Becoming His (Complete)

2:32 a.m.

I first met my mate... well first felt my mate.... On my 18th birthday.

I sat anxiously in the dark staring at the numbers on my lock screen. My hand had been latched to the glowing device for the last 15 minutes and the time had finally arrived, I was turning 18.

"Do you feel anything yet?" I smiled nervously at my red headed companion, Rosemary. We were both sitting in the dark of my room awaiting for the time to read 2:32 am. I was too nervous to be tired but I could tell by the dropping of her eyes that she was ready to crash.

"Not yet... but I still have a minute left." It was 2:31 am. Rosemary brightened up, squeezed me tightly and gave a squeal.

"I'm so excited! I wonder if he'll be close by! Or even awake? Why couldn't you have been born in the early afternoon?" I let out a laugh. If only I was born at 2:32 pm instead of am we would be asleep right now and not waiting for me to finally be able to claim my mate.

"I'm sorry let me just go complain to my mother. How dare she have me at such an ungodly hour?!" We both laughed and it was then that I felt my heart leap in my chest. It was 2:32 am. "I felt it." Rosemary squealed in response.

"Well? Where is he? Is he far? Is he close?? Is he calling out to you???" Her questions were coming in too fast and were distracting my mind from focusing on this new presence in the back of my mind. I gave her a pleading look with my eyes and she understood as she gave me a moment to collect myself.

I reached out for my mate through the small bond we held as of now. He was far. I could only faintly feel his presence but he was there. I smiled. "He's far." I finally said and she gave me a sad smile. "But he's there... I have a mate." I smiled brightly and clutched onto my best friend. A feeling of glee was building up in me and the only way I could think to describe it was like a flower blooming in spring.

"Congratulations Emily." To this day that is still one of the happiest moments of my life.

----- 6 months later ------

My mate was rather awfully busy, in a very distant time zone or thinking of a way to reject me from afar. Thankfully he has yet to do the latter. It took an entire week before my mate sent back a small nudge of acknowledge through our bond and it wasn't until an entire month after that that he sent back another. We were unable to communicate beyond this because we had yet to meet and advance the bonding stage, but we could still send emotions and warmth. I sent him occasional bursts of happiness or bits of warmth to show my affection to him but he never returned the gesture making me feel that my advances may have been too much. Maybe he truly is trying to reject me...

"Em!" I glanced up from my sketch pad to see Rosemary out on the lake in a rowboat with Jason, her mate and our pack's Beta. They both waved enthusiastically and I laughed while waving back in response. It was "date day", I would see them later at dinner. A breeze came by that lifted the sun hat off of Rosemary's head. She reached for it but her finger merely brushed the brim and then she herself ended up in the water.

Laughter instantly bubbled out of me and increased further when Jason dove into the water and attempted to soothe an embarrassed and now soaking wet Rosemary. Rosemary glared at my laughter but let a grin slip through and climbed back into the rowboat as her Prince Charming rescued her hat and then returned to their boat where they continued their date as if they weren't covered in lake water.

The moment still had me smiling even when they were no longer within my sight and I decided to share a bit of my joy with my mate. I opened our bond and sent the wave of affection, waiting anxiously for a response. 1 minute passed, then 2, then 5, then 10. I had given up hope but then I felt it.

At first it felt like a warm embrace on my heart but soon it turned hot and then it became uncomfortable and suddenly it was unbearable. My sketch pad dropped from my embrace as I curled into a ball on the cold grass. A layer of sweat appeared along my skin and I wished nothing else but to push my hair off of my burning skin.

A screamed ripped through my throat as I realized this pain was not my own, it was my mates. He was hurt... no... he was dying. Sobs ran through my body and I continued to wail louder and louder. I sent panic and distress to any and every pack member and pleaded for help. I had to save my mate, he couldn't die, he had to live. I tried to send him warmth and comfort through the waves of pain that assaulted my body but it was getting harder to focus.

I lost consciousness three times that day. The first time I awoke I was no longer next to the lake and I was instead in a hospital bed in the Pack's ER with both of my parents standing over me with their hands glowing, they were healing me. My mother gave me a soft smile but I could see the tear stains on her face. "It's going to be okay honey, we're here for you. Keep fighting okay? Don't give up." I couldn't respond, couldn't smile and a sob shook my mother as I fell back into the darkness.

The second time I awoke just my father was in the room. He was holding my hand and looked to have aged overnight. His eyes crinkled as he smiled and he gave my left hand a squeeze. I could hear my heart beat slowly and steadily from the machine above my head. "Dad...."

"It's okay honey, I'm here. Your mother is resting next door." He paused and seemed to scan my face for a minute before choosing how to speak his next words. "I'm so sorry honey.... I'm so terribly sorry." I knew what he was apologizing for but I couldn't believe it. My mate was dead. A part of me rejected the idea so completely that I cried out in frustration. This couldn't be right. I cried for what felt like hours but was probably no more than 15 minutes before I fell back into the darkness and welcomed its comforting pull.