Chapter 6: Introductions

Robyn

I thought he wouldn’t accept my condition, but shockingly enough, he did. 

“Where is she?” I asked.

Vale smiled, “She is…adjusting to her new life too, now that she doesn’t have to hide and worry about you all the time.”

“That doesn’t answer my question. My mother, or, I will not be your son’s…” I hesitated before continuing, “mate,” I gritted out.

Vale used this moment to distract me.

“I promise you will see your mother and get to spend all the time you would like with her, but she has asked for time to adjust. She won’t see anyone at the moment,” and just as Vale was about to say something else, a tall man abruptly entered the room.

“Ahhh, son! We were just talking about you!” Vale smiled and acted as if he hadn’t just almost lost his shit, a few moments earlier.

At that moment, I felt Zara rear her nosy ass up. She was pushing forward to get a good look around.

‘What is your deal Zara? Why are you so edgy?’

‘I smell something ah-may-zing! I want whatever that scent is!’ Zara finally answered.  When they had initially caught me, I thought they had stung me with something that made my wolf, Zara, sleep. It was good to know that she was, in fact, being a lazy ass hoe and didn’t want to help me in any way unless it suited her whims at the moment.. 

“Father,” Vale’s son stated calmly as he made his way to the dining table. He looked so familiar to me for some reason, but I just couldn’t place him. Had he been one of the wolves that helped corral me so the Beta could catch me? Whoever he really was, he looked a bit excited for some reason. 

‘Oh, yummy! Him! I want him!’ Zara cooed in my mind. Why was my wolf so infatuated with this man? 

When he reached me at the table, his father didn’t waste time introducing him to me.

“Son, it is my pleasure to introduce you to your mate, Robyn. Robyn, I’d like to officially introduce you to the future Alpha King, my son, Colt Stewart, and YOUR mate,” Vale said proudly.

I couldn’t believe how blue Colt’s eyes were and at that moment, I realized where I had seen him before. Colt was the same COLT I had been drooling over and daydreaming about every time I went to go watch the men training in the open fields. It was the highlight of my day every day that I did my perimeter checks, checking to make sure all the stones were still in place. I blushed at this realization, not sure how to act. 

“It’s so nice to finally meet you, Robyn,” Colt held out his hand to shake mine and gently place a kiss on the top of my hand. When we touched, I could have sworn I felt tingles so I quickly pulled my hand back from his grip. What was that?

“Nice to meet you, Colt.” I felt uneasy the moment we touched. I felt a light fluttering of my heart and Zara was trying to come forward non-stop, feeling restless for some reason just by touching him. 

The realization hit me in that second - Holy shit! The wolf we had been drooling over for YEARS was now going to be my MATE?! 

AND HE’S THE FUCKING PRINCE TO BOOT!?

I was mentally losing my shit. I needed more than a moment to gather myself, but I didn’t have that kind of time.

And what were those tingles when we touched?! I wasn’t sure what those tingles I felt meant, but I knew he couldn’t be my mate. 

Mom always said, ‘The moment you lay eyes on your mate, your wolf just KNOWS and the words escape your lips faster than you even realize you are speaking them - mate! Everything else after that just naturally…happens.’ But that didn’t happen just now.

Deep inside, I was a little disappointed. It would have been perfect if he were my mate, but, alas, the Moon Goddess wouldn’t make things easy like that. 

Just then, everyone heard a noise outside the dining hall and three men suddenly came barreling into the room unannounced, as if they had been bickering before nearly busting the door down and falling through it.

“Oh, uhh…sorry Alpha King. We thought Future Alpha King Colt came in here alone,” One of the men began as all three immediately stood straight and composed themselves. I recognized one of the three as Cohen, the beta that brought me into the palace when I was first caught.

Vale rolled his eyes and deeply sighed, “Now is as good a time as any to make your introductions.” He made a slight shooing motion with his hand towards Colt, leaning back in his chair.

