His Forever Mate

by Jenny Tia

  What we got back in return for this generous discount was a mystery to me. “Protection,” they said—but from what? Wolf shifters had been living in relative harmony for thousands of years. We’d even lived without conflict with humans, and they’d all died off almost a hundred years or so ago, long before I was born. So the idea of “protection” was a buzzword to keep us suspicious, scared, and sending our wealth to the largest city in our area.

  Or so I said at any opportunity, to anyone, in any bar, with any amount of arak in my system.

  I was nose-deep in the books, my mind revolving through my conspiracy theories, when I felt a tug low in my abdomen. It had that lasso feeling to it again—like last night. I sat up and so did my wolf, our ears pricked, listening for a clue. Not thirty seconds later there was a knock at the front door. I quickly stood, on autopilot as I threw open the door and smiled up at Casius. He was sharply dressed in his silver protector uniform and had a huge smile on his face.

  “Hey,” he said quietly. The sound of his voice cut through my trance and I wet my lips nervously.

  “Hello.” I cleared my throat and tried to think of something to say. Why hadn’t I been considering this inevitable moment all day, instead of the consequences of unfair trade agreements?

  Casius generously filled in the silence. “May I come in?”

  “Oh, shit, yes, sorry.” I moved aside, extending an arm to welcome him into my small apartment.

  He bowed his head in polite gratitude, and then stepped into my world. As I closed the door behind him, I took a deep breath, and that scent of his shot straight to my crotch again. My heart fluttered and my cock twitched. I told myself to get it together then turned around and watched the way he took in my home.

  What must it seem like to someone who didn’t know me, let alone someone from somewhere as different as Everglow, to look at my way of living for the first time? It must have seemed bizarre. And also, much like a bizarre market. His gaze moved over the brightly colored fabrics of my furniture, the tapestries that clung to my walls, and the rugs that lined the dark walnut wood floors. He trailed his hand over any surface within his reach—the back of my reading chair, the hem of my coat that hung by the door, the spines of books on my shelves.

  He stood close to the bench where I prepared my mushroom elixirs, and then he craned his neck to look up at the ceiling. “What’s that?”

  “Drying racks,” I explained, coming closer to him as I wiped my hands nervously on my linen pants.

  “What’s up there? Are they…mushrooms?”

  “That’s right. I forage, and then prepare them here.” I motioned to the bench behind him.

  “Huh…” He turned to look at my preparation area then leaned forward and sniffed at the powders there. His eyes widened, and then he frowned before sniffing at a different jar and nodding approvingly.

  A big part of me hated this uniformed protector looking through my things, probing into my privacy. I wanted to growl, but my wolf was standing at attention with its tail wagging happily as we looked at Casius. I inhaled and realized he was leaving his delicious scent all over the place. That was surely going to drive me crazy after he left.

  “You have a beautiful home,” he said, finally leaving my mushrooms alone to face me.

  “Thanks.” I felt stiff and annoyed, also anxious, so I asked what had been bugging me all morning. “What happened at my parent’s house?”

  His face fell. Suddenly, his eyes burned red and his chest expanded. “You deserve better than the parents you were given. They clearly don’t see your value,” he growled.

  My eyebrows shot up and my breath halted. Stefan and, to some degree, Alpha Truitt, had been the only people to ever stand up for me against my family. To everyone else, they seemed saintly. Mom with her charity work, and Dad the hardworking accountant…

  My heart fell as I watched Casius clench his jaw and grip his hands into fists. I braced myself for the inevitable fall. It was obvious he didn’t like my family, and that must mean he wouldn’t take me as a mate. Either that or they hadn’t given him permission to court me. Regardless, we were done without ever starting.

  Not that I cared.

  “I’m glad I prioritized seeing them first. I want to spend the rest of the weekend getting to know you,” he said, and he took my hand gently in his.

  I did a double-take. There must be some mistake. I was waiting for the caveat.

  “But…”

  “But what?”

