Page 68 of Mated By the Alphas
“It’s possible he won’t feel anything. He loved Joanna. They weren’t wed, but what they felt for each other could have taken root and severed his chance of ever finding his mate,” Remyconjectures. “If that’s the case, then we may not need him to complete the mating ritual.”
“Damn, I don’t know,” I say, suddenly wishing I’d poured a glass of whiskey for myself. “A mate? Really? You know I’m… kind of a loner. I don’t even go out looking for women like you guys do.”
“If she’s your mate, even her scent will drive you crazy after you meet her,” Hayden says. “It’s not something you’ll be able to ignore. Your instincts will be too strong.”
I’m no virgin, but I’ve never felt like Ineededthe company of women. I can count the number of them I’ve had in my bed on one hand. I never felt the overwhelming desire like my brothers. I assumed it was because they were old enough to start searching for mates when the last she-wolf died. I felt the pain of that loss but not like they did.
“Alright,” I relent. Hayden’s the Alpha so I can’t refuse a direct order. “I believe in what I can see and feel a lot more than I believe in the things I’ve read. I preserve history, but I’m the first to admit some of it doesn’t make sense. I’ll meet her, and if I don’t feel anything, we can put this behind us. I still want a sample of her blood, though. You two may not be willing to drink it, but if it’ll help us fight vampires, I’m not opposed to it.”
“You really are the weird one, aren’t you?” Remy chuckles, his lip twitching. He reaches for his whiskey and downs what is left. “Ready to go?”
“Yes,” Hayden agrees, standing up. “Come on, little brother. If she’s not your mate, then at least she can turn you into a vampire.”
“I don’t think it’s going to turn me into a vampire,” I say, standing up and grabbing my coat. “Did it do anything else to Daisy?”
“Her eyes changed colors,” Hayden says, walking to the door. “Used to be blue. Now they’re green.”
“Huh, interesting,” I mutter. “Nothing eyes changing colors in that story about the blood drinking wolves, but maybe that’s in the part that’s missing.”
“Perhaps,” Remy says, following behind me.
I have a strange tremble in my stomach when we get to the SUV. What is this? It feels almost like what humans describe as butterflies. Not something a wolf normally feels. Definitely not one of our instincts, which guide us more than anything else.
Maybe I’m a little nervous. It’s a human emotion, but we feel it too, usually before a fight we aren’t sure we can win. If I react to Ansley. If she’s really my mate. It changes everything. Could I let someone else into my sanctuary like that? Talk with them about old books, the way humans do with those they care about?
I’ve grown to enjoy solitude when I’m not with my brothers. It just makes sense to me and always has. We don’t get emotionally attached to humans or other Scions. Without mates, or a she-wolf to fall in love with, there was no reason for me to venture beyond the world I created for myself.
“Oh, you’re using one of thegoodsafehouses now,” I chuckle when I realize which direction we’re headed. “One that actually has walls.”
“Seemed easier with Daisy staying with us,” Hayden responds. “More privacy, for her sake.”
“And for our mate,” Remy adds. “I don’t think she’d be comfortable having her best friend watch what we do in private.”
“Humans do tend to have a problem with that,” I say. “Most of them, at least.”
“You’re lucky that you get to meet her now. I wasn’t prepared when I met her,” Remy says. “Her scent drove me crazy, but I didn’t want to tell anyone because I was afraid of how Hayden would react. You won’t have that problem.”
“I’ll be surprised if I feel anything. I don’t think I reached that level of maturity before the last she-wolf died. I never felt the desire to find a mate or form my own pack. Not like the rest of you did,” I add, not sure if I feel any sense of loss or sadness in my words.
“Yeah, you were too young to be fighting when Chicago burned,” Hayden continues. “Our parents thought they were done raising pups when you came along. It was quite a surprise.”
“Still, don’t act like you’ve never fucked anyone before,” Remy says. “I remember that librarian woman that used to follow you around like the she-wolves used to follow Hayden around.”
“Yes, we were intimate. Not at first, but eventually,” I admit. “But it wasn’t love. I didn’t feel like she was meant for me. It was just… I don’t know, something she wanted after we became good friends.”
“Whatever happened to her anyway?” Hayden asks.
“She got old,” I sigh. “Like all humans do. I still visited her, even after she lost her sight and was in a home. Then one day, I went to visit, and they told me she was gone. You guys really didn’t know that? I thought I told you…”
“You might have,” Remy says sheepishly. “We don’t pay much attention to what happens to humans. Too many of them have come and gone over the years.”
“I mean, she wasn’t part of our pack, but she was still important to me,” I say, folding my arms across my chest. “But I guess that was a long time ago and we don’t hang out like we used to anymore.”
“Easier this way,” Hayden says quietly. “Helps us blend in. You know that. I wish we could live together as a pack, like we used to, but it just complicates things.”
“And it uncomplicates things for Jaxton. He prefers to be alone, just like you do,” Remy adds.
“Sometimes,” I admit.
