"Come and see your new coop that Atlas made" says Rose, trying to coax Henrietta and the chick into the newly constructed coop situated close to the cabin, so they can keep an eye on the chickens. Henrietta was having none of it, continuing to nest in the old hen house, situated far from the cabin.
"Oh, so you're an independent mamma now? Determined to raise that chick all on your own? I guess you did outsmart those rogues, maybe I should just leave you be. You don't want to be told where and how to live do you?" queries Rose as she offers up some food scraps to the hen and chick.
"Cluck cluck" replies Henrietta
"Yes, I know you miss Henry, he was fine rooster indeed. But the more I think about it, the more I believe you don't need a mate. What's the point of falling in love, just to have your heart broken? They knock you up and then leave you to raise the baby on your own. Rejection or death, either way, sometimes mates are just not worth it".
"Buk, buk, buk" responds the chicken.
"Yes I agree, the only person you can really rely on it this world is yourself. Maybe the two of us should just look out for each other, and that's all we really need. We can raise our babies together and be independent mammas" laments Rose.
Atlas is silently observing and listening to the she-wolf as she interacts with the chickens. Frowning at what he is hearing, he heads into the cabin; he wants to make a call on the CB radio to Redwood. There is a supply delivery due to arrive this afternoon, and he wants to see if he can add a last-minute request to the list.
*****************************************************
"Goddess Jin, your arrangement is so beautiful. Where did you learn to do that?" Lily exclaims.
Lily and Jin are at the dining room table doing floral arrangements. Lily has put together a magnificent bouquet of roses mixed with some wild-flowers and foliage, it's a beautiful riot of colours and textures.
Jin on the other hand has selected a few key flowers to highlight, arranged with interesting textured leaves and some curly small willow branches, in a beautiful pot. The entire arrangement looks like a living sculpture.
"Cocoji, it's the art of traditional Korean flower arranging. My mother taught me back in Korea. I can teach you if you like?"
"Oh yes, I would love to learn how to do that. You've never spoken about your life back in Korea. How did you come to live in this country?" Lily notices that Jin visibly stiffens at her question.
"Do you want to soak in the hot tub? I'll go get it started, while you change into your swimsuit" Jin asks Lily, clearly trying to change the subject, as they clear the table of their mess.
"Oh ok, I just want to go out to the hen house first and drop off the lunch scraps to Henrietta and the chick. Then I'll meet you at the lake".
As Lily nears the hen house, she hears a rooster crowing. WTF?? Has Henry come back from the dead? Coming into the clearing where the hen house is situated, she sees a fine looking young black rooster puffing up his chest and crowing. The rooster is eyeing up Henrietta, who is giving him a wary side eye, and standing between him and her chick.
"Meet Ronald. I took the liberty of naming him" says Atlas, he's holding an empty cage.
"Ronald? Where did he come from?" queries Lily.
"Yes, Ronald the rooster. He just got delivered with the supply run. I requested him this morning".
"Why would you do that? Henrietta is still mourning Henry, and she doesn't want another rooster around. Look she doesn't trust him" Lily says pointing to the wary hen, who is giving the rooster a wide berth.
"Henry's gone now, there is no point in living in the past. It's time for Henrietta to accept a new mate. She needs protection and help with her chick. Ronald deserves a chance to prove he can protect and provide for them" asserts Atlas.
"Henrietta's not ready for a new mate, she needs more time. Maybe she doesn't want her heart to be shattered again" counters Rose.
"Maybe Ronald's already fallen in love, perhaps his inner rooster is determined to claim Henrietta. What would make you think he would shatter her? He adores her!"
"He may think he loves her now, but he might meet another unmated hen and fall for her, and then decide to leave Henrietta. What's to stop Ronald from rejecting her one day? She doesn't want risk having her heart broken twice!"
"Henrietta needs to accept that she can't raise the chick on her own. She needs a strong rooster to help her. Tell Ronald what he can do to make her fall in love with him, the way he has fallen for her?"
The conversation was getting absurd, clearly they were no longer talking about the chickens. Henrietta with her chick in tow had already wandered off to go foraging, with Ronald following closely behind.
"Love doesn't work like that Atlas, and you know it! It takes time to build trust in a relationship. Love at first sight is just a fairy tale, it doesn't really exist. I've learnt that the hard way!"
"Love at first sight does exist!"
"How do you know it does?" asks Lily
"Because it happened to me! I knew the instant I took you in my arms and carried you back to the cabin that I was in love with you! When you looked up at me with those beautiful brown eyes and asked me who I was, it was like you were staring directly into my soul, like you reached into my chest and yanked out my heart and held it in your hands. I was your slave from that very moment. You worry about me shattering you, but you hold my heart in your hands. Don't you see Rose, you have all the power, it is you who will shatter me?!" Atlas declares. Lily is stunned speechless at Atlas's declaration. She's not sure how to respond to such a proclamation.
"Ahem, sorry to interrupt, but I was waiting at the hot tub. I got worried and came looking for you" says Jin with a smirk. How long has he been standing there and how much did he hear? Either way, Lily is relieved to have a distraction, so she doesn't have to continue with this awkward conversation. She hurriedly rushes past Jin to head to the hot tub. Her cheeks are burning red with embarrassment, and she can't look at either of the male wolves right now.
****************************************
"Are you ok, that was a pretty intense conversation back there?" Jin asks, as he outstretches his arms and rests them on the ledge of the cedar hot tub. He has long, slender fingers and flexing forearms. He tosses back his wet silky ink-black hair and soaks up the sun's rays.
