Mateless and Luna Bound (Self Published)

Chapter 12: Pies

Authors Note: I thought of this story mainly when I was obsessed with baking pies. Since I never really have time to bake them, or that many to share them with, I just put all my obsession into this work-a-holic blond. Hope you guys enjoy!

-Saturn

"You aren't going with him?" Charlie asked. Max snapped back to reality with that. Thankfully he had only been talking with Ed like that for a minute or two, or else Charlie would probably be thinking that Max had lost it. Charlie had turned back to the stove he was on and was back to dancing with the ingredients.

"No, I figured I'd help you a little bit," Max answered. Someone had to make sure that he was going to keep eating throughout the day anyway. And the chefs were already busy doing their own thing.

"You know," Charlie gave him a small smile. "You don't have to hang out with me all day, every day. I can be by myself perfectly fine. You should go hang out with your friends some. They probably miss you."

"But you are my friend," it took all Max had in him not to say mate. The one thing that everyone understood about mates was that once you found yours, you became infatuated with them. Sometimes it would only be a short amount of time, like a honeymoon faze, before you would go back to hanging out with other people. Other times you would only want to hang out with that person.

Like Sam.

It was responsibilities and duties that typically kept mated wolves from staying that way. The pack would usually give them a week to enjoy their new love before they would get them back to their jobs. It worked for most. Tyler and his mate are a crazy power couple, and they are fine with being a part most of the day as long as they sleep in the same bed. Ed and his mate can sometimes go days without each other, as Ed's mate is set on her career and sometimes has to go on trips for school. But Sam was hooked to Leah like a Rockstar to drugs. They could barely get Sam to do anything with them.

Max wasn't entirely sure where he was going to end up with Charlie. But he knew that he didn't want to give anyone the feeling that he had when he realized that Sam wasn't going to want to hang out with him. He would at least try to make time for his friends and family.

Just not right now. He still had to figure out a plan for right now.

"Well, thanks," Charlie said. "But we've only just met, and, I guess, only just became friends. You don't have to hang out with me all the time."

Max had a feeling that even if he wound up being like Sam with his mate, Charlie wouldn't let him ignore his friends or family.

That only made him love him more. The wilder part of him wanted to just claim him already. To mark him and say that he was his and no one else's for the rest of eternity. But that would only scare him off. And Max didn't need anything working against him at the moment.

"I'm usually alone anyway," Max shrugged. He picked up a peeler and set to work on the apples. "They've all got families of their own to care for."

"Ah," Charlie nodded, "Even Ed?"

"Ed doesn't have kids yet, but his wife is in college right now and he does all the chores and errands for her."

"That's really sweet of him," that beautiful smile came to his face again. "I'm guessing you're the only one not married then?"

"As single as can be," Max replied. He was a little distracted from the conversation by the apple that he was trying to peel.

Why are apples so hard to peel? He wouldn't be surprised if Nick and Katy were laughing at him behind his back because he couldn't peel a damn apple.