed off, looking into his eyes.

He nodded his head without breaking the eye contact and smiled.

The colour of his eyes was definitely becoming my favourite colour and his smile seemed to have already become my favourite.

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You're beautiful. Thanks for reading!