Nate

After I told Daphne to come inside the house, my parents greeted us with a smile, though I know deep down they're worried about this. And yes, of course I texted mom and dad warning I was bringing her with me today. This is not something you spring on the Alpha. Not a human inside the compound anyway.

"Hi, Daphne. Welcome! I'm Rosa Aguilar Huntington and this is Patrick Huntington, my husband. We're Nate's adoptive parents." - Mom said as we entered. Denise and Daniel too, of course.

"Hi. Nice to meet you both." - Daphne replied, daunted by the magnificent scope of the house. - "This is huge! How many people live here?" - She was gobsmacked.

"Well, my children, of course, some of our warriors and unmated people within the pack. I think it's about 50." - My father explained. Her mouth widened even more, if that's possible.

"Wow, 50!" - She gasped, then turned to me. - "What's unmated?" - She asked, quizzically.

"It's a werewolf that hasn't found their mate yet." - I replied.

"But I thought you said werewolves found their mate when they turned 18!" - She exclaimed, with a confused look on her face.

"No, I said werewolves can find their mate when they turn 18! That doesn't mean they find theirs immediately!" - I informed her.

"Seriously, how long can it take?" - She asked, puzzled.

"It takes as long as it takes! The Goddess can't be rushed!" - Mom said, smiling. - "But it usually happens until you reach 30, at the latest." - Mom informed her.

"Goddess?" - She whispered to me, puzzled.

"I'll explain it later." - I replied.

"So, Daphne, I want you to feel welcomed here. My son's mate is as much my daughter as Denise is. - My dad said, which of course made Denise grimace.

"I only ask that you do not repeat anything you see or hear here to anyone outside of the pack. Especially NOT to your father." - He continued in a very serious tone.

"Of course, Sir. I understand." - Daphne agreed, signaling yes with her face.

"Nate, feel free to give her a tour of the house. Now if you excuse me, I have pack business to attend to!" - Dad said and left for his office, which is located inside the pack house.

"Are you hungry, dear? I can make you something to eat if you want!" - Mom offered, smiling.

"No thanks, ma'am. I'm good!" - She replied, politely.

"Excuse us please, I'll show her around!" - I said as I directed her to follow me, which she did. My mom returned to her office. My siblings went to their rooms to change.

I took her deep inside the pack house, showing her the accommodations, the play room, the offices, (outside) the warrior's quarters, showed her a bathroom she could use and finally we reached my bedroom.

Thankfully, all rooms inside the pack house were isolated acoustically, otherwise we wouldn't get any sleep with our acute hearing. So are the offices for privacy, of course. Basically every single place here, except for the kitchen, dining hall, warrior locker room and bathrooms.

I close the door behind us and tell her to sit down in the bed as I grab the chair for myself. There was a chair and a desk inside every room, which is where we studied and used our computer. We needed a quiet place to do it.

"Are you okay? I know this can be very daunting at first." - I asked her as we got settled.

"I know, right? It's a lot! But I'm taking it in as much as I can!" - She replied. - "Speaking of which, what is a warrior?" - She looked intrigued.

"Warriors are the defenders of the pack, they're the fighting breed, so to speak. They protect the pack and defend our land! They're led by the Delta, which is the lead warrior. But all of them answer to the Beta, which is the second highest ranking werewolf, also known as protector of the pack!" - I explained with a proud tone.

"I see." - She replied, pensive.

"But they don't fight any humans, just so you know. They protect our land from other wolves. We don't insert ourselves in police affairs or any human business, for that matter. They serve mostly to chase out rogues, which are lone wolves who sometimes enter our territory. And we are extremely territorial creatures." - I elaborated.

"And every wolf knows you don't enter someone else's territory without permission. But like I said, that only applies to werewolves, of course. We stay clear of humans, as much as we can." - I continued.

She absorbed what I said. There's a brief pause. Then...

"So, remember when I told you each werewolf has a soulmate?" - I began again.

"Yes, of course! It's not something you forget!" - She snickered.

"Werewolves have a deity that guides us. We call her the Moon Goddess. Also known as Selene. We celebrate her on every full moon with a ceremony here in the compound for all pack members." - I explained.

"She's responsible for each soulmate pairing. That's why we only discover our mates, we don't get to pick them. She does." - I continued, trying to sound as educational as possible.

"That's insane! You do get what a crazy concept it is? So, you're telling me some Goddess I've never even heard of before today picked my soulmate for me?! That's unbelievable!" - She gasped. I can hear the irritation in her voice.

"Yes, I do understand! If I wasn't raised with the concept, I would be freaking out too!" - I replied, empathizing. - "But that's how every single one of us was paired. It's a milestone. And we all go through it, no exceptions." - I explained.

