The First Fae Mate

Five | Blunt

Strong hands steadied Visena on the uneven ground. Twigs crunched underfoot as she found her balance. "Ouch, Gideon," she muttered, rubbing the spot on her forehead that had just rebounded from his pecks.

His narrowing eyes and half-smile had her heart pounding.

"Were you following me, little Fae?"

Visena peeked out from beneath her raised arm with a coy smile. "Why yes, I was. Why did you run away?"

"Are you saying you wanted to see me naked?" His grin only grew wider, and Visena chuckled.

"And if I did?"

Gideon scoffed and started to walk back to the pack. "I don't think I'll ever get used to the bluntness of the Fae."

Jogging to catch up, Visena asked, "What else do you know about my kind?" She looked up at his olive eyes with curiosity. It was strange learning about herself from another person, but she didn't mind learning it from him.

"Well." Gideon exhaled deeply, deciding how to word his following sentence. "Fae are notoriously curious, mischievous, honest to a fault, confident and beautiful."

"That sounds about right." Visena nodded in complete seriousness, almost jumping out of her skin when a full laugh rang in her ears. She blushed, a tad embarrassed.

"That does pretty much describe you, doesn't it?" His hooded eyes lingered on her face but turned hard as they exited the forest. "Head home, everyone. Training will start at seven sharp tomorrow morning, so rest up."

Many curious eyes peered between Gideon and Visena before their bodies retreated into their homes. Prim ran over with Eve in tow, shooting a beaming smile at Gideon while tugging Visena's hands. "Can we take her to her room, Alpha?"

He barely said a word before Prim dragged her through the main house doors, chatting animately.

"This is the leader's Packhouse. Alpha is on the top level. Liam and Jed are on the next floor down. Orion and I share a room up these stairs through the first door on the left, and the one further down is Eve's. I think Alpha said you will sleep in the spare room on his floor."

Her curiosity was thoroughly piqued. "Why do you all share a house when everyone else gets their own?"

Prim spoke again. "Well, usually you get your own place when you find your mate, but I wanted to stay close to Eve, and it's just easier when we need to hold meetings and stuff, you know?"

"And we're all close too," Eve added.

"We've known each other since we were kids and trained together. We worked our asses off to get where we are now, and we stick together. We're a family."

The sentiment was sweet to Visena, even if she didn't entirely understand it. She didn't remember her family besides a few brief flashes of her mother's voice. I need to ask Gideon for advice about finding her. Any other family members were unknown to her.

After an audible sigh, the two women glanced at one another as if noticing her change in mood.

"Are you okay, Visena?" Prim asked with a worried expression as they crossed into the kitchen area.

The space was open-plan and tidy, and the scent of a stew lingered from a pot on the stove. Visena's mouth filled with saliva as she turned to the redhead.

"Can I watch you train tomorrow?"

Eve's mouth twitched, and her eyes narrowed, but Prim appeared none the wiser about the change in conversation.

"Yes, absolutely. Do you want something to eat?"

Visena's growling stomach answered Prim as they rounded the counter, and a blush heated her cheeks.