The Seeing Mate

6.

Once I was ready, I went to meet up with my aunts and they led the way to the office. It felt so weird to be so dressed up, especially after talking with Max in regular clothing. We walked in, the whole pack was there. They all went silent when we walked in. My great aunt walked in with her eyes looking at the ground, so did Amelia, then when they reached Max. They both went to their knees.

Max looked at me, then at my aunts. When Amelia saw that I wasn't on the floor, she pulled me down to my knees.

"What the hell..."

"Shhh!"

"I heard you wished to speak with me. May I ask in regards to...what?"

My great bowed to Max and then, without looking at him, started to speak.

"Alpha Maximus, I come in this time in search of your protection!"

Max looked surprised. I guess he doesn't expect people to come on bended knee to ask for his protection.

"Protection of what?" he asked. My great aunt looked at him with glossy eyes.

"The honor killings, alpha, you must've heard of them!"

Maximus, understood that part of my aunt's fear.

"Yes, I have."

My great aunt looked back at the floor with a dramatic wide-eyed look.

"Please say you'll grant us your protection!" she pleaded.

"I'm afriad...."

"Please, accept this token of good faith!" I wasn't looking until I felt all eyes fall on me. Then carefully I looked up, and yes, all eyes were looking at me and my great aunt was pointing at me.

"What?!" I said, the realization hitting me.

"I don't..."

"Please sir, she is pure and has the gift of third sight!"

"Yes, but I don't think...."

"A wife for one of your wolves, alpha!" she pleaded.

"What the hell are you doing!?" I finally shouted.

"Hush, child, only your union with one of his will guarantee your protection!"

"It's the twenty-first century Tia! You don't need...."

"Done!" We heard and looked back at Max. Who looked at me.

"What?" I asked, not sure I had heard him right.

"I accept, the union of you and one of my wolves will show others not to mess with you!"

I stood shocked this was happening, I felt tears run down my face, this was happening, it was actually happening.

He got up and looked at his pack.

"I have two in mind, Logan...."

"There's only one, father, one that will make this agreement fair." I looked around and there stood Josh.

"True enough, the union with the Alpha's son and the...medium would promise the protection you seek."

"Thank you, Alpha," my great aunt said, now bowing.

"This is bullshit!" I shouted. Everyone went silent again, and I turned to leave but didn't get very far. My aunt grabbed my arm and pulled me away to my room.

"What the hell are you doing!?" I yelled at her once we were in the room. Amelia walked in after us.

"You have no right to do this to her, mother!"

"It's for your own good! For our own good! For once, stop being selfish...."

"Selfish, when I let you sell my mother's house to get your bakery out of debt, selfish, when you started to tell everyone about my gift so they'd hire me and pay me to face off with their demons! I haven't... protested once because they made sense, not this one!"

"You ungrateful brat...I've kept you safe!"

"Like hell you have!"

"Without their protection, we will die, Camila. They will hunt us down wherever we go. Where ever we hide, this will give us a fighting chance!"

"Then why not marry, Amelia off..."

"Because my worth isn't as big as yours, I don't have the gift, and you do." said Amelia, glaring at her mother, who didn't care in the least.

"Please Camila. We need you please!"

I glared at her.

"My grandmother, your sister died running away from this s**t and you just brought it right back!"

I felt a slap in the face.

"This is nothing compared to what we had to live. At least this way, you know the man you'll be marrying. Unlike us, we were forced to marry a man we never laid eyes on!"

"Camila, she's kinda right, you know Josh. You two can work past your differences."

I turned away. I was so pissed off, and felt so exhausted.

"Now I'm going to make arrangements and everything will be fine, you'll see," my great aunt said with a little cheer in her voice.She walked out and left me with Amelia.

"I had no idea this was what she was planning!" she said, finally saying something.

"Why now, why in the hell did she decide to do this now!?"

"The killings, Mila, they burned the bakery down, we've been pissing ourselves with fear. You think that's fair to us, even if it has nothing to do with you, you are able to walk about without fearing that you'll be killed or something!"

"That night, I was almost killed! I had acid thrown at me!" I shouted and showed Amelia my burns.

She flinched and bent down to look at my legs.

"Dear God, how did you..."

"The fight training I've been taking....thanks..to..." I trailed off, and a small sad smile crossed her face.

"Josh, he might've hurt you but you've never given him the chance to explain."

"He could've done so way before he turned his back on me."

Amelia rolled her eyes, and I sat down. My legs were going to give out from under me, she sat down next to me.

"Maybe this is the time to start figuring things out."

I looked at her, doubtful, but as I said, fate was a messed up thing. I shrugged and we sat there for a moment, when there was a knock at the door. In walked Shawna, with a box.

"Camila, I was told to bring this in."

"What is it?"

