The rise of the sun may have marked the beginning of the day, but George herself had no idea of where to begin.
The morning went by in a blur, marked with faint flashes of taking a shower and slipping on that comfy silk lounge dress she felt compelled to wear. The memory of Julian's quiet voice assuring her that he would do the laundry he couldn't do yesterday echoed inside her head, and she realized that she'd wanted to look nice for him for when he returned. Now, she was sitting at the edge of her bed, staring over her reflection in the vanity mirror, fascinated by what she saw.
It was her reflection, no question. Yet, it wasn't her reflection. She felt like she changed somehow, even if the change was a slight one.
She ran her fingers through her hair over and over again. She could hardly believe it how it managed to be like this once she found the strength to shift back to her human form last night. Normally, the state you were in before you shift was the state you were in after. She shifted with curly hair, so when she shifted back, her hair should have still been curly. But silky straight it was, and silky straight it remained, spilled across her shoulders with wisps stroking her cheeks. Looking at herself, she felt she'd grown older - more mature and more open to the world around her. As she remembered Julian's soft hands all over her wolf's arctic white fur, she felt her suspicions about the ouside world begin to ebb away, eased by the promise a hope born out of fated love.
You change a little, her wolf murred, still buzzing from last night. You change more when you mate with mate. Happy happy hump day...
George shook her head, ridding herself of her wolf's amorous insinuation. Besides, she had more important things to think about. There was still a lot that needed to be said. There was still things to hash out. But she would be okay - they would be okay. Of that much, she was certain.
Another thing she was certain of was her best friend's accuracy - Julian was not completely human. She could see it in his eyes before and after the change, the way they radiated with that familiar, untamed intensity she possessed herself. She would have continued to resist the change and incur even more pain had her wolf not connected to that savage energy he gave off. Even if that energy escaped her human understanding, her wolf did not suffer the same fate. Instead, it was overcome with an otherworldy elation - for her wolf, there was no mistaking the energy.
Mine, it howled over and over again. All mine.
The longer she remained a wolf, the more she understood what her wolf meant. As Julian embraced his, whispering into his fur his love and devotion for both her and her wolf, she too felt the powerful pull of Julian's mysterious aura. It reminded her of her two distinct souls, the complicated yet calm human and the untamed yet loyal wolf. And while she still couldn't make sense of it, she knew that this energy, this power was meant to mix with hers.
She was meant to be his, and he was meant to be hers. And most importantly, she had nothing to fear from it.
What exactly are you, Julian? she pondered. You are like me, but you aren't like me. You are human but not completely human. Yet somehow, I feel there isn't much difference between us, and there's a reason that you're mine. But still...I don't understand...
George's ears perked up at the sound of his footsteps moving closer and closer, rising up the stairways and along the hallways. Her breath hitched as he unlatched the door, and her heart slowed as he walked inside. Giddiness tickling her insides as he appeared in the doorway, a basket full of folded clothes in tow. The room was rich and heady with his distinct scent, and while she was firmly human, her excitement was so feverish, she wanted to jump up and howl.
My mate has returned to me...
"Julian." Their eyes locked, currents of raw electricity coursing through her entire body. She jumped up from her bed, barely able to contain herself. Even if she knew they had lots to talk about, she wanted more than anything to throw her arms around him once again. "You're back."
Clasping her hands tight, she fought to keep still. She didn't want to come across as eager or act as though last nights events didn't happen. But as he placed the basket on to the ground and strode over to her, she knew she didn't have to worry. As Julian pulled her into his tight embrace, she sighed to herself in relief, reassuring herself once again that everything would sort itself out.
"You're as beautiful as I left you," he murmured in her ear. Melting into him further, she didn't even try to hide the sound of her inhaling his wonderful scent. Mine...he's really mine... "And you're okay, I'm so glad you're okay."
"Of course I am, especially now that you are here." For the first time, she allowed herself to be so close to him without the fear of betrayal or abandonment. It feels so freeing...if only I'd given in sooner... "You're here - you're really here, aren't you? You didn't run away."
"I keep telling you that I'm not going anywhere." He pulled away, but not before taking her hands into his. Their eyes locked, and heat simmered underneath her skin. "Even if I tried, I don't think I'd get very far."
"Don't bother trying then." Her eyes filled with warm, happy tears. "Seriously, I'll chain you to my bed if you do."
"Ooh, kinky. Can you do that anyway?"
