Mate: Part Two

~Jane~

It’s been a few months since Nathan surprised me with the house.

A place meant to be ours.

Not just somewhere to live… but somewhere to grow.

Together.

Somewhere in those quiet space between those days, my feelings for him have changed.

Deepened.

What started as something fragile—something I was almost too afraid to touch—has become the most certain thing in my life.

The fear I used to carry hasn’t disappeared.

It’s still lingering… waiting for the wrong moment to remind me of everything I could lose.

And I try not to allow it fully control me anymore.

Now, I let myself feel it all.

The way my heart races when he looks at me.

The way everything in me settles when he pulls me close.

I’ve stopped fighting it.

Stopped running.

And in doing that…

I’ve let us become something real.

Something strong.

Every day with Nathan feels like something I was never meant to have—but somehow found anyway.

Every laugh, every touch, every quiet moment we share… they’ve become a part of me.

Something I can’t imagine losing.

And with that love…

Comes something else.

Hope.

The kind I’m almost too afraid to hold onto.

That he could be my mate.

With my seventeenth birthday only a few days away…

That hope feels dangerously close to becoming real.

But so does the fear.

Because if he isn’t—

The thought alone is enough to break something inside me.

There is nothing in this world I want more than him.

Nothing I crave more than the life we could have together.

Nathan has told me he loves me more times than I can count.

He’s promised me—sworn—that I’m the only one he wants. That he chooses me.

And I’ve chosen him too.

But there’s a part of me that can’t stop wondering…

What if the bond doesn’t agree?

What if everything changes that night.

The morning sun filtered softly through the window, its warmth brushing against my skin as I slowly woke.

I stay there for a moment, wrapped in the comfort of the bed, the sheets tangled loosely around me as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

With a quiet breath, I pushed myself up, the sheets slipping to my waist as my gaze drifts around the room.

Even now… it still doesn’t feel real.

Like I stepped into something that wasn’t meant for me—and somehow, it stayed.

Our home.

I never thought I would have something like this.

Even after all this time, it still feels like that first night Nathan brought me here.

Like it could disappear if I’m not careful.

But it hasn’t.

It stayed.

This home he chose for us… it’s more than just a place. It’s where we’ve built something real.

Somewhere safe. Somewhere ours.

And I want it all.

A future.

A life.

With him.

The thought lingers before I pull myself back.

That’s when I notice it.

He isn’t here.

The space beside me is empty, only a trace of warmth left behind.

Nathan must already be up…

Then I smell it.

Eggs. Bacon.

A small smile forms instantly.

Of course.

I climb out of bed and head toward the door, the scent pulling me forward before I even realize how hungry I am.

The house is quiet as I move through it, familiar now in a way I never expected.

And then—

I see him.

Nathan stands at the stove, his back to me, moving with an ease that feels so natural…

Like this life fits him.

Like this is meant to be our life.

I pause for a moment, just watching.

My heart begins to pick up, each beat stronger as his scent reaches me.

Warm.

Familiar.

It pulls at something deep inside me.

Something instinctive.

Before I can steady myself—

He turns.

And then he’s there.

His arms wrap around my waist, pulling me gently against him like he already knew I was there.

Like he felt it too.

My breath catches as I melt into him.

Because what he does to me…

It’s more than I understand.

And maybe I don’t want to.

Because with him—

This is where I belong.

Slowly, his hand rises, his fingers brushing along my cheek his thumb traces my skin.

“How did you sleep, Jane?” he asks softly.

“Good,” I reply quietly.

“I made breakfast… if you’re hungry.”

“I am.”

His gaze lingers for a moment longer than necessary.

“We should eat before it gets cold.”

Neither of us moves right away.

Then he leans in.

His lips meet mine—soft, familiar.

I kiss him back just as easily.

For a moment, everything else fades.

But as the kiss deepens, as the heat builds between us… he pulls back.

Reluctantly.

His forehead rests against mine.

“I love you so much, Jane Foster,” he whispers.

“I love you too, Nathan.”

He lingers… then lets me go.

Not completely.