"How much did you hear?" Lily asks, looking down at the water, she can't quite bring herself to look at Jin, she is still blushing prettily.
"Oh nothing much, just that Atlas would basically do anything for you. Including kidnapping a rooster to use in some strange love analogy, so he can win over your heart".
Lily can't help but laugh at Jin's dry wit.
"I think Atlas is confused about his feelings for me" says Lily peeking up at Jin. Jin's now staring at her with his black eyes, set in a sculpted face with high cheekbones. Lily thinks Jin is beautiful, with his chiselled face and chest, and smooth golden skin.
"Honey please, he is not confused. He was crystal clear about his feelings for you. I think he said something about being a slave for you, and that you hold his heart in the palm of your hand? I mean that boy has it bad. Sweetheart, the only person who seems to be confused is you".
Lily looks back down at the water, swishing it around with her hands.
"I am confused. I know I shouldn't harbour feelings for my fated mate, but deep down I still love him. I was only with him for a short time, but it was the most magical experience of my life. Then of course he...." Lily pauses speaking, she really shouldn't speak to Jin or anybody about what happened with Caden.
"You don't have to tell me what happened if you'd rather not. But just so you know, I'm a good listener. And anything said between us, stays between us" Jin assures her.
"As soon as I met my mate, he sent me into my first heat. After our mating, he rejected me. He was in love with someone else." Lily whispers, looking ashamed.
"I'm really sorry that happened to you Rose. Is that why you're scared to be with Atlas, are you worried he will reject you too?"
"I guess I am scared of that outcome. What's the point of a mate if they only cause you pain? Maybe I'm better off alone".
Jin nods at Lily's words in understanding.
"I completely understand how you feel, but the thing is Rose, once that baby is born, you're going to have to seriously consider taking a mate. As a nurse, I have some understanding of what happens to female wolves after the birth of a pup".
"What do you mean?"
"Your wolf has retreated now, as she is allowing your human side to take over the gestation of your pup. It's not safe to shift during pregnancy, and your wolf knows it, and she is doing everything to ensure the successful birth of a healthy pup. So for now, it is quite easy to ignore the need for a mate, as you are more human than wolf during pregnancy. However, once the pup is born, your wolf will come back to the forefront of your mind, and eventually you will go into heat again. It's in our nature as werewolves to procreate. Who will service you when you come into heat again? Your wolf will begin to pine strongly for your mate, it can even send some wolves insane. There is only really one way around it, and I think you know what that is" Jin says pointedly to Lily.
"I need to accept a chosen mate?" Lily asks
"That's right. It's known that if your wolf can accept a new mate, then you can go onto live a happy and healthy life, despite the rejection. It can't be just any wolf though; it has to be someone your own wolf finds truly worthy to act as a surrogate mate".
"Surrogate mate?" Lily had never heard this term before.
"Surrogate mate is what we in the medical industry refer to as a chosen mate. If your fated mate is still alive, then a new mate can only ever be a surrogate mate. The bond can never truly be broken between fated mates, we can dull it or mute it, but it will always be there. As I said, you're not feeling the pull right now, as your pregnancy is taking up all your energy, but it will come back".
"What about Atlas, he has a fated mate too, how can he claim to love me like he does? Wouldn't I only ever be a surrogate mate to him as well?" Lily can't imagine that Atlas's earlier words are his true feelings, he can't possibly have fallen in love with her so fast.
"It's different for Atlas, his mate died. When a mate dies, it can also nearly drive a wolf insane, similar to rejection. In fact, Atlas was in a terrible mental state until he met you. Only a very special she-wolf can bring someone back from the brink like that, and goddess have you brought him back to life. His wolf is ready to claim you. He doesn't feel the pull of his fated mate like you will, as she's passed. He will always mourn her, but he is free to claim a new mate, and he's clearly chosen you. To him you are not a surrogate, you are as close to a fated mate as he'll get, and I have no doubt he has fallen deeply in love with you".
Lily mulls over what Jin has told her, it's a lot to take in "what if my wolf and I can't accept Atlas? I do care for him, but it doesn't feel the same as how it felt with my mate?"
"You will never accept a lesser wolf, but I think Atlas is more than worthy. Can I ask you something? When you were rejected by your mate, did you accept the rejection?" queries Jin.
"No I didn't. I cannot forsake the moon goddess, he rejected me, but I could never reject him by accepting it, it goes against everything I believe in" answers Lily.
"Unless you accept the rejection, you can never really move on, and you will struggle to accept any new mate. Remember it's not just about you, it's about your pup too. Atlas is willing to not only claim you, but also claim your pup as his own. Not many men come around like Atlas. Believe me I know from personal experience...." Jin looks like he wants to say more, but then stays silent.
Lily cocks an eyebrow at Jin, that's twice today he has alluded to something in his past. She will not press him to talk about it, he will confide in her when he's ready. Lily looks down at her baby bump and protectively rubs it, she thinks about Jin's advice. He's right it isn't just about her, she needs to think of the kind of future she wants for her pup. What kind of mother will she be if she is constantly pining over a mate that doesn't want her? Without a doubt Atlas is a one-of-a-kind wolf, she knows she could go a lifetime and never meet another male like him. Maybe it is time to accept Caden's rejection and move on. Could she and her wolf grow to accept and love Atlas, and claim him as a surrogate mate?
Whoa Atlas - so it was love at first sight?! Do you think Lily should accept Caden's rejection? Who is curious about Jin's past? Any predictions of what will happen or what you'd like to see happen? If you like the story please follow me, vote, and comment - so I know to continue – I really appreciate your support :)