Bryan's POV:
I ended up staying the night in Amanda's room and I'm not going to lie...it was the best sleep of my life. Breathing in her scent and having her in my arms was pure bliss. I hated to leave her so early in the morning, but my drive to fulfill the Moon Goddess's mission and ensure Mandy's protection, I needed to increase my training. Before leaving, I write a quick note to my still sound asleep beautiful mate.
Dear Mandy,
I had to go to training early this morning. I'll be back at lunchtime so we can eat and I can show you around the pack. I promise to answer any of those million questions I know you have swirling around in that beautiful head of yours.
Love, Bryan
P.S. I loved sleeping with you in my arms again.
I went back to my room to change and brush my teeth before grabbing a quick bite from the kitchen. I rush out the door to meet James and Nick at the training grounds. I must have had a goofy grin on my face because I am greeted by the suspicious faces of my two best friends.
"Well, someone seems happy!" Nick chimes, wiggling his eyebrows.
"I concur with your assessment, Nick. The question is why? Hhhmmm...wonder what it could be?" James asks, lifting one eyebrow and smirking awaiting my answer. I laugh at them both and shake my head.
"Nothing happened. At least not what you two pervs are thinking," I retort. Both chuckle, but don't change their faces of wanting to know what did happen. "After the bonfire, I dropped her off at her room, as difficult as it was for me to do. But, I didn't want her to feel pressured to sleep in my room, especially with everything that was revealed last night. We said our good nights and went into our separate rooms. But, a few hours later, I'm awoken to the sweetest melody floating around my room. She was on her balcony writing and singing, apparently unable to sleep. So, I joined her, we talked for a while, and when she looked sleepy again, I tucked her into bed." I pause momentarily and glance at two disappointed faces. "Don't worry, I'm not finished." I interject. James and Nick glance at each other and smile, then turn their faces back to me. "As I was about to leave and go back to my room, she grabbed my wrist and asked me to stay with her until she fell asleep. We stayed that way all night. It was the best night of sleep I've ever had." I finish with a sigh. Both Nick and James smile knowingly.
"I'm so happy for you dude!" Nick cheers.
"Yeah, me too! Plus, if you continued to sulk around the pack any longer, I was going to take you out back and put you out of your misery." James says jokingly. "But, seriously, I am really happy she's back. She's a perfect mate for you, dude." James slaps a hand on my shoulder. I nod, thinking about her being wrapped in my arms. I shake my thoughts away with the realization of why we are at the training center crashes into my head.
"Okay, as much as I would love to revel in my mate, we've got to kick our training into high gear. We only have two weeks until Amanda's birthday and according to her mom's story during the meeting, things may change for her. Nothing is set in stone, but I want to be prepared for anything Marcus, or anyone for that matter, comes our way." I explain heading toward the bleachers to set my stuff down.
"Why the sudden ramp up though?" James eyeing me suspiciously. "Our warriors are the best and can easily take down Marcus and his goons. It's like you know something we don't." his eyes stare at my back. I feel his Alpha aura rolling off of him. I've never lied to him, ever. But, I know deep down this isn't the right time to reveal the Moon Goddess's plan.
"Alpha, four years ago, I watched the love of my life walk away with no plans on coming back. She was crushed by my confession. Today, she's back and I will do everything in my power to keep her, and this pack, safe from any danger coming our way. Please. I need you to support me in this." I plead with him, knowing he will always have my back. His expression softens and a smile appears on his face.
"You love her, don't you? Does she know yet?" he smirks.
"Yes, I do, but no, I haven't told her. I want to give her time to adjust to our world. Besides, we need to speak to the Elders." I state.
"The Elders?" James questions with his eyebrows furrowed.
"Well, I'm not really sure what happens when a werewolf is mated to a human..." my voice trails off as I ponder the possibilities. Will she be able to complete the mating process? Can I even mark her? Will it be more painful for her since she's human? What happens if she is an elemental like her father? How does that play a part in this? Will we have to wait? I am so deep in my thoughts, I don't realize Nick and James have walked closer to me.
"Hey bro! It's gonna be okay. We always have your back! Whether it's in training, mates, or anything else. We will help you figure it all out," Nick states plainly. I snap out of my thoughts and give him a brotherly smile.
