Mates of a Human

Part Four. Chapter Ten. Alex

I didn't want to speak to him, but I knew that I would and it wouldn't just be a light greeting in passing either.

He had changed since we were teens. He hadn't gained any more height that me, but he was somehow broader, more mature of face and his pale eyes were less cold. And there was a weariness in them. My first assumption was that his beta training was taxing him. I was wrong.

The wolves decided to go for a run not long after the last of the food was consumed and naturally that meant getting naked. This was both awkward and wonderful for me, wonderful as I got to enjoy the sculptured bodies of my husbands as they stripped before me, awkward because so did everyone else. I was really unhappy that several unmated females as well as one or two men practically drooled all over them. Michael's silver wolf stood out in amidst the grey and black wolves frolicking around; he came over to me with his pink tongue hanging from the side of his muzzle, coating me in his scent as he firmly brushed himself over me. He then proceeded to do the same to Eric, who lazily padded over, his large orange body unmissable in the crowd. I spread my fingers over their coats as we shared a moment, two beasts and their human mate.

Jenny, who was with me in her human form due to her pregnancy, did the same with her large, black wolf. I only knew that the colour of Marcus' wolf was this and not dark brown as I had seen him before my vision altered. Then as one, the wolves all turned like a tide and bolted to the woods, our large mates at their flanks and catching up fast. Eric did not run, he just flicked his tail and headed for the trees, likely to sink his claws into a few before taking a nap in the branches of a strong one. Jenny and the few volunteers had stayed behind to look after the smallest wolves, excused themselves and headed into the packhouse. I stayed outside, enjoying the sun that was now alone in the sky.

I spied him hovering in the tree line not too long after, clearly hesitant to speak with me and I knew that it would be down to me to make the first move. I couldn't quite understand his expression at first, but then it came to me as I stood before him. It was shame.

"Hey," I said, uncertain how to feel at this moment, confronting the man who hurt me so badly.

"Hey," he responded, barely meeting my eyes.

We stood, leaning against the thick trunks of two trees for a while in silence.

"I didn't mean to leave you there," he blurted suddenly. "I didn't know you had collapsed and fell into a coma."

"Okay," I replied, not really having more to say on that subject.

"Fuck," he cursed, though I think this was directed more to himself. "I really wasn't expecting it to be you. I was so angry and like an idiot took it out on you, so for that I apologise."

I glanced up at the sun, peeking through the black of the leaves as the silence began to stretch once more.

"Tamara, the girl I liked..." he began and I turned my head to face him, noticing that he was kicking at the loose dirt beneath his shoe.

"The one who Marcus kept teasing you about," I recalled aloud. "The one who found her mate the summer before..."

"Yeah, her," he agreed, but there was a clear tone of bitterness when he spoke of her. "She was more than just my crush." He clasped his hands together as if in prayer and pressed them to his face. "I know we shifters usually don't bother, because it nearly always ends up in tears, but we were secretly dating. I turned her down, at first, I was like the other guys, planning on holding out for my mate, but she was persistent, convinced me that she believed that I was the one for her, the one she would become mated to once I turned eighteen." His voice was bitter, slightly angry, but mostly resigned.