Mates of a Human

Part Two. Chapter Five. Alex.

I took the next day off sick... and the next. But I had to return eventually, I needed the money. My grey apartment wasn't going to pay for itself.

I woke up the morning of my next shift feeling groggy and out of sorts. My eyes stung, I had spent most of the two days crying all over again for my grandmama or brimming with anger over David's rough treatment of me or laughing at the good memories with my best friend. The love I had for him was nothing more than a fondness now, a warmth rather than the burning heat I recalled. And then I would cry all over again, mourning the person I had been and had wanted to be.

I phoned my parents, I didn't do that often any more. Mum was delighted when I agreed to come back home for the weekend to visit. She had the Saturday morning shift, but planned to spend Sunday just the three of us. I would talk to them then, the conversation I had been avoiding for all this time. I don't know if I would name David, I think it was too late to dig up such old dirt, but I would confess to other things.

The only thing I dreaded was speaking with my new, potential mate. I had exploded in front of him, broken down and walked out. I still feared his rejection, but I wouldn't run this time. I knew that running and hiding was no longer the answer. I had been licking my wounds for too long had suppressed every feeling, every emotion and told myself that I felt nothing. The pressure had built up, no longer just content on leaking out here and there and boom! My hold, my control was shredded to bits.

I cooed at an adorable puppy in the petshop window as I passed it, overcome by its cuteness. I burst into tears again as I read in the newspaper that my favourite author had got into a light accident, but was doing fine. I ran into Clover's arms when I saw her at the nurses station and gave her a massive hug.

"What's gotten in to you?" She laughed over my drama and patted me on the back.

"I just missed you," I told her.

"Are you sure you just had a cold?" She asked, unused to this sort of me. So was I. It was like I had no boundaries, no way of toning myself down.

"I'm fine," I said and hummed as I walked down the corridor towards the janitor's room, where my overalls and my rubber gloves were sitting in my locker. Once I had those on, I was going to take on limescale, remove germs and beat dirt!

"Someone seems to be in a good mood," his delicious voice sent shivers down my spine and dammit I had absolutely no way of shielding myself from reacting. The heat poured to my cheeks as I suddenly became interested in my feet.

"I'm sorry," I said, my voice quietening down, even if my emotions were screaming at me. "I was wrong to snap at you." He hooked his finger beneath my chin and made me stare into those vivid blue eyes. I practically melted into a puddle of goo at his feet.

"I forgive you," he smiled, those tasty lips drawn wide. "But I still want to talk to you about it. When is your lunch break?" I gave him a time. "Fine, my office, then. Don't be late."

The bathrooms practically gleamed by the time I was finished. The bleach and cleaning products were packed into my newly fixed trolley and I set off to the janitor's room to put them away and wash my hands and arms before taking off my overalls and into my civvies. Normally, I wouldn't bother to change, just grab something quick to eat and consume it in the corner of the break room before returning to work. But I didn't want to go into his office looking like a hot mess. I needed to persuade him to give me another chance or at least give me time. I needed to regain some degree of control of my emotions before handling a rejection.

Trying in vain to make my flat brown hair somewhat interesting, I headed down to his office. Fear began to creep up from the soles of my feet and I was visibly shaking as I reached for his door handle. I must have been standing there too long for his wolf as the door swept open and I was dragged inside with a yelp. He released my hand immediately after and I had to stamp on the sudden thought to grab it back. I took a deep breath, thankful that I was successful this time in not letting my emotions reign free. That was a good sign, I felt.

He indicated that I should sit and he followed suit, but with his office desk safely in between us. I didn't like that, I ached to go sit in his lap and bury my head into his neck and that frightened me even more than the thought of rejection.

"What are you thinking right now?" He asked.

"What?" I questioned in turn, not sure why he had asked that.

"Never mind," he said, dismissing his own train of thought. "What I would actually like to know is why you fled from me in the cafe." I fidgeted in my seat, still torn between escape and throwing myself at him. How could I explain this? "You don't wish to say?"

"It's not that," I say to him, panicked that if I remain silent, that he would finally realise that I'm not worth it and reject me. "I... I... I just..." He remained seated for a moment before coming around and kneeling in front of me.

"Take a deep breath," he suggested and I did so, pouring air into my lungs and making myself dizzy from the sudden increase in oxygen levels. "Is it really so hard to share?" I hesitate and nod slightly, bracing myself in case I upset him. "Can you not trust me?"

"It's not that I can't, exactly," I said. "I just haven't trusted anyone in a long while and it's difficult."

"I understand," he said, offering me a soft smile, even though his blue eyes looked slightly saddened by the lack.

"I'm sorry," I murmured, my eyes becoming further downcast.

"Don't be," he reassured me. "We haven't known each other that long after all. My wolf is just impatient to know his mate." He took my hands in his and I swear I had a vision of a stunning silver wolf wagging his tail slowly and looking up at me with puppy dog eyes. "But thank you for coming to speak with us again. We'll take this thing at your pace, for now."

I blinked away the image and whispered to him; "Thank you." My stomach grumbled, breaking into the soft bubble around us with a pop and causing him to laugh, gently. It was a nice, rumbling sort of laugh.

"Now then," he said and took to his feet, before offering me a hand. "That would be our cue to go get something to eat." I reached for his hand, when a knock came at the door. I retreated, feeling guilty for some reason as the door swung wide open and a man slightly taller, but not quite as broad as Michael burst in. I felt my eyes widened and couldn't help but stare.

"Alright, where is he?" His face was more oval to Michael's square face, his lips slightly thinner and his eyes sharper at the corners. He had high cheekbones, but he did not look guant because of them. His hair was just below shoulder length, tied at the nape of his neck and as he looked at me his pupils became slitted... like a cat. "This is him, right." His voice melted into a deep purr and he suddenly embraced me and buried his face in my neck and took a deep breath.

"Eric..." Michael growled slightly, but it didn't sound like the warning that a possessive mate might issue, no more like one of exasperation.

"It's your fault," the man growled back, but he did not release me from his hold. Familiar tingles were shooting down my back and totally blew my mind. What the hell was happening to me? Why was this stranger causing me to shiver in the same delighted way my new found mate did? "It took you way too long to introduce us," the man was saying to Michael.

And why... why was his hair...

"I'm sorry, Alex, Eric," Michael sighed as he apologised to both of us. "Alex, I should have told you earlier, but... Eric is also my mate, which means he is also your mate. Do you understand?"

Understand what? My mind was becoming a little unfocused as I caught myself reaching for Eric's silky hair. "So red," I blurted, before I completely blacked out.