Colt glared at them before huffing, “And these are my pod mates…Cohen York, whom you’ve already met, my future beta,” directing my attention to the tan, sculpted, baby-faced, sexy man, standing to his right. 

He was a little shorter than Colt, but where Colt has gorgeous sea blue eyes, Cohen has emerald green eyes! If you didn’t know who they were, you might mistake them for the same person, as identical twins, or at least brothers since both Colt and Cohen had similar brown hair. 

My heart skipped a beat when he smiled at me and showed off the dimples in his cheeks that only accentuated his sculpted body and muscles more. That smile, with those eyes and those dimples with his clean haircut, was enough to make me feel something I had never felt before this moment, my panties were suddenly a little damp. 

I shook his hand and smiled, “Nice to meet you…again,” squeezing my thighs tightly together in hopes the sudden gush in my panties was not noticed in ANY way by the males in the room. I couldn’t help but blush at the thought. What was my body doing to me? I felt like it was betraying me!

“Luca Burgundy, one of our pack gammas,” Colt continued, pointing to the sandy blonde laid-back surfer-looking man to his other side. When he smiled and I saw his brown eyes light up gold to show me his wolf was also present, my panties became a bit more dampened suddenly.

I did note that it was strange that Luca had golden wolf eyes when he was a gammas, not an unmated alpha. Why was that?

I couldn’t help but notice how incredibly HOT all these men were. Was it just me or were they really all this crazy good-looking? Why did I feel a buzzing feeling zipping and zinging through my body to my core? What did that mean?

I shook Luca’s hand and said hello before Colt finished, “And that is Onyx Bourbon, our top Delta.” 

When I looked at Onyx I was taken aback for a moment. He looked so serious with those dark eyes and that dark brown hair. He almost looked brooding and angry at the world, yet he wasn’t. He looked at me as if I was the most mesmerizing sight in all of mankind. 

I moved forward to shake his hand and before I could register what was happening, Onyx had wrapped his impressively strong and soft arms around me and was giving me a hug.

“I don’t do handshakes with gorgeous women,” he smirked, “I only give them hugs,” he then winked at me as he pulled away from the hug gently.

He was a flirt! I found myself giggling.

After all the introductions, I was beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed with so many men in one place alone with me. I realized what Mom meant now when she had told me many, many times for all those years how men could be dangerous in so many ways. I began to take a step or two away from them all to attempt to distance myself from them.

Colt noticed this and moved over to me. I tensed at the realization that Colt wasn’t going to give me much space now that I had agreed to be his mate. Especially with these flirty men from his…what did he call them? Pod mates? 

I thought back to all the different times Mom had explained all aspects of wolf society, hierarchy, and duties and she NEVER talked about pods or pod mates. What were those?

“Is everything alright?” Colt asked calmly, placing his hand on my lower back. He was so gentle in his movements, but that didn’t stop me from feeling way too uncomfortable.

I visibly stiffened and pulled away from him, “Y…yeah! Just…uhh…a lot has happened…it’s all overwhelming,” I smiled and tried to fake my confidence as best I could. I couldn’t let these hulking men intimidate me or see any sign of weakness in me at all or I would be dead. Or…well…I didn’t know what they would do and I didn’t want to find out. Apparently, I was more valuable to them than I had ever been told. Death would be a blessing from what these men could possibly do to me. And that terrified me! 

I did think it was sweet that Colt seemed to really be observant and I could tell he picked up on my nervousness. 

“Please, sit. We can back up. I’m sorry we are probably crowding around you and overwhelming you. We’re all just a little excited to meet you, finally after so many years of waiting. You probably haven’t ever had this many people around you at once, have you?” Colt had a kind smile that was growing on me, but he was being very considerate.