"Thanks man. I appreciate it, both of you. I just don't know how this human or elemental thing will pan out. This is beyond my scope. So, I'm trying to focus on what I can control which is training, fighting, and protecting her. Now, can we get to training so I can spend some time with Mandy at some point today?" I chuckle as we enter the training ring to work on fighting techniques.
Four hours later, James, Nick, and I are sweaty, dirty messes who are in desperate need of showers. We put in a lot of work and even had many warriors join us. As we reach the pack house, our noses are hit with a glorious smell.
"Mmmmmmmm...food!" Nick exclaims, salivating. James and I just laugh at him. We enter through the sliding back door, cross the living room, and into the kitchen. The sight we see warms all of our hearts. Whitney, Claudia, and Amanda are all three preparing lunch. It looks like lasagna, side salad, and garlic bread. It smells heavenly. I stare at my beautiful mate. She never ceases to amaze me as I watch her put the finishing touches on the lasagna.
"Well, well, well, call me surprised to find all three of our beautiful mates together cooking this spectacular meal." James announces, making all three girls turn their heads in surprise. Mandy finds my state and blushes. I love being able to make her do that. I simply smile at her as she does the same.
"James, don't scare us like that!" Whitney chides as she smacks his arm with her hand. Claudia walks over to give Nick a kiss.
"Did you guys have a good training?" Claudia questions. "Must have, since you brought the training ring with you into the house! You guys are filthy!" she giggles and shakes her head as she pecks Nick's lips.
"Lunch will be ready in about 5 minutes. Why don't you boys go get cleaned up and meet us in the dining hall," Whitney suggests.
We all agree. I give Mandy a wink before heading to my room. About ten minutes later, we all three head back down stairs and into the dining hall. James takes his seat at the head of the table next to Whitney on his left. I sit to his right with an empty chair to my right. Nick sits across from me with Claudia next to him.
"Where's Amanda?" I ask, confused. Just then, she walks in with the lasagna and places it on the table next to the salad and garlic bread. I stand and pull out her chair for her to sit next to me. She takes the pot holders off of her hands as she takes the seat. I help slide her up to the table and then, take my seat. Once everyone has their servings, we begin to eat. It doesn't take long for the moans and compliments to fly across the table as everyone is enjoying Mandy's cooking.
"Oh, my goddess, Mandy, this lasagna is so good!" Whitney announces.
"I totally agree! Delicious!" Claudia exclaims. Nick and James just smile and nod as they stuff their mouths. "How did you learn to cook so well?" she asks.
"My mom, of course!" she chuckles as we all feel foolish for not remembering Amelia is the pack chef and caterer. "You didn't think she cooked for all of those parties by herself, did you?" Mandy asks. Before anyone can answer, she says "my mom taught me everything she knows." she boasts with pride.
"I'm one lucky man." I say as I look at her by my side. "I'm gonna have to train even harder just so I don't get fat from eating so well." I add. She laughs and shakes her head. We finish our meal in a comfortable silence. The guys take care of the dishes while the girls chit-chat about whatever.
"Do you ladies mind if I steal her for a while? I want to show her the pack and territory." I explain. Mandy smiles up at me with excited eyes. She says her "see ya laters" and I place my hand on the small of her back and lead her toward the front door.
Once outside, we explore the path toward the training grounds first. At first, we walk in silence as she takes in the sights around her. I slide my hand into hers and she grips my hand and looks up at me blushing. "Thank you for a wonderful lunch, baby. It was so good! Since we have the rest of the day to ourselves, I wanted to show you "the town" and places you may never have known were here as we had to hide the truth from you to keep you safe. I also want to show you the border so you know how far you can travel freely. Plus, I have a few surprises, too." I explain. She simply nods and I begin the tour. I show her the training grounds, some of the cabins, the meeting house where James holds official meetings with other packs. I take her by the Elders building, which I told her we would be visiting after her birthday.
"Why would we need to speak to the Elders?"
"Well, depending on what happens after your birthday, we may need their guidance on how to move forward with..." my voice trails off as I'm at a loss to explain the mating process to her.
"Move forward with what, Bryan?" she asks with more insistence.
