“Nothing. I just thought you could use a friend. By the way, you've been missing for an entire day almost. It's now eight pm on Saturday” he said still stroking my fur. After a few seconds, I looked at him and asked “seriously? Wait, you can understand me?”
“Yeap and yes, it's one of my many talents. So, you may wanna mind link the Alpha or Luna to let them know you're alive because I'm sure they're worried about you” he said with a shrug.
“Yeah maybe. By the way, how did you find me?” I asked looking at him confused.
“I followed your power signature. Don't tell anyone but I'm an Elite Alpha. So, it's one of my powers along with the mind reading” he said then added “and I also know you're no ordinary Omega wolf. Don't worry, I haven't and won't tell anyone. The Luna and Aaron know I was looking but no one even knows I found you. They did see the detonation site you left behind as well as your shredded clothes though. Oh I also masked your scent before I left yesterday because I figured you wanted to be left alone for a while.”
“Oh I guess that's a power too, knowing others second genders” I said slightly annoyed.
“No, that I guessed based on your scent but like I said I won't tell anyone” he said still running his hand through my fur. It had an oddly calming effect so I didn't mind.
“Well, thanks for keeping that a secret. Very few people know the truth. Wait, explosion? Crap, how bad was it?” I asked starting to feel comfortable but also worried at the same time.
“Well, you froze about ninety feet in all directions and about ¾ of the surrounding eighteen trees. The most impressive part was the perfect circle you left where I'm guessing you were standing since your clothes were there” he said with a chuckle while looking at the lake.
“Geez, I can see why everyone is worried. My wolf controlled it as long as he could but we just couldn't take it anymore” I said looking away again.
“That's why you let off that very pain filled howl right?” he asked.
“Yeah, that was just before we lost control. It's a very rare occurrence but my wolf warned me it would probably happen which is why he forced the change and took control” I said still not looking at him.
“What happened? Did your mate reject you and that's why you lost control?” he asked. Without looking at him, I just answered with a nod then buried my head in my paws. After a few seconds, he reached over and pulled me into his lap trying to comfort me.
“By the way, I brought you clothes and something to eat in case you wanna shift back” he said still holding me on his lap.
“Thanks” I mumbled but made no move to get up. We stayed like that for a long time during which I did mind link auntie and let her know that I was alive and safe. She yelled at me for making her worry, then apologized, and thanked me for letting her know because everyone was worried about me.
“Geez, now my head hurts” I said after I cut the link.
“Let me guess you got an earful for making everyone worry” he chuckled.
“Yeah. The Luna screeches when she's upset and in my head it was even worse than usual” I said putting my paws over my head.
“Maybe you'll feel better if you shift and eat something” he suggested.
“Yeah maybe. Alright but can you turn around” I asked embarrassed.
“Yeah, I can do that” he chuckled again as I moved off his lap. Then as promised, he turned around and started rummaging through the bag he'd brought pulling out a pair of underwear and jeans. Placing them on the ground behind him without turning around, he said “there at least part of you can be covered as soon as you're shifted.”
“Thanks” I said and began the shift. This shift took longer and hurt a lot more than usual since I had been in that form longer than usual causing me to lock my jaw to keep from screaming. Grunting through the pain, about fifteen minutes passed before I had finally finished shifting and was dressing when he asked “does it usually take that long?”
“No. It usually takes me five minutes if I chose to shift. If my wolf forces it, it can take less time but is usually more painful. This one took longer and was more painful because I'd been in that for longer than normal” I said shrugging as I buttoned my jeans. After a few seconds of silence, I said “okay, I'm covered for the most part” before sitting on the grass facing him.
He turned back around and without looking up began rummaging in the bag again coming back up with two sandwiches wrapped in clear plastic wrap and two bottles of water.
Looking up and handing one of each to me, he said “I didn't know what you like so it's just peanut butter and jelly. I hope that's okay.”