  I frowned. “But you can’t possibly because… Come on, say why you can’t spend time here. With me.”

  “Why can’t I?”

  “Because you have to be back in Everglow, you know, to protect us? Or, I don’t know, something.”

  Casius laughed, and the sound of it made my stomach flutter. I couldn’t help but smile, despite my guardedness.

  “There is no but. I am definitely staying here. So, are you free for dinner tonight?”

  “Um, yeah.”

  “And do you have a good restaurant here in Goldleaf?”

  I let out the type of annoyed grunt that was usually reserved for Stef, and then tilted my head to the side. “You think we just eat peasant food out here?”

  He held up his hands defensively. “That’s not what I meant.”

  “We happen to have one of the best restaurants in the country that serves traditional Goldleaf cuisine. I stock them with wild foraged edible mushrooms.”

  “Then that’s where we’ll go.” A smirk crawled across Casius’s face, and I wanted to punch it and kiss it at the same time.

  A little nonplussed by my reaction, I crossed my arms and shrugged.

  “Shall I pick you up? Around seven o’clock?” He smiled and I’ll admit, my heart softened a little.

  I pursed my lips and pretended to consider the invitation. I knew I had no choice. My wolf was frolicking gayly in my chest, and my entire body was vibrating with desire. I needed to be around Casius, and I loved how he was taking control so I could be around him.

  “Seven,” he said again as he passed by me, walking toward the door.

  I subconsciously closed my eyes as I breathed in another waft of his scent, melting into the sensation of warmth throbbing in my crotch. I only snapped out of it when I heard the door open. Casius looked back at me and grinned as I hurried over to give him a proper goodbye.

  I accidentally brushed my hand over his as I took the door handle from him, and he turned so he was facing me. I wet my lips as he cupped my face and gazed at me. We stayed like that, in the threshold of my doorway and of our physical limits for so long I lost sense of time. Until Casius broke the silence with a husky whisper.

  “You are the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen. I don’t need your parents’ permission to know I’ve been fortunate by meeting you. But they said yes.”

  My wolf pined and I slumped against the doorframe, my shoulder hitting it as I collapsed with a heavy, happy sigh. While I acted like a complete halfwit, Casius slowly slipped out the door.

  “Seven,” he repeated.

  “I’ll be here.”

  By six forty-five, I’d worked myself up into an anxious mess. I dressed in my best linen suit, but couldn’t get the buttons closed because my hands were shaking. My mind reeled with the intensity of what was happening. Not to put too much pressure on the situation, but wolves mated for life, which meant if this fated mate situation was for real… Well, I was potentially walking into the rest of my future.

  My heart tumbled over itself in joy as I considered that possibility. But then my stomach sank when I remembered the reality. That kind of future was far-fetched. Fate may have had a hand in drawing Casius and me together, but free will still existed. He could quit on the whole thing at any minute. And, frankly, he probably would once he found out I’d never gone into heat. If there was one thing I’d gotten through my thick skull in my twenty-six years, it was that no one wants to be with an omega who doesn’t have a heat.

  And besid
es who says I even want to be with him?

  It would mean I’d have to move to Everglow and become a doting mate to the next Supreme Alpha. If I’d heard that idea a week earlier, I would have laughed. In fact, I chuckled at the absurdity as I smoothed down the front of my shirt and checked my reflection.

  Conflicted between hoping Casius would want me, and resigned to knowing he wouldn’t, I decided to just see where things took me. I’d allow the courtship, but there was no real pressure because I knew it wasn’t leading anywhere. If he was smart enough to become Supreme Alpha Select, then he’d change his mind about me soon enough. I could relax into this date and experience what it was like to receive so much attention from someone so good looking. Because it was never likely to happen again.

  That same gentle tug in my guts from earlier pulled me out of my morose thoughts, and I looked at the door expectantly. My wolf panted excitedly, and sure enough, a moment later there was a soft jingle of bells as someone opened my screen door, followed by a gentle rapping on the wooden door itself.

