RIEKA “Come on kids, you’re going to be late for school!”“I can’t find my shoes!”“Did you check your bedroom, the closest, and the basement in front of the TV?” “No, I didn’t look in the basement!” “Go look!” “Mom, where is my math homework?” “Did you put it in your folder like I told you to?” “Mom, I need $10 for my field trip today!” I roll my eyes as I help Eden, my 8-year-old, tie her shoes. Every morning it’s the same routine. Get up, do a little work, get myself ready, then wake the kids and help them get ready. I bought them all their own alarm clocks, but they still don’t wake up on their own. Once I get the kids off to school it’s time to get back to work. I actually work two jobs. I have done so many different jobs over the years that it’s hard to keep track, and I loved them all for different reasons. My first job is teaching English as a second language. I have always been a bookworm and a “Grammar Nerd.” This job is great because most of the people I teach
ALEKSANDR After further discussion with my mom, I’m even more nervous about meeting with Rieka, but my wolf is just thrilled that we finally get to talk to her. He doesn’t worry about silly little details such as whether or not we can actually be with her right now. He just wants to be calmed by her presence. It’s 1:30 pm, and I can’t focus on anything. I want to just leave for the meeting now, but what if she is there early working on something else and I interrupt her. Then it occurs to me that she doesn’t know what I look like. She’ll be waiting on me to approach her. I could hang back and watch her for a bit before our meeting. Dustin was planning on going with me, so I mind-link him to let him know that I’m ready. He laughs and links back that he’ll be out in front of the pack house with his truck in 5 minutes. As I climb into the truck Dustin gives me a cocky smirk. “You just couldn’t wait any longer, huh?” I don’t respond but give him a low grunt as I hold back my o
RIEKA As I cross the parking lot to my own vehicle, I see a familiar dark grey Ford Raptor. I think it was the same one I saw in the park the other day. Not many cars in this area are that distinct with the extremely dark window tint. Then again, this is a small town and if the owner lives in town, it would not be surprising to see the same car around town at different locations. I pull out of the parking lot and drive to the middle school to pick up Alex, and one of my favorite songs comes up on my shuffled playlist. “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon is exactly what I needed to match my good mood after a great meeting. I love the fun carefree attitude of the song. I’m actually a terribly awkward dancer, but it doesn’t stop me. I love to dance! As I approach the middle school, I realize that I’m a few minutes early. One of my neighbors agreed to watch Calvin for me during the meeting, so I’m taking advantage of this small window of peace and quiet. I love to read, and I
ALEKSANDR I was pleasantly surprised when Rieka called me the next day, ready to get started with showings over the weekend. I had some other things planned for Saturday morning, but nothing that couldn’t be easily shifted or rescheduled, so I quickly agreed to a 9 AM meeting at the first of several properties she wanted to show me. Dustin is helping cover for me around the pack house, so it looks like it will be just me and Rieka this time. I’m looking forward to it, but I hope I can control my wolf and not embarrass myself or make Rieka uncomfortable. Instead of Dustin’s truck today I’m driving my Escalade. It’s black on black with leather interior and even black rims on the wheels. I bought this vehicle because I needed something that could fit more people than the truck Dustin drives. I pull up to the first property and see Rieka already sitting in her car waiting. She appears to be on the phone, so I park my car and wait until she sees me. She hangs up the call and gets
RIEKA I call my son Alex on his cell phone while I’m driving home. I promised the kids we would watch a family movie together tonight after dinner, but it’s so late that I agreed to pick up a pizza on my way home. It was a longer day than I anticipated, but I think Aleksandr was genuinely pleased with the options I showed him. I also gave him a few ideas of what some of the buildings could be used for. He’s very open to hearing my ideas and didn’t seem too offended with my outspoken nature. I was curious about the shock I felt last time I shook his hand, so I made it a point to shake his hand again today at the end of our time together. Aleksandr seemed eager to shake hands again, and he held onto mine a few seconds longer than last time. Since we were touching for longer than last time, I noticed that it didn’t feel like static electricity as I originally thought. I was trying to figure out how to describe it. You know how when you get nervous or excited and you get that fee
ALEKSANDR I’m still floating on cloud nine after spending so much time with Rieka yesterday. When she initiated the handshake at the end of our meeting, it made me feel so good to know that she wanted to touch me. I’m still not sure if she can feel any effects from the mate bond. It’s so rare to have a human mate that I’m really not sure what this will be like for either of us. I’ve spent most of the morning thinking about her and going over our meeting from yesterday in my head. I keep forcing myself to think about the properties that she showed me, but I can’t stay focused. I’m daydreaming about her ice blue eyes, and her perfect lips. She had some great ideas for how some of the properties could be used, and I can already tell that she would make an amazing Luna. I can also imagine what her lips would feel like against mine, but I keep reminding myself that I must move slow. She’s still grieving. My wolf whimpers. I know she’s not ready for a relationship yet. My next s
ALEKSANDR When I returned from my run, I was exhausted, but in a good way. I quickly shower and dress in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. I decided to relax and watch some tv before bed. I noticed again that I have not felt this at peace in ages. I’m sure the mate bond and all that time I spent with Rieka yesterday has a lot to do with it. After about an hour of mindlessly flipping through the channels I decide to go to bed early. I don’t know why I bother with television. There is rarely anything worth watching. I want to make sure I’m well rested for tomorrow because I need to see Rieka again. Before I climb into my bed, I send her a quick text: Aleksandr: Hey, I know it’s your day off, but I wanted to reach out while I was thinking about it. I have a question I’d like to discuss tomorrow when you’re available. I’m awake by 5 AM, so feel free to call or text whenever it’s convenient for you. I close my phone, plug it in, and set it on the dresser before stripping dow
ALEKSANDR I was disappointed when Rieka didn’t reach for my hand upon my arrival at the property, but I want to respect her personal space. Wolves are so physical, but humans often like to keep a certain level of personal space. I’ve got to let her take the lead on this and move things at a pace that she’s comfortable with. It's possible that she doesn’t feel any effects from the mate bond at all. She also looked a bit distrustful of Drea at first, but Drea quickly introduced herself and explained who she was. That seemed to put Rieka at ease. Drea was right though, they seemed to become fast friends. Rieka was so comfortable with her, and I couldn’t believe the amount of personal information Drea was able to coax out of her. I listened to everything intently and committed all the information to memory. If I’m going to win her heart, all of these details about her life will be immensely important. It was great to finally learn more about Rieka’s kids. I feel like I have a be