The Wrong Mate

Chapter 4- Charlotte

Charlotte - Summer before ninth grade

Summer went by far too fast. Darrin and Brady were busy with their training in the mornings and early afternoons, while Charlotte ended up helping her mother with her interior design business. She had very few clients, but enjoyed the work on a part-time basis. Charlotte loved helping her, too.

Charlotte tended to meet up with the boys in the afternoon and follow them wherever they went. 

Every night since Darrin and Charlotte confessed their feelings, he made his way into her bedroom. They practiced their kissing regularly, and were even able to get past that initial awkwardness from the first time. 

Every touch lit a small fire within Charlotte, and she was unsure how to settle her feelings. The tingling in her stomach with every minute she was with Darrin, was gradually building. She was well and truly happy. She had always feared her feelings for Darrin were one-sided. Once he admitted to feeling the same, she wondered how right he was about the mate bond.

Sure, she felt the warmth from every touch, but wasn’t it too early to tell?

She waited near the training grounds, where the boys said they would head once they got out of their training. They hadn’t shared their status with anyone—especially not Brady. Charlotte was happy for that. She feared things might get too awkward. She and Brady were friends, though their friendship was mostly in phone calls in the evenings, the occasional class they shared, and whatever else they did when Darrin was around. They weren’t hiding a friendship, but it was obvious Brady didn’t want Darrin to be part of their friendship.

Brady didn’t act semi-possessive the way Darrin did. He was gentle and caring. Sensitive.

If he found out about them, he may have some hurt feelings, and she didn’t want that.

She chewed on the skin around her thumbnail, watching the horizon for her friend and…what exactly was Darrin now? Her boyfriend? Anyway, she waited for them to pop up on the horizon. After a few minutes, she saw Darrin’s small figure riding his bike toward her. Brady wasn’t with him.

When Darrin made his way to Charlotte, he wore a wide grin. “I don’t want to sound happy about Brady having to help his dad…but I’m happy we get to do this alone.”

“Do what?” she asked. Darrin walked up, wrapping his arms around Charlotte, spinning her around. When she landed back on the ground, he pressed his lips on hers. 

“You’ll see,” he took her hand and headed off past the training grounds.

“Where are we going?”

“That cave.”

“We haven’t been there yet. What about Brady? We said we would all go together!”

“You and me are going and if Brady gets offended, he can deal.” He pulled her along under his arm. Her new favorite place to be in the world. 

“This place is huge,” Charlotte beamed. “Is it true what they say? That you can find the waters inside if you go with your mate?”

Darrin waved it off, “that’s just an old wives’ tale. There’s no water inside there.”

“How do you know that if you haven’t been with your mate?”

“Fine, let’s go looking for it.”

An hour inside of a dark cave proved nothing aside from the fact caves are dark and cold. “I told you there was nothing here, Char.”

“Fine,” she smiled, walking back into the sunlight, “you were right, Dare.”

He pressed his lips to her temple, making her sigh. “You see the initials on the walls?” He pointed to uneven carvings on the stone. There weren’t many, but enough to know some made it to this spot to carve their initials into the wall.

She looked at some of the carvings, “yeah?”

“Here,” he dropped his arm from around her. He pulled a pocket knife out from his back pocket and began working into the stone. She knelt beside him, watching Darrin carve their initials into the wall. He dusted off his hands onto his pants and stood back up, helping Charlotte to her feet as well. 

They both examined his work contently. “It’s beautiful, Dare.”

He held on to her shoulders, pulling her back to his chest. When she sighed into him, his hands wrapped around her waist. “You’re beautiful.” He pressed a kiss to her neck. He made sure to kiss it every day, and she knew he was imprinting himself on her. He wanted to mark that spot. 

And she wanted him to, too.

Darrin turned her around in his arms, to face him. “You ready to go?”

“Not yet,” she smiled. “I don’t have to be home just yet.” She watched his brows raise and grin expand. 

Darrin leaned in, claiming her lips. He guided her backward until she felt the rough wall of the cave behind her. His hands roamed the sides of her hips and up her ribs. She felt his tongue trace the seams of her lips. She parted her mouth, inviting him in. 

