Ever After (currently rewriting)

Part 17

I finish washing the last plate and let the water down the drain. Aedan is in the living room, talking on his phone. That reminds me, I need to call in to work and ask for a leave of absence. Now is probably not a good time to be spending hours alone at the store. 

Picking up my phone, I make the call. The manager isn't happy, but finally agrees. She didn't really have a choice. I'm not coming in. It's not like I actually need the job, anyway. I've been careful with the money I inherited.

Done with that, and officially annoyed by my boss' attitude, I walk into the living room. Aedan is off of the phone. He's sitting on the floor, next to Hope, petting her fur. She has her head in his lap, a blissful look on her face.

I stop in the doorway and take in the scene. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that they get along so well. Because, you know, kindred spirits and all that. I lean back against the door frame and smile.

Aedan looks up at me and smiles back.  "So, what do you want to know?"

I'd told him earlier that I wanted to clean up the kitchen before we talked. It was an excuse to buy time. I needed it to gather my thoughts. Here goes. "So, you're the leader of your pack. The alpha?" I start with something simple.

"Yes. Every pack has an alpha. It's usually hereditary, but not always. My father is the alpha of his pack. My older brother will also be an alpha, he's next in line to take over when our father steps down. I was also born an alpha. When that happens, the younger sibling has two choices. He can either stay with his pack, but probably never act as an alpha. Or, he can split from his pack and start a new pack. I chose option number two. Tye, Keller, and Braden were members of my old pack who chose to follow me."

"And what exactly does an alpha do?"

"Its my job to lead and protect the others. I have to see that they are always provided for, and I keep order. They look to me for guidance and answers."

"Isn't that, like, weird? You guys all look practically the same age." I'm confused how this works.

Aedan gets up off of the floor and goes to sit on the couch. "Not at all. When my brother takes over, he will lead men much older than him. We are raised from a young age to be able to handle the responsibility. It's not like with humans. It's just the way things work within the pack. Age is irrelevant. The status of your wolf is what matters."

"And Braden said I'm supposed to be some sort of leader, too? I leave the doorway and go sit with him. Now we are getting into the things that concern me. How am I supposed to be some sort of shifter royalty?

"You are my mate, the packs Luna. They will all think of you as a bit of a mother figure. They will look to you for advice and care." Apparently, he's figured out my concerns. He takes my hands and looks directly into my eyes. "Liz, you are already acting like a luna. You took over and made sure the guys all ate this morning. You are concerned about their comfort and safety. You are the best choice for Luna I could ask for." 

"How are you sure? I mean, how can you be sure that I'm your mate? And what does that even mean?" A part of me is afraid to ask. What if he suddenly decides that I'm not it? I've only known him a few days, but it feels like much longer. I don't think an entire long lifetime will be enough time.

"I knew the instant I met you. A part of me that has been missing for my whole life was whole, just like that. I knew that I'd found my home, my future, and my heart. You are my everything. Just you. We are made for each other." The emotion in his voice is raw. "And it means that, for me, there is only you. No one else will ever be good enough. I will spend my life with you, and I couldn't be happier about it."

My throat feels tight. His speech has struck a cord with me. All I've ever wanted is someone to love, and who loves me back. With the deaths of my parents, that desire only intensified. There's just one problem. I lean into his chest and mumble, "But I'm just a human."

"Liz, that doesn't matter to me. It isn't unheard of. Humans and shifters have been finding out that they are mates from the start of time. And they go on to live happy lives together." He's hugging me.

I let out a sigh of relief. I'm glad it's happened before. Just then, I feel him inhale deeply. "Did you just smell me?" I ask him in mock horror, pulling back to see his face.

He grins lazily at me. "Why yes, I did. " 

"And how do I smell?" I barely manage to resist the urge to take a test sniff of myself. This whole powerful wolf nose thing was going to give me a complex.

A swirl of yellow flickers within  his eyes. With a more serious expression, "Good enough to eat."

Oh. When he looks at me like that, I think I might combust. Shaking my head slightly, to clear it, "When your eyes have a bit of yellow in them, is that your wolf?"

"Yes. Sometimes, like right now, he wants out," He tells me carefully. "But he can't take over unless I let him."

"Is he who was growling in the kitchen?"

"Yes. He will always be territorial with you, but it's especially bad now. Until I mark you, he will feel that other males are a threat."

Back that thought up. "Mark me?"

"Males mark their mates to show other males that the female is taken. It usually happens fairly quickly after mates meet. The longer it takes, the more pushy my wolf will get about it."

I notice that he left out the how in that explanation. Do I want to know?

What's worse. Knowing, or not knowing?

He notices my whirling thoughts and puts me out of my misery. "I'll bite you, here." He raises his hand and lightly brushes his fingers where my neck and shoulder meet, raising goosebumps on my skin.

W.T.F.

"You want to bite me, hard enough to leave a mark?" I'm not sure I like the sound of that.

"We don't have to do anything until you are ready," He rushes to tell me. 

This is so confusing. I lay my head back on his chest. "Ok. I trust you." I find that I do. I know that he will keep his teeth to himself if I ask him to. It's one of the many things I love about Aedan.

I realize what I just thought with a jolt. Do I love him? I picture him sitting on the floor, petting my dog. Feeding me bites of his pancakes while shooting a pointed look at Braden. Holding my hand in a dark movie theater. Kissing me senseless on my kitchen counter. Coming to my rescue at 3am when I call for help. And talking for hours.

I do love him. I love carefree Aedan, sweet Aedan, and possessive Aedan.  I even love grumpy Aedan, I think with a grin, remembering his expression when I waved the spatula at him earlier.

But it's so soon. It's weird. How can you love someone that you only met recently?

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