"What happens if you don't like your soulmate?" - She wondered.

"Well, you can reject them. I mean, you still have free will..." - I began explaining and then she interrupted me.

"You can? Then why didn't you reject me, instead of risking exposure by telling me all this? A human?" - She asked, very surprised.

"Fair question. But you have to understand: when you find your mate, you can't think of anything else but them. There's this gravitational pull towards them that you can't deny. They're all you can think about, they become the person you want to be with. Their well being becomes your priority. There's no one more important in your life." - I blurted.

She is shocked, her mouth is agape. This was clearly NOT what she expected to hear.

"There's something called the mate bond, which is exactly what it sounds: the bond that exists between mates. Among werewolves, it allows us to share feelings, sensations. That's what connects us, in a nutshell. And make the soulmate truly one with their pair." - I continued.

"But to answer your question, when a werewolf rejects their mate, it feels like they're rejecting a piece of their own soul. They become depressed and eventually suicidal." - I explained to her, which made her look at me with a deeply concerned face.

"Jesus! That's a lot to grasp!" - She was shaking. I haven't seen her so distraught yet. - "Basically what you're telling me is that if I don't accept whatever this is you're going to kill yourself!" - She yelled, almost crying. I wanted to rush to her side and comfort her, but I knew I couldn't.

So, I approached her calmly in the bed and held her hand.

"Listen, I'm not pressuring you into anything, Daphne. Believe me! You can take as much time as you need to process everything. I only ask that you allow me to spend some time with you." - I told her, looking sincerely in her eyes. I wanted to kiss her badly, but naturally I didn't.

"I'm sorry! It's just that this is a little triggering for me! My brother tried to commit suicide a few months ago!" - She said, tearing up.

I came closer to her, I tried to comfort her without crossing any boundaries.

"I'm sorry to hear it. And I'm sorry you had to go through this, I can tell you two are very close. I'm close with my brother too, so I get it." - I pondered, carefully squeezing her hand.

"Honestly, it was the scariest experience of my life." - She stated, her voice still shaken. I wanted to hug her, but I couldn't. So I just caressed her hand for a minute.

"I can only imagine. Speaking of your brother, you were right to tell him not to pine over Dan earlier this morning. Not only is he the straightest guy I know, but he's also very much in love with his girlfriend. She's probably going to be his mate." - I said, attempting to light up the mood.

"Oh my God! You heard that? How? You were far across the corridor, way back!" - She replied, hands covering her face in embarrassment.

"Oh, we all heard it well. Lauren was very flattered by your comment. I was a little jealous when you said you'd date her. But I get it. She's really gorgeous." - I snickered.

"I can't believe you heard that! Obviously, that wasn't meant for any of you to listen." - She said, cringing.

"I know. Werewolves have acute senses, including hearing and of course, smelling." - I explained to her.

"Good to know." - She said with an amusing tone.

"Yeah, we can hear about half a mile in any direction. And when we're shifted into wolves, that's even more powerful. I mean, we hear from greater distances." - I elaborated.

"Also, we're stronger than humans. And run faster, have more stamina. That's why when 2 werewolves complete the bond..." - I continued but got interrupted.

"Wait, what?! What do you mean to complete the bond?" - She asked quizzically and I realized I've said too much.

"I'm sorry. I spoke out of turn. I didn't mean to bring this up now." - I said, apologetically.

"Okay..." - She looked at me suspiciously. - "So..."

"Like I said, the mate bond is what links one soul to another. But the link right now between us isn't as strong as when you complete the mating." - I explained, getting more embarrassed by the second.

"To complete the mating bond, the pair has to be intimate with each other. And as they climax, they bite each other in the neck, leaving a little scar. That's called the mate mark." - I continued, blushing hard.

I could tell she was getting red, but not nearly as flustered as I was at this moment.

"So, by being intimate you mean..."

"Sex! They have sex!" - It was my time to interrupt her. I was incredibly uncomfortable, but at least she didn't run away from me. So, you know, win.

"I thought you said you weren't gonna bite me!" - She sassed me.

"To turn you, I won't! But the bite doesn't turn you into one of us. Nothing can! No, the bite signals that you are my mate. It's a deeply spiritual connection. Every mated couple does this." - I clarified, deeply embarrassed.

"I see. Well, thank you for all the explanations. I think I'm gonna take your mom up on the food she offered now." - She said, then got up from the bed. I followed suit. Then, I opened the door and we walked out of my room.

Honestly, this went better than I expected. At least, it's all in the open. I played my cards, I just hope I get the chance to develop some relationship with her. Time will tell... fingers crossed.