Charlotte leaned into Darrin, holding onto his shoulders.

He broke the kiss, “I love you.”

She smiled, “I—” something caught her attention in the distance. It looked like someone walking, but they disappeared as soon as she moved around Darrin.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Oh, I thought I saw something.”

“You good, Char?”

She narrowed her eyes, hoping to see whatever, or whoever, it was. “Yeah,” she blinked back toward him, “I’m fine.”

“Here, follow me.” He pulled her back inside of the cave where it was darker, but not completely void of sunlight. Darrin backed her up against the wall again, his hand cradling the back of her head.

He leaned in and kissed her again. 

“Hey, Dare,” she moved her face, to which he kissed her cheeks, down her jawline, and toward that spot he claimed on her neck. His tongue swirled around the spot, making her dizzy.

“Hmm?” he hummed against her spot.

“You think maybe we should get back?” She wasn’t worried about curfew, but did want to know who or what may have seen them. Their relationship was a secret, and no one was supposed to know. If someone did see them, and recognized them both, would she be in trouble? Darrin was her mate, so would her parents really be upset?

Or his?

“You want to go back?” His hand on her hip drifted to her backside. Whatever he did, even a simple touch excited her. It was hard to even speak when he got her all flustered the way he had. 

“Umm…”

“Because I can think of a million things I’d rather do here,” his hand went into the back pocket of her shorts and squeezed. Charlotte gasped at his touch. Darrin moved his hand from behind her head and the other from her pocket, skimming the backs of her legs. He picked her up, wrapping her legs around his waist. “Unless you’d rather head home. We could talk on the phone or something.”

He knew what he was doing. She knew he knew what he was doing. He knew that she knew that he knew. It was a vicious cycle. 

“You’re making this hard for me,” she groaned. Darrin chuckled into her collarbone. “It’s okay, we can stay for a bit.”

She could feel his smile against her skin, “thank you.”

***

One thing Charlotte kept to herself, was the fact that she and Brady had bonded more over the summer. The few times that Darrin had to go with his father to various meetings, Charlotte found herself going for walks around the pack.

On a particularly warm day, she took a trip to the small lake behind the neighborhood. There was a large, old willow tree beside it, with some of the vines dipping into the water. Brady had shown up a few minutes after her and joined her in the water. 

They spent hours in the water, laying out in the sun in the grass, and even went to Charlotte’s for an early dinner. Charlotte’s mother invited Brady, and he wouldn’t say no to that.

Since then, Brady called her a few times to talk and did come over a couple of times at Charlotte’s invitation. There was an unspoken rule to just not talk about their friendship with Darrin. Both of them could guess it would bother him. Charlotte had an idea why, though. Mates could be possessive, and Darrin was an Alpha. It could be an issue, but Charlotte and Brady were friends, so she didn’t see any problems with it. 

After Darrin walked a particularly flustered Charlotte off at home, she took a few minutes to calm down after what she was sure was considered “making out.” 

Yeah, she was totally ready for high school now.

It was after seven, and while she wouldn’t be able to invite Brady over for dinner with her parents, she elected to call him. He was always a calming voice to hear. The few times Darrin and she got into little arguments over the summer, she always found that Brady helped ease the tension. 

She picked up the house phone and dialed out to Brady’s house. After his father handed Brady the phone, things changed.

“Hello?”

“Hey Brady, I was just giving you a call. How’s it going?”

The line was quiet, she could hear him clear his throat. “I’m fine.” He sounded anything but.

“Umm, okay. Well, what did you do today? Heard you got stuck helping—”

“Yeah, was busy. Listen, Charlotte, I have some stuff I have to take care of.”

“Oh,” she wasn’t expecting that. Darrin would be with his father again tomorrow, this would be one of the days she could invite Brady for dinner. “Would you like to come for dinner tomorrow? My mom is making spaghetti. I told her it was your favorite.”

“Actually, I’m busy tomorrow, too.” It stung to hear those words. He wasn’t her boyfriend or anything, but she had come to depend on him. “I gotta go.”

The line went dead.