  I took a deep breath and one last look at myself in the mirror, and then hurried to the door and eased it open.

  The scent of Casius’s pheromones hit me as soon as I saw him. They were strong—a lust-filled aroma that hit every note, from musk through to sharp tones that caught in the back of my throat and literally made me moan.

  “You look amazing,” he said as he dragged his gaze over me and wet his lips.

  I let out a weak whimper. That tugging in my abdomen turned into a full-blown yearning, and something I’d never felt before seemed to open up inside me. I bit my bottom lip and sucked on it hungrily as I watched Casius watching me. I was relieved—and impressed—to see he’d worn civilian clothes for our date instead of his stiff silver uniform. His white cotton shirt looked locally made, and his linen slacks had a hard-pressed crease down the center of the leg that told me they were brand new. I knew from experience there was no way to get that crease back in once you’d worn them more than once. It made me smile—I liked imagining him picking out local clothes to wear on our date. And he looked damn fucking good in them. The white of the shirt made his tanned skin stand out even more.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  “Mm-hm,” I managed to murmur.

  He stepped back and the space gave me a moment to breathe while I grabbed my scarf and laced it around my neck. He waited as I locked the door behind me, and I stared at the door handle for a moment longer than I needed to, just to clear my mind. When I turned around, I caught a whiff of him again.

  “You better turn those pheromones down, unless you want to have every omega in Goldleaf flaring into heat when you walk past.”

  “Oh, shit. Are they that strong? Sorry!”

  I smiled and brought my scarf up to cover my nose.

  “I’ll get myself under control. Sorry,” he said again as we trotted down the stone stairs of my building. I traced my fingers along the curving wall as we descended—a silly habit, but it often fortified me, and I needed that right now.

  “No need to apologize, it’s flattering,” I remarked as I pulled open the large blue doors at the entrance of my building. The smells of the city poured in and tempered some of the horny scent pouring off Casius. He reached for the door and held it open for me as I stepped out.

  “I’m glad you think so. I’ll keep it under control. For the sake of the population of Goldleaf.”

  I laughed and he chuckled, pushing me gently through the door by the small of my back. The feeling of his palm flat against me like that sent a wave of arousal through me, and I bit down on my lip as I hurried out into the street.

  I squinted into the setting sun, which shone right down the narrow pedestrian street we had to walk up to get to the restaurant. Casius kept his gait matching mine, but I could tell he was naturally a faster walker than me. I liked that he was being courteous.

  We turned onto the main street of Goldleaf and I groaned when I saw there was a line out the front of the restaurant. My heart sank. I should have known—it was always packed on the weekends. Why hadn’t I made a reservation? “Shit, I should have made a booking.”

  Casius put a hand between my shoulders and smiled. “Don’t worry.”

  Easier said than done. But I gave not worrying a shot. It was new to me, but I followed his lead as we skipped the line and approached the maître d’.

  “Casius?” she asked as soon as she saw him. A bright smile crossed her face, and I glanced in disbelief from her to him and back again.

  He nodded. “That’s right.”

  “Right this way.” The maître d’ gestured with a broad sweep of her arm, leading us right ahead of the twenty-odd people still in the line. Casius followed her, but my feet weren’t working. I was stuck in place, gaping at what had just happened. Was he really that well known, that the maître d’ at a Goldleaf restaurant would recognize him by sight?

  He looked over his shoulder and grinned. “Coming? Or do I need to find another date?”

  “No, no, don’t you dare! I’m coming.” I hurried to catch up.

  The maître d’ seated us, and then unfolded napkins onto our laps as she explained the night’s cuisine. “This evening we’re serving a degustation of seven courses, featuring locally grown or sourced ingredients in traditional dishes with a modern twist. The first dish highlights a selection of wild mushrooms in au jus of fermented radishes.”

  I waggled my eyebrows at Casius, and a laugh escaped from him so unexpectedly the maître d’ jumped in fright of the sound of it.

