Is the cat out of the bag?
Sarah Tingles take over my body as Nate holds me closer. Is this really happening? Are we mates? Did he know? Needing answers asap, I pull back from him slightly to see his face, not having the power to remove my hands from his shoulders. He has the biggest smile, his dimples sinking on both sides, eyes squinting in happiness. A chaste kiss on my lips before he answers. “Dante says we are, but I don’t actually feel the bond. I went home to look into it, but rogue problems escalated, and I didn’t have enough time to get all the answers.” His brows draw closer in such a cute way that I haven’t seen before. I step back, sitting down on my bed with shaking legs. Nate moves synchronously with me to sit next, still hugging me with one hand. How is this possible? “What is it that you should feel with the mate bond?” I glance at him. The blood in my ears pulsates, blurring every sound. “Well, usually, you recognize your mate by their scent. You can smell it in a crowded room. The scent is
Sarah "I, Sarah Rubra, rej..." my words stutter as a growl emanates from the depths of my mind. "No. You will not reject our mate." My mouth gapes open as I shake my head and stand there speechless. Our mate? A female voice in my head? This can’t be happening. Now? "Your wolf?" Nate asks as he reaches for my hand to hold. I look up at him, determined to say no, but I hear it again. "My name is Lena." The voice says. "I'm your wolf, in case you were wondering." she laughs, but I’m far from joining in. My heart races with this overwhelming change. So unexpected, so sudden. I’ve been so adamant. But honestly, who could blame me? There were no signs of my werewolf being. Nate’s face brightens as a smile spreads across it. I can’t believe it. I’m a werewolf. He was right all along. More like Dante was right, but still. "Oh, look at that dopey smile. What a cutie we have here," Lena snickers. Nate leans down, pecking my shock away, and I finally nod. We stand there speechless. He is
Sarah As it seems, we can’t solve any of our issues sitting in my room- no matter how long I hug my legs to my chest with my head on my knees. My thoughts are still swirling everywhere, thinking through possibilities about our future. Living here and continuing with my life seems impossible. There’s no werewolf community around the Capital, as Nate informed me. He’s been asking around, but despite numerous packs having businesses here, they are located elsewhere. None of the parks or forests are big enough. And with all the security cameras… they would’ve been recognized by now. If we stay here, we must travel whenever we want to shift, which is impractical in the long term. I have come to the conclusion that my life, as it is, is practically over. My only option is to move. The big question is whether to move to Black River or somewhere else. No matter how many times Nate tells me I’m welcomed back, it doesn’t seem real. I understand with my mind that his parents are not the ones
Sarah Knowing I won’t be able to focus on work, I call the office to take the afternoon off. I may seem lazy, but if I’m giving in my resignation in a few days, does what they think matter anymore? I sigh at myself for being such a brat. Of course, it matters. Wherever we move, I’ll need a recommendation. "What we need is that dopey bearded face between our legs," Lena adds helpfully. "Aren’t you a newborn or something?" I ask with mock indignation, but it’s too late. Images of Nate touching and tasting me pop up in my brain, and I unzip my heavy jacket to let in some cooling air. “We have to go pick up a few things on the way,” Nate informs me. “Sure,” I nod as he directs me to the left. “So, who’s coming tonight?” “I’m not sure. I told Jenny and Len to invite everyone you’d want there,” he replies excitedly while my eyes widen, mouth hanging open. He stops seeing my face. “Is that wrong?” “No, nothing’s wrong. I hope Jenny keeps it casual,” I lie. There is no way she’d keep it
Sarah The deafening ringing of the doorbell rouses me from sleep, but as I move my head, I realize that I’m too drowsy for quick movements. “I think Len arrived with Abby,” Nate’s hoarse voice captures my attention. My sleepy brain is hardly working because I’m startled by it at first. When I’m able to raise my head and look at him, that is when everything comes back to me. I fell asleep on his chest after having the best sex of my life. He kisses my forehead. “I’ll let them in, okay?” he asks, and I don’t understand why he needs my permission till I realize my body blocks him from getting up. I drape my arm and leg off him, seeing his chest shine from my saliva. Oh shit, did I drool on him? Noooo. I wipe at his chest, gathering the moisture. Oh shit, that is the exact spot on his left peck where my head rested a moment ago. There is no way he doesn’t feel it. Embarrassment reddens my face. I fell asleep on him and drooled on him. Arrrggg “Sorry,” my vocal cords still think I’m
Nate The last two weeks have been an emotional rollercoaster. So now that I have Sarah in my arms, it all seems like a miracle. She has her wolf, feels the mate bond, and accepts me as her mate. Kind of. I’m pretty sure she doesn’t remember the marking part of the lessons, and I haven’t been able to bring myself to talk about that. She was already freaking out about everything. That is the last one of our problems right now. For the first time in two weeks, I slept like a baby. Waking up from that deep sleep was not easy this morning. The cold bed beside me still has Sarah’s scent all over, and I bury my face in her pillow. I still can’t identify her scent. I only know this is something I’ll love, but I’ll need the actual mate bond to feel that. The door’s creaking brings me to turn back and open my eyes. Sarah has a towel wrapped around her, coming into the room hastily. Her voice is hurried but tender as she looks at me. “Morning, Sleepy Head. I have to go to work.” She says, ru
