Wolf of Cinders

Chapter 9

Cyrus's POV

The girl pulled away suddenly, a look of confusion on her face. I became worried for a moment, before sparks flashed across my vision. My wolf growled as a feeling of dominance overtook my mind. I looked at the small girl in my arms, her blue eyes wide and afraid. Mate. She's my mate.

Happiness throbbed in my chest. I finally found my mate, and I never wanted to let her go. I was about to speak when she pulled away, wriggling out of my grasp. She paused for a moment before taking off. I could only watch, my mind still trying to comprehend, before I took off after her.

"Wait! Please, wait!" I yelled to her, the sound of my voice causing many people to turn and stare. I continued to run, watching as she flailed on her dress, her breathing ragged as she tried to get away.

I had to admit, for a girl, she was fast. She stayed ahead of me as she ran out of the room, towards the exit. I stopped at the door as she ran down the stairs, stumbling slightly at the bottom. She glanced back only for a second, before taking off into the woods, and disappearing. I could only stand, watching as she left. My wolf whimpered and howled. Mate... I sighed sadly.

I turned to leave when something caught my eye, a small form on the stairs. Walking down, I picked up the small shoe she left behind. A sweet fragrance wafted up from the shoe. Mate... My wolf growled hungrily. I smiled. Maybe not all hope was lost.

The confused guests watched as I walked back in, the small shoe in my hand. My father quickly grabbed my arm, dragging me away. "What was that?" He asked, his voice frighteningly calm. 

"That was... My mate." 

I watched, embarrassed, as my father's eyes widened. "And she ran off like that because..." 

I sighed again. The same question I had already asked. "I don't know."

"But... Nobody would run away from their mate like that!" He shook his head.

My mother soon joined us, inspecting the shoe I had in my hand. She ran her fingers over it, taking note of each little detail. Finally, she leaned forward, sniffing cautiously. She gasped, pulling back. "But that's-" She stopped, realizing where she was. I looked at her curiously. "No... Never mind." She seemed flustered, but quickly regained her usual calm composure. "You know... That shoe is custom made. See? The small pieces here and here are specially made to fit one person." She gestured at the different folds and stitches in the shoe, only making my smile grow wider.

Author's POV

As Cyrus grinned, an idea formed in his head. "We'll just have every maiden that attended the party try on the shoe until we find a match!" His parents seemed skeptical. 

"That could take forever! You never know who might try to forcibly fit the shoe, and who it really belongs to!" His father spoke the truth; many of the women would stoop to lying to be his mate. His mother said nothing.

Cyrus turned to them. "I'll have a few questions for them if they do fit the shoe. Ones that only she would be able to answer." He spoke fondly of his mate, her beautiful face captivating his every thought. Again, his mother said nothing. She only turned away, her face scrunched as she tried to make sense of something.

"It's decided! Tell everyone in the pack! The girl who fits the shoe is my mate!" Cyrus and his father left, going to try and calm the confused guests still at the party. His mother sighed, no answers to her questions. 

"If his mate is a girl," She pondered. "Then why does she smell so much like a male?"