  “Sorry, I supply the restaurant with those mushrooms,” I explained to her. She laughed nervously and held a hand to her chest.

  “I thought you were just very excited about the dish!” she said to Casius.

  “Well, I am,” he said with a grin. “Is there a wine pairing?”

  “Of course. The waiter will be with you shortly to take you through the selection. Unless, of course, you supply those too?” she asked, smiling at me.

  I laughed and shook my head. “No, viticulture is too sterile for me.”

  The maître d’ left us. Casius leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and tilted his head as he beamed at me.

  “What?” I asked defensively.

  “You’re very charming.”

  “Oh please.” I waved the compliment off, then fiddled with the tiny salad fork to my left.

  Casius leaned forward and took my hand. He ran his thumb over the back of my wrist as though he’d done that exact motion a thousand times. My toes curled, and a raspy sigh escaped from the back of my throat. I was both turned on and relaxed by his touch.

  I searched his face as I braced against more incoming compliments—or some ugly insistence that I accept the one he’d just given me. Instead, Casius confidently held my gaze, held my hand, and made small talk.

  “Are mushrooms your fulltime gig?”

  “Oh! Oh moon, no.” I laughed nervously but bravely flipped my hand so I could hold his. His fingertips rested heavily in my palm, and I felt grounded by them. It was the same feeling I had at that exact moment when my paw pads first touched the soil at the edge of the forest whenever I ran. “The mushroom thing is just a hobby, really. It’s a healing tradition, using the mushrooms of the local area as medicine, and as food.”

  “A family tradition?”

  “Ha!” I squeezed his hand. “No. Not my family, anyway. I wish I had some kind of lineage with other healers, but no. You met them—my family doesn’t have a compassionate bone between them. Having a heart is kind of a prerequisite for a healer to have.”

  Casius nodded but didn’t give away anything more. His face was set in a gentle smile and his eyes were bright and attentive. I felt like he had more compassion than all my family members combined.

  “I don’t know how I stumbled into it, but I’ve always been interested in the herbs and natural medicines that grow in the Goldleaf area. Mushrooms are just one of the more powerful plants. Well, technicall
y they’re not plants, they’re fungi…” I realized I was prattling, and hoped Casius would come in with some more small talk.

  “Where do you think you get it from, then? If not your family, where’d you start to learn all of that? Hope you didn’t just wander out into the forest and start chomping on those nasty toadstools.”

  I laughed and gave a guilty shrug, making Casius chuckle and throw his head back.

  “Well, I’m glad you didn’t die,” he said.

  “I came close! It has been a lot of self-study.” I lowered my eyes to our hands, and then lowered my voice. “I guess I like to think I have some ancestors who were into this stuff, but who knows.”

  Casius squeezed my fingers. “Yeah… Who knows.”

  I pulled my hand away and sat in silence for a moment, feeling the weight of my family lineage on my shoulders. Maybe they were all deadweights, from the very start of time, through the family tree, all the way to me. I could hear Stefan telling me to quit the pity party before it started, so I found something else to talk about.

  “Is the Supreme Alpha Select thing your fulltime gig?”

  “Well, I’m trained as an architect and I do work as one occasionally. But the Supreme Alpha Select thing is entirely all-consuming, yes.” Casius nodded and I gave him a compassionate smile. “And I’m sure it’s just going to ramp up even more when I take over as Supreme Alpha.”

  “When will that be happening?”

  Casius licked his lips and looked away. “Alpha Hughes is intending to step down after his one-hundred and fiftieth birthday—but you didn’t hear that from me. I just have to…have everything in my life ready to take power then.”

  He cleared his throat and his tone made it clear he didn’t want to talk about it anymore. I didn’t push it.

  Our first course arrived, and I glowed with pride when I saw how well the mushrooms had been prepared. Casius moaned as soon as he took a bite, and the sound added to my pride—and to how attractive I found him. As I bit into an oyster mushroom, I wondered what other ways I could make him moan.