“Yeah, it's fine thanks. I'm not a picky eater and there are only two things I cannot have but you can't really find them here so no worries” I said before unwrapping the sandwich and taking a bite then looking at the lake again. After a few minutes, I noticed he had stopped moving and was staring at my bare chest.
“What? Why do you look like you've seen a ghost?” I asked and then to tease him said “or do you see something you like?” which snapped him out to his trance making him blush.
“Sorry, I just noticed your tattoo” he said “it's interesting.”
“Oh it's not a tattoo” I said unconsciously touching it “I was born with it but no one can tell me what it is.”
“Hmm” he said before looking at the lake. After a few minutes he asked “have you ever heard of how vampires find our mates?”
“No. I've only met a few and most of them were already mated so I never thought to ask” I answered honestly.
“Okay, you know how you guys mates are determined by your wolves? Well, ours are determined by a mark we are born with. They usually look something like your birth mark and are almost always in the same spot on both members of the pair” he said still not looking at me.
“Okay... are you trying to tell me that maybe I have a second mate out there that's a vampire?” I asked staring at him.
“Sort of. Since, you were born with the mark and you guys don't get your wolves until you turn fourteen. I'm actually saying a vampire is your true mate not the wolf” he said still refusing to look at me.
After a few seconds, Lucifer said “he's actually right Kingston. Our true mate is a vampire but we will only find them by breaking the mating bond with Aaron.”
“Are you serious?” I said aloud not realizing it until they both answered “yeah, I'm sure.”
“Oh wow, did I say that out loud?” I asked blushing.
“Yeah, you did. Why were you talking to someone else?” he asked with a confused expression when he finally looked at me again.
“Yeah, I was talking to Lucifer. Sorry, my wolf and didn't mean to say it aloud” I said looking away embarrassed.
“What did he say?” he asked still watching me.
“He said it's true but the only way to find that person is to break the mating bond with the other wolf but that can only be done by the Alpha” I said still not looking at him. Then to Lucifer, I said “wait, that means you knew. Is that why you kept saying this rejection would be good for us?”
“Yes King, I knew and yes that is why I said that. I truly believe our true mate will be good to us because they can understand our pain” he said in a calm tone.
“Wait, what do you mean they can understand our pain?” I asked genuinely confused.
“I don't know who it is, before you ask. All I know is what I can feel from them. They are in turmoil for much the same reason we are even to the point of doubting they are worthy of love” he said before closing our connection. We sat in a comfortable silence for a while, as I processed everything I'd just learned. Another hour passed before I broke the silence saying “I should head back. Thanks for today, I guess I'll see you at school on Monday” before standing to head back.
“Yeah, you're welcome. Oh here's a shirt by the way. What's your name again? I'm Remington Leonard but you can just call me Rem” he said realizing neither of us had introduced ourselves.
“I know” I said taking the shirt and then continuing “I met your sister yesterday. I'm Kingston Martin but you can call me King. Anyway, see you later Rem” I said smiling then turning to leave putting on the shirt as I went.
“Yeah, bye King” he said as I left to go back to the pack house.
As I reached the back door, I could feel Aaron's anxiety through our broken mate bond and hear the multitude of questions they all wanted to ask. With a deep breath, I opened the door and stepped inside to see auntie, uncle, Aaron, Marisole, Noah, and Carly sitting in the kitchen waiting for me. Before anyone else could speak, I said “we can talk in a few minutes. Just let me take a quick shower and I'll be right back” then I headed to my room. As I passed the front windows, I saw Remington walking to his truck. Smiling as I climbed the stairs, I reached my room and entered being sure to lock the door behind me. Once inside, I could smell the lingering scent of Remington, lemongrass and cedar, telling me he'd been in here before he found me.
“That explains why the clothes fit so well. They're mine” I thought with a chuckle. While I was in the shower, I could feel pressure on my lips that told me Aaron and Marisole were kissing.
