A Second Mate

Chapter Four: A Big Fuss Over Nothing.

Dakota's' POV.

My 'capturer' has in fact turned out to be Ben's brother Eric, who climbed through the window expecting to find Ben there to scare him. After scaring the life out of me, he dragged me off into the ensuite bathroom so we can play a trick on Ben. Now, here we are, in the living room, laughing hysterically as Ben shouts numerous different swear words at Eric. "Do you know how freaking angry I was Eric?" Ben shouts as I try keep my face straight once again. "I thought somebody took Dakota! I was preparing to kill the prick who did!" Eric stands up from the sofa and rests a hand on Ben's chest while fighting to contain his laughter. "Ben, chill. You should just be thankful she wasn't took, not shouting at me!"

"Eric's right, Alpha." My quiet, unconfident voice comes from the sofa as they both turn to face me. "I am?" Eric asks surprised. "I was just saying that to get out of trouble." He chuckles. "You're siding with this idiot instead of your mate?" Ben asks in disbelief. Ah! Just the thing I've been wondering about! Ben plops down on the sofa as I smooth out the creases of his mother's night gown which I can only presume she changed me into when she helped me. "About that, Alpha." I start before Ben cuts me off. "Ben, please call me Ben."

Nodding my head I continue. "Okay, Ben. I want to talk to you about this whole mate thing, alone." I say as I look at Eric who raises his hand to his chest in mock offence before leaving the room. "I'm sure you've a lot of questions. All of which, I'll try my best to answer." Ben smiles softly.

"I understand the whole mate thing but I'm confused at how I can be your mate?" I ask. "I'm a human."

"Although rare, it's possible for a human to be a mate." Ben pauses. "But there's something that makes you special."

"What?" I ask.

"You're my second mate." He smiles. "My first mate passed away, from Cancer."

"I'm sorry to hear that." I say still staring at the sofa.

"But hey! I've got you now." Ben tucks two fingers under my chin and turns me to face him. There are tears in his eyes, threatening to spill out. "And I'm going to do everything I can to protect you. You're too good to lose."