2. The Mate Scare.

EUDORA

“Mate!” 

No. 

I never thought I would hear that word. Not now. Not ever. Hearing it made the world around me spin and I swear I was dizzy for a second. So dizzy that I could slump to the floor right that moment and it would not be a pretty sight for someone like me to fall like that. It’d be like an elephant crashing to the floor and causing the birds on nearby trees to fly off because of the huge thud that rocked the forest. 

Now I was thinking about Elephants? I must be totally messed up.I was thinking too much. My thoughts were going haywire and my mind was a mess because this was one part of my life that I never prepared or rehearsed for.

Maybe it would have been better if i didn’t know who just said that word to me. Maybe I could have handled it better than freezing on a spot, fish-eyed and jaw slacked. I hadn’t seen him in years and him showing up out of nowhere just to call me his mate had to be the craziest thing I have experienced. 

It was insane. Almost impossible even. 

The lights of the car were now off and were left in the darkness. It gave me a is glimpse of his usually blue eyes that were now rimmed in red, showing that his wolf was now on the surface and threatened to take over the entire form of the male before me. I wanted to take a step back to process my thoughts but I just couldn’t move.

Then he took hurried steps forward and faster than I could blink he was in front of me. He looked down at me with a dark look clouding his eyes. I was big. Really big but in front of him, I felt as impish as a mouse and he had the look of a predator crossing his really really really handsome features. He grabbed my bare arms, as chubby as they were and pulled me close to himself. It made my confidence–the one I barely even had–to sizzle completely and I wished Luna Eleneanor had gotten me a long-sleeved dress instead. 

Although, both his huge arms palmed my flabby ones so well like they were made for each other. Like that was where they were meant to be. Maybe they really were? He had called me his mate anyway. 

But an Alpha having an Omega for a mate? It was unheard of. I couldn't tell If i was lucky or this was just another one of my really bad lucks

He wasn't just any Alpha or just any male I knew. 

He was Alpha Conan. 

He was the son of the Alpha of the Bluecoven Pack. The son of the family who took me in and raised me. He was the future Alpha of the Bluecoven pack. He was the man I have had a crush on for longer than I could remember. The one who made even a recluse and reject like me believe in love; to love and be loved. 

AND HE WAS MY MATE! MY FREAKING MATE! 

Why wasn't I visibly freaking out yet? 

Conan drew me into a hug and the scent of him–musky and woody–enveloped me. It reminded me of the long bear hugs he used to give me and how much I have missed them since he left. How much I missed him after he left years ago. He sniffed around me. His nose rested on the blade of my shoulder and it made me shiver slightly. My mind spiralled. Why was everything happening so fast? Why was he sniffing me so aggressively and not giving me the chance to process what was happening? To know why he had suddenly showed up in school?

I had questions and I wanted answers. I couldn't come to terms with the fact that he was my mate, especially when my gut twisted in a way that told me something wasn't right. It all felt so wrong. Really wrong because I didn't feel anything. I didn't experience all that Luna Eleanor explained in vivid details of how it always feels the first time you meet your mate. The furl and the fold of one's stomach. The goosebumps and the controls that snap. The dizziness and the jolt of electricity. Your insides that turn to jelly and your instinct that becomes heightened. 

I felt none of those. 

Am I broken now too? Or was it because I hadn't turned eighteen yet? I had just a few minutes till that happened.

While I was still trying to understand why I didn't feel all of those things, I felt a sharp and cold thing prick me on a spot around my neck. My eyes grew wider as i realized what those were. His canines had elongated and he was going to mark me. Conan was going to mark me right there when we still hadn't talked and I was still confused. I panicked. 

I pushed him away. I pushed him so hard he fell  back on the trunk of his car. I gasped, scared that I had hurt him and even more terrified that I just defied the future Alpha of my pack. 

 My frozen legs lifted off the floor in a flash and I rushed over to him. I was all over him in a second.

“Oh my god, are you okay? I’m sorry…I’m so sorry…I didn't mean to.”

I was so out of it as I pleaded. His face was laid flat on the car trunk and he wouldn't let me see him. He was an Alpha, he couldn't possibly be this weak. It was even surprising that a little push from me had done this to him. 

