Marks and Scars

Mates

My nerves subsided more and more the longer Jeremy held me. He kept his arms wrapped around me possessively; they were warm and comforting. But as all traces of my panic attack subsided, that other thing came back.

The feeling... the sensations... it was boiling up from the pit of my stomach. I wanted Jeremy, and I wanted him in every way. Right then and there. I tilted my head back to look up at Jeremy. He was staring out the glass at the ocean, watching the tide recede out to sea.

"What is this, Jeremy?" I asked him quietly. "I don't understand what's going on."

Jeremy looked down at me thoughtfully. "If you were a werewolf," he began, "It would be a simple answer."

"But I'm not," I added quietly.

He looked down at me quietly for a moment, as though he weren't so sure for some reason. "We're fated mates," he said finally. His arms tightened around me as he said it.

Fated mates? "I don't know what that means..." I said breathlessly, even though after reading things like Twilight and other paranormal fantasy books, I had a pretty good idea.

"It means that our souls are cut from the same cloth - we are meant to be together. The moon goddess arranged it," Jeremy explained.

"Soul mates..." I whispered, lowering my eyes.

Jeremy nodded. "Being soul mates means something different in my world. Once the bond is formed, nothing can break it. It'll make me - both of us - stronger."

I frowned. "Once the bond is formed?" I asked. Wasn't the bond already formed? All these feelings...

Something twitched against my hip and Jeremy let out a low growl, burying his nose in my hair. "Once we mate... or I mark you."

Once we mate. My cheeks burned red.

"But I'm just a human," I pointed out.

"If you say so," Jeremy replied absentmindedly.

I leaned away, looking up at him. "Are you doubting my own knowledge as to what species I am?" I asked him incredulously. My eyes widened when he just stared at me. "It's not like - oh I don't know. I grew up. As me. As a human. Raised by human parents and human relatives. With no knowledge - whatsoever - of the existence of werewolves."

"There has to be some explanation," Jeremy mused. "Something about your parents or ancestors that you don't know. Werewolves don't get mated to humans - it would weaken us, it defeats the whole purpose of the bond."

I stared out at the ocean as his words sunk in. Being mated to a human would make him weak. My mind quickly turned to a dark place. I was definitely a human. And I would make him weak. So... does that mean...

I sneaked a peek at Jeremy's impassive face.

What if he doesn't want me as a mate... because after all... I remember Vanessa's words again.

"You're the Alpha," I stated, awaiting his confirmation.

He nodded once.

"And your pack?" I asked.

"The Blood Moon pack," he answered.

I looked back to the ocean. I could feel Jeremy now looking at me, his gaze warming the side of my face. I noticed the position of the sun. It had to be close to noon...

Dammit... Cathleen. And work.

I groaned internally.

As though her ears had been burning, my phone started buzzing again from my back pocket.

Jeremy pulled it out and handed it to me. I confirmed what I already knew. It was Cathleen. I mashed the accept icon and took a deep breath before raising to my ear.

"Cathleen," I greeted.

"Tell me where you are, I'm calling the police," Cathleen said immediately, anger and worry making her voice shrill.

"Calm down, Cathleen," I said soothingly, "I'm fine. It's okay."

There was silence on the other end before she finally spoke again. "But when we talked earlier, you sounded really freaked out. Are you sure you are okay? Are you being held against your will?"

I took a deep breath. "I promise, I'm fine, Cathleen. I was freaked out this morning, I'd just woken up and couldn't remember much. I've got a really bad hangover. I don't know if I'll come home before work, so don't wait around for me. I'll let you know when I'm on my way back, I promise."

There was more silence on the other end. Finally, Cathleen spoke again.

"What's the password?" she asked.

I balked. "It's grape soda," I answered flatly.

Cathleen seemed satisfied. We'd come up with a password a while back, so that one of us could discreetly tell the other whether we were in danger or not. "Text me when you're on the way," she repeated warily, and hung up.

I lowered my phone, staring at the crack on the screen with a small frown. It had to have happened when Vanessa jumped me. Speaking of...

"Who's Vanessa," I asked, looking back to Jeremy.

He seemed caught off guard by my question, and I could somehow sense the extra effort that he put into answering me. "She's a pack member."

I frowned. There was definitely something he wasn't telling me. But did I want to pursue that? They had history...maybe. I was pretty sure they did. And for some reason, that bothered me. Maybe Vanessa would be better suited as a mate for him. She probably wouldn't weaken him the way a human would.

Letting out a sigh, I looked down at my phone again, and unlocked it. I quickly sent a text to a coworker, asking them to cover my shift at the gift shop that night. I didn't feel like working. I then opened the Uber app, to get an idea of how much it was going to cost to get a ride home.

"Are you really leaving?" Jeremy asked me, watching my actions.

I stared at him wide eyed. "I've got to go home at some point," I pointed out.

He frowned as though he disagreed. "You should move in with me, here."

When I just looked at him, shocked, he shrugged.

"If you were a werewolf, it wouldn't even be a question. As soon as we found each other, you would belong here. We would complete the bond, live happily ever after. All that good stuff..."

"But, I'm a human," I reminded him gently. "I have my own home, roommates. I can't just ditch everything for this."

"Why not?" he asked.

I balked at him.

He looked down at me, smirking, and there was a flash of something devious in his eyes. I gasped as he picked me up and rolled, laying the both of us gently on the floor. He hovered over me, his arms supporting him on either side of me, one of his knees bent between mine. He lowered his head slowly down to mine.

"You don't want to?" he asked me, smirking suggestively .

"I don't want to...what?" I asked him, his gaze making my heart race wildly.

He lowered his head, kissing me gently, only once.

"Don't you want... to seal the bond?" he asked, his lips brushing against the side of my neck now. "Once we seal the bond, I can guarantee. You won't ever want to leave me alone again."

I could feel my blood coursing through my veins, my heart pounding, my lungs constricting in the most delightful way. I fought not to squirm beneath him. How does he have such an effect on me?

I reached up, grabbing fistfuls of his hair, and forcing him to meet my eyes. The same desire that I felt was reflected back at me in his gaze, and I couldn't help but squirm ever so slightly. He felt it, and lowered himself closer, sliding his knee further up between my legs.

I took a deep breath before I lost all my resolve. "I'm a human," I reminded him, my voice firm, even though it was trembling with desire. "Won't I just make you weak, isn't that what you said."

"If you're just a human," he corrected me. "And even if you are... I don't care."

His lips closed on mine once more. I let all of the feelings consume me. Jeremy kissed along my jawline as his hands moved expertly up my shirt, his warm fingers dancing up my sides, across my chest, around my navel, and just inside the waistband of my jeans. He hooked his fingers in my waistband, and pulled left and right, teasingly, sending shock waves of pleasure straight through me as his lips continued down the side of my neck.

I let out a low moan. It was such bliss, but utter torture.

Jeremy froze above me, then backed away. He looked over his shoulder at the bedroom door, frustration filling his eyes.

While he was distracted, I scooted away and sat up, trying to collect myself.

"Someone's here," he explained as he stood up, picking up his shirt and tugging it on over his head. He then grasped my forearms, and gently pulled me up to my feet. "There's a bathroom through that door if you want to clean up, and some clothes for you in the closet if you need a change. You can still head home later - if you really want to." Jeremy ran his hands through the hair framing my face. He kissed my forehead gently. "I'm sorry, love. I've got to go take care of something. I won't be gone long, though, I promise."

In the blink of an eye, the bedroom door had opened and closed, and I was left alone, breathless.