Female Warrior's second chance Mate

Finally My Mate

Unknown POV

    Ugh patrols, I’ve been on patrols day and night for the last week. Why? Well, I made a comment about my sister-in-law's ass, when she bent over to get something. It was innocent but my brother happens to be the possessive type and doesn't take kindly to anyone looking at what's his. With him being the pack's beta my tiny transgression wasn't going unchecked. Therefore I got a week of non stop patrol duty, and apparently that was him taking it easy on me. He feels.sorry for me knowing I haven’t been able to find my mate. I don’t think I ever will. 

        Every wolf has a mate, the other half to our souls. At the age of 18 we gain the ability to find that precious part of ourselves. Most don't have to wait long since 80% of the time mates reside in the same pack. The other 20% usually only have to wait two or three years before they find their other half. For me it’s been ten years. I’m pretty sure she’s dead. 

       My brother has been trying to convince me to just simply settle down with some nice she-wolf, but I can’t. What if they find their mate, where’s that leave me. I'm not blind, I see all the beautiful she-wolves around me, I even tried taking one or two to bed. None of them were her, and I couldn't go through with it. My wolf was especially not having it. He still believed she was out there somewhere. 

    After one last long night of patrolling, I’m finally off the hook, and I waste no time heading home for a shower. After stepping out of the shower, my stomach practically roared. I guess I didn't really notice how hungry I was through my excitement. Figuring it was just me here I threw on some pants and walked down the hall. Just as I was about to go into my kitchen, my front door opening caught my eye and Marcus, my brother, walked in. I never really understood why he didn't knock before coming in.

    “Don’t tell me you're here to add on another week of patrols? I promise I haven't looked at, thought about, or spoken of Skylah’s ass.” I said, feeling a little panicked.

    He shook his head and gave me a small smile. “I’m not here to tack on anymore time, you’ve suffered enough and so have I.”

     I was confused, and wasn’t shy about showing it. How in the world was he suffering? Before I could say anything, Marcus answered the question that was on my face.

    “Skylah’s been making me sleep on the couch since I gave you patrols, and she said that I wasn’t allowed back in our bed until you were no longer on punishment.” 

    “Not a fan of her favorite brother-in-law getting punished?”

    “Not in the least, she said that it was ridiculous that I punished you for making a comment.” he shrugged his shoulders. “But what can I say, I’m possessive, and I can’t even let my little brother get away with looking at what’s mine.”

    “Hey I get it, patrols really f*****g sucked, but I get it. I don’t know if I said it before, but I’m sorry. I love Skylah. She's the best sister I could’ve asked for, and I shouldn’t have disrespected her or you by doing that.”

    “Hey man, all's forgiven, but if you could say that again when she’s around that’d be great. Especially the part about her being the best sister, I think that’d really get me out of the dog house.”

    “Whatever you want man.” I laughed and turned around and headed to the kitchen. I was still hungry.

    “So, what are your plans today now that you're a free man?” Marcus walked in behind me and sat at the table.

    “Well, at the moment I plan on eating something and then hitting the sack I’m wiped dude.”

    “What about tonight?”

    “Are you inviting me to something?”

    “No.”

    “Cool, because I was planning on hitting up this bar I just heard about. It’s called the Blue Moon Tavern, and from what I’ve heard, it’s shifter friendly.”

    “Sounds fun.”

    “You wanna come? Maybe take Skylah for a night out?”

    “As nice as that sounds, I’ve got some serious reconnecting to do with my wife, and I plan to be naked for most, if not all of it.”

    “Ok dude, I didn't need that image. Guess I’m lone wolfing it tonight.”

    After our short conversation Marcus left to go have breakfast with his wife as I made mine. I ate and headed down the hall to the very last door, where my bed was waiting.

    Eight very peaceful hours later, I stretched and checked my phone to see if I had any messages or missed calls before heading into the bathroom. I had a message, it was from Skylah.

    So a little birdie told me that you think I’m the best sister ever! I love you too. Oh, and I heard that you're heading out to a bar. I just wanted to say have fun and be safe. Love you again my favorite brother. P.S don’t tell Sam.

