One Night

Chapter 9

Skye sat in silence for a moment, leaning back in her seat. I looked over at Luke, who gave me a smile. I noticed Skye's eyebrows starting to furrow.

"What is it, Skye?" she sat up, seemingly alarmed.

"I don't mean to say this in front of Luke, but haven't you two only known each other like, what a week? Ray, I've never known you to be a people person or to even have a boyfriend, now your going to move in with him?" She wasn't wrong. It was strange, but I had this instinct that this is where I'm supposed to be. Almost like a higher power was telling me this is where I belong.

I heaved a sigh. "You're right. But I have this feeling that this is where I'm meant to be. As for Luke and me, we both agreed to take it slow. Neither one of us has been close with anyone before, but I'm comfortable around him." Luke had come to stand behind me and placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. Looking up, I gave him a small smile.

Talking about Luke and I, reminded me that I wanted Adrian and Skye to meet. I focused on mindlinking Adrian ‘Can you come to Luke’s office please?’

"Well, you've always known your own mind. As long as you're happy and taken care of, " she paused to give Luke a warning glare which made me chuckle. Apparently, his aura didn't phase her either... not that much did.

" I will do whatever I need to, to help you, Ray. You're my best friend," she finished, her voice going soft.

I stood up and gave her a big hug, trying not to squeeze too hard, now that I quite literally could crush her. At that moment, there was a knock at the door. Luke had a brief look of confusion flash across his face until I saw his eyes lose focus, which meant he was being mind-linked. The door opened to reveal Adrian looking confused. I couldn't stop the smirk that crossed my face then.

"Adrian, I would like you to meet my best friend... Skye," I said while stepping behind her.

Adrian's eyes locked onto her and I swear I saw his pupils dilate. He stepped forward while taking a deep inhale. I went and stood next to Luke who wrapped his arm around my shoulders and gave me a knowing smile, which I returned.

I couldn’t help but feel a little smug. That weird gut feeling I had, proved to be true. I wonder if this will end up being another one of my powers.

Adrian then closed the distance between them, to stand right in front of her while taking another long inhale. This time I saw his eyes go completely black.

“ Mate.” Adrian declared. Skye was simply staring at him in awe, her mouth slightly agape.

Luke leaned down where his lips were next to my ear. “ How did you know they would be mates?” He whispered, trying not to ruin their moment. Turning to look at him, I just smirked, to which he shook his head at me.

Adrian reached his hand out slowly as if asking permission to touch her, but she seemed frozen in place. Gently, he brushed the back of his fingers down her cheek. Her eyes showed surprise, I assume she felt the tingles that came from a mate's touch. The next thing I knew, Adrian had picked her up into a hug, burying his face in the crook of her neck.

I couldn’t help but chuckle, which kind of broke them out of their moment. Oops.

“ How did you know?” Adrian asked me in complete disbelief.

“ Call it a gut feeling I guess,” I confidently replied. Skye snapped out of her haze. Holding up her hands, she took a step back from Adrian, who looked a little hurt from the distance but stayed where he was.

"Wait. Wait. Wait. What just happened here? Ray, what the hell?" She was staring at me with such intense confusion I couldn't help but explode with laughter. Which startled the boys but just made Skye glower at me. It was rare that I got a one-up on her.

"I had a feeling you two would-be mates. I don't know how else to really explain it, just an instinct really. Adrian is Luke's beta and best friend, by the way." I explained. Skye still looked a little overwhelmed.

"Well, why don't you two stay here and get to know each other better while Luke and I take my stuff upstairs?" I didn't leave time for anyone to answer, besides Adrian and Skye were still just staring at each other.

Grabbing my duffel, I walked out the door and headed for the stairs. Skye would be fine and she would figure it out soon enough. She always does. I mean, she handled me turning into a giant wolf with barely even a question. Luke quickly caught up with me as I was ascending the stairs. I'm assuming he thought they could use a minute alone as well.

Once we were back in Luke's - I mean our? - room, I headed straight for the bedroom. I immediately threw my pillow on the bed and set my bag down, but I could feel Luke was right behind me, so close that I could feel the heat coming off his body against my back, so close I could almost feel those tingling sparks, like static energy between us. There was definitely a certain kind of tension growing between us and I didn't know how long that tension would hold.

"There's room in the closet for your things." The way he said it sounded strange, almost reserved.

Was that uncertainty I was hearing? From the Big Stoic Alpha?

I'm not going to lie, I have my own reservations about all of this. It is a big change and it's all of a sudden, is he as ready for the journey ahead of us or is he second-guessing now? Pushing those thoughts away, I walked into the closet and was greeted by a huge walk-in closet, and true to his word, there was definitely room for my things. Half of the closet was completely empty. I spun on my heel to see Luke leaning against the door frame, arms crossed. I say leaning but it's more like taking up the whole door frame.