His hand finds mine, fingers threading gently through as he walks me to the table. He pulls out the chair for me, and I sit, watching him as he moves back toward the stove.

There’s something effortless about the way he moves.

He gathers the plates, setting everything together before returning with breakfast in one hand and two glasses of orange juice in the other.

Placing everything down, he takes the seat beside me.

We begin to eat quietly.

Not uncomfortable.

But not the same either.

Something about Nathan is different.

I hadn’t noticed it at first.

It’s subtle.

Easy to ignore.

But I don’t.

My eyes drift to him as he eats, calm… controlled.

Too controlled.

Then he looks up.

Our eyes met.

And that’s when I saw it.

Just for a second—so quick I might have missed it-

Something in his eyes shifts.

Something hidden.

My chest tightened.

That familiar feeling returns.

The same one that told me—without a single word—that he was keeping something from me.

My grip tightened slightly around my fork as the memory surfaced, uninvited.

“It’s killing me… not being able to tell you.”

His voice echoes in my mind.

“One day, when the time is right… you’ll understand.”

At the time, I had tried to accept it. Tried to trust him… to believe that whatever he was hiding was for a reason.

That he was protecting me.

But now—

It’s happening again.

The same distance.

The same silence.

Is it the same secret?

Or something new?

Either way…

I feel it.

That quiet pressure building inside my chest.

The need to know.

I know he’s trying to protect me.

I see it in the way he holds himself back.

But it still hurts.

More than he realizes.

I try not to let it get to me. Try to focus on us, on the moments we share, the life we’re building together.

And most days… I can.

But these past few days…

Something feels different.

He’s been distant in ways he doesn’t realize. Busier. Spending more time with his father… more meetings, more conversations I’m not a part of.

And now this.

Before I can sink too far into my thoughts, I feel it—

His hand covers mine.

Warm. Steady.

Grounding.

The warmth lingers longer than it should.

Like something beneath my skin is responding to him… before I even understand why.

I glance down at his hand, then back up at him.

And just like that—

Everything else fades again.

He does that to me.

Pulls me back. Back from my deep thoughts.

“What’s wrong, Jane?” he asks softly, concern threading through his voice. “You looked like you spaced out.”

I hesitate.

Then-

I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“I feel like you’re not telling me something,” I admit. “Like you’re keeping something from me.”

His expression shifts—

Just Enough.

“I want to know what’s going on.”

He exhales slowly, his thumb brushing over my skin.

“I promise… it’s nothing you need to worry about, Jane.”

The words are careful.

Too careful.

“All I can say is…” he continues, his gaze steady but guarded, “I made you a promise the first night I found you.”

My heart stumbles.

“And I intend to keep it.”

There’s weight behind that.

Final.

Whatever he’s hiding-

It matters.

Enough to keep it from me.

I can feel it in the way he looks at me. In the weight behind his words.

It unsettles me more than I want to admit.

A part of me wants to push—till he finally tells me.

But I don’t.

Because I know him.

I know what I mean to him.

So for now…

I let it go.

I love him so much that I trust him with everything I have.

Even if it hurts.

We finish breakfast, and he glances at his watch.

“It’s almost time to head out.”

I nod.

I never want mornings like this to end.

He lifts my hand, pressing a soft kiss against it.

The moment should feel normal.

But it doesn’t.

Something shifts.

The fire returns.

“Nathan…” I whisper.

“I feel it too,” he says quietly.

There’s something in his voice.

“Please…” I whispered as if begging him.

“I’ve got you little wolf. I’ll help you with your heat.” He said, his voice rough.

My breath turns uneven.

His jaw tightens.

He stands, gently pulling me up with him.

And the second I’m close—

I feel it again.

Stronger.

That pull.

That heat.

Like something inside me is waking up… reaching for him in a way I can’t explain.

I don’t understand what’s happening,” I admit softly.

“You don’t have to,” he murmurs.

Without hesitation I followed him, my hand still in his has he lead us towards our room.

With each step we took, my heart was beating faster and faster. The heat was building up inside me.

My need for release was becoming too much, my body was calling out for him.