The Beta's Human Mate

Chapter Twelve, Werewolves are real

Zeke Hayes

I don't know why I agreed to Peyton driving me home, but we're in his jeep now. He puts it in drive, and I try to process everything they just said. The whole wolf thing freaks me out. It is kinda cool, honestly. That such creatures are real. But the whole mate thing?

Terrifies me. I can't be with someone, as silly as that sounds. I don't know how to be someone's mate, and I don't even want to begin to understand what that means.

"When did you know?" The words leave my lips before I can stop them.

"The first day of school" he answers, and I swear my heart breaks.

"Is that why Sam wanted to be my friend?" I ask, although I don't want to know the answer.

"Yes, but she cares about you Zeke. A lot" he turns to me for a moment, then focuses back on the road. That stings.

I thought she was really my friend, and I guess our friendship has grown no matter why she wanted to be my friend. But if i wasn't his mate, she would have never talked to me.

I don't know what the fuck i'm supposed to do with that.

"Was Nolan telling the truth? If I reject you, will it kill you?" I ask, pressure is building behind my eyes, because I want to cry. I have no real friends, not truly.

"Maybe. When a wolf gets rejected by their mate there are a lot of outcomes, none of them good. They can be deadly, or close too" he whispers, like he doesn't want to answer me.

 "You think I'm going to reject it" I say, because it's not a question. I can feel it.

"Yes" he answers anyway, and he parks down the block from my house. He turns toward me, and it's now I see his eyes are glassy. "I can't force you to stay, and I won't. But please think it through" he adds.

My heart breaks more, and I want to be alone. "I'll think about it, just give me time?"

"I can't promise Nolan will. Our alpha wants you moved in by the end of the weekend"

My spine stiffens, and my throat clenches. "Why?"

"Because you're human, and I'm the beta of our pack. Which is important, really important. That makes you a threat to other packs, which means if they find out you're human, and unprotected they will come for you" he says, like it should make sense.

It doesn't. "So, what? Nolan is just going to force me into this?"

"I'm his best friend, if you reject me, or get killed, I will have an awful outcome, and that scares him. He doesn't want to even comprehend life without me Zeke, and he won't entertain the idea. I can get you until sunday, but after that i can't promise anything"

"So you'll let him come for me?" I scoff, shaking my head.

"He will be my Alpha, I can't stop him," he adds.

"I don't even understand what being a mate means for me, or what it even means. I don't really understand you being a wolf!" I laugh, but nothing about this is funny. "You shifted into a wolf, Peyton. And you're expecting me to just understand all this? And what? Move in with you? I barely know you." I shake my head. "I gotta go" I go to turn, to get out of the jeep but he grabs my wrist.

Goosebumps scatter across my skin, and my eyes flick over to him. "I know you feel it Zeke. You'll know what's right. I just hope you can figure it out before Nolan comes." He whispers the last part. I pull myself free from him, and walk the short distance to my house.

My heart aches, and I rub my chest while I climb the stairs to my house. Every part of me wants to go back to him, but there's so much I don't understand.