A Dark Romance

Chapter 4

Catherine walked into the apartment to see Zinnia sitting with the beta, talking and laughing about something. She sighed as she closed the door, mumbling a hello to them both. Zinnia grinned as she scurried off the couch and ran over to her new friend.

"So?" Zinnia urged.

Catherine chuckled, "He's...nice."

"Really? I thought he would like...being cold for a while." Zinnia frowned.

"Oh, he will be. It's Xavier we're talking about, once minute he can be easy going, then the next he's shutting himself out again." the beta said as he got up off the couch.

Catherine frowned, "Who are you again?"

He smirked, "The beta, name is Chad." 

Catherine grunted in reply before walking into her room, sighing in annoyance when Chad followed her. She turned around and narrowed her eyes at him, he only seemed to become even more amused. 

"So, why are you here anyway?" he questioned, walking past her.

Catherine clenched her jaw as he sat on her bed, "Family troubles."

"What kind of troubles?" he asked.

"That is none of your business, Chad. Get the hell out of my room." she snapped.

He chuckled, much to her annoyance. "I'm the beta here and you're just some rogue. Don't think for a second, you can order me around."

Catherine smirked as she walked towards him, "Yes, I am a rogue, but I'm also an alpha. So, if I want, I could easily order you to leave my room. So, are you going to be easy about this or not?" 

She could see the anger in his eyes as he glared at her, he growled lowly before standing up and making his way to her door. He then stopped and grinned at her, "I will warn you about Xavier."

She frowned, "What?"

"He may be your mate, but if he gets angry at you, that mate-bond won't save you. He'll easily kill you and won't care." he seethed before closing her door.

Catherine sat there, astonished at his words. She knew Xavier had issues, deep issues that Zinnia wouldn't tell her about, but she didn't think anger was one. She bit her lip, then again, she didn't really know him. She met him twice in two days, they talked a little, but that was it. She looked up as Zinnia entered her room, an angry look on her face.

"Don't believe my cousin, he's being a jealous idiot." she stated.

"What?" Catherine asked.

Zinnia chuckled, "I think my cousin has a crush on you."

"Well, that's just too bad. This chick is already taken...well, sort of." Catherine mumbled.

"You know, Xavier wasn't lying when he said he isn't a patient person. By the end of this week, he'll probably have you moved into his house with him." she sounded.

Catherine furrowed her eyebrows, "You mean, the packhouse?"

"No, ever since the last one burned down, he made a neighborhood for packmembers. Any new members end up getting an apartment, unless they have a mate and kids. Then they take one of the free houses. The second packhouse was turned into a house for Xavier, Chad, and the gamma, Jace. During emergencies, then the pack moves into the packhouse." she explained. 

"I see...um, question, has Xavier ever...screwed a girl?" Catherine asked.

Zinnia bit her lip, "You really want to know?"

"Yes."

"He always has this girl in his bed, he doesn't feel anything for her, but he uses her during mating season. Of course she can't become pregnant unless the Moon Goddess approves of the relationship. Which means, they would have to be truly in love in order to have a child. However, he only uses her because his wolf becomes uncontrollable during mating season. She doesn't love him either, she told him that when they find their mates, they will no longer have sex." 

Catherine swallowed, "What about now?" 

"From what Jace has told me, that girl moved out of the packhouse yesterday. She stopped by Xavier's office though, congratulated him on finding you, then she grabbed her bags and left. She's apparently searching for her mate now." Zinnia said, taking a bite of a brownie she brought in.

"So...this mating season, if I refuse to mate with him...?"

Zinnia had a dark look on her face, "He will either lose control of his wolf and his wolf will rape you or...you two mate. Neither one of them will want any other woman, Xavier is disgusted when a woman touches him now. Unless she's you. Before you freak out, Xavier is not that type of man. He will never do anything by force, which is why he had sex with that woman during mating season. He was afraid to lose control over his wolf. If he raped you...it would destroy him." 

"Why doesn't he do what all other unmated males do? Lock themselves in the dungeon for the month?" Catherine asked, even though she knew the answer.

"He can't. Chad and Jace lock themselves away, so, the pack wouldn't have a leader. Before he started screwing this girl, his father would step in and watch over the pack for the month. Considering his father is mated to Luna Harper. But...he no longer speaks to them." 

"Oh." 

Zinnia nodded, "He did try not having sex once, his wolf tried forcing a shift, but Xavier stopped it. Two mated males had to rush him to the infirmary where they chained him to the wall with silver chains. He went into a small coma for a few days so his body could heal. A forced shift does a lot of damage to someone."

Catherine clasped her hands together, "Say Xavier and I aren't exactly...on mating terms by mating season. And he tries to control his wolf...would...that happen again?"

"Yes, it could kill him. His wolf is stronger than any wolf in this pack. The only one who has the same strength is Alpha Black, Alpha Xander, and Alpha Maddox. Xavier's wolf is slightly...feral."

"What do you mean...feral?"

Zinnia sighed, "A feral wolf is when someone's wolf is stronger than their human side. Usually, a werewolf can control his or her wolf. Even when their wolf is angry. Xavier, being that he has alpha blood, makes it harder to control. However, his wolf is also stronger than his human side. It's a constant battle between them."

"Is there anyway he could control it?" Catherine asked, worried.

"By mating with you, his wolf is restless. This always happens to males who haven't found their mates for a long time. He's twenty-two now, he was supposed to find you when he was sixteen." 

Catherine frowned, "So...he struggled for six years with this?"

"Eh, more like three, started when he was twenty. But we're no longer going to talk about this, I basically gave you most of his life story." she quickly said.

Catherine nodded in agreement as Zinnia left, once she was alone, she sighed. She didn't want Xavier to go through any pain when mating season came, but she wasn't going to be ready to mate with him by then. Mating season starts in three weeks and she barely knows the guy. 

"You shouldn't be doubting that you'll be ready. The mate-bond works fast, Catherine." her wolf commented.

"I know, but...that means we'll have to mark and mate. I'm a virgin...." 

"Relax, when the time comes, you and Xavier will figure it out. Maybe I could convince his wolf to be calmer." 

"Thank you."

Catherine showered and got dressed before laying on her bed again, she closed her eyes as she thought over the past two days. She remembered Zinnia telling her that Xavier will have her move in with him by the end of the week, quite frankly, she couldn't be pissed about that. They were mates after all, no matter how confused and unorganized she was, she couldn't fight the bond. She wasn't trying either, in fact, she wanted to be closer with him. She basically has a week until she moves in with him, if she could get to know him, it wouldn't be horrible. 

She remembered her mother telling her and her brother that she moved in the day she met their father. Her mother had said it was bound to happen and that they didn't want to waste any time, two months after meeting each other, she was already pregnant. Catherine scrunched up her nose, she wasn't going to screw him that soon though. She wanted to wait, she wanted to fall in love first. The bond may make her extremely attracted to him, but she wasn't in love.

Yet.