"You didn't have to clear out half your closet for me." I was actually a little taken aback. He simply shrugged," I've never had it full, always left it half open, for when I found my mate." He gestured his head towards the dresser in the room, "That's why I have the dresser, so you can have the built-in ones in here."

This man kept surprising me around every corner. I was actually touched by his confession, it got me wondering what else he had saved for his mate, but I wasn't going to let my mind wander there right now. I need to take things slow, I tried reminding myself.

Grabbing my duffel, I began to unpack it. A strange sensation fell over me as I put away my empty bag and saw my stuff next to his like something just clicked into place, yet there was still some apprehension. But the smell of meat cooking distracted me and had me walking out toward the little kitchen that's in the alpha suite.

I could definitely get used to the sight before me. Luke was standing at the stove, cooking what looked like a simple steak dinner, in his signature black tee, but he had swapped his jeans for sweatpants. I was standing on the other side of the kitchen island when he finally turned around. He looked surprised to see me standing there, which made me giggle.

"Did I sneak up on the big bad Alpha?" I couldn't help the teasing note in my voice. "It smells amazing, whatever you're making." I finished on a non-teasing note. He seemed pleased with my compliment as he continued his task.

"I figured we could have a nice, quiet dinner together here instead of with the pack and maybe talk about some things. Adrian and Skye are still in my office discussing their situation, in case you were wondering." How did he know that was exactly what I was going to ask him next?

"You're the only one that has ever been able to sneak up on me by the way, so I guess we can add stealth to your list of powers as well." He said it in a way that sounded proud, which was still a strange emotion to receive from someone other than Skye, but it felt nice, it felt right.

He plated the food and then we sat down at the small dining table across from each other. He watched me as I took a bite of steak, expectantly. I couldn't stop the tiny moan that escaped me as the beef practically melted against my tongue. I saw his eyes flash black for a moment before they returned to their two-tone brown. It seems I'm not the only one feeling the tension.

"Where did you learn to cook?" I asked him, trying to divert the situation.

"Actually, this is about the extent of what I can cook." He tentatively said. "My mom tried teaching me how to cook a few other things as well when she was still around, but this was the only one I caught onto rather well." He looked like he was reliving a memory from another time while he was explaining. We ate silently for a couple of moments after that, but surprisingly it wasn't awkward.

"So, What did you want to talk about?" I finally asked, tentatively. He glanced up at me then and leaned back in his chair giving me his full attention.

"What Skye said got me thinking. This is a lot of changes for you and I know we talked about you being my Luna and I mentioned the Luna ceremony, but we can put that on pause until we figure the other stuff out first. Like your powers and what the hell the vamps are up to." He resumed eating while looking at me expectantly, waiting for my response.

I pondered over what he said for a moment, "That would postpone me joining the pack then too right?" I asked the question while trying to line up all the pieces in my head.

"It would, yes." Curiosity danced in his eyes like he could see the wheels turning in my head. He had already finished his meal and was just staring at me, which normally would have bothered me if it was anyone else. I was starting to pay attention to those little changes in myself.

I truly believe holding off on the Luna ceremony would not end well.

" You mentioned your wolf before but you talked about him like he is separate from you, why is that?" I could see that my question caught him off guard, it was kind of off-topic but I needed these answers in order to figure out what to do next.

"Do you not feel separate from your wolf?" He asked me in a curious tone.

I raised my eyebrow at him, "I am the wolf and the wolf is me." I said matter of factly.

He seemed shocked once again, "What do you mean exactly by that?" I had a feeling this wasn't a normal wolf thing either.

Geez, how different did I really have to be?

"I mean when I'm shifted it's me nothing else, I'm just going to chalk that up to the comet-born thing right?"

"If it is we will deal with it together. But for me, My wolf and I are separate to a point. I always feel him and his emotions in my mind almost like a subconscious, but if he feels really strongly about something, it almost feels like he's speaking in my mind. When we shift he is the one in the lead while I sit in the background in a way." He seemed lost in thought as he finished.

I can't say I was surprised, as weird as this sounds that's how I've read it in most werewolf books I read before I figured out I am one. Funny how I read about the supernatural creature I actually am and never knew it.

"So when your eyes go black, that's your wolf getting closer to the surface?" I couldn't help but ask the question I already knew the answer to. He met my gaze and I was rewarded to see two black orbs instead of his normal two-tone brown but then he blinked and his eyes were back to normal.

I couldn't help the smirk that found its way onto my face. "Guess that answers that question, now for my next one. You said before you hold my hand all the time because it calms your mind. Does it calm your mind or your wolf?"

"Both," He answered without hesitation. " My wolf has instincts that I'm trying to keep...suppressed I guess would be the best word for it. I explained briefly before that an Alpha has a stronger need to complete the mate bond and I don't want to rush things. So the little touches help ease the tug of the mate bond and make it easier to keep my wolf in check, that and having my scent on you. Keeps him calmer I guess you could say."

"What happens if you were to mark me and we waited on the next step?" When I said the word 'mark' his eyes flashed black for a quick second again and I couldn't lie I could feel the pull as well.

