My Surprise Mate

Chapter 3

I grabbed my phone and checked the time, 4:30 a.m., noticing I had a text from Kain. My heart dropped. I quickly opened his message; did you get the abortion? – I don’t know why that surprised me, though. He made it clear he didn’t want me, and he made it clear last night that he didn’t want this baby. I didn’t even waste my time responding to him. I crawled out of bed, deciding now was as good as time as ever to leave. I knew I wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep. I had tossed and turned most of the night already anyway.

I slipped on some sweatpants and a solid white t-shirt. Taking one last look around my apartment, I grabbed my bag and left. I headed southwest, excited about leaving Missouri behind. I drove, only stopping for gas and food, until crossing the Texas border; I felt relieved. Kain continued to blow my phone up with text messages. He was asking me questions and threatening me.

Hello! Did you get it done?

You better have gone and got it taken care of.

Open your door

Where are you?!

Answer your damn phone!

I’m sorry, I don’t know how this happened, but you can’t have a baby with me… I don’t want a half-breed.

The last one, about a half-breed, made me cringe. I didn’t respond to any of his messages. He never had to know that I kept the baby. I couldn’t think about what would happen when I had this baby. Would it come out as a baby or a puppy? Omg…I don’t know if I can do this. I could feel myself starting to hyperventilate and decided to stop at a small diner on the side of the road. I just needed a break. I was tired and overwhelmed. It was a small one-horse town. Fields and farm animals are everywhere you look. It was quiet. I liked it.

I went inside the diner, taking a seat in a back corner booth. An older woman, maybe in her early 50’s, came to take my order. Her smile was friendly, and her eyes gleamed, “Hi sweetie, what can I get ya?” Her country accent shone through with every word. “I’ll just take a cheeseburger and some fries please, and if y'all have any sweet tea, that would be great.” She laughed, her eyes lighting up more, “Of course, we have sweet tea. What kind of Texas diner would we be without it?” She left to go place my order with the cook. I sat staring out the large window at the sun setting. It looked beautiful here. I’d never cared to see the sunset before now, and it was breathtaking against the fields.

I heard a small bell chime, alerting them that a customer had entered. I heard boots as they walked up to the counter. I didn’t want to look over and seem like a nosey person. As I sat waiting for my food, I decided this was the perfect place to settle down and raise my child. It was quiet, small, no one knew me, and I didn’t think Kain would be able to find me here. I could hear whispering coming from the counter and could feel the stares at me.

Without being able to stand it any longer, I shot a quick glance toward the counter. A tall man over 6 feet tall with bulging muscles and tanned skin was talking with my waiter. I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off him. His right arm was covered in tattoos, and his sky-blue eyes stood out against his dark skin and shaggy brown hair. His wrangler jeans might as well have been painted on, and his shirt clung to him. When his eyes met mine, I swore I had seen them swirl with grey, or was I imagining that? I guess I still have a ways to go to forget about Kain.

The cook rang the tiny bell on the counter, and the older lady grabbed the plate of food to bring to me. Before she could make it around the counter, the cowboy took it from her, whispering something I couldn’t make out, and proceeded to bring it to me himself. My heart started racing the closer he got to me. He smiled, showing a row of perfectly straight and white teeth, “How are you doin' ma’am?” he asked me as he sat my food down in front of me, with that same southern drawl as the woman.

“I-I’m fine, thank you.” It seemed like lately, anytime I got nervous, I seemed to stutter, and I hated it. I didn’t want to look at this gorgeous man standing next to me. “I’m Dane Black,” he stuck his hand out for me to shake. “I’m Holly,” I told him, shaking his extended hand. The skin was rough, but his touch was gentle. His touch sent shocks up my arm and through my body. I pulled my hand back quickly, surprised at the feeling.

“Mind if I sit with you?” he questioned. Yes, I minded, but I couldn’t be rude and say that, not if I was planning on staying in this town anyway. “If you don’t mind me asking, where ya from?” And the questioning started. I hadn’t thought about this yet. I didn’t know if I should lie or not. I looked at him as I shoved a French fry into my mouth. Our eyes locked, and I felt a calmness run through me. I wasn’t nervous or scared anymore. “I’m from Missouri,” I stated. His eyebrows raised, “Oh yeah, what part?”

I hesitated; what if he knows people there? “I’m just curious what pack you’re running from?” his blue eyes flashed silver. My heart skipped a beat as panic coursed through me. “It’s okay. Let me reintroduce myself; I’m Alpha Dane Black.” I wasn’t halfway done eating my food, but I suddenly felt sick. “I-I-I’m not a werewolf,” I whispered. We were the only ones in the diner, aside from the older woman and the cook who seemed to be getting ready to leave, but I didn’t want to say it too loud. He looked confused, “Why do you smell like one then?”

