Song: Demons by Imagine Dragons
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My family looks at me with wide, curious eyes. My dad has one arm wrapped around my mom's waist tightly and he tenderly kisses her cheek. Mated pairs that are fully bonded will always be in love with each other. Their love is unbreakable no matter happens.
Even death itself cannot separate a bonded pair because soon after one mate dies, the other one follows soon after.
I've always looked up to my parents. They've been through so much together. My dad has told me of the hardships both he and my mom had went through and the trials they have endured upon meeting each other.
I hope to be the same way with my own mate.
"Can you explain to me why you have brought that....that thing into our household?" My dad asks, narrowing his eyes. His voice is eerily calm but in his eyes I see fire.
In my own soul, a storm is brewing. My wolf growls viciously. His mate - our mate, is not a thing and neither one of us like him speaking so low of her.
My wolf knows better than to not challenge the Alpha, even though he is my own father and I am the next Alpha.
Wolves submit to those in higher ranks than them unless a challenge is set in place. It's just the order of things. The law of nature.
When I don't answer, a growl emits from my dad's chest. He takes a step forwards but my mom stops him by laying a hand on his shoulder. "Draven, look at me." She murmurs.
He slowly turns his head, his eyes of fire slowly dying down, flickering until they're only a mere spark.
I watch as the lamb tames the beast.
Her fingers dance along the skin of his arm until they crawl up to cup the side of his cheek. "Calm now. Listen to our son, Draven. Speak in a way you wish to not provoke. You both are of Alpha blood and things could get real ugly real fast."
And that is true. Alphas tend to have stronger emotions. Especially, emotions like anger is harder to control for Alphas. Two raging Alphas is a recipe for disaster if things don't get under control.
My dad visibly relaxes and so do I. My siblings are dead silent as they look on with anxiousness. Toby, my youngest sibling, has his hands clasped over his eyes as if he just can't watch.
"My mate....as you know, I found her in Russia. But what I didn't tell you is that she's a vampire. I bought her at an auction in Moscow. She's not like the others-"
"And how do you know that?" My dad says, his voice dripping with anger. He hates all vampires for what they've done to my mom, and I understand. As mates, he is supposed to protect her from all forms of evil and at one point, vampires were the number one cause to my mom's mental destruction.
But that was long ago.
And things have changed.
"Dad, have you seen her? She's practically a pile of bones! She's known nothing other than fear all her life, and when I looked in her eyes I saw innocence. I felt innocence. You and mom both know damn well that mates can feel each other's emotions and intentions. What I felt was pure. What I felt was a broken creature with no other intention than to cower in fear from everyone."
"It doesn't matter how she looks. It is what she stands for. And she stands for evil. Destruction. Pain. Her species have rained down hell on this earth and I'd be damned to let that happen again over some silly mate bond!" My dad roars.
I snarl in defiance and clench my fists at my sides. My wolf is scratching at the surface, itching to be let out and defend his mate's name, his mate's honor.
"Draven, stop. Stop it right now. They are mates, and for whatever reason, the moon goddess has paired them together. Open your eyes and push back your own hate. Maybe there's a bigger picture here that we have yet to understand. Yes, vampires had ruined part of my life. Yes, I've been through terrible things at the hands of vampires, but maybe....maybe this one is different. Give her a chance, Draven." My mom says, her voice full of gentle authority.
She is cloaked in her Luna qualities like a powerful queen.
My dad takes a deep breath, his eyes flashing from golden to black, golden to black. His eyes are like sirens, flashing and turning. Flashing and turning.
My mom takes a deep breath and lays her hand on his chest, calming him. He growls and gently takes her hand in his. He looks to be deep in thought, processing the situation.
Then his eyes return to my mom. "Are you okay with this vampire being here? I know you've had flashbacks from the past-" He asks her.
She nods her head. "Yes. I am okay with it. She is Donovan's mate and we should be celebrating his new step in life, regardless of who or what his mate is. Obviously, there is a reason for this pairing and we must not jump to conclusions so fast."
My dad stands there for a moment, his arms crossed over his chest and his messy black hair swishing atop his eyebrows. "Fine. We can see how this works out but if there is one slip up from your mate, one sign that she is not who you think she is, then there will be hell to pay."
I push back my wolf who begs to lash out at his father's rude comments because I'm just relieved that both my parents have agreed to except my mate for at least the time being.
But I'm sure they will learn to love her eventually, too.
"You won't be disappointed. I will make sure of it."
* * *
So I ate dinner with my family while Anya caught up on much needed rest. My family asked me all kinds of questions about Anya, from where she came from, to how I found her in Moscow.
It was hard to answer some of the questions though, because I haven't gotten to know her very well.
But that will soon change.
"Donovan," My mom asks, "How are you and Anya getting along?"
"She's so terrified of me, mom. I don't know what to do. Every noise scares her and when I'm in her presence she looks as if she could have a heart attack. I don't even know where to start...." My voice trails off and my gaze drops to my now empty plate.
My mom doesn't say anything for a moment and silence bathes the room in its presence. My sibling's faces are fallen and they look at me with sad eyes.
