Mates
2106 Words
Once Marc returns to his office, he links his father to tell him that Kylie is visiting. He knows how much his dad has been wanting them to reconcile and be friends again and assumes he will want to see her. Sure enough, Adam shows up in his office not even fifteen minutes later. He seems a bit off, though.
“Hey Dad!” Marc stands from behind his desk and reaches out to hug his father.
Adam hugs him back briefly and then strides over to the chair where Kylie had been seated not long ago. He inhales deeply and looks up at his son frantically.
“Who was here?” he demands.
“Whoa, Dad. Chill. You look like you’re about to lose it.”
“I think I am. There’s a smell here that is driving me nuts. I need to know who it belongs to.”
“Uh, well if you mean that chair specifically, then the only person who has sat there today is Kylie. But you know what she smells like, so I don’t know. I was upstairs for a little bit so someone might have come in.” Marc moves to the chair to take a whiff himself. “Yeah, I don’t smell anything weird. Just Kylie.”
Adam looks troubled. He tries to take a couple deep breaths and relax, but Kieran won’t let him.
It’s our mate, he insists again, pacing in his brain.
He hasn’t been this agitated since Adam was 19.
Mate, mate, mate. Have to find her. Now!
Marc is watching his father struggle to compose himself and moves to put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
“What’s going on, Dad?”
Adam looks at him and chews the inside of his cheek before he responds, “Kieran thinks he smells our mate. But that’s impossible.”
“Whoa, yeah. How? All I smell is Kylie. If she is your mate, you would have known by now.”
“Yeah,” Adam agrees. “Well, where is she? You said she’s here? Maybe I just need to talk to her and show Kieran he needs to settle down.”
“Yeah, she’s in my apartment. I can link Britney and have her sent back down, but there are some things you should know first.”
Marc convinces his father to have a seat so he can talk to him, and Adam begrudgingly agrees. Marc fills him in on the things Kylie told him about her health, also noting that he thinks she is holding back how bad it really is. He describes how she walks and looks, and then goes over what Jonah has told him about her recent fall and hospital visit.
“So, she’s here to stay now?” Adam wonders hopefully.
It upsets him to hear of her health struggles, but he can’t help feeling excited that it might mean she will stick around now.
“I don’t know. I haven’t heard back from The Council about their decision on that,” Marc admits. “From what I’ve seen of her today, though, she shouldn’t be alone. She won’t admit that I’m sure, but she’s not steady on her feet. She could fall again at any time. I really hope she can stay.”
“How did this happen to her? She was always so happy and healthy.”
“Well, actually,” Marc starts to explain, “This didn’t come out of nowhere. We never told you, but she was already having problems when we were teenagers. Little things here and there, like a swollen knee or a sore back. She ached all over, but always tried not to complain so no one really knew but me. She was sick a lot, too. She told me the doctors say those things are linked.”
“I feel like with as much as she was around here, I should have known that was going on. I feel awful that I didn’t see it,” Adam admits regretfully.
“She worked hard to make sure you didn’t,” Marc assures him softly. “She didn’t want people to know.”
“Why? And why didn’t you tell me?”
It almost angers Adam that this was kept from him, but more so that he never noticed anything amiss.
“You know Kylie. Never likes to show weakness. Always wants to be strong and brave. And I didn’t tell you because she didn’t want me to. I promised.”
Adam sighs. “Sometimes I wonder how a human is more wolf than most werewolves.”
“Yeah, she’s something,” Marc laughs his agreement.
Then he sends a quick mind-link to his wife telling her to ask Kylie to come to his office.
“I linked Britney so Kylie should be here soon.”
Adam can’t stand sitting still any longer, so he gets up and starts pacing the length of the room.
Marc watches him from his seat behind the desk, knowing there is nothing more he can do to help calm him. He starts silently praying that Kylie actually is his father’s mate so that when she gets here, she can put him out of his misery, and not just the restlessness he is currently experiencing. If anyone deserves someone to spend his life with, it is him. And Marc still regrets that he could not save Kylie from her own body because she was not his mate, but maybe his father still could.
A few minutes later, Marc watches as Adam suddenly stands stock still and looks toward the doorway expectantly. He continues watching him as Kylie limps into the room.
Adam’s eyes flit back and forth between his normal brown and Kieran’s green eyes, and he noticeably inhales deeply, looking satisfied with whatever he smells. Marc knows this means Kieran was probably right about Kylie, but also realizes he needs to distract her for a moment while his father composes himself.
He motions to the seat in front of his desk again and Kylie smiles and complies with his unspoken request for her to sit down.
“Long time, no see,” she jokes. “Britney said you needed me to come back in here, so what’s up?”