    I had to laugh. She was just too darn cute sometimes.  I will never admit it out loud, for fear of Marcus cutting my balls off. I sent her a quick text, tossed my phone on the bed, and turned to my closet. I figured since I took a shower this morning, I didn’t need one now. After ten minutes of feeling like a total girl, not knowing what to wear, I settled on a black button up and some loose fitting jeans. Just because I was going to a bar, didn’t mean I shouldn’t look good. 

    I had arranged transportation for this evening and Bryce was outside waiting for me. He was one of the many pack members that volunteered to act as a designated driver as needed. I was one as well. This was a system our pack started many many years ago when drunk driving accidents started becoming a real problem. This system ensured that anyone at any time could go out and have a good time and not have to worry about how we were going to get home safe, or have to try and find a hotel in our drunken stupor.

    Bryce nodded at me as I approached the car and got in on the passenger side. He didn’t have to ask where we were going since he was the one who told me about the bar. We made small talk, he told me about what was new with his mate and kids. He was nice enough to ask what was new in my life, which was a big fat zip. I mean, there were some exciting things happening at work, but I couldn’t talk about that stuff with anybody outside of the office. It took us nearly 45 minutes to get into town and to the bar. Bryce dropped me off and went to park the truck, excited to dive into the book he was telling me about during the ride.

    I walked in the door and the place was packed, unless you were out on what I am assuming was the dance floor(there were people dancing. I put two and two together) there was hardly any room to walk around. I barely noticed any of that, I couldn’t smell the usual bar smells, or the people around me. All I could smell was lavender and passion fruit. It was the most addicting thing I have ever smelled. The smell, mixed with my wolf going crazy, could only mean one thing. Mate. She was here, somewhere, as much as I wanted to tear this place apart to find her, I knew I had to play this cool and be patient, she could be human, and the last thing I wanted to do was scare her. 

    I made my way to the bar and ordered a beer. The bartender asked if I wanted a table. I declined, I had a better chance of finding my mate, if I was able to walk around. After about ten minutes of awkwardly walking around, I wandered near a table located by the wall dividing the upper and lower areas. There were four people drinking, talking, and laughing. The sight made me lonely. Just as I was about to walk away, I saw her. The most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life. From what I could tell, she was a good 5 or 6” shorter than my 6’2” frame. Her shoulder length, dark brown hair was pulled up into a half ponytail. Her hairstyle gave me a great view of her face, and those green hazel eyes, coupled with her tan skin and that smile. I almost dropped dead right there. Her clothes weren’t too tight. She was obviously wearing a uniform but between her shirt and the tray she was carrying I could clearly see she had muscle, and a good amount of it. It turned me on. She walked right up to the table with a tray of fresh drinks as she was clearing the empty ones. Once she was right next to the table she spoke. Her voice was beautiful and she had the most adorable accent. I couldn’t quite place it but I knew it was from down south. She asked if they needed anything else. One of the guys said that he needed her number and I had to repress the growl building in my chest. She laughed and I swear my heart skipped a beat at the sound. She just shook her head and said that she was good, but that she thought the offer was cute. I didn’t. When she passed me, she stopped for a second, took a deep breath, and then shook her head. She could smell me. She could smell me! If she could smell me, that means that she wasn’t human and I could claim her without scaring her, but I still had to be patient. She was working after all.

    I spent the next hour just watching her, and trying to not be obvious or creepy about it. I watched as she ran drinks to tables, cleared away empty glasses and food containers, then wiped the table. I watched when she would go behind the bar to make drinks, she was so skilled. She loved music too, I watched as she would sing and work on drinks, and sometimes she would stop and sing to the bartender next to her. I daydreamed about how beautiful her voice must be. She would sometimes disappear into what I assume is the kitchen.  Everytime she did, I felt lonely and wanted to see her. There was a time she was in there a long time, and I almost went in there to see if she was alright.  When she came out, her t-shirt covered in what looked like flour, and she was carrying a large tray of food, my little mate was so strong. She worked so hard and I felt so much pride just watching her.