A stray tear slowly made its way down her cheek. He was just a friend, but it felt like she was going through some sort of break-up.

Later that evening, Darrin made his way into her window as he always did. Though it was lovely to have a distraction with her mate, something tugged at her at the loss of a friend. Even while the rough tips of Darrin’s fingers tickled the skin just above her sleep shorts, she still wondered if something was wrong with Brady.

“Hey,” she pulled his head back, his lips from her neck. 

“Hmm?”

“How are things going with your training?”

Darrin sighed, hovering over her. “Training?”

She couldn’t go from Darrin kissing her neck and ask about another guy. Especially not his friend. “Yeah, with your dad. Are you learning a lot?”

“I guess,” he laid back down beside her. “He’s been teaching me more of the diplomatic stuff with other packs and stuff.”

“Oh,” she nodded. “Do you and Brady train together ever?” Too soon. Darrin’s brows furrowed.

“Sometimes. Why?”

“Just wondering.”

“You’re wondering about Brady?”

Shoot. 

“No, I was just wondering if your dads ever have you train together on things.”

“Oh,” he stretched his arm out under her head. “I mean, some stuff, yeah. Like, if I was ever gone or die he would take over until another Alpha could.”

Charlotte playfully batted at his chest, “don’t say you’re going to die!”

Darrin chuckled. “I’m just saying, if it happens.” He pulled her fingers up to his lips. “I won’t die on you.”

She smiled, completely forgetting about Brady. “Good.”

The laid there for a few moments before Darrin looked over at her. “You should do the training with me.”

They already talked about this, but it was really left unsettled. Truthfully, she didn’t want to start doing it yet. “I think I should focus on school and everything first. Once you have your coming of age, I’ll do it.”

“You’re probably right. We don’t want to have to fight to convince people that we’re mates. Besides, we have time.”

***

Darrin snuck out before she woke, but had time to leave a dandelion on her pillow. She held it up, smiling. 

Charlotte went downstairs for breakfast the next morning. Her father had left for work, so it was just Charlotte and her mom.

“Charlotte,” her mom called out, “can I talk to you?”

“Okay,” she plopped into a seat at the table. Her mom already set out juice and fruit while she finished making eggs. “What’s up?”

“I know you’ve had Darrin in your room at night.”

She felt her stomach drop.

“Mom, I—”

“It’s fine,” she held a hand up. “You know how I feel about it. I would rather you were with your mate. Seems you’re choosing to do something else. Have you both…” her mom sighed uncomfortably, “how far has it gone?”

Charlotte bit her lip, “he’s kissed me.”

Her mom quirked a brow, “is that it?”

“He sleeps in bed with me at night.”

“Just sleep?”

Charlotte nodded. “We haven’t…it’s only been going on this summer.”

“I see. And what about the past couple of years? He’s been in and out of your window far longer than just the summer. Unless you’ve had others sneaking in?”

“No, just Darrin.”

“Ah,” she took a drink of her coffee. “Charlotte, I should have stepped in long ago, but I also don’t want to have any issues with the Alpha. You’re far too young to have this type of relationship with a boy.”

Charlotte looked down at the grooves in the wooden table. “He’s my mate.”

Charlotte’s mom looked taken aback. “Excuse me?”

“We’re mates, mom. We already found out.”

“How’s that when neither of you have your wolves?”

“We just,” she sighed and tilted her head back to stare at the ceiling. “We just know. We already know what we are, we can feel the heat when we touch. It’s been this way since Kindergarten.”

“Please tell me you’re joking.” She looked to her daughter. “Charlotte! You can’t possibly know that at this age! Not even Alphas find out who their mates are this early in life. It happens at seventeen! Sixteen, for some. You’re fourteen years old!”

“I know what I know, mom! We both already feel it, okay?!”

Charlotte’s mom shook her head. “I can’t believe this. You could be making one of the biggest mistakes of your life.”

“I’m not!”

“What happens to you if that boy,” she pointed toward the front door, “ages up and realizes you two aren’t mates? What are you going to do then?”

“He’d probably reject her—”

“He will not! Do you even understand how serious it is to reject your mate? How painful it is to put yourself through that? It can kill you.”

