The Alpha's Missing Mate

Chapter 6

6.

Neither one of them said a thing until they settled in his car, and she caught sight of the clock, and then the silence was only broken when she cursed. "What's wrong?" he asked her.

"I didn't realise it was so late. I've missed my afternoon classes, and I'll have to call into work," she told him before taking out her phone and making the call. When she hung up, she noticed they were turning down a long, tree lined drive. The limbs of the trees, she thought they were oak trees, but wasn't sure, arched over the gravel, creating a shadowed tunnel. Sunlight trickled through the budding leaves. As they rounded a corner, the large house came into view.

She noticed the massive grounds had several smaller cottages dotted along the back lawn as well, and wondered why he need all the space as he drove past the house and stopped in what looked like a parking lot. He climbed out of his car, a sleek, black Mercedes E63 AMG, and she followed him to the what she assumed was the back door. They made their way into the house and she could hear people laughing somewhere she couldn't see. His scent was strong all throughout the building, but she caught others as well, and they were all similar to his. Another scent tickled her nose, but he led her from the hallway into his office and headed to his desk, indicating a seat across from him for her to sit in before she could identify it. She flopped down and gazed around, taking in the room.

She found it homey, and could feel herself relaxing before she schooled herself to be on her guard. She still didn't trust this man. The familiar scent wafted to her from the seat next to her, and she frown as she tried to place it. A knock on the door made her turn her head, and her eyes widened. What was Tommy doing here? Had this guy forced her friend to come here? Why? She sent the man a dark glare before turning back to Tommy and standing.

"Tommy, what are you doing here?" she questioned him. Tommy didn't answer her, but sat in the seat next to her, and she caught his familiar scent. Realization dawned on her, and she gaped at him. She took a step away from both of the guys and gave them a wary look. "What's going on? Tommy?" She turned and looked at the boy. She heard the man behind the desk curse softly under his breath, but she never let her gaze waver.

"Angel," the boy said as he watched her, "please sit down and we'll explain everything."

"We?" she squeaked.

"Jared," he said, nodding at the man across from her, "is my brother, and the alpha of our pack." She felt as if the floor fell out from under her, and she stumbled back into the seat she had recently deserted.

"Brother?" she squeaked again. "But, he's a- a werewolf!" she screamed at Tommy, but he just nodded at her. "Does that mean-?" Again, Tommy nodded. She took a deep breath, trying to assimilate the information that she had just gained. She looked back and forth at the two men still staring at her as if she was about to run out of the room screaming. "Okay, I think you guys should explain everything."

"What do you know about our species?" Jared asked her.

"Other than I can shift anytime?" she asked him. "I'm faster than everyone else, stronger too. Oh, and I don't feel the need to bite anyone and cause havoc by running around and eating chickens."

Tommy and Jared shared a disbelieving look before Jared began. "Okay, basics it is then. Werewolves are born, not made. No matter how many times we bite someone, all we'd end up doing is just piss them off. We don't have to shift on just the full moon, but I guess you already know that. Only werewolf couples pass genes along to their children. If a wolf has a human mate, those children would be human."

"Mate?" she asked him, not understanding what he was talking about.

"I'll explain that in a minute, okay?" Jared told her before continuing. "The only thing we're allergic to is silver. The myths got that part right, but that's about it, but unlike in the myths it doesn't kill us, we just break out in a rash, and it burns like hell. It also slows us down. Wolf's bane, night shade and all that crap WILL kill us, but then again, they'd kill anyone who injested them. We heal about five times faster than normal humans do as well, unless, of course, we've got silver in our system."

"Good thing, I've never had anything silver," she muttered under her breath.

"Indeed," Jared agreed. "What else?" he asked his brother.

"Pack," Tommy prompted him.

"Oh, right. We live in packs, a group you could say. The Alpha is kind of like the head honcho, and if we give an order, the other members have no choice but to follow it. The Alpha's mate is called the Luna, and she has the same respect afforded to the Alpha. The title of Alpha is passed down from father to first born son, although its not unheard of a female to be the first born and passed the title, but it is rare. Most women just prefer to have their younger brothers lead."

"Okay," she said as he thought about anything else she would need to know. "So what your saying is that we are pack animals that follow a feudal system that's passed down through the generations. And silver doesn't kill us, just irritates us, unless its coated with poison. Is that right?" Jared and Tommy nodded at her.

"So if that doesn't kill us, how do we die?"

"Unless a wolf willingly takes the poison, or is killed by decapitation, we die of natural causes, although those don't hit us for a while. Once we reach maturity, our bodies slow down the aging process. A wolf can easily live to be two hundred years old."

"Wow, that's old," she said in astonishment, causing both guys to laugh.

"Yes, it is," Jared agreed.

"Okay, so you're the Alpha," she said pointing at Jared, who nodded. Then she turned to Tommy, "so, what does that make you?"

"The spare," Tommy said with a grin, causing her to laugh. "Oh, okay," she giggled, before turning back to the alpha.

"So what are mates?" Jared sighed, and looked at Tommy. "Would you like to explain?" he asked, causing Angel to look at him in confusion. "Tommy's already found his mate, and he can tell you about it first hand."

Tommy nodded at his brother before he said, "'Mate' is short for 'soul mate'. Every person on earth has a soul mate, somebody who is made just for them. Someone who completes them. Wolves are lucky that we know who our mates are at first glance, but only after we shift for the first time. We shift during puberty, incidentally. Jared forgot to tell you that,"he said with a glare at his brother. "The latest anyone shifts is at seventeen.

"Anyways, back to mating. We can't help but want to be near them, to touch them. We can't keep our eyes off each other," he said as he noticed his brother glancing at Angel while she tried not to glance back at him. He smiled as he continued, "It's kind of like love at first sight. We spend our time obsessing about them if we aren't around them. We worry that they're safe. Gravity seems to shift so it seems like they're the thing that's keeping us grounded. They become the sun for us. And when we touch, it's like were struck by lightening. Electricity courses through our bodies, even if it's not the first time we touch."

Jared's expression had changed from self assured to shocked as his brother had spoken. He hadn't found his mate yet, but as Tommy explained the signs to Angel, signs he'd grown up learning to look for, he couldn't help as his eyes wandered towards her and stayed. All the things he said, Jared had been feeling for her. Dear Gods! She was his mate!

"Oh," she said in a tiny voice, her eyes dashing towards Jared, then quickly away, as she took in all the information gained that afternoon.