“Bastard” I thought and tried to ignore it. After my shower, I felt a little more human. Heading to my closet, I dressed in a pair of gray sweatpants, a t-shirt, and gray hoodie then walking to my dresser I grabbed my back up control pendent draping it around my neck before heading back downstairs.
Entering the kitchen, I took a seat next the Noah at the end of the bar as far away from Aaron as I could get. After a few minutes of awkward silence, I said “okay someone ask because I know that's what you wanna talk about.” Noah spoke up first but it wasn't the question I was expecting.
“Are you okay?” was all he said before going quiet again.
“Yeah, I'm fine for now” I said with a shrug. Then auntie asked the question I knew everyone wanted an answer too.
“Sweetie, what happened?” she asked with a worried frown. After thinking for a minute, I decided to tell them the truth but leave out the details.
“I found my mate yesterday and got rejected. The pain caused me to loose control so Lucifer forced a shift and took control as long as possible to make sure we didn't hurt anyone” I said and then silence descended on the kitchen once again as they absorbed the information.
“Okay but that doesn't explain why you weren't at the site of the explosion” Uncle said with a concerned face followed quickly by Aaron asking “or why you came home smelling like a vampire.”
“Uncle, the easy answer is I didn't want to be found. I was in so much pain I just wanted to be alone. And as for the vampire smell, you're right I was with a vampire. He found me by the lake at about eight o'clock tonight and spent some time with me trying to help me through the pain. He's actually the one who insisted I contact auntie to tell her I was alive and safe. No nothing weird happened, we just talked. And as for the smell, he brought me clothes to wear when I shifted back. He was even nice enough to bring me food too. Oh and he told me something that Lucifer confirmed which I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around” I said looking at my hands that were now folded and resting on the bar top.
“Oh what would that be sweetie?” auntie asked placing one hand on top of mine. Before I could answer Lucifer spoke up “are you sure about telling everyone here?”
“Yes Luci. They are my family plus this will tell me if they knew and just never told me. It's also revenge for what we felt Aaron do a little while ago” I said in my head before continuing aloud “he said that my birth mark may not be just a birth mark. It might actually be a mating mark. See our wolves determine our mates where as vampire mates share matching marks. He thinks maybe since I was born with it that my true mate is a vampire and not another wolf" descending the room into silence once again. After what felt like hours but was probably only minutes Noah asked “is there a way to know for sure?”
“Lucifer and my friend both agree that the only way to know for sure is to break the mating bond with the other wolf completely. Only then will I be able to find my true mate” I said purposely not looking at Aaron as I felt him flinch and then get disgusted as I spoke. Ignoring him, I went on “uncle, I was going to ask you to do it anyway since it will only cause me more pain and make my powers harder to control. So, can you please help me?”
“Yeah I can, let's go to my office and we can take care of it” uncle said standing. As I stood up to follow, Aaron said “I'm going for a run to clear my head. Alone” then left slamming the back door.
As I followed uncle to his office I thought “this is what you deserve. I'm happy you rejected me now maybe my new mate will actually love me.” Entering the office and closing the door behind us, uncle had me stand in front of him and asked “are you sure about this?”
“Yes uncle, I am certain. You know I already have a hard time controlling my powers. I had hoped mating would help with it but after being rejected I lost all hope of that. They made it clear they didn't want me so please uncle just do it” I said knowing exactly what I was getting myself into whether I had a true mate or not.
“Alright, take a deep breath. This might hurt a bit” he said before placing his right hand on my chest and starting the incantation to sever the bond. As it started, I could feel Aarons' anger and the pain it caused him. After a few minutes, the pain gradually got worse until I couldn't take it anymore and passed out. My last thought as I blacked out was that Aaron got what he deserved and the hope that my new mate, if they exist, will love me. As I blacked out, I could hear the howls of pain and uncles voice as he continued his chant. Then just before the blackness took me, I smelled the scent of lemongrass and cedar.
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