    When she was alone wiping down a table, I finally got up the courage to approach her. I wanted to introduce myself, ask her, her name, and find out if she wanted to get together when her shift was over. I never got the chance, when a loud short whistle stole her attention, and the bartender directed her to the fight that was starting by the bathroom, that was when I heard her shout.

    “‘Ay!”

    Everyone in the bar stopped talking and the music quieted. The authority in her voice sent a chill down my spine and the look on her face made me want to kiss her. It made me want her more. I looked over at two fighters, one had the decency to shrink away but the tall guy. I hated the look on his face, and I really hated that it was directed at my mate, and when he spoke I was ready to rip his throat out.

    “What do you want, little girl?” I had to work hard to suppress my growl. I was fighting my wolf hard. He wanted to run over there and show that guy exactly what happens when he disrespects what is ours, but I held him back, this was her show.

    “No fighting in the bar.” She slowly walked down the stairs. I could tell she was not happy by the way she moved. She looked like a predator hunting her prey, I wanted to be that prey, the way her hips moved as she took each step with deliberate calmness and the way her face was set into a blank expression. She wasn’t letting this guy know she was angry. I didn’t hear anything they were saying. I was way too busy staring at her magnificently sculpted ass, it was pure perfection. I snapped back to what was happening when the guy next to me started shouting.

    “You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into buddy. That girl will mop the floor with you, without batting an eye.”

    It seemed that she had a reputation. I really hope she doesn’t get fired for this. I don’t know many employers that condone violence and even less that keep employees that fight on the premises. I was only brought out of my thoughts when I heard shouting. I refocused just in time to see this asshole throw a punch. He dared to strike my mate. I was seeing red and took a step forward ready to tear this guy apart, but I was barely able to so much as shift my weight when I saw her move. She was so fast, I almost didn’t see the first punch, but I saw every one after that. Her strikes were precise and well placed. My little mate was a fighter and a good one. After she threw him over her shoulder she looked up and I thought she was looking at me, my breath caught in my throat. I froze not knowing what to do but it wasn’t me she was looking at, it was the big guy that just walked. I felt a pang of jealousy stab my heart. That was until I remember I had seen him when I first walked in, I think he’s the bouncer. I left out a breath of relief. I didn’t want to have to fight this guy for her attention. I’m a strong warrior, but I’m not dumb, I know how to pick my battles, and this guy's, was not one of them. 

    I saw her walk to the bar. I could just barely see the top of her head through the crowd, but I could see the bartenders. I watched the male bartender walk to where she was. They exchanged a few words as I made my way towards her. Once I finally made it to the bar she was gone, but her scent was still strong and easy to follow and I really wanted to follow her, but I was nervous. I had waited for so long to find her I didn’t want to come on too strong. So I slammed a shot of whiskey and waited about five minutes. I figured that was enough time for her to calm down, and it gave the whiskey time to give me the extra courage I needed. 

    I took a deep breath, shook out my shaking hands and followed my nose down the hall. I wasn’t normally like this. I had nerves of steel and hardly anything phased me, but this woman, this goddess among us made me feel like a small child facing their first roller coaster. I was facing down the terror so I could enjoy the excitement.

    My nose led me to the second door on the right; her scent was strongest here. I stopped right outside the door. I took another deep breath and raised my hand. It was shaking so bad, I’m amazed that I was able to make three solid knocks on the door. It only took a few seconds for her beautiful voice to tell me to enter. Once the door was open and I stepped inside the first thing I saw was the open first aid kit sprawled on her desk. The idea of her being injured in any way had me and my wolf wanting blood. She cleared her throat and that was when I looked away from the desk and locked eyes with her. 

    Her eyes were even more alluring up close, especially when they were fixed on me. Those eyes were wide with shock and what seemed like fear. Was my mate afraid of me? We stared at each other for a good 30 seconds before one word was passed between us.

    “Mate.”