The Wanted Alpha

Chapter 42 - Bonds

Jude

By the time we reached my...our...suite, my head was throbbing. The initial rage I had felt had subsided, but now a disturbed and unsettled feeling had started to take root. Even my wolf felt unsure of himself for the first time. While he had desperately wanted our fated mate...he hadn't been totally against the idea of Kevin...Jace just wanted someone to call his own and he too hadn't picked up on the underlying deceit. 

That man hadn't simply just used me...he had obsessed over me.

Part of me was glad my phone had been destroyed...we had exchanged a lot of 'personal pictures' over the years...and maybe the odd video...and my best friend and Alpha would need to go through Kevin's phone to make sure there was nothing left undisclosed.

I should just go dig my own hole to go bury my head in.

The most disturbing thought that kept blaring through my mind was how close I had come to actually taking him as a chosen mate...if Kit hadn't come along when he did…

Warm, smooth fingers slipped around my neck bringing me back to reality.

"Stop thinking of what could have been and focus on what is" Kit's silken, honey voice whispered against my lips.

He was right and this insanely gorgeous man in front of me was by far the most important thing in existence. I tilted my face upwards to capture his lips in a sweet, brief kiss, savouring his maple syrup taste that matched his scent.

"How about a quick nightcap, goddess knows I need something to take the edge off."

I moved past him and into the kitchen to take the bottle of Rowan's Creek bourbon out of the cupboard with two glasses.

"Neat or on the rocks?" I asked.

"Neat."

"Good man" I knew he was perfect.

I poured his first and downed mine in one go as he sipped his like the refined gentleman he was, instead of the roughneck that I was. While the warmth from the alcohol spread through my chest, I felt I needed something else, I needed sugar. I took out the maple and pecan ice-cream with a small smile on my face at the flavour; no wonder I always loved maple flavoured things, it was the taste of my mate.

"Does that truly help?" the said maple scented Adonis spoke from beside me.

"Not really, but it tastes pretty good. Want some?"

Kit chuckled, shaking his head in incredulous amusement.

"Oh yeah, sorry" I laughed, realising my blunder. Damn, I needed to buy in groceries for a vegan...what the hell do I even feed a vegan?!

Having had enough sugar and alcohol for...whatever time it was, I knocked back the rest of my drink and put the ice-cream away.

"Come on, plant boy. I need to lay down or scream into a pillow or something" I spoke, moving through to the living room and heading to the bedroom.

"Plant boy?!" he repeated indignantly while following.

"You want me to go back to calling you Kit-ten instead?" I smirked gleefully, feeling his abject annoyance through our bond. 

"I would prefer neither, wolf!" he called out, while still following me back through to the bedroom. I didn't need to turn to know his eyes were glowing brightly with swirling gold.

After getting ready for bed and stripping out of our clothes, I pulled Kit into the quilts still feeling his lingering irritation that melted away as soon as my arms wrapped around him. That electrical feeling surging everywhere our bare skin touched.

"Is this how vampires feel the bond between soulmates?" I asked as I gripped his hand that had been stroking my chest.

"It's supposed to feel as though a warmth is passing between us, but what I feel is certainly more intense than anything I've heard described. Maybe it's because we're different species, the bond doesn't know what to do with itself" he smiled softly at me.

I could still see him pretty clearly in the darkness of the room, but the subtle colours that glowed from his skin and gold of his eyes gave him an otherworldly appearance. My parents were probably going to hit the roof in excitement that I'd found my mate, and a vampire at that.

Oh, hell!

I hadn't even told them yet!

My ma was probably going to kill me!

Well shit, I knew the first thing I had to do tomorrow and unfortunately it wouldn't be my mate…

"I know this is kinda outta the blue, but will you come with me tomorrow to meet my parents? My ma's been dying to meet my mate since I'm an only child."

"You have no siblings? That's unusual for wolves" he mused.

"My mom's a career woman, she's a lawyer in the pack. Plus I was enough of a handful for her!" I grinned.

"You, a handful? Surprising…" he commented with a sarcastic laugh "but I would love to meet your family" he smiled, though I could feel his slight apprehension. He had probably never had to do this before.

"What about you?...Did you have any siblings?"

"Yes" he sighed " I had 2 older sisters, Hendrika and Saskia, and a younger brother, Bastiaan" at the mention of his brother, his face took on a rueful expression "he was always the hopeless romantic of the family and was often a little cavalier in his love affairs. He was the only one that escaped the hunters with me...he helped me establish our coven in England...but I wasn't able to save him a second time."

Feeling his hurt, I pressed my lips to his, holding him close till we both slipped into a deep sleep.

----------

'JUDE!'

My mother's voice exploded within my mind, almost making me leap out of the bed. 

'Ma?'

What time was it? 

I looked to the nightstand over Kit's shoulder, who was looking at me wide-eyed. 

6:45am?! Was she shitting me?!

We'd barely been asleep for four hours.

'Yes, your mother, you remember me. Why did I have to find out you had a mate through pack gossip?! He's been in the pack a whole day and you didn't even tell us! If he isn't here by 10am we will be coming to you, young man' her voice was a mix of anger and glee '...and we heard about Kevin...I'm so sorry sugar bean' her voice instantly softened.

'I know, ma. We'll be over, I promise.'

She would definitely come here...no way my dad would change her mind. 

"Is another disaster about to befall us?" Kit asked quizzically.

"You're actually not far off. My ma knows about you and ain't happy she heard it through the gossip-vine. She's kinda demanding I bring you over...like in the next few hours."

