TWICE MATED

I choose you

ANAIAH’S POV

I could understand why Maximilian was trying to help us bond because he could see that after his accusations and after his acts of mistrust, I was still angry at him. He was trying to make it up to me and, as grateful as I was for his efforts, I had to admit that I wasn’t particularly happy about how he was going about it. I had never been out shopping for anything because all the clothes that I wore were always passed down to me by someone else. There had never been a need for me to go out and buy something with the omegas because I never had money and I never had a problem with the things I wore. There had never been a need for me to wear anything fancy because I was just an omega who was always stuck behind the scenes and there was never a need to impress anyone.

It never mattered what I was wearing because I was just an omega that was never seen by anyone or invited anywhere. The only place where my presence was truly needed was in the kitchen where I would be cooking or doing the dishes. There was no need for new clothes there. I had never served nor attended the big parties that were hosted in the pack because I was part of a small group of omegas that were always kept behind closed doors and we were never allowed to show our faces to important people. No one cared about what I was wearing as long as I wasn’t walking around naked. I could have been wearing sacks and no one would care, but now everyone cared about what I wore and how I carried myself.

Having someone concerned about what I was wearing or how I looked was all new to me and it was going to take some time for me to get used to it. It was a lot for me to take in all at once and I wished Maximilian could just give me a little more time to get used to all these changes. Being here introduced me to a whole new way of life. I was actually allowed to walk around the pack house, and not only that, but I was the most important wolf in this place. I was being served omegas when I had spent my entire existence serving everyone in the pack, including omegas. I was happy to finally be of some importance and be the first priority to everyone. I had never loved being the center of attention and that was the reason why I never had a problem when I didn’t attend the parties in my pack, but this was a change that I was going to gladly welcome.

Of course, Max was the king and the most important, but the fact that I came second to that was a very big deal, it was something that was going to take time for me to get used to. I had never come second to anyone, I had always been the last option, and most times, I was lucky if I was an option at all. I was finally somebody’s only option, and he didn’t want anybody else but me. I should have been at my happiest, but I felt like there was always something or someone out there who was waiting for an opportunity to make it hard for me. I felt like there was a curse upon my life because just as I was getting ready to let loose and enjoy my life, something would always happen and throw me off course.

Of course, while we were out shopping, I was more inclined to pick conservative dresses that didn’t reveal much. Max simply refused me that choice, he told me that his mate deserved something better than that. He didn’t want me dressing like I was still an omega, and the fact that I was leaning more toward that frustrated him a lot. I was starting to get used to being around him, and I was starting to open up to him. He wasn’t the man that I had expected him to be. He was gentle and loving and also very tolerant of my weird tendencies. I say weird tendencies because there were some things that I did and said that he didn’t understand, like how I often had to stop myself from cleaning the entire kitchen and the dining room after we had dinner. I think I was finally coming to terms with the fact that this man was my mate, and I was destined to be with him for life.

Occasionally, my mind would wander off to Michael. He was now like the one that got away from me even though I knew that it was more the other way around. I was the one that got away, I was the one that got away from the clutches of death because he had tried to kill me. However, I couldn't help wondering if he ever thought about me, and I couldn’t help wondering if the feelings that were haunting me were also haunting him. Sometimes, I even wished that I could see him, and often times I felt embarrassed when I wished that I could feel his touch, even if it was only once. I know that I was being an i***t.

“What are you thinking about?” Max asked me as we sat down in a very fancy restaurant to have some food to eat.

“Nothing much, I am just taking all this in,” I said as I looked around the beautiful restaurant. I could never have imagined that I would ever dine in this place. The best I could have ever hoped for was that I would maybe work here as a server after escaping Michael. Escaping Michael was something that I never thought would happen, and I never thought it would also be a loss to me. Here I was with the man of my dreams, living a life I could have never dreamed of.

“You know you always look like you have a lot on your mind. Do you have a family member that you left the pack in Michael's pack that you are missing?” he asked me, and my eyes widened. I was a little confused as to why he would ask me that question.

“Why do you ask?” I asked him.

“Because you always look like you are missing someone, someone very close and dear to you,” he said, and I suddenly couldn’t look him in the eye.

“I think I am just homesick,” I said “ I didn’t have any family back in that pack so there is no one to miss” I added

“You mean you were all alone?” he asked me and I nodded.

“That is why I am saying I am just homesick, the only thing I had back there were my friends.” I lied, but this was another necessary life because I didn’t want him to think that I was just a lone wolf and that he was my savior. This was the life I wished I had. I never had friends in that pack, but I wished I had.

“Homesick?” he asked me in disbelief “You do remember that you almost died, don’t you?”

“How could I forget that? They may…he may have tried to kill me but I am alive and I had friends and I loved them”, I said teary-eyed. I wasn’t crying because I was missing my imaginary friends, but because I missed the one person that I had no business missing. I was crying because I felt like I had lost something, even though I had gained something too in the process. I looked at Max, and the way he looked at me just melted my heart. He loved me and I felt the same way about him, I loved him and I wanted to stay there with him. So why was I feeling like I wanted more? Why was I still being haunted by these feelings and thoughts of Michael when I should have been celebrating this moment?

“Shhh… why are you crying now?” he asked me as he wiped away my tears

“I am happy to be here with you, and I love you so much,” I said.

“Well, I love you too. You are my mate” he said, “And you can make new friends here. I will help you if that is something you struggle with”, he added.

“How will you help me?” I asked him because I didn’t think he could convince anyone to genuinely like me.

“I will see what I can do. You just have to trust me. You do know that you can trust me right?” he asked me and I nodded.

“You are my mate…I choose you and I trust you” I said “I CHOOSE YOU”, I emphasized.

“There was no other choice for you,” he said, and I sobbed, wishing he knew how untrue that was. There was another choice, Michael was the other choice and, unfortunately, I still felt the same way about him.

“I know… There is no one else but you” I said. It wasn’t like I could tell him the truth about Michael. I hoped that sooner rather than later, all the feelings that I had for him would disappear. Loving him made me feel dirty inside and out. There was no one but him. No one else would accept me the way he had. It was only him for me and no one else.