In The Pack

Chapter 7

          Jason tried to hide a smile as he winked at me and headed back down the hall towards his office.  Nate, Lee, and Ian headed in the opposite direction, towards the front door.  Xena and I decided to have a seat on the couch. 

          "So," Xena began.  "We both know what the boys are taking Ian outside for.  So how about you tell me what's going on between you two."

          I smiled at her.  "It's kind of crazy."

          She rubbed her hands together and smiled.  "My favorite.  Tell me all about it!" she commanded.

          "Okay, well, Jason said it's a mate bond.   Have you ever heard of them?" She shook her head.  "Okay, well apparently, these two werewolves met and decided to go for a run together to get to know each other better.  After the run, the male kissed the female and they formed a bond.  Ian and I formed the same bond after a run in the woods."

          "He kissed you?!" she exclaimed. 

          I shook my head.  "Not yet.  He just held my hand and it happened."

          "So what does this bond entail?" she asked. 

          "Well, we can sort of read each other's minds," I told her and she gaped at me in astonishment. 

          "Are you serious?" I nodded.  "Then why aren't you eavesdropping on the guys?"

          I laughed.  "I like the way you think.  I'll get right to it."

          I felt my way into Ian's mind and commenced eavesdropping. 

          Nate and Lee were standing in front of Ian intimidatingly with their arms crossed.  They had just gotten there, so Xena and I hadn't missed anything. 

          "What exactly is going on between you and Layla?" asked Nate.

          Ian smiled and I felt his surprise through the bond.  This was not what he was expecting.  "Well," he replied.  "I really like Layla."

          Lee scowled.  "I would hope so since she seems to be comfortable around you.  Very comfortable," he hinted. 

          "Um, yeah," Ian stalled.  What do I tell them? he asked me. 

          The truth?  

          He snorted.  "Fine.  Layla and I have a bond," he began only to be cut off by Nate. 

          "What kind of bond?" he growled. 

          "A mate's bond."

          Both Nate and Lee looked confused.  "What's a mate's bond?"

          "Well, I'm not entirely sure how to explain it.  If we go back to the house, Layla can explain it to you," Ian said. 

          They stared at him suspiciously.  Then Lee said,  "Alright, we can go inside and ask Layla what it is.  But first," he and Nate got right up in front of Ian, "you mess with our girl, and you're gonna regret it."

          Ian held his hands up.  "I like Layla," he told them again.  "I'm not going to mess with her."

          "You better not."

          Ian turned and led the way back into the living room where Xena and I were patiently waiting, staring at the door.  They trooped in and sat down.

          "Okay," Nate began.  "What is a mate's bond?"

          I smiled.  "Well, this is how Jason explained it to us." I took him through the whole story, just as Jason had with us and I had with Xena.  "So basically, we can read each other's minds and emotions."

          "And we're meant to be together," Ian added.

          We hung out in the living room for a while longer, talking about the bond, the wolves that tried to kidnap me, and what we'd be doing at training when I went back tomorrow. 

          "He's just having us do cardio, lifting and group fighting since the tracking exercise has been put on hold until the kidnapping scare is gone," Lee said.

          "It's pretty normal actually," Nate added.

          "Yeah, pretty boring," Xena told me.  "It's the same thing we always do in the basement."