He cleared his throat before answering, "For most mates that wait the female will eventually go into what's called heat and well, only your mate can calm the fire inside. I've heard of some she-wolves taking ice baths to try to alleviate the pain. But I don't know if you will be affected the same way with you being so special."

He had a point when it came to me being "special" but there was something nagging deep inside of me.

"What if I wanted you to mark me?" I couldn't help but ask that question.

"If that is truly what you want I would without hesitation. You are my Mate and I want nothing more than you, since the first moment I saw you. As for whatever would happen after the fact, we will deal with it together and in a way, you're comfortable with. I may be Alpha and my instinct and my wolf's, to complete the mate bond is more intense than other wolves but I am still in control of myself. Are you prepared if it ruins our plans of moving slowly? I don't want you to regret anything if it comes to a heat-hazed decision.” He paused briefly before continuing, “ Honestly if it came down to it... I don’t know if I’d be able to restrain myself or my wolf from you if you asked for my “help” during your heat.” Admitting that last part he almost looked ashamed as he cast his eyes down.

Before I realized what I was doing- as if my body had a mind of its own- I stood up and came around the table to his side and sat on his lap resting one hand on his chest. I could feel his accelerated heartbeat but my effect on him soothed me, giving me more confidence. Leaning in I gave him a soft sensual kiss.

“I appreciate your honesty and answering my questions. I don’t think it’s a good idea to hold off on the Luna ceremony. There’s something nagging inside me saying I need to join the pack, as for the marking I think we should still take things slow or just let things happen naturally.” He wrapped his arms around my waist while I was talking. Leaning forward he nuzzled his nose into the crook of my neck, taking a couple of deep inhales before he placed a feather-light kiss where my mark would go, sending those magical mate tingles through my whole body.

Yes, there was definitely a certain type of tension building between us and I don’t know how much longer I could keep ignoring it. He said he was in control of himself but was I as in control of myself as he was?

I made a move to stand up and he let me but I could see the reluctance in his eyes to let me go. Grabbing our plates I headed back to the kitchen and started doing the dishes.

“What are you doing?” He had followed me and was standing on the other side of the kitchen island now with his palms on the counter arms spread wide.

“Washing the dishes. What’s it look like?” I couldn’t help the sarcasm it’s second nature. “You cooked so I’m cleaning seems only fair.”

He came around and grabbed a towel, starting to dry the dishes I washed. “Well, that does sound fair but we can do it together. We are a team now. Plus it gets done faster this way." He winked at me as he said the last part, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. But he was right and it was nice to just do something mundane together.

Once we were done with the dishes I went and curled up on the couch, Luke wasn't far behind me and he sat down as well but super close. "Has Adrian checked in with you? Do you know how Skye is?" I stretched my legs out across his lap, which he seemed very content with as he started slowly rubbing up and down my shins.

He chuckled, "Why don't you mindlink him? Practice those powers of yours." I rolled my eyes but didn't say anything against it, because he was right.

I closed my eyes focusing on Adrian, 'How is she? How are you? What's going on?' I was about ready to just head their way so I could talk to Skye in person.

'She and I are processing things still. She's staying here in my guest room for the night.' He responded quickly so I took that as a good sign.

'You better take care of her.' Skye was the closest thing to a sister I had so I couldn't help but be protective.

'Of course, I will she's my Mate. but I think all of us should talk in the morning.' He sounded genuine and I agreed, there is a lot to discuss.

'Let's talk over breakfast and I'll let Luke know.' I opened my eyes to find Luke staring at me expectantly.

"They are good she's staying in his guest room for the night and we all are going to talk over breakfast in the morning." He nodded his acceptance and I couldn't stop the yawn that broke across my face. Before I knew it he had whisked me up bridal style and was caring me to the bedroom.

"It's been a long day you need to rest. We can talk more tomorrow too." He had a no-nonsense tone but I wasn't going to argue anyway. He set me on my feet once we were in the room, I went to the closet to grab some pajamas and then did my nightly bathroom routine and changed.

I came out of the bathroom to find Luke already in bed, shirtless of course, he had one arm sprawled out behind my pillow and the other tucked behind his head. Crawling into bed I curled up against his side, then I tilted my head up to look at him. He surprised me by capturing my lips with his, his other hand slowly slid up to cup my cheek as he deepened the kiss faintly. We kissed for a moment before he finally pulled back but his hand was still on my cheek. I looked to meet his eyes, expecting to see black orbs but I was surprisingly met with those two-tone browns. He kissed my forehead then readjusted us so he was spooning me.

"Goodnight Ray," He whispered near my ear, his breath tickling the hair on my neck, as he draped an arm over my waist resting his hand next to mine.

"Goodnight Luke," I said as I laced my fingers with his, to which he gave me a satisfied rumble I could feel through my back almost like a purr.

My life has been flipped upside down, but I know I'm where I'm supposed to be...by Luke's side.