George laughed as giddiness bubbled underneath her skin. She couldn't help but runs her fingers through his hair and rub her arms against his smooth, golden cheeks. The fears that ruled her for fifteen years buried themselves deep within, but refused to vanish completely. She would always be afraid to lose him, of course, but that didn't matter.
He knows what I am, and even better, he accepts me, all of me, for who I am.
He is my mate - there is no question. He was the one meant for me.
"Are you sure you're okay?" As he fussed over her, her smile grew larger. "You looked like you were in so much pain last night. That kind of pain doesn't go away so easily."
"I was only in pain because I resisted the change," she offered. "Don't get me wrong - I was going to tell you everything. I wanted to show you everything. But things ended up getting heavy, and I guess my wolf decided that it deserved to be with you more than I did."
"I see." It was only two quiet words, but they were enough to remind George of the explanations she owed him. It would be quite an interesting conversation. "She is beautiful, yes, but I don't know if I'm quite that kinky."
"Fair enough." Taking a deep breath, she gathered her strength and resolve. "I guess this is the part where I start talking and you take it all in, right? I warn you, though. A lot of it probably won't make sense to you."
"You don't have to explain anything to me, Georgie." Her face was coloured with confusion. "I think I understand."
"What?" Somehow, she understood, despite still being perplexed. "How do you..."
"From the beginning you've told me that you've had a beast inside of you, and I've never had a reason to disbelieve you. And I also told you that I hoped that I had a beast within me to satisfy the one within you. Of course, I said that before to help convince you to give me a shot. But ever since I have you that bite on your neck, I'm beginning to believe otherwise." Julian took her hands in hers, the power of the bond humming all around them. "I bet you're as confused about me as I am about you, but if there's anything that last night taught me, it's that somehow we're connected to one another and we get each other, even if we don't get it ourselves."
George gave a slow nod. She couldn't have said it better herself. "There's a lot of stuff that's happened that I can't wrap my head around right now. But it doesn't matter. In a way it already makes sense and I'm sure in the future it'll make complete sense to us both. For now, though, I'm with you, Julian. This was meant to happen, even if I was stubborn about it all before."
"Just remember that you said it, not me." Her happiness knew no limits. As he pulled her into his arms once again, the content purring of her wolf echoed inside her ears. "For now, just let me hold you in my arms, and then we can get to putting away the laundry."
"The laundry can wait. It won't take that long to put it away." Mate ours, all ours. Mine. "You hold me as long as you want."
------
Mi loba, I hope you've found as much contentment with your mate, as I have found with mine.
Dominic watched over Liam's sleeping form, his fingertips making light contact with the wavy hairs on top of his head. While he'd long been aware of the wonders of make-up sex, last night still managed to blow him away and then some. What started out as his most hellish day transformed itself into the most amazing day ever.
He thought he'd lost Liam by revealing himself, and he could have killed his best friend, his sister at the fault of his grief.
Thank the Goddess for taking pity on his soul. Or maybe he should have thanked Julian, of all people for punching some sense back into him. Despite his fears, Liam came to his aid, the mate bond triumphant over everything else. And Georgia found it in her heart to forgive him, helping him to convince Liam of his devotion even though his outbursts required her to confess her secrets before she was ready to.
Dominic felt as though he didn't deserve these gifts after all the damage he caused. But he wouldn't deny them either, and he was thankful for being given a chance to redeem himself.
There was still much to deal with, to talk about. Of course, he'd have to explain the whole wolf thing and how he was born this way, how there will be times he'll need to go out and shift and be wolf, how Liam could become a wolf himself if that's what he wanted, and of course, how powerful the mate bond was. Liam was still a little off-kilter because of all this and Dominic couldn't blame him one bit. But they were still together, the two of them here in this bed, and if they could survive last night's crazy events, then they could survive anything.
Liam - his love, his life, his tesoro - his mate.
Dominic wanted so much to wake the younger boy up and ravish him as though he'd been without a mean for ages. But he thought better of it. After all, they were pretty much ravishing each other until the wee hours of the morning. If they were going to pick up where they left off, and perhaps hash things out along the way, then Liam definitely needed his beauty rest. Besides, they were together now. They had time and there was no need to rush.
What a blessing.
"I hope the goddess is with you too, mi loba," Dominic whispered, cuddling closer to his sleeping mate. "Then again, if he is with me, despite everything, then he is definitely with you."
------
Julian didn't care if he'd spent the last several hours laying in bed with Georgie.
He also didn't care that he could have spend his day doing more productive things.
This is where he wanted to be, beside the woman he loved. Nothing else mattered - only she did.