“Conan…I’m sorry…I was just confused. You came out of nowhere and the next thing i know, you called me your mate and you were going to mark me and–”

A laugh broke through my rambling. It made my mouth snap shut. It took a second to realise he was the one who was laughing–a deep sensual rumble of laughter that I could swear caused his own vocal cords to vibrate just as much as they resonated in my own eardrums. The familiarity of that beautiful sound caused my stomach to twist. 

Then he rose back to his full height. He ruffled my hair playfully. 

“Gummy bear, you still haven’t changed huh?” He croaked out, the laughter still tainting his incredibly deep yet exotic voice. He was now looking at me. His eyes were back to their normal colour and his canines were back in place. 

Now I was more confused. Why was he laughing at me? What just happened? 

“You should have seen your face, Gummy Bear. God, I’ve missed that look,”He said to me. I tried not to focus on his pet name for me and the way it gave me the feels. He’d been calling me that for longer than I could remember. Years ago, when I asked him why he called me that, his answer was that I was soft and squishy and it made me the perfect person for cuddles. That and only that moment was the only time I didn't hate being big.

“What’s going on?” I asked him quietly. He pouted.

“Is that what you say to me after seeing me for the first time in six years?”

Six years. Two months. Five days. Eleven hours to be exact. 

“No…that’s not what i would have said–you just came out of nowhere, then you were laughing and…and…and…”

“Hey, hey , hey…calm down. It’s fine. You’re fine. I was just messing with you.”  he laughed again. 

“What?” 

“I was only joking okay. All that was just to mess with you. I’m not your mate, Gummy bear. I haven't seen you in years and I just wanted it to be like old times.” 

I didn't know why an unpleasant feeling curled deep in my stomach. Maybe I had really been excited at the prospect of him being my mate. Why not anyway? He was the only good person in my life. 

Conan stopped laughing and looked at me closely. 

“Hey, are you mad at me? I’m sorry, I was just trying to have fun like the old days.”  

I shook my head quickly. 

“No, of course not. But how did you do that?”  I was genuinely curious because he had me there. He made me believe he had really met his mate with the usual actions of a male wolf. 

“ What? The mate thingy?”  

I nodded and he smiled at me. 

“You seem to forget that I am an Alpha, Gummy Bear. I can make my wolf do whatever I want but of course, he wasn't pleased to be used that way because he hasn't even found his real mate yet.” 

Real mate, huh? It was like a sucker punch to my gut. But I won’t deny the fact that a part of me was glad that he hasn’t found his mate all the time he was away. I shouldn’t be but I was. 

I decided to look over his harmless joke. It wasn't new to me anyway since we used to be best of friends up until he left the house 6 years ago to go to college in the human world. 

Conan was the only person who was good to me and not because he expected anything from me in return. My first memories with the Alpha’s family was with him as he had been so intrigued by me when I was brought home by his mother. He took care of me like a sister and fought bullies off me–at least the ones he knew about. I hated having to drag him into things that had to do with me and so I tried my best to keep my bullies away from his sight. Also, I hated seeing other females drool over him. 

Conan was the only one who thought my hair was cool and unlike his parents who made me wear a wig all the time, he pulled the wig off my head whenever we were alone saying I had the most beautiful hair in the world. 

Conan made me feel like…me. He didn't make me want or wish to be someone else. Someone with a body toned to perfection and with a single hair colour and who isn't an ostracised species. 

But that was long ago. Now I have gotten even bigger. It made me self-conscious. What does he think of me now? Do I disgust him? 

On his own part, he was just as I remembered him only that he had buffed up a little. His usually buzzed hair was now long and tousled over his forehead. His face had the precision of a sculpture well carved. Compared to me, he was perfection in itself. 

I held myself in my arms and he seemed to notice. He must have thought I was cold because he shrugged off his coat and came behind me to put it around me. I didn't feel cold before but now i was a shuddering mess because of a single gesture. He fell back into step in front of me. 

“Thank you,” I said. 

He paused and I saw his eyes rake over my body, lingering on my heaving chest that pushed my boobs up with every breath I took. The blue orbs turned a shade darker. I shuddered even more. I didn’t know why he was looking at me that way but I liked it. Then he looked down at my hand that still bore the wet wig and the purse. He looked back at my hair and smiled proudly. I blushed red. 

