Chapter 5: She's Not The One
991 Words
BRYANT
From the other side of the road, I watched Tallia come out of the grocery store. Her steps were slower and her shoulders lower than when she went in earlier that day and as the sun set, I couldn't help but think that she looked tired. She pressed her lips together and shook her head before she released a long sigh.
My wolf grumbled. He wasn't able to say if she was our mate or not, but he didn't like her this run down either.
The girl was kind, but not shy. Confident, but not cocky. I liked that.
I'd spent the last few days watching her. When Zarron had defied me and gone to meet her, I'd been pissed, but it turned into an excellent opportunity. She hadn't been concerned about us being shifters and she hadn't been pleased about me trying to find my mate. I liked that too.
Her melon and sugar scent drifted to me on the muggy breeze as she rubbed her hands down her skirt covered thighs. I liked that she wore skirts a lot.
I liked a lot about Tallia, but I still didn't know if she was my mate. I didn't know why I was so drawn to her, but all the mate signs weren't clear. My wolf was unsure, and that was unlike him. Both of us were decisive beasts and yet on this we were stumped.
I watched as she strode down the sidewalk, her eyes drifting across the sky as it changed colors and darkened. She smiled and let out a satisfied hum. She was a bit odd. Tallia didn't seem to care what anyone thought about her and did things her own way. Add that to the list of things I liked.
As I released a low growl, I started to follow her. I hated what I'd been reduced to. I didn't understand why I felt this way about her and if she wasn't my mate, then I didn't want to feel it at all.
Zarron joined me at my side and handed me a milkshake. I took a sip and tried to let the creamy strawberry coldness calm my anger.
“Anything interesting happen?" he asked with a knowing smirk.
I scowled at him. “Of course not."
“Just take her home already. Change her and see if she's your mate once she's shifted."
“She'd have to consent to that first."
Zarron shrugged. “She seemed cool with shifters."
She had, but that didn't mean she'd want to become one. Not that I had any desire to be mated to a changed shifter anyway.
Zarron sighed. “So, if you aren't going to change her, what are you going to do? We can't hang around this town forever."
No sh*t.
I was more than ready to go home to my pack and get back to work, but I couldn't walk away from her without knowing.
“My mate is in this town. I know it. I can feel it," I grumbled and crossed my arms over my chest as we stalked the woman down the street.
She started humming and the sound of her voice soothed some of the tension that had grown in my shoulders. That was something mates did! Then why weren't the rest of the signals there? It couldn't be because she was human, could it?
“Do you know anyone who mated a human?" I asked. I didn't know anyone off the top of my mind.
Zarron shook his head. “I knew one guy, but he changed his mate pretty early on. I could call him and ask if he could tell about before his mate changed."
I nodded. “Yes. I need to know if I'm wasting my time here. I've spent days following this female and I have no more answers than I did on day one. My mate is in this damn town."
“I'll call him now." Zarron pulled out his phone and fell back to make the call while I kept following Tallia.
The more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that I should be looking elsewhere in town. Maybe it was her neighbor and some of the mate signals were rubbing off on her with her scent. I was crazy attracted to her smell.
The sky was mostly dark now, and the relief from the scorching day was immense. Shifters ran hot anyway, so this summer climate was a bit too much for me.
I watched as Tallia stopped beside an alleyway and peered down it.
“He says some of the signs were muted when his mate was a human, but he still knew," Zarron said as he returned to my side.
I tore my eyes away from Tallia as she took a step down the dark alley and faced Zarron. “Then that settles it. I'm going to look around elsewhere and see if maybe my mate is someone who comes into contact with Tallia a lot."
Zarron shook his head. He liked the girl and thought she was my mate. And maybe I was being obtuse because I didn't like turned shifters, but even my wolf wasn't sure.
I sucked in a deep breath and started marching the other direction. I lifted my nose in the air and caught the wind, trying to smell anything that might indicate where my true mate was. Zarron sighed and followed me.
For several blocks I walked at a steady clip and the further I went, the more it became clear that there was nothing here for me.
In the distance, a scream shattered the night, and my heart started hammering in my chest. My milkshake fell to the ground with a splat.
My wolf lost it and turned into a growling, spitting ball of rage.
I'd never even heard her raise her voice before, but I'd know that scream anywhere.
Tallia.
- Writer