"You are scared of your mother!" he laughed.

"Yeah, she's terrifying when she's angry. As you're about to find out. So, kindly, move your ass sweetheart!" I urged, needing him to start moving and now.

After finally being done in the shower and dressed we headed downstairs to eat; being around this man soaking wet and naked had made it impossible to resist sampling every inch of him, even though it risked my mother banging the door down.

My mate's coven and the wiccans were just sitting down as we entered, so while Kit went to tell them the good news of our upcoming ceremony, I went to speak to the cooks in the kitchen to ask if any of them could cater it. After breakfast, it was time to face the inevitable that was my parents, namely my mom. They didn't live far from the pack house, barely a 30 minute walk, so even though a warrior from the prison had dropped off Kit's truck we decided to walk. The walk would take us through town so we'd also be able to pick out our wedding rings after; just saying that out loud had Jace howling in excitement, he was all for anything that tied us further to our mate. 

There was still a lingering tension in the pit of my stomach from yesterday, I had felt it all the way through breakfast. I knew people were already talking about it from the pitying glances they thought I couldn't see. But walking in the crisp air, with my fingers laced through Kit's, talking about our future, it had lost its painful, gnawing edge.

The hedgerow of my parents log cottage came into view and I could see the curtain twitching, my mom could definitely feel me approaching. 

I turned to Kit with a slightly strained smile "hope you're ready."

Christopher

Opening the door, Jude strode in pulling me with him, calling out into the entrance hall.

"Dad? Ma?"

No sooner had he called out, a tall woman with identical blue eyes and chestnut hair came hurrying through engulfing him in a warm hug. This was obviously his mother. 

"Ma, this is Christopher" Jude turned to me, placing his hand on the small of my back to bring me to the forefront.

Her eyes lit up as they landed upon me "oh, my, the rumours didn't do you justice! It's wonderful to finally meet you."

"Mrs. Sherwood, it's a pleasure" as I shook her hand.

A man similar in height, build and appearance to Jude came through from the same direction. This had to be his father.

"Beta Sherwood I presume, it's an honour to meet your acquaintance" I offered my hand, slightly nervously waiting for him to reciprocate.

"You don't need to stand on ceremony with us! It's Ian and Sara" he beamed as he shook my hand and clapped me on my shoulder rather affably.

One thing I had always admired about the wolves was how accepting they were of the mate bond, no matter the gender. I knew that some of the more archaic minded were less accepting but those packs were few and very far between. As a younger vampire I knew that my persuasion was not always approved of by my fellow kind, but like werewolves, the beckoning call of a soulmate could not easily be ignored. 

"Come through to the sitting room you two, I've made my sugar bean's favourite cake and a big pot of tea for us all" Jude's mother spoke as she turned, his father smiling fondly at his mate and following after her.

"Sugar bean?" I remarked, adoring my soulmate's gloriously pink face at the mention of his mother's pet name for him.

"You start calling me that and you'll be 'Kit-ten' for life, publicly" he narrowed his eyes playfully at me.

"Jude!" his mother called, urging him through.

"Come on, ma's got limited patience."

He grasped my hand and led me through to a beautiful, bright sitting room filled with Solstice decorations, plants and an open roaring fire. His mother was already cutting a cake up into slices which I didn't want to be rude and refuse. As if sensing my worries, Sara assured me she already knew of my diet from the rumours circulating around about my coven's arrival. Clearly she was still not amused to find out about my existence in such a way, if her glare towards her son was any indication. I insisted on pouring the tea as Jude's patents had been so hospitable to us.

"Damn...he's courteous, polite, what's he doing with you?" his father chuckled at his son's expense.

"Hey!" he snapped back.

"He's not wrong sugar bean, but he's just as bad. Christopher and I have a lot in common there" Sara flashed me a conspiratory smile.

This woman who would be my mother-in-law, we would get along just fine, she and I.

"So the wedding" Sara exclaimed, focusing a narrowed, hard glare once more at her son "another thing I had to learn via the pack, Jude."

It was quite amusing to see my soulmate squirm in abashment under his mother's gaze, having only experienced his rather infuriating puckishness before now.

"Ian's very much looking forward to helping the cooks at the pack house for the party afterwards! He does love a challenge" she turned lovingly to her mate.

"Yeah, of all the men my son could bring home as a mate, he finds the vegan! But I'm willing to give it a go for my boy, well boys now, I suppose."

We stayed with his parents a few hours more, I noticed that Jude had grown uncharacteristically quiet a short while ago. I could feel it as he mind-linked with another and whatever its subject was had that troubling tension resurface within him. Bidding Sara and Ian a farewell, we ambled back towards the town and once we were far enough away from any prying ears I asked.

"What is it? Something has you wound in knots again" I asked with concern, as my thumb circled the back of his hand I held on to.

He sighed heavily "Ethan mind-linked me to ask how mentally prepared he had to be to go through Kevin's phone...I'm not easily embarrassed, but right now I want to jump in a pit all over again."

I didn't need to ask to what he referred. I was well aware of the younger generation's penchant for more...explicit expressions...between their liaisons.

"It will not affect the way he views you. He is your closest friend, first and foremost" I consoled, pressing my forehead to his as wolves did so often in comfort "and I hope you know it changes nothing of how I feel for you. Neither of us exactly have chaste and demure pasts do we?"

He nodded and gifted me a wonderfully sweet kiss.

"Come on" Jude said decidedly "let's go get those wedding rings before another past lunatic with an obsession shows up."

Chapter 48 - The Wanted Alpha