Considering how I was feeling, I really wanted to get the hell out of this dining room and out of this palace but since that was obviously off the table now, I decided it was probably best I listen to Colt’s suggestion and sit down. I went back to my chair and sat as gracefully as I could at that point while responding, “Thank you. You’re probably right. That must be what it is. I have only ever known my mother and my Oma.”

“Who is your Oma?” Cohen’s brows scrunched up making him look confused.

“My grandmother…well, she wasn’t REALLY my grandmother. She was a witch that was like what I imagine a grandmother to be. At least that’s what my mom and Oma used to tell me,” I admitted. Who was I?! Why was I giving them so much information about me so freely? I was nervous-babbling. 

‘I’ll help you out, even though I don’t want you to actually do it…Damnit, Robyn! SHUT YOUR PIE HOLE YOU HEIFER!’ Zara chimed in at the perfect moment. Sometimes she was too much.

The men nodded as they moved to the table and one by one took a seat in a few chairs, making sure to still remain distanced from me as I spoke. I hoped they couldn’t scent me or any of my bodily fluids from their distance, but I kept my legs crossed to really try and hide my scent. Colt at least seemed nice enough so far, maybe I would end up liking them all and become good friends with all of them after all?  They just needed to give me space and time to come around, right?

“Was that your wolf I just saw peek out?” Onyx smirked, leaning in pointing to his eyes to indicate that he just saw my eyes brighten and flash. Zara has red eyes but she seems to be able to change them between a lighter hue and darker depending on how mad we are…Mom always said she could tell how mad I was because my eyes looked like they were bleeding when I was really mad and if I was really happy, they would glow almost pink!

I looked down and blushed, “Oh, yeah…she’s right here with me. We’re really close.”

All four of them got a bit silent for a moment, looking at each other before Luca spoke up. I probably shouldn’t have shown them her eyes, but sometimes it’s unavoidable for shifters. Our wolves are their own individuals and demand equal presence in life.

“Did you like growing up as an only child?” Luca asked, helping to redirect my attention.

“No…no, not at all, not really,” I smiled as I reflected on my simple childhood, “I was always so lonely and bored if Oma or mom didn’t play with me or spend time with me like that. That is…until I was taught how to patrol and my mother made me walk the stones every day. It used to take me hours...because I was so young at first, but as I grew up, I got better and faster, but I learned to enjoy my time alone on patrols and then I took my time because I wanted to not because it actually took that long,” I giggled a little, before stopping myself, realizing I was rambling out of nervousness.

‘Yeah…definitely didn’t take my advice the last time I said it because I didn’t really want you to, but now…please goddess SHUT UP YOU HEIFER!’ Zara growled at me. I was now apparently embarrassing her.

The men all seemed to smirk and genuinely enjoy my company, which was so exciting for me! I finally had people to talk to that cared about what I had to say! They were so nice and treated me like I was the center of their universe, or THE universe! It was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. There was something thrilling about so many sexy, good looking men all giving me their attention at the same time. I’d never really had anyone to talk to other than Mom and Oma before. I wasn’t sure what to talk to men about though, so I hope our conversations are appropriate.

They were all so nice, I couldn’t help but let some of my walls down and enjoy the moment.

“Are you comfortable in your living quarters? Is there anything I can get for you?” Cohen asked me quickly.

I thought for a second; it wasn’t like they were going to let me go, let alone, leave me alone anytime soon. At least I knew my mom was here too. I could get through this and hold out hope that once I am reunited with my mom, we can plan some way out of this together. 

I sighed, “Everything is so lovely. Thank you,” I looked down at my hands in my lap in thought for a moment, a little nervous to ask the question that was bugging me in the back of my mind.

Colt noticed, “Is there something you wanted to ask?”

I looked up into Colt’s angelic blue eyes and I could swear butterflies were floating in my stomach, “Um…k..kinda…yeah.” I bit my bottom lip nervously.

“You…mentioned that you are um…pod…mates? What are those? My mom only ever taught me about fated mates.” I looked at Colt curiously.