Chapter 4: Mate

Traian

My large frame passed silently on the feast of trees as I moved through the forest, which was a special ability for all supernatural creatures. 

We were cunning predators.

I didn't give a damn about who or what I heard as I traveled the same route in my black boots through broken twigs and overhanging branches. My packmates were all sound asleep, but I was aware that some might follow him out for a run in the woods. Shifters like us have always desired to sometimes transform into wolves. Grevin Town is a town of shifters like me, so that is not an issue for us because we are aware of our secrets. 

Grevin Town is the pack I lead. When my father passed away 200 years ago, I formally became an alpha. The fact that lycans live longer, recover more quickly and have greater strength than ordinary werewolves sets them apart from other typical werewolves.

And the only Lycan among us is me. A few others, like my cousins, are also alpha on their own. 

The few strands of my hair were pushed across my forehead by a breeze as I strolled idly. But I instantly froze after. My muscles tensed as my inner wolf ascended more quickly than it had done for a hundred years. That scent was heavenly sweet, and overpoweringly enticing, such an addiction that my body became rigid.

Mate!. Mate!.

The scent carried by the wind enveloped me in the purest sort of warmth. I closed my eyes and inhaled, relishing the delicate scent. I have waited a hundred years to finally experience this. To smell this addicting scent. The scent of my soul mate, the one destined to be with me. The urge to firmly assert my claim on her drove me ahead. 

My mate was here in my hometown. In my pack. So near to me.

I gave the beast inside of me a slight control giving me an increase to become more aggressive, more primal. My boots pounded on the rocky ground as I sprint through the woods. My speed intensified as my extremely primitive side took over until the trees began to thin and I noticed the lights of the dwellings of my pack mates up ahead. I pushed myself to stop. My figure remains concealed by the shadows of the night. I stood there and fixed my gaze on the small house ahead of me. She was there, concealed by the walls.

I could hear rustling behind me, and I could smell my beta, but I was still fixated on the cabin that was a few meters away. I was unable to take my eyes off the home where my mate was staying.

"Alpha"

When I went to my left, Cayden was waiting there with his brows knitted in, I assume, perplexity. For a man like me who seldom pays attention to humans, it was unusual for me to be standing here, hidden by the darkness and forest's shadows, watching a cabin where a human was living.

"Cayden, I have at last found her."

"The woman in that cabin? Your mate?" Cayden inquired hastily, his eyes widening as he glanced at the cabin.

I nodded and said, "Yes, your Luna and my Queen," approaching the cabin while my heart was racing, my hands were clenching, and my claws were pressing into my hand.

Mark her! Claim her! 

Those words and phrases kept coming to mind. I was staring at the closed glass panel with the chipped corner a few steps away from the back window. Something I could easily break. I took her fragrance once again and let forth a loud, rumbling roar. My sharp night vision allowed me to see her through the open curtains as I moved up to the window and peered in.

Goodness, there she was.

Her fiery red-brown hair was spread across the stark-white pillow as she dozed off on a little bed. As she slept, the cover was drawn up to reveal the perfectly round swells of her breasts that rose and fell in an orderly pattern. Her brows began to furrow. 

I know that she felt my presence. However, I was also sure she would be unable to comprehend the cause of her feelings. The mate bond. The knot of fate between us. 

Who was she? I could tell that just by smelling and looking at her that she was not from here or around the nearby town. Then I remembered Marisa telling me that a person would like to temporarily rent her cabin. It had to be her.

But one thing particularly resonated with me. My mate is a human, that much is certain.

I was making every effort to hold off snatching her up, hurling her over my shoulder, and carrying her back to my fortress to claim and mark her. The woman I had been looking for 400 years lay just a few steps away from me, separated only by that sliver of rock.

But I would just scare her and that was the last thing I wanted to do. She is a human, and others of her kind are unaware of my existence. She was unaware that the shifters or the other creatures were hidden. 

If she comes from a human family with strong links to and promises to people of my kind, then maybe I'll be fortunate. I am acquainted with a few women who were descendants of families who were destined to be mated with shifters. One of them is my cousin's wife. She is a human being as well.

I briefly felt relieved at the prospect of it. Maybe she can accept this whole situation without too much difficulty. All I could do was pray that she had chosen to come to me.

 ...

Jaidyn

I ate only a small portion of my breakfast bread while I sat at the table, rubbing my eyes. My coffee was long finished. Fortunately, despite sobbing last night, my eyes did not get very swollen. However, I was still plagued with a heavy feeling in my chest.

My thoughts were mulling over several ways to spend the week I had here before returning home. In the event that I run out of things to accomplish in a day, I might be able to leave early. Perhaps this is one of the reasons I require a traveling companion.

“What should I do next?” I whispered to myself. 

I sighed as I got up and left the house and spotted Claire tending to her garden while wearing brown jeans and a blue hoodie. While some town residents were busy tending to their own houses, others were wandering by. But oddly enough, I felt their stares at me. I ignored it, settling on the thought that I was overly assuming everything. 

When Claire cast a quick glance my way, I raised my hand, waved, and walked up to her, "Good morning."

She remarked, a knowing smile on her lips, "Good morning, did you get enough sleep?"

"Yeah, I did more than I had anticipated."

"Perhaps living near to nature fits you better than the city."

"Perhaps"

Claire inquired abruptly, appearing to be engaged in checking her plants for dead leaves, "Do you have plans later?"

I shook my head. "I was truly considering what I would do next."

Then Claire clasped her hands and looked up at me, saying, "Great! You can come with us to another town and have a walk and visit a tiny pub there. What do you think?"

I nodded enthusiastically. Compared to my original plan, which called for spending the entire day in the cabin, the current plan was preferable. "That's great. Count me in."

I turned to look at the nearby woods. On my days off, I always go for a run in the morning, and now my body appears to be looking for it.

"I intended to run for a bit, but I'm wondering whether there are any wild creatures in these forests."

Claire followed my line of sight. "Yes, it's safe there. You may run and stroll by yourself. Perhaps you can see other of our villagers doing the same."

I replied, "Really?" but Claire may have laughed since she could still see the fear on my face.

"You will be safe there, I guarantee you, and children will go there to play, so don't worry and get into the woods.”

Gratitude filled my face as I grinned at her and said, "Thank you," taking a step back.

I turned around and was about to walk when Claire called me.

"Jaidyn"

I faced her, looking expectantly. "Hmm?"

"I'm sorry for how I behaved last night. I mean, those moments when I am overwhelmed by feeling and seeing something,"

The comment came across as serious. Is she able to predict the future like a fortune teller? I managed a nod and a grin despite my incomplete understanding of what she had said or meant. "It's alright,"

I gave her one last wave before heading back to the cabin to change into running-appropriate attire.