That was enough questions. My mind couldn’t process this. I was running from a werewolf as it was, and it seemed as though I ran right into another one. I jumped from the booth, threw down a tip, and dashed to the door. I made it to my car, trying to unlock the door, when I heard footsteps behind me. s**t! I spun around and saw Dane standing a few feet away from me. In an instant, I could feel that same calmness washing over me. My heart rate started to slow. I had never felt like this before, and, quite frankly, it was a little scary.

“I wasn’t trying to scare ya. I’m just looking out for my pack, making sure you ain’t trouble, but now…” he trailed off, not finishing his sentence. But now what? What does that mean? Does he think I’m trouble? I mean, I guess if Kain decided to look for me, it might cause some problems, but I highly doubt he will. “Look, you said you ain’t a werewolf, yet you smell like one. I would appreciate some answers.” He looked like he was holding something back. What it is, though, I’m not sure. “Look, I’m sorry, Alpha Dane, I don’t want any problems. I’m just tired from driving, so if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to try to find a hotel.” I tried to be as polite as I could. I don’t want to piss him off. I’ve seen movies about what happens when an alpha gets mad. He looked disappointed or sad, maybe. I wasn’t sure, but it made me feel a little guilty for not answering his basic questions. “If you can at least point me in the direction of a hotel, then I will answer you, and you have to promise it says between us.” I didn’t know if this would be a mistake or not, but I was exhausted, and I just wanted to go to sleep. His eyes lit up, “I can promise it’s between us, and ma’am, I’m sorry to inform you, but we ain’t got any hotels here, but you are more than welcome to stay at my guest house behind mama’s.” he said, pointing to the woman locking up the front door of the diner. So that’s his mom. How cute.

I looked around at the fields again. It doesn’t seem like I have many more options unless I want to drive for who knows how much longer to the next town. I sighed, nodding my head. “You want to take your car, or do you wanna ride with mama or me?” he asked. The older woman was standing next to an old pickup waiting. “It’s an old dirt road, and it rained pretty hard last night, so it’s a bit muddy.” Okay, so he wasn’t trying to be a creep; he just didn’t want my car getting stuck.

“I’ll ride with you, I suppose, but you better not try anything. I have pepper spray.” I warned him. I'm not sure if pepper spray would work on a werewolf, but I would sure try it. I didn’t get any uneasy feelings about him; in fact, I felt unusually comfortable with him. He smiled; I could tell he was trying not to laugh, though; he placed his hat back on his head and motioned to the large pickup parked at the corner of the diner parking lot. I noticed the older woman had already left, and it was just the two of us. I grabbed my bag from the trunk of my car, “Let me help ya,” he said, taking my heavy duffel from me. I couldn’t stop the smile from spreading on my face. This man was just too much. Guess this is the southern charm I have seen in movies.

I followed him over to the truck, and he opened the passenger side door for me. I looked at the truck, then back at him, “Umm, how am I supposed to get in?” I asked him shyly. I’m on the short side, 5’ 3” to be exact, so I don’t think I could even run and jump in this thing. He laughed, tossing my bag into the pickup and turning to me. Without warning, he grabbed me by my waist, hoisting me into the truck. It felt like shock waves flowing through my body when he touched me. I wasn’t sure what was causing it, though. I really need some sleep, I thought to myself. I watched as he walked around the front and climbed in. Good grief, this man looked like a Greek god. The pickup started with a rumble, “So care to explain,” he asked. I looked at him, still not sure I should answer. “Let’s start with why you are running?” He was being patient and kind with me, something I wasn’t used to.

“Well…it kind of all goes together. You swear it will stay between the two of us?” I needed to hear it one more time. He nodded in agreement, “Okay, so I’m human,” It sounded more like a question than a fact. Dane just smiled. “I’m human, and I’m pregnant.” There was no stopping now. I didn’t give him a chance to say anything, “I got pregnant by a werewolf, and he... well, he doesn’t want the baby and told me to get an abortion. He said, and I quote, I don’t want a half-breed. So, I left. I don’t know anything about werewolves, and, honestly, I’m terrified of having this baby, but I was given up as a baby, and I won’t do that to my kid. I didn’t know what else to do. I’m scared of him, and that’s why I don’t want it getting out that I’m here.”

I looked at Dane, who was now squeezing the steering wheel so tight I thought it would break in half. He looked pissed. “I’m sorry, you can take me back to my car; I’ll leave. I really don’t want any problems.” I turned to the window, trying to hide the tears streaming down my face. The pickup stopped in the middle of the road. “Look at me,” Dane commanded. I wiped my face before turning to face him. “You are my mate. No one will hurt you; I swear on my life. Please don’t cry.” He swiped his thumb gently under my eyes, wiping more tears away. “I don’t know what that means, and I don’t need you to fight my battles; I’m more than capable.” I don’t know why I was suddenly angry, but I didn’t want another werewolf to use me and throw me to the side as Kain did. I wouldn’t let that happen.