The Mating Bond

Chapter 8

We finally pull away from the hug and we stand in silence. You would think that meeting the person who was made just for you for the first time would give you something to say. That isn't the case at all! We both seem to be at a loss for words.

I stand there fiddling with my fingers while he rubs the back of his neck.

"So are you feeling better now?"

I look up at him confused. His eyes shine with concern. They've gone back to their regular blue so his wolf and him have calmed down.

"From the fainting."

My mouth makes an "O" shape. RIght, that wasn't that long ago was it?"Yes, I'm okay now. I-I was just a little overwhelmed."

"That's good. I didn't want to meet my mate only for her die at the sight of me."

A giggle left my lips and almost instantly his eyes lit up.

"So Eli, tell me about yourself."

"Like what?"

"Your interests, stuff you do for fun. Favorite food. Something along those lines." He sits down on the bed beside us. I see him put down a pair of shoes I didn't realize he was holding. His eyes never leave mine though. How sweet. I sit down next to him.

I ponder for a minute. I don't really have any interests and I don't have fun very much.

"Well... I don't really have many interests. I like to read whenever I can but I don't have much free time. I enjoy talking to my wolf Anara. She is a little bossy and is quite funny sometimes. Oh! And I tried Ice cream once! It had cherries and chocolate in it... I think? It's been a long time since I had tried it but it was definitely the best food I've had!"

Malcolm looks at me oddly. I don't understand what emotion he is showing. I don't know much about social cues. Unless it's if someone's angry.

"Uh... Tell me about you."

Whatever emotion he had quickly went away and he smiled at me once again. I smile back. I can't remember the last time I smiled this much.

"Where should I start? Well, I like to train. I also like to run in wolf form.  I only do a few Beta duties a day since I haven't become Beta yet. My dad is still training me. Oh wait, that's all boring stuff.

I always find room to squeeze in some time with my older sister. We mostly end up baking or cooking something since she owns her own bakery and always is trying new recipes. She always gets me to help since she thought it would be a nice treat for my mate if I could help cook. I also babysit her seven-year-old daughter Stacie on occasion. I always take Stacie on picnics or just let her ride on my back while I'm in wolf form. And there are a few other things but I don't want to just talk about myself."

The way he talks about his sister and niece is so sweet. He smiles ever so slightly and you could tell he really cares for them.

"You must really care about them." I smile at him and he chuckles. 

"My sister and I are very close. I could go to her for anything."

I smile sadly. "I wish my sister and I were that close."

"You have a sister?" He asks me, seemingly very curious about my life so far. I'll have to leave some bits out. I don't want him realizing how weak I am. especially since he's a Beta to a pack.

I nod. "Yeah. Her name is Janelia. She is actually my age but we aren't twins. We couldn't be any more different.

She party's with her boyfriend while I stay at home. She is outgoing and popular while I'm pretty shy and have no friends. She is rude while I'm... Well, I'd like to think I'm pretty nice."

He smiles almost sadly.

"Well, when you'll move into my pack, you'll make friends. And even if you don't at the beginning, you'll still have me."

He gives me a sheepish smile while rubbing the back of his neck. He is so adorable when trying to be sweet.

His words took a moment to process into my head. Move. I'll be moving. How will I tell father?

I mean, he always is telling me how I'll never find my mate and he'll reject me on sight. But Malcolm didn't reject me and actually wants to be with me. Maybe with Malcolm not rejecting me will show dad he was wrong. But how will he handle it is the question.

He gets angry if I don't cook his eggs for breakfast perfectly. How will he react to me sneaking out of the house, going to the Mating Bond and finding a mate who will take away the person that cleans his house?

I'm afraid to even tell him. Maybe I can just leave without telling him at all. Just sneak into the house, pack my stuff quickly, leave a note and sneak out again. That could work!

Oh, wait. I can't just leave the pack immediately. I need to submit a form to the Alpha asking to change packs and that could take days for him to see it and accept it. And I don't even know where the pack house is since I'm always at home so I have nowhere to deliver it. Malcolm says he is a Beta. He should know where it is.

"Eli?"

My mind snaps back to reality. Malcolm rested his hand on mine. His eyes filled with concern as he gazed at me.

"Uh sorry! What did you say?"

"I asked if you were okay."

I blush slightly and look down. What is wrong with me? I never zone out! It's never safe to let my guard down. Yet why am I letting my guard down around him?

"I'm fine. I was just thinking about what you said about moving."

"Sorry if you think I'm moving too fast. I just thought it was the best step to take next since we live in separate packs. You won't have to move immediately. We can stay here multiple days since none of us have fully taken our job positions yet and have been given a few days off."

My eyes widen. A few days? That's going to make life harder. I'll have to pack my things and leave the house than live on the streets for a couple days. Malcolm can't know since I don't want to trouble him with my problems. Not yet anyway. We just met!

"I-It's not that. I was just thinking about finding the right forms I would need to submit a request to the Alpha to transfer packs."

What looks like understanding flashes his eyes before he smiles again.

"Well since I'm going to be a Beta soon, we can just go up to your Alpha and make the request in person. We don't need to fill out any forms."

Perks to being a Beta I guess.

Anara purrs in my head at the thought of having a strong and powerful mate. Muscles aren't everything.

Just then his stomach rumbles causing me to giggle.

"Hungry?"

He rubs the back of his head awkwardly. "Uh yeah. We were planning to eat at the Mating Bond but we never arrived. Would you be up for going to get a midnight snack with me?"

Wow. I haven't gotten the chance to eat this much food in a day before. Best day ever!

"I would love to."

With that, we leave the room and head for food.