I take a deep breath. "With mating." I state simply. After a few minutes, the confusion on her face dissipates as realization sets in. Her eyes go big and her cheeks turn the darkest shade of pink yet. An "oh" barely escapes her lips, but I heard her clearly. We continue walking deeper into the woods so she could see my first surprise...the lake.
"Oh my, Bryan, this is incredible," she exclaims. I lead her toward some rocks that rest on one side. The water is still and looks like shimmery glass as the sun begins to set. I pull out a picnic basket and blanket I had Nick stash for me.
"What is all this?" Her face is full of awe.
"My surprise. I wanted to take you on a date." I smile deeper as I see her beautiful smile reach her eyes. "Come on, let's sit." Over the next hour, we talk about the inner workings of pack life, job descriptions, training, and I even fill in some of the gaps in her memory from high school. I thought I avoided any difficult topics until Mandy asks something I wasn't expecting.
"So, how do I fit in to all of this?" I growl unexpectedly. Her eyes go big.
"I'm sorry!" I raise my hands in surrender. "Your question just caught me off guard. What do you mean?"
"Well, I know we're mates, but I'm not a werewolf. How does a human fit into pack life? How does this mate thing work when we are biologically different?"
I take a minute to formulate my answers to her questions. "First, you're my mate and, since I'm Beta, you will live with me at the Pack House until a new Alpha takes over, usually the current Alpha's eldest son, as the title is passed down as a birthright," I explain.
"Okay, but won't I be a weak link for the pack? A liability?" she states. I growl again. A liability?! Is she serious?! Why would she think that? I again apologize and again take time to gather my thoughts as I stare aghast at this woman in front of me.
"You have never and will never be a weak link for this pack. You don't understand how incredibly strong you really are and this pack has gone to great lengths to ensure your safety. We care about you. I care about you. I know we went about it the wrong way, but we had the best of intentions." I explain, desperate for her to understand how truly valuable she is to this pack. She sits pondering my words. She looks out over the water.
"How does mating usually work? I mean if I were a werewolf, too," she finally says.
"Typically, mates are revealed at age 18 and the mate bond snaps into place. It's kind of like a tether between our souls. It is solidified once the mating and marking process is complete."
"Marking?"
"I was hoping you wouldn't ask because I don't want to overwhelm you with all of this information." I breath in deep. "I would bite you. Right here." as I point to the soft spot where her neck meets her shoulder. "But since you are human and I have no desire to hurt you, I want to wait until after your 21st birthday and speak to the Elders about how the process may have to be different for us." I look at her face looking for any indication of fear, confusion, or anger. Her face is blank as she considers what I've just said.
"Hmmm...this is a lot." she finally says.
"Baby, look at me." I wait until she is facing me. "I am willing to make this work however we have to go about it." I place my hands on her face. "I never want to see you in pain again and I will do everything in my power to keep you safe. That's why I want to wait and talk to the Elders. None of this changes the fact that I lo—" I clear my throat. "I love you, Mandy. I love you so much. I've loved you for so long." I see her eyes welling up with tears. I wipe any tear that begins to fall. "Baby, what's wrong? What did I do?"
"Nothing. For the first time in my life, I feel accepted, I feel...included. Knowing the truth about how you feel is just icing on the cake." she pauses and looks down at her lap. I try to understand what's going on in that mind of hers. Suddenly, she looks up at me and stares into my eyes. "I love you, too, Bryan. I've known I've loved you since our senior year. Things just got so messed up before I could tell you." she goes to lower her head once more, but this time I lift her chin with my fingers and pull her into a kiss. Her lips are so soft against mine. Her scent is intoxicating and I place my hand behind her head to deepen the kiss. I feel her hands on my chest as she opens her mouth slightly to allow our tongues to intertwine. I pull her onto my lap without breaking the kiss and she wraps her arms around my neck. She runs her hand through my hair and I begin to sense her arousal. I break away from the kiss slowly to bring things back down. As much as I want her, I know we have to wait. I look at her beautiful features as the sun sets behind us.
"Hey Bryan?"
"Yeah."
"You wanna go swimming?" a playful smile appears on her face and she suddenly gets up from my lap, runs to the edge of the rocks and jumps in. I'm too shocked to move, but quickly follow her lead.
"Here goes nothing." I leap into the water after her.