“It doesn’t matter, mom! We’re mates! End of story!”

Her mom shook her head again, “I’m not going to be able to convince you otherwise. But I’ll warn you. You better keep that one thing you hold near and dear until you absolutely know for sure. If you end up giving it up to another boy and find out you’re mated to someone else—especially another Alpha—you’d better keep yourself protected. Don’t just give it to the first boy that tells you you’re pretty. You save that for your mate. If it is Darrin, great! But I can tell you now, I don’t see it.”

Another sting in the last twelve hours. First Brady, now her mother. Charlotte’s mother had a gift for sensing mates. She wasn’t always right, but she had a good track record.

“You’ve been wrong before.”

“I don’t think I’m wrong about this one.”

Charlotte rolled her eyes. Her mother has been wrong before, and this was one of those times. 

***

“Brady, it’s me again. Hope you’re doing okay. Wanted to see if you weren’t busy this evening. Even if you miss dinner, we could hang out. Call me back.”

The third message she left on his parents’ answering machine. He was ignoring her. She just couldn’t figure out why. Instead of calling again, she walked herself over to Brady’s house. It wasn’t far, so she made it there in a few minutes. His parents’ car was gone, but the light was on in the garage. She could hear music blaring on the radio, so that was probably why he didn’t hear the phone ring. She hoped.

“Knock knock,” she tapped on the doorframe. Brady was in shorts and wore boxing gloves while he laid one punch after another on a hanging bag. He was drenched in sweat, and it wasn’t until this moment, Charlotte realized how fit Brady was.

Darrin was already a bit large, considering he was an Alpha, and he obviously worked out and did training with the adults. Brady did, too. 

But she didn’t realize how much their bodies had really changed since they were five. Until now.

“Brady?” 

He stopped beating the bag, catching it as it swung in his direction. Breathing heavy, he looked at the girl in the doorway. “Charlotte? What are you doing here?”

She smirked, stepping inside the garage, “thought you were busy tonight.”

Brady swallowed, “I am. I needed to train some since I’ll be out the rest of the week.”

“What—I mean, where are you going?”

“Visiting some family at another pack. I’ll be back the last night of summer vacation.”

“Oh,” her eyes dropped to the floor. “When are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow,” his eyes stayed on the floor, just like hers.

“Tomorrow? Really?”

“Yeah,” he pulled the gloves off his wrists, “why are you here, Charlotte?” It was cold and uninviting, like everything else about him in this moment.

“I was coming to see you.”

Brady scoffed. “Your friend not available or something?”

“Hey, I—” she stopped herself from telling him Darrin was her mate. Something stopped her, and she wasn’t sure what. She didn’t want to actually tell Brady about her and Darrin. Something told her it might make this worse. “Are you mad at me, Brady?”

“No, why would I be?”

“You’re distant and cold and I feel like you’re keeping something from me.”

Brady looked over at her, his eyes trailed to the same spot on her neck Darrin’s lips always were. She could feel the heat from his gaze there. And it was a different heat than that of Darrin’s heat. No, this was pure anger. “I’m not hiding anything, Charlotte. Maybe you’re projecting.”

She glared at him, “I’m not the one who is upset all of a sudden, Brady. You’re the one that is suddenly mad at me, and I was just trying to find out why.” She failed to hold back a sob in front of Brady. It came out as she fought the tearing of her insides. 

Brady’s fists clenched at his sides, and his face was hard and cold, but his eyes…they were soft and she swore she saw them glisten slightly. Maybe whatever this was, was hard for him too. 

“You’re really doing this, then? You what? You don’t want to be friends?” His jaw clenched, but he kept silent. It pissed her off even more. “Fine!” She tossed an object on the floor she brought in her bag. “Guess it was nice knowing you while I did. I thought we were friends, Brady, but fine! Just…fine! Have a nice life!”

She stormed out of the garage. Rushing down the street, she heard loud crashing noises and grunting coming from the direction of his house. She kept going.

She thought about the book she tossed at him. One they both enjoyed reading over and over again. One she was glad to have in common with him.

Her father’s old, tattered copy of Gone with the Wind.