Nate The pack is in turmoil. Although the streets appear deserted, it's evident that people are still awake from the glowing lights emanating from their homes. The Alpha’s feelings always affect his packmembers. Maybe I’m cowering, but I didn’t call Sarah after landing. I couldn’t. I wouldn’t be able to lie to her without my voice betraying me, which would make her suspicious. I sent her more texts and hoped she was already asleep. Marco takes me to the packhouse, and I walk straight into the middle of a meeting. Gabriel decided to fill in more people after Lissa’s call. Every ranked member is here; our four gammas, the head of defense, the head of the warriors, the head of the patrols, with the former Alpha, my father. We have practiced for attacks like these. Our warriors know their stations depending on where the attack is coming from. All packmembers know how to get to safety. They don’t need another drill to remember the protocols. The only problem is that we have to take into
Nate I’ve been trying not to think about Sarah. I have to focus on the pack. At the same time, she is the reason to fight. I’m hopeful she decides to join the pack to live here with me. For that to happen, I have to make sure it’s safe. I’m not willing to bring her here to be in danger. Gabriel’s mind-link puts an end to my swirling thoughts. “Are you calling our allies?” “Yes, I’m on it,” I reply to him, but first I call Sarah. When I only reach her voicemail, my heart hankers to hear her voice. I promise myself to call her again when I’m done with our allies. After the first two calls, I look at the third number on my phone. Alpha Sebastian. I was there a few days ago. I felt that something was off. He is an older Alpha. He refuses to pass his title to his son because he thinks he isn’t mature enough to lead a pack. I can’t argue with that. Seb Jr. is still acting like he is 16. I’ve known them all my life. The Alpha never hid that he wanted his daughter to be mated to Gabriel
Sarah My hands shake in the cold as I hide them in my hoodie’s sleeves. I’d say it’s my nerves because they are on the last thread for sure, but as I plan to undress and shift in a few minutes, I chose not to wear enough clothes. That was a wrong move on my part - the early morning of February day in Black River is freezing. Slipping on the frozen snow for the hundredth time, I curse at my clumsiness today. I’m heading to my childhood hiding spot to meet up with Nate. He convinced me to meet him there, as all I wanted to do was hide somewhere and go through my first shift alone. I don’t really know any other way to deal with things. I would’ve met him afterward, but I wanted to leave the bed before he woke up. Obviously, I failed with that attempt. The hurt I saw in his eyes when I told him about my plan washed over me, guided by our bond. I couldn’t leave him there. So, we settled on me shifting alone, but he’ll be on his way by then. So, here I am, attempting to shift at 25 when
Nate With Sarah’s embrace, the pounding in my ears disappears, and her words soothe me back to reality, where the only thing that matters is that she is beside me. More so in my lap, wrapping me in her intoxicating scent. She must have felt my sudden change in emotions because the featherlight kisses she was leaving on the top of my head, moved to my face and jaw. I couldn’t wait till she connected our lips. I took advantage of our proximity and swallowed her moan as I kissed her fiercely. My tongue searched hers, tasting the soft skin on it. Her hands glide down my chest slowly, teasingly, jumping over my belt to gently feel the length of my shaft, making it pulse. I groan with approval, searching her gaze as she separates us for a moment. A cheeky smile spreads through her face as she bites her bottom lip, and I dive back to capture them again. Yesterday she was adamant that I wasn’t healed perfectly for anything more than cuddling. I didn’t complain. Having her in my arms in m
Nate The pack meeting took an unexpected turn, leaving me seething with anger. Gabriel’s actions went beyond outing and humiliating Sarah when he commanded her in front of everyone. Each word he uttered fueled my fury. I had no idea I could be that mad at him. On top of my own emotions, I had to hold back Dante, who grew increasingly enraged as he sensed Sarah’s distress. He had always respected Gabriel’s wolf, but now, he was ready to attack him if he would anger our mate any further. "Was that really necessary?" I ask as I catch up to him. "Why did you use your alpha tone?” "Yes, it was necessary,” he cuts in, turning back to me swiftly before I could finish my thought. “She has to know I won't tolerate rogues on the territory." Won’t tolerate it? Where is his head at? Even if she was a rogue, that’s not enough reason to demand anything or humiliate her. I close the door behind me. I don’t want to have this conversation in front of everyone else. They already feel Gabriel’s ang
