The Unexpected Mate

Part 22

"Does it usually take this long to shift?" Troy asked over his shoulder. I was already shifted but how should I stand? Should I sit? What looks better? I chose to sit and wrap my tail around my feet, I shook my fur out to make sure it was nice a fluffy. I wanted my mate to think I was pretty.

"Of course he's going to think we are pretty, look at us!" Nan said with a puffed out chest. "Fluff our tail a little more."

I fluffed my tail and the rest of my fur out one more time before giving Troy a little yip letting him know he could turn around. When he saw me for the first time his face broke out into a huge smile, "Annie, you're gorgeous." I gave him my best wolf smile and walked towards him wagging my tail. He reached out and scratched behind my ear, oh yes, I could get used to this. I leaned into his hand letting him know that it felt good and he needed to keep going which he did for a few more minutes.

"We can't sit out here forever with me scratching your ears little fish." Troy chuckled and I gave him a pouty whine letting him know that I wasn't a fan of that idea of him stopping his scratching.

"Oh quit giving me those puppy dog eyes. While I think you're gorgeous in wolf form and out, I do miss the human part side I can talk to." Troy said.

"What do you mean? We can mind link silly." I said to Troy in my head. All wolves could mind link in wolf form, and mates could do it in and out of wolf form.

"Annie, he doesn't have a wolf remember? He can't hear you." Nan reminded me. Oh yeah, I had forgotten. He didn't have a wolf. He was different like me but not the same different. That's when more questions popped into my head, what would happen when I marked him? He's a technically a shifter also but what would happen to his fish? Would he be able to shift into a wolf? Would he lose his mer capabilities? Would he die if he didn't have his fish side? If he couldn't shift into a wolf how would I be able to train him to be an Alpha?

"Little fish? Why don't you shift back so you can ask out loud all those questions that are floating thru your brain." Troy said. I tilted my head at him, how did he know I had a ton of questions? I started to get excited, maybe he could hear me!

"I may not be able to hear you but you still get a cute little line between your eyes when you're over thinking." I felt my shoulders sag a little, I was hoping he could he hear me. I nudged his hip to tell him to turn around again, he rolled his eyes in protest but still turned around. I quickly shifted back to my human form and put my clothes on.

"You can turn back around now." I said as Troy turned and closed the distance between us, he pulled me into his arms and kissed me.

"There, that's better. Now talk to me, what's going on in that brain of yours." He said rubbing the line that forms between my eyes when I'm worried or concentrating.

I didn't even know where to begin, there was so many questions I wanted answers to. "I don't know what to ask first. Well no, I do. You know about the mate bond, and what it means for werewolves. But do you feel anything? Do I have any effect on you at all? I mean I think you like me, but to be with me the rest of your life? I guess I'm just curious how this feels to you." I was starting to panic, what if he didn't feel what I felt? Once we find out mates and mark them you're together for the rest of your life, it's like marriage in the human world except stronger. I know humans eventually felt the effect of the mate bond before they are marked but I didn't know how it would work with Troy.

"Shhhh, take a deep breath." Troy put his hands on my face, instantly calming me. "I don't know what you're feeling, but I can tell you what I feel. Merpeople don't mate like werewolves, we do however mate for life. We just get to choose who we want to be with, once we do there is a ceremony and we are bonded for life, we even have marks showing that we belong to each other. It's given by the one performing the ceremony though, not by biting."