His Selected Mate

Chapter 14

The sun had set when dinner started and the final colors of today's sunset were fading into nothing. I glanced around at the rest of the Selected, as I suspected America hadn't arrived. I was one of the few people who had gotten to the dining room early and it was fifteen minutes in and she still wasn't here. I let out a sigh as I cut into the lamb in front of me. Just wait ten more minutes before leaving. I looked over to my left. His seat was empty. Thankfully, Father had decided to work on some paperwork during dinner so that left my mom and I at the head table. She wouldn't interrogate me on why I was leaving dinner early.

I tried not to stare at the clock, as that would make time slow down. Seven minutes left I said to myself.

Somehow, the minutes passed by and I excused myself. The walk from the dining room to the second floor went by in a blur, I barely remember it. I stood outside of America's room with my hand raised, ready to knock. What if she was already a werewolf? How would she answer the door? Knocking, I held my breathe. There was a response, faint, but I managed to hear it. I put my hand on the handle, turned it, and slowly opened the door. "America, it's me." I cringed a little as I didn't know what else to say. "Are you alright?" I peeked my head in. The lights were off and her balcony doors were wide open, the curtains were billowing lightly. No answer. I walked in and closed the door softly. "America?" There was a light whine coming from one of the love seats in her room.

America brought her front legs to the floor, her hind legs still one the couch, and started stretching in a funky downward dog position. She brought her back legs off the couch in a hop and shook out her fur. She looked at me and walked towards me slowly, cautious. I knelt down as she stopped at my feet. She was taller than me this way but that was okay. She didn't really look directly at me, more down towards her feet. "America?" She shook her head. "Tempest?" I asked again. She nodded. Seeing her, them, like this was making my heart ache. Tempest look at me, please." She looked up at me and I couldn't decipher the look in her eyes.

I opened my mouth a few times but nothing came out. I cleared my throat. "I don't really know what to say. You've been ignoring me for almost a week." She looked guilty. "I tried to visit you but your maids always said you were unavailable but I think you know that already." She avoided my eyes. I put my hand under her snout and brought her eyes back to mine. "Tempest I don't blame you for the last week, I have a feeling that America was behind it anyway." She licked my palm, I smiled at her. "Can I stay here with you guys? Just until you fall asleep." Tempest's ears perked up and her tail wagged. Adorable. "I'll take that as a yes."

She bit onto the sleeve of my coat and tugged on it. I stood up and let her lead me to America's bed. "Um...you want me to lay down here?" She yipped. Sighing I took off my jacket and shoes and laid down my head on her pillows. They smelled like America. I moved my head and took a deep breath. I looked back at Tempest to see her smiling a wolfish grin and wagging her tail. I huffed. "Like you don't smell me all the time." She let out a growl at that. The bed dipped as she hopped on and laid down next to me with a few inches of space in between us, her head laying on her front paws.

A part of my mind was still flabbergasted at the fact that I was lying next to a real werewolf. I looked at Tempest unsure if I should tell her about the mate thing. I guess some part of me was hoping that America hadn't turned into a wolf yet so I could have that conversation with her. I decided to talk about something else that had been on my mind. I looked up at the ceiling with my hands behind my head. "I'm thinking of narrowing the Selected down to the Elite." Her ears perked up and her eyes opened and was staring at me. I continued. "At this point I've been on a date with everyone and some of them are still here because I haven't gotten around to telling them that their time in the Selection is over." Her ears slightly wilted. I thought over what I had said. Shit. I mentally face palmed. I had told her that I had been on dates with everyone. Christ, why can't I seem to anything right when it comes to these two.