They spent most of there time together in silence, with a question or two asked along the way. Somehow, they didn't need words - there was so much spoken within their peculiar connectedness they understood without being fully cognizant. The wildness within him resonated with content familiarity, urging him pull her body close. Georgie didn't resist his pull, wrapping her own arms around his waist and resting her head against his heart. Sometimes, if he listened very carefully, he could hear the flutter of her throat as a quiet purr floated into his ears. He didn't understand the how, but somehow the beasts within them connected on a level he couldn't begin to fathom.
But he knew why. They were meant to be together. They belonged to each other. They were mates.
Mate. He repeated the word over and over within his head. He heard Liam call Dominic that, and Georgie called him that herself. The beast within him soared whenever the world was spoken, thrashing about with a great force and uncontrollable exhiliration. There was something comforting about hearing the word. It carried more sincerity than "girlfriend" or "partner" ever could. But he couldn't understand why. The answer seemed to be there, swirling inside his head, but he couldn't reach it, he couldn't grasp the concept.
He had an idea, but what did it really mean?
"You said I was your mate," he began, uncertain about what would happen next. "I heard Liam call Dominic that, too. But what does it mean?"
"Hmm..." Georgie curled up closer with a sigh. "I was wondering when you'd ask me that."
"So then, you'll tell me?" His fingers brushed against her mark. There were no words for the pleasure that washed over him. "Please?"
"Of course, I'll tell you. I'm just not sure if it's something I can describe easily. It's...it's nothing like the love affairs or great romances you see in the books and soap operas. It's something much deeper than that. It's otherworldly, even. Supernatural."
"Much like people who can shift into wolves are? Or how an otherwise normal guy punched out an insane werewolf, bringing him to his knees." One wink sent her into a fit of small giggles. "I think after last night, it's safe to say that anything is possible in this world."
"When you put it like that, it's hard to dispute things." Georgie's fingers drifted down the length of his arm. They are with us, and we are with them. This is how it will always be. "Still, I don't know how to describe it. It's like trying to teach English to a foreigner - you already know how things are, but you can't really explain them to anyone else. It is what is it - just so."
"Is it that complicated?"
"Yes, and no." Her fingers drew circles in the palm of his hand. Julian watched as her face grew serious, as though she were considering her words carefully. "No because I guess, in a way, the concept is simple. Everyone born wolf has a mate - a partner for life in simple terms. Kind of like how a lot of people believe that they have this one true love that they are destined to spend the rest of their life one, only for people like me, it's the actual truth."
The words bestowed upon him unexpected happiness. "So, I'm kind of like your soulmate?"
"Y-Yeah, I guess that's a good way to put it, but..." She was overcome with giggles once more. "I'm sorry, when I hear the word 'soulmate', it makes me want to shake my head. I just think of some of the students in library going 'ooh, I've meant so-and-so, he's totally my soulmate', and then a week later, I hear 'oh, what's-his-name is totally my soulmate'! The word has lost all meaning for me, and while some of my peers can be quite shady about, it means so much more to us that that."
"Then how would you put it?" He rested his chin against her forehead. "What does it mean to you?"
Georgie grew quiet, and Julian watched as she continued to ponder what to say. The beast within him disapproved for his questions. It already knew of this bond, understood this bond, and it always knew just how important she was. But Julian still needed to hear the words. He knew that the bonds between them could never break, but he needed that validation nonetheless. Those sweet words of love and faithfulness were always welcomed, and Julian craved the honey that her words would break.
A thoughtful smile spread across her face. "I admit, I was suspicious of this bond at first. Love hasn't always been kind to me. I lost my parents when I needed them most and I lost the man I thought I truly loved, all because I showed him my truth self, my beast within. I really thought we were meant to be together, and my parents warned me over and over again of my foolishness. But he was the only person at the time who didn't see me as son weirdo or freak or nature - he took the time to get to know me. Because of that, I really believed that he was my mate."
Agitation gripped at his heart. He pushed it aside for her sake. She needs me to listen more than she needs me to be angry for her. "I guess he wasn't then."
"No, not even close. I revealed myself to him, and he couldn't get away from me fast enough. That's why I used to flinch whenever someone called me a 'freak' - it was the last thing Chris ever said to me before he ran away, screaming bloody murder. He ended up blocked the whole thing from his memory eventually, but the damage had been done. Besides, I remember everything - I don't think I will ever forget." Her smile was soft and bittersweet. "For the longest time, I thought I didn't want this, but now that you're here with me, I can't imagine my life without it. We're kindred spirits, you and I. There is something you and I have that I could never have with Chris or anyone else - and that is understanding."