"I'm not sure, you can take a look if you wish," she said, taking a seat in a chair. I carefully stood up and walked over to the box. When I opened it, I started to cry.

"What is it?" asked Amelia, looking over my shoulder. I took a note that was with it.

"I knew this was always your dress, hope you wear it." I felt my heart melt, he remembered.

"It's my dream wedding dress." I carefully pulled it out and went to try it on. When I came out, I couldn't believe he had remembered.

It was a medieval-style dress, with the off the shoulder and flowy sleeves. It was solid white, with a beautiful lacey gown.

"I love it." I said in a low whisper.

"You look amazing!" said Amelia in awe.

"You really make the medieval maiden look nicely."

I looked at myself in my dress, and felt maybe this might not be so bad. I sighed and just accepted that this was my fate, and fighting wasn't going to make this any easier.

After the beautiful surprise, came the not-so nice surprise. I was to be married to Josh in two days, on the full moon.

"We'll join you two by blood, but the other part will be up to you two," Explained Max. I later asked Bracks what that meant.

"Camila, the other part of the mating process is...actually mating."

"You mean us...having sex."

"Yes, that." he said, shaking his head, his wife grinning from ear to ear.

"I wouldn't take you as a conservative kind person, Bracks."

"Oh, trust me he's not, but when it comes down to talking about it...that's a different story,"said Shawna, with a wink at her husband.

"Okay, but yeah, the mating bond won't settle if that never happens, but there's no rush."

With that in mind, I just made a mental note of that.

The day of our little mating ceremony, we went outside on the full moon, and there was a small alter. With a goblet, a knife and some ropes. The one presiding over this was Shawna. She went out with me, as did Amelia and my great aunt. I was still mad at her, but I didn't fight her today. They presented the virgin bride to the alpha son. At that moment, Josh offered his hand. I took it with a shaking hand of my own, he led me to the altar.

"We come here to seal these two in a willing mating bond."

I was crying quietly, this wasn't how I imagined my wedding. Being forced into a marriage just to be safe.

"I offer my blood, may it flow in our veins for now and forever." I heard as Josh held the goblet.

"Blood for blood, I offer thee to fill thy veins with life, love, and loyalty." I said, making a cut across my palm and letting my blood drip in the goblet.

Shawna blessed the goblet and offered it to both of us. Josh took a sip and so did I. I wanted to be sick but I controlled it. The blood was like swallowing iron.

"With these offerings and this bond offered, the Moon goddess unites these two, until death makes them part." Shawna gave Josh an all clear, and he leaned toward me. For a moment, I thought he was going to kiss me on the lips, but no..he kissed my cheek softly.

Everyone came to congratulate us, even my great aunt came and had tears in her eyes. Amelia, gave me a hug.

"Congratulations, I really wish you two the best." she whispered in my ear. I was sobbing now, I was scared shitless.

"I'm doing this for you," I said,

Amelia looked at me, and shook her head.

"No you didn't, it was your chance...you've loved him for too long, Mila. Give him the chance."

I laughed through my sobs. After the ceremony we went back to the cabin and had dinner, then Josh let me sleep in my room.

"We're heading out tomorrow."

"Where are we going?" I asked, now really worried that we were going to be alone.

"Get some sleep, we'll have a long drive ahead." he said, and he headed back to his room and I went to mine.

The next morning, literally at five in the morning, we got things ready and Shawna gave me a jar of the solution she'd been using on my legs. After the truck was loaded with mostly my things, I said good-bye to my aunts and the others, and got in the truck.

The ride was quiet, the only thing was the radio that played or talked. About an hour in, I couldn't take it any more.

"How much further?"

"About an hour," he said flatly. I was surprised he was so emotionless.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Moving me away from my family, away from the others?"

"I guess you wanted to spend more time with Logan."

I stared at him, as he kept his eyes on the road.

"Whatever." was the only thing I could come up with, and I laid back. I fell asleep. I've been sleeping a lot, and I didn't understand why exactly.

After a minute, I felt the truck stop. I didn't want to wake up. So I pretended to sleep. That's when I felt soft kisses on my neck. I looked and it was Josh. His hand traveled slowly along my jeans, even if it wasn't my actual skin, I was burning up. Before I knew what I was doing, I kissed him. I wanted him so much more than any other person in the world. We were making out in the truck, I didn't even care if someone saw us. He pulled me on top of him and I felt him, hard and ready in his jeans.

"Camila," he said, but it was a faded sound. That's when I felt someone shake me, I jolted awake. I was in the passenger seat, my body feeling hot and aroused. I looked over to my right, Josh was standing there looking curious.

"Where are we?" I asked, now realizing that we had stopped.

"We're home." he said, and he pointed to another cabin, and reluctantly I got out of the truck.