Sarah Being in Nate's house feels surreal. The place is simply perfect, with a cozy style in each room and warmth coming from the logs everywhere. Today, I was overwhelmed by the visits from many pack members. I was pleasantly surprised by how kind and friendly everyone was towards me. Many of them reminisced about our childhood and shared stories about our time together, whether it was practicing together or having something in common at school. Once inside, the world seems to come to a halt, and we swim in happiness. However, the moment we step out, I'm reminded of the other pack members, who are not happy with the recent developments. I see their scolding, hear their murmuring behind me, and I’m back to being the little girl who doesn’t belong here. Even with Lena inside me, I still feel out of place. Some even stop to ask Nate about his recovery, only to ignore me completely. Lena watches everything through my lenses and has her guard up, especially around Gabriel. She doesn’t
Nate Getting back home has proven to be more difficult than I anticipated. I'm concerned that climbing the stairs to my house may reopen my wounds. Leaning on Sarah for support makes me uneasy. This is not how I had envisioned showing her around my place. I’m unable to give her a tour, and even standing seems to be a daunting task. Although I manage to make it to the kitchen, I feel dizzy and realize I'm not as healed as I thought. I spy her facial expressions and movements carefully like a hawk. I want to know what aspects of the house she enjoys and what needs to be changed. Although I trust her honesty and doubt she would mislead me, I’ve been waiting for a long time to witness the genuine joy on her face when she really likes something here. "I love it; it’s perfect," she says, disappearing to look around in the bedroom. Just when Sarah comes back to the kitchen, the doorbell rings. With a bright smile, she gives me a peck on my lips and leaves toward the door, skipping on the w
Sarah This whole situation is absolutely unbelievable. They did everything we suspected. They deliberately wanted to separate us. I’m genuinely at a loss for words. How could any parent do this to their own child? What possible reason could they have? As I lean in to kiss Nate, he pulls me closer to his chest. The tingles rush through me with full force, and I’m speechless by how they spread through my body, waking up every inch and nerve. I find myself leaning against him in an awkward position, desperately yearning for his comforting presence. However, a surge of concern fills my mind, hesitant to get too close, worried that he may not be well enough for such intimacy. Despite putting up a brave front for me, I know his wounds must be causing him pain. Just in time, I pull away as my mum brings food for both of us. I hadn’t realized just how hungry I was. I missed breakfast and lunch, only having a few biscuits Mama packed for me. He whines throughout dinner that he wants steak
Nate The old chair creaks under me in my father’s office as I fidget nervously. We listen intently with my brother and Mark as my father, his Beta, and the pack’s head of security discuss border patrolling. This is the first summer our father asked me to join him and see what it's like to lead a pack. Gabriel has already spent his last three summers with him, training to be the next alpha. He is 14 years old, and I’m 11. As the second-born, I’ll never be the alpha of this pack, so sitting here is a privilege, as my father puts it. The head of security turns his head to the side. His eyes glaze over - the tell-tale sign of mind-linking. “Alpha, someone has entered our territory on the east of the forest,” he informs all of us a moment later. “Just one rogue?” my father asks with a suspicious face. “Yes, only one they could detect,” he answers, eyes glazing over again to get more information. “Who is in the area?” My father stands, and everyone follows. “We have three guards sur
Sarah I’ve never been to this part of the hospital—a long white corridor with many doors on each side. OR1, OR2, and so on. An opening door stops me as two people rush out, discussing a surgery. Then I cross to the area of recovery rooms, and it isn’t just busier; the walls are covered with paintings and photos, and the rooms are filled with chatting relatives. I follow Lena’s instincts to find Nate as our bond pulls me to him. Knowing that the bond is there gives me the greatest comfort and reassurance, strengthening my optimism that he will fully recover. Still, my palms are sweaty my heart is pounding as I quicken my steps again. I reach them just when they push the bed into a room. My heart is about to break out from my ribcage. When my eyes land on his pale face, I let out a huge sigh—probably one I’ve been holding for hours. I stand at the door, desperately waiting for them to set everything up and give me a sign that I can go in. Maybe running from the doctor was not the bes
Sarah It’s been a while since they took Nate for surgery, or at least it feels like it. I pace back and forth in the busy hospital's waiting area, receiving a few confused looks, but I'm too scared to look at anyone. The hospital staff hurries to help everyone, but the waiting area remains empty. The families are just about to leave the safe rooms, and I dread the moment when Nate's parents see me. I hear my name, and someone hugs me tight. The scent of lavender fills my nose, taking my mind back to a long-forgotten childhood, and I realize it is my mum, Amy. “Hi, Honey. I’m so happy to see you.” I feel myself easing a bit, and I finally hug her back. The care and love I received from her those years ago overwhelm me, and my brain is foggy again with all my emotions running through me. When she pulls away to look at me and I see her, I immediately start crying. I see her tearing up as well, and she hugs me again. “I heard from Daniel that you are here.” “Yeah, I finally met my b