“Running away huh? Earlier, you looked like a deer caught in the headlights.” He said. 

“Yeah…Prom isn't for me.” That was another word for:  “I didn't find a mate.” I think he understood me without having to say too much. He knew my insecurities and he now also knew that I didn't find my mate prom and I was running home to save myself the humiliation. 

“What about you? Why are you here? When did you arrive?” I was really curious because we haven't talked in years, not even a single text message. And he showed up at my school just like that. 

“Easy Bear. Actually, I came here to get you. Mum said you were here and I had come home from school because I didn't want to miss your eighteenth birthday.” 

My heart fluttered. God, the things he does to me with just words. He was really here for me? I thought I lost a friend after he left but I guess not.

“You shouldn't spend your big day like this , Gummy Bear. C’mmon, let me take you home. We’ll celebrate it at home instead. I promised I’d come home on your eighteenth birthday, remember?” 

Yes he did. And he has never broken a promise to me. 

“It really isn't necessary, Conan. Really, it’s just another one of my birthdays.”

He was already rounding the car to the driver’s seat. 

“Get in the Car, Eudora.” His voice was low and demanding. It was half of an Alpha’s tone and I couldn't defy it. Sighing, I walked over to the passengers side of the car, opened the door and climbed in, shutting it after me. My breath hitched when he reached over to pull the seat belt and locked it tightly around me. He pulled back and smiled. 

Then he started the car and drove away from the school. 

I was uncomfortable all through the ride. Trying not to breathe too loud beside him. I wanted to talk to him like we used to. To ask him about school and how the human world was but I just couldn't get the words out. Later, I told myself

“Relax, Gummy bear. I can sense your discomfort. It’s all I can think of while driving.”

“I’m sorry.” I said. I think I heard him curse under his breath. 

“Stop saying sorry for things that aren't your fault. People will look down on you.”

I wanted to laugh. People looked down on me no matter what I did.

The rest of the way home, I tried to feel more comfortable. I looked out the side windows and pretended like a few hot gazes from Conan didn't burn me. It went on like that till we were finally at home. There were only a few minutes left before I turned eighteen. The whole thing was just so overrated. 

Finally, we drove through the gates of the Alpha’s home and into the huge compound.  The engine of the car died down and I stepped out of the car just as Conan did. He led me  to the front porch of the house and opened the door, letting me go in first before him. 

I was still troubled about Luna Eleanor’s wig and purse and how I would make up for soiling  them. The lights of the home were off and I was plunged into darkness upon entry. Was the Alpha and Luna away? 

“Conan? I don’t think anyone is home right now.” I said and turned around to see if he was still following beside me. The lights came on all of a sudden  and blinded me for a second. I squinted and opened them after my eyes survived the impact. 

A breathless wow escaped my lips when I saw the living room of the house I grew up in. Decorations were hung everywhere, floating balloons that touched the roof and huge colourful banners that said ‘Happy birthday’. The door slammed shut behind me and I saw Conan walk towards me with a cake that had two candles of the number 18 on top of it.  I soon realised it was a surprise birthday party for me. 

The Alpha and Luna sprang out of nowhere and with smiley faces, they started to count down from 10 and there was only ten seconds left until midnight when the clock would strike 12. 

“...seven…six…five…four…three…two…one!”

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EUDORA.”

Then they started to sing. 

“Happy birthday to you….” 

They didn't get to complete it. Something clattered to the floor and I spun around to find my cake flat on the floor. It had fallen right of Conan’s hands. Eyes wide in shock, I locked eyes with red-rimmed ones. Just like they had been a few minutes ago at the school gate when he  pulled a prank on me. 

This time, I felt it all. The goosebumps. The furl and unfold. The goosebumps and the controls that snap. The dizziness and the jolt of electricity. My insides turned to jelly and my instincts  became heightened, making his scent the most delicious thing that has ever wafted through my nostrils. So much that I could taste it on my tongue. I felt it. All of it.

This time, it was real. 

I felt it to my core when Conan growled with burning eyes; “MATE!”

Conan, the future Alpha of the Bluecoven pack was my mate. 

My real mate. 

Dear moon goddess, well played.