Kylie shifts her weight around like the seat is uncomfortable for her, and Adam, who has been watching her like a hawk since she came in, notices this and frowns.
“I have someone here I thought you would like to see,” Marc explains, gesturing behind her at his father.
Kylie turns her body to look where he is indicating, and her heart skips as she recognizes Adam. With a big grin, she attempts to stand and reach for him for a hug. Her hip locks up just then, making her wince and quickly sit back down.
“Sorry,” she looks at him sheepishly, obviously embarrassed that her body is betraying her in this moment. “I wanted to hug you, but I suppose a handshake will have to do.”
She reaches her left hand out awkwardly, since her handshake hand is currently in a cast.
Adam regards her and quickly decides the best way to handle this to both satisfy Kieran and attempt to make Kylie more comfortable. Instead of shaking her hand, he reaches out to grasp it and bring it to his lips for a gentle kiss.
He was already certain, but the moment their hands make contact and he feels the tell-tale sparks jolting up his arms and throughout his entire body, he knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that she has been chosen for him. When he hears her giggle at his old-fashioned gesture of affection, he is pleasantly surprised how strongly it affects him.
“I’ve missed you, sweetheart,” he admits, surprised to hear how emotional his voice sounds.
She is looking at him intently, almost breathlessly, and he loses control. Gently scooping her up out of the chair, he sits himself down where she just was and places her in his lap. Then he puts an arm around her and pulls her into his chest so he can inhale her scent, which he masks as a kiss on the top of her head.
Noticing her look of surprise, he explains, “It seemed like this chair was doing you more harm than good. Thought maybe my lap would be kinder to your aching body. Is this okay?”
Marc is grinning and on the verge of laughing out loud watching his father struggle to handle his primal urges toward his human mate.
Kylie, though, just looks him in the face and smiles appreciatively.
“Yes, it’s okay. More than okay, honestly," she assures him. "I guess I forgot how big this place is and how much walking around it takes even when you use the elevator. My body is kind of done already, and having a warm, comfy place to sit is pretty nice. So thanks, actually. You’re the best.”
She kisses him lightly on his cheek and then leans into him and relaxes.
Adam tightens his embrace and shifts her slightly so that her head naturally falls to his shoulder. She doesn’t resist. Kieran is delighted at all the contact with their mate, and he can sense his contentment in his mind.
“So, I take it the two of you have made up finally?” he asks as he looks directly at Marc.
“Yep, all is good there,” his son affirms. “And we decided we’re never doing that again, so don’t worry. She’s not disappearing on us again.”
“Good. Phone calls are nice, but I’ve missed your face around here, Kylie.”
Kieran is delighted at the sound of Adam saying her name, but even more when she turns her face up to look at him.
“I’ve missed yours too, Mr. Brentwood,” she agrees, as she reaches her free hand up to play with his beard like she used to when she was younger.
Adam leans into her touch before correcting her, “Please, it’s Adam now that we're both adults.”
“Okay, fair enough. I’ve missed you too, Adam,” she makes sure to emphasize his name.
Hearing her say his name sends shivers down Adam’s spine but he tries not to be too obvious about how she is affecting him. Marc continues smirking while observing them, but tries not to butt in too much because he knows it is an important moment for his father. The three of them chat for a while after that, a mix of reminiscing about old times and Kylie asking questions about things that have changed since she has been away.
A short while later, her phone dings with a text from Jonah telling her he will be out in front in about five minutes. Adam offers to escort her to her brother, and she agrees.
After only a few steps he cannot bear watching her struggle any further, so he picks her up and carries her bridal style the rest of the way while she carries her crutch. She giggles as he lifts her but does not protest. This day is not even half over and already her body is exhausted and sore, so she is grateful for the break.
Jonah gets out of his car and comes around to open the door for them, concern washing over him once he sees Adam carrying her. Adam places her gently in the seat and explains that there is nothing wrong, but he just wanted to make it easier for her.
This is a relief for Jonah to hear, but he still takes care when driving over bumps to make sure they don’t jostle his sister’s sore body too much. Once they return home, he surprises her by picking her up the same way Adam did and carrying her into the house.
This time she does protest, “Hey, put me down! You guys do know my legs still work, right?”
“Quiet, you,” he scolds playfully. “We just don’t want you overdoing it, Ky. Relax.”
“Whatever,” she pouts, but allows him to carry her into her bedroom and deposit her on the bed, next to Bo.
Jonah returns to work after a quick lunch, and Kylie removes her shoes and snuggles into her bed for a nap with her kitty. As much as she hates to admit it, her little adventure was a bit tiresome, and her body is screaming for some rest.
- Writer