"I was once in your mate's position. Long ago when vampires rule the land I was like her. I was dragged in a world full of pain and that's all I had ever known. When I met your father I was terrified of him at first. My advice for you would be to go slow with her. Be gentle, show small acts of kindness for now rather than large ones that may overwhelm her. She will eventually crave your touch as the mate bond pulls you together, so her fear of physical touch will soon vanish within her."
I nod, taking all of it in. Mated pairs don't usually ever take anything slow. Once a wolf finds their mate, it moves pretty quickly from then. They mark and mate weeks if not days after their initial meeting.
The reason is because the mate bond pulls the two together, making them crave each other. Their desires for each other becomes so strong that losing self control is not uncommon.
That's why marking and mating happens so quick.
And as much as both my wolf and I want to claim her, we will hold back.
We will hold back for the sake of our mate.
And I'm okay with that because I will do whatever it has to take for my mate. I am willing to sacrifice all.
My sister opens her mouth to speak when a scream shatters the air.
My eyes widen and I practically fly out of the chair and up into Anya's bedroom. I throw open the door of the darkened room and to my surprise, Anya isn't in her bed.
My eyes frantically search the room for my little mate, and when my eyes land on the shaking bundle shivering in the corner of the room, my heart nearly stops.
My wolf urges me to shift.
It's like I can hear him telling me to shift, that he's begging me and whining. He wants nothing more than to comfort her.
I'm trusting you, my wolf, don't let me down. I tell him before stripping and shifting quickly. My bones break and arrange into the animal that hides inside of me. Midnight fur stretch across my skin and my jaws snap in place.
I arise from the floor in my wolf form.
And I give my wolf control.
I trust him with our mate.
My wolf cautiously pads over to the shaking bundle on the floor. He whines as he approaches her and he crouches down, tucking his tail in between his legs.
He's submitting to his queen.
Anya peaks out from her thin curtain of Auburn hair. Her eyes are wide and traces of terror dance in them. Fear dies within her silver eyes upon seeing my wolf's act of vulnerability.
She freezes, not moving. Not blinking.
She's perfectly still as she gazes into the eyes of a predator.
My wolf crawls on his belly towards her, until the tip of his wet nose touches her small, bare foot.
He sniffs and his breath fans her skin, and a ghost of a smile appears on her lips, but it vanishes as quick as it came. My mom peaks in the room but soon leaves when she sees that I've got it under control.
My wolf finds her hand and licks it gently. She looks at him right in the eyes before slowly and hesitantly reaching a shaky hand out to touch the top of his head. My wolf leans into her touch as her fingers sink deeper within his thick fur.
I hear a thumping sound and it takes a moment for me to realize that the thumping sound is being produced by my wolf's tail which now is wagging and hitting the floor with loud thumps.
Anya's small smile lasts longer this time and it made me feel good. It's nice to see her show something other than fear.
She gains courage and starts to gently play and intertwine her fingers into the fur on his head. And like the dog he is, he is soon almost practically in her lap. His large body is leaning into hers and his fur blanketing her pale skin in its warmth.
And she doesn't seem to mind.
In fact, she seems to like my wolf's touch more than my own.
The image of men must be the things that frighten her more.
And my wolf knew this all along. He is the master at wooing his mate, or so it seems.
Because then, he curls himself around her. He encircles her with his body and wraps himself completely around her until she looks like a bundle of black fur. His large, fluffy black tail, which oddly enough, has a single ring of white in it, is wrapped around her as if she is tucked tightly in by blankets.
I thought that Anya would be frightened and not take well to my animal's actions, but when she started brushing his fur with her fingers, I knew she was okay with it. She even snuggled deeper into my wolf's thick fur, settling herself in its dark depths.
Her eyes look exhausted and her head falls onto my wolf's neck. She's taken well to my wolf form, and if this form makes her more comfortable, then I should do it more often.
And I know my wolf agrees.
Anya's eyes, which were once wide and terrified from the nightmare that ripped her from her sleep, are now looking content and on the verge of sleep.
And sure enough, it isn't long before she is pulled into the realm of sleep.
Her breaths are even and her head falls against my wolf's body. I can feel the pleasurable sparks her touch brings and I wonder if she, too, can feel them.
Surely, she's feeling some effects of the mate bond by now and must be confused if she doesn't know about mates.
I will have to give her an explanation about it later.
But for now, I will let her rest in the fur of my wolf.
I even find myself dozing off eventually. It's peaceful and calming to be curled into your mate as I'm just finding this out. Everything is still and my wolf licks his mate's cheek in comfort.
She stirs and murmurs in her sleep and my wolf internally goes ecstatic when he hears the cute noises she makes.
His tail thumps against the floor once more, drumming in sync with his happy heart beat.
Down boy, down. I chuckle to myself. Though, I don't blame him. I too, am feeling the joy of having a mate. Even if I found her in one of the worst conditions possible, there's always a bright side to things.
The moment of still silence with my mate is suddenly interrupted with a soft knock at the door. The smell is the scent that belongs to none other than the pack doctor who is here to look over Anya.
And Anya is now awake, looking at the closed door with fearful uncertainty.