My Mate's Touch

Chapter 20 - Luca

Elias and I went back to my apartment while Aspen went to hers so she could take a shower before she headed over. I did the same, washing off the sweat and grime from the intense training session we'd had in the blazing sun. When we were both done, she came over and the three of us sat on my couch.

"We should practice again in a few days, Luca," Aspen said confidently. "There will be a full moon, so we can really see how you're improving."

I gulped but before I could respond, Elias jumped in on the conversation. "Ooh, I bet you two'll be really strong! But, doesn't the full moon make werewolves lose control?"

Aspen and I looked at each other with wide eyes and then back at Elias.

"Are... are you serious?" Aspen cocked her head to the side.

"Um, yes. I didn't know," Elias frowned. "I know about alphas, betas and omegas since I worked in a clinic for a while, but there's actually a lot of other things I don't know about werewolves..."

"Well, when the moon is full, we don't lose control and go rabid. In fact, us werewolves are able to harness even more strength and power because the full moon grants us more of the Moon Goddess' power."

Elias listened attentively, his eyes glistening in pure fascination. "Wow, they didn't say very much about these things in Timbers Cross. I guess they were trying to make sure us humans felt comfortable there. That's incredible! You have a Moon Goddess?"

I'd heard of the Moon Goddess, too, but my hometown rarely mentioned her and claimed she was just a myth. I wasn't sure if that was true, so I wasn't surprised to hear that Aspen believed in her.

"Yeah! The Moon Goddess has been around for millenia, even longer than werewolves have existed. She grants us more power on full moons, but her most important duty is assigning us our bond mates."

I flinched. The Moon Goddess did that? There were a few couples in my town who claimed to be soulmates, but I didn't know them very well so I couldn't tell. Bond mates were something I happened to be a little skeptical of. How could one person in the entire world be tied to you for the rest of your life? Not that I had a good example, since my drunkard father and deadbeat mother were far from mates.

"Aw, that must be so amazing to find your mate! It sounds so nice to have someone who loves you that much," Elias said bashfully, blushing a bit.

"From what I've heard, it is," Aspen continued. "I haven't found mine yet, but I heard that when you do, it's exhilarating. When you touch your mate for the first time, you literally feel sparks and you'll never want to let them go."

"And what if you don't like the mate that the Moon Goddess gave you?" I asked, still unsure about this whole idea.

"It's not possible. Even if you hate each other, the Moon Goddess assigned your mate to you because she knew that you both love each other deep within." Aspen looked at me, and then sighed after seeing my expression was still a bit skeptical. "But, if you really hate your mate, you can reject them."

"What's that?" Elias asked, fear in his eyes.

"Well, to solidify a mate bond, the dominant partner has to mark their submissive during... um, intimate activities."

Elias gasped at Aspen's words and his cheeks instantly reddened. I swear, he was too pure for this world.

"A mark is a bite on the side or nape of the neck," Aspen continued. "If you mark your mate or have already been marked, you can't reject your mate. But, if you haven't done the marking process yet, you can reject your mate. It's almost never successful though because either one or both of you will become depressed until you can't live on anymore."

"Can you undo the rejection?" I asked, also a little concerned at the gravity of this decision.

"Maybe," Aspen said quietly, furrowing her brow. "I'm not sure."

"Well, at least it's not common," Elias said hesitantly. "Right?"

Aspen smiled at him. "Right."

After explaining a few more things to Elias about werewolf life, the three of us started to feel tired. Aspen went back to her apartment without a word and while I thought she was going to go to bed, she came back after a moment with some pillows and blankets.

"It's been a while since we've had a sleepover, at least for me," She smiled.

We moved the coffee table out the way and spread the blankets out, leaning the pillows against the couch and throwing an extra soft blanket on top of us to complete our floor pallet.

"There's so much I didn't know about werewolves," Elias muttered sleepily, yawning shortly after. "I wonder if mermaids and vampires exist, too..."

"I highly doubt that," I said, making him and Aspen chuckle.

The three of us adjusted under the blanket a few times, yawning and groaning as we tried to get comfortable. Soon enough, the three of us were in a deep slumber.

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Sorry for posting at an awkward time, I had a rough day... Anyways, another wholesome chapter with the trio ♡ Aspen explains to Elias (and Luca a bit, too) what there is to know about werewolf life and then they have a sleepover. Also, Elias is so cute! Such a cinnamon roll ♡ If you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a vote and comment! - D