"Understanding?" The word caught him off-guard. "Is that what makes this special?"
"That, among other things," she murmured, nuzzling his neck. "There are many things that make the mate bond so potent, it can be scary to some people. There's no easing into it - it just happens. All it takes is one look - one look, and you know who you are meant to be with. One look, and you are in love. You can try to resist all you want, but in the end, the bond wants what it wants. It was a little different with you, though." She pursed her lips, embarrassed. "The first hint I had of your existence came from smelling a sock at the laundromat."
Julian couldn't stop himself from laughing. "Are you serious?"
"Hey, don't judge me!" she hissed, swatting at him. "It's in my nature to sniff things - especially since I have a pretty strong sense of smell."
"Yeah, but you have to admit, that's an...interesting way to pursue a relationship."
"I know it is. And even though I took one good whiff of your black sock and the wolf within me recognized you as mine, I didn't track you or anything. I was accustomed to being alone and I didn't fancy the idea of another rejection. But," her voice grew quieter, "things really started to gear up the day you came to my office for the first time. I took one look at you, and there was no denying things, even though I tried to deny it for a very long time. I mean, you're still a student and I work for the university - it could never work out. It seemed like an unlikely match." He could stare at her smile for days, weeks even. "But now I know better. I'm just sorry it took so long."
"It's okay. We're together now. And at the risk of sounding like those cheesy quarter romance novels, that's all that matters."
"Quarter? Man, where do you get your prices from? Those things cost nearly seven dollars a pop now. Not that I buy them very often - "
"Sure, you don't." The cross look on her face made him snicker. "You just read those scintillating Anthropology journals all day."
"I can't help myself, they're my guilty pleasure!" She would have been more convincing if she managed to resist snickering. "Once I start, I just can't stop, especially the ones about archaeological site finds. They make me feel so, so dirty."
"You really are a naughty librarian, aren't you?" Jokes aside, he still found the time to become aroused.
"All that naughty talk in Esperanto, and you're just figuring that out?" Thank goodness this shirt was comfortably fitting. "Don't worry, you'll learn from hear on out."
"Does this mean I'll learn about what's happening to me, too?" The smile faded from her face, and her eyes filled with concern. "Because there is something happening to me, is there?"
A long sigh escaped her lips, and she nodded. "Yes, there is. But I don't know what it is." Her words caused his heart to sink. "Normally, this shouldn't happen with a human - I don't think anything like this is happening to your friend, Liam. I've never heard of anything like this before, either."
"I see." The wildness within was still, subdued. "I don't know what's wrong with me either. It's like I'm changing, but not really. More like, something inside me opened up that I never knew I had."
"Whatever it is, Julian, we'll figure it out together." The soft warmth of her hand eased away his anxieties. "Whatever is happening to you, whatever you are, you are still my mate no matter what. I could never leave you now, especially now that I carry your mark. You accepted me, all of me, without a second though. How could I ever leave you, after all that?"
As his heart swelled within his chest, the beast within him let out a savage, jubliant cry. There were still answers to all his questions, and there were still things that needed to be discovered about himself. But as long as he and Georgie were together, he knew he'd be able to navigate these uncharted waters somehow. As his lips lowered onto hers, Julian came into his ultimate happiness. His life would never be the same again - it would be much better.
"I love you, Julian Chang." Georgie pressed her forehead against his, holding his head in her hands. "You are mine, and I am yours until time and times are done. No matter what happens, I am with you, and you are with me. You are my mate, and I accept you into my heart fully."
His euphoria couldn't be put into words. But he knew, somehow, she undersood, even in silence.
------
"Hello, you have reached the voicemail of George Hinton, Anthropology Subject Librarian at Parson University. I'm either on the phone, meeting with a client, or away from my desk. Please leave your name, number, and a brief message and I will get back to you as soon as - "
No more needed to be heard. What was heard was already enough.
Sophie hung up the phone, a wicked smile spreading across her face. This - what she just heard, was so much more than she was expecting. The whole thing nagged at her for weeks, and now that she'd decided to investigate, she couldn't have been happier.
She should have followed her instincts much sooner. If she had, Julian would be in her bed right now, not that stupid bitches.
But no matter. Armed with this new bit of information, the beginnings of a plans began to come together in her head. It was her time now. The ball was in her court, and this time, that bitch would really get what was due to her.
"I'm about to get everything I want now," she whispered to herself. George Hinton would regret the day she ever decided to try and break her arm. "Everything little thing."
Sophie Granger would not be stopped.