by Jayme Morse
This situation was going to be weird as fuck for all of us, but at least they were okay with that.
“As a part of this arrangement, it means we all get to date you,” Theo went on. “And as the Alpha of our pack and your first mate, tonight is my night.”
“You’re saying you want to take me on a date?” I asked with raised eyebrows.
He nodded. “Yup. Are you ready?”
I motioned to my body. I was still wearing the black bikini. “Does this look date night appropriate to you?”
“I don’t mind,” Theo replied with a shrug.
I rolled my eyes at him. “Just let me go change.”
As I headed for the changing room, I felt sort of… well, giddy. I couldn’t wait to see where he was taking me.
Chapter Sixteen
Once I had changed back into my clothes—a black dress I had chosen for tonight and a light pink leather jacket—I headed back upstairs.
“Goodnight, birthday girl,” Aiden said, leaning in for a hug.
“Goodnight.” I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him close. It was crazy to think he was my mate. Whether I liked it or not, I was stuck with him for the rest of our lives.
That was how Theo had known, with such certainty, that I would be in his life in ten years from now, I realized to myself.
“Goodnight, Raven,” Colton said, hugging me next. His hug was followed by a hug from Rhys.
After getting hugs from all of them, I was all smiles as Theo and I headed for the door.
Theo held his car door open for me, and I climbed into it.
As he climbed in on the other side, I turned to him. “So, where exactly are you taking me?”
“You’ll see,” he replied with a smile. Once he backed out of the driveway, he glanced over at me. “I hope we didn’t overwhelm you in there.”
“I mean, maybe a little bit,” I admitted.
“It’s just that we wanted to explain everything to you. You deserved to know the truth—about everything.”
“It is kind of crazy that you were keeping this whole mate thing a secret from me for so long,” I admitted. “I have so many questions about it.”
“Hit me with all of your questions,” Theo replied.
“You’re the only one who’s able to hear my thoughts,” I began to say, but he intercepted.
“Actually, Aiden would be able to hear your thoughts right now, too—if it weren’t for the necklace, anyway.”
“So, that answers my question. I was going to ask if you’re able to listen in on my thoughts because you’re my mate.”
“Yes,” he replied with a nod.
“Does my being mated to you have anything to do with why I have this constant… urge to see you? I feel like my body is beginning to go through withdrawals when I’m away for you for too long,” I explained.
“Yes.” His light blue eyes slid over to meet mine. “I feel the same way about you.”
“Really?” I was surprised. “You do a really good job of not letting that show. I never would have guessed you felt that way.”
“Well, I do.”
I paused, realizing the real question—why they had been avoiding me all this time—hadn’t actually been answered. “Why did you stay away from me then?”
Theo sighed. “We were all trying to make sense of this. In between teaching, we have been doing a lot of research about the Ancients and trying to figure out who you could potentially be.” He glanced over at me. “There were only a limited number of Ancients, so you’re one of less than one-hundred-and-fifty, but none of us are able to recognize you from those times.”
“So, my very existence is a huge mystery,” I pieced together. I paused for a moment, realizing something. “So much for blowing out all of the candles on the first try. My birthday wish might not even come true.”
“How do you figure?” Theo asked.
“We don’t even know if today is my real birthday.”
“True.” He let out a sigh. Then he reached over and laced his fingers through mine.
A smile hit my lips. It was the first time he’d ever held my hand before.
“Um, I still have questions,” I told him. “Lots and lots of questions.”
“I’ll try to do my best to answer all of them,” Theo replied.
“Now that Aiden and I are also mated, does that mean he and I will also feel the same way about one another?” I asked.
“Yeah, all mates usually feel this way. Once your souls are bound together, there will forever be a desire, a longing, for that wolf.” His eyes met mine. “That’s why we will always be a part of one another’s lives from this point forward. We couldn’t stay away from each other even if we wanted to—even if we tried.” Theo swallowed hard. “The thing is, I hate that you’re mated to Aiden now, but it’s too late. The damage can never be undone.”
It may have been ‘damage’ to him, but it was incredible to me.
“So, my next question,” I went on, “is... are the rumors about Ancients true? Is it impossible to fall out of love with an Ancient?”
“Yes.”
I swallowed hard.
“What if I told you that I think there’s someone who’s in love with you?”
“You’re in love with me already?” His eyes locked on mine, a look of amusement swirling within them. “I knew it would happen eventually, but you don’t even know my favorite color yet.”
“I wasn’t talking about myself,” I replied with an eye roll. “I was talking about Caroline Wickburn.”
“Caroline Wickburn?” He snorted. “What makes you think that witch is in love with me?”
“She’s a witch?” I asked with raised eyebrows.
“I didn’t mean that in the literal sense. In reality, most witches are probably nicer than her. But what gives you the idea that she could be in love with me?”
“It’s just that she warned me to stay away from you. She warned me to stay away from all of the Darken, but she specifically named you.” I shrugged. “It was just… odd. It made me think that she was telling me to leave you alone so she can have you all to herself.”
“Well, actually, she did ask me out,” Theo admitted.
“She did? See. I’m totally right about this.” I paused. “So, how was your date with her?”
He chuckled. “You sound like a jealous mate right now.”
I rolled my eyes. “How was it?”
“I told her I don’t date my coworkers, but that wasn’t why. The reason is you.” He glanced over at me. “You’re the only girl I have eyes for, Raven. And even if you weren’t in the picture, I wouldn’t be able to find her attractive, anyway. She doesn’t have Ancient blood. The curse,” he reminded me.
“Oh, yeah. Who put that curse on the Ancients, anyway?” I asked.
“It’s a long story. I’d be telling you about it all night. Rain check?” Theo asked. “We’re almost at our destination,” he said as he pulled onto a long, windy road that led up a steep hill.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked, as my body leaned backwards into the seat of the car as we went up the hill.
“You’re about to find out,” Theo replied, keeping his eyes on the narrow, winding road.
“So, the one thing you should probably know about me is that I hate surprises. With a passion,” I informed him.
“And the one thing you should probably know about me is that I love surprising people,” Theo said, flashing me a grin.
“So, what you’re saying then is that we’re opposites.”
“Opposites attract,” he replied with a shrug.
As the car eventually reached the top of the mountain, Theo brought it to a stop. Then he swung his car door open and climbed out.
Confused, I followed after him.
“So, do you want to tell me where we are?” I asked.
“You’ll see. Come on.” He grabbed my hand and began to lead me into the woods.
We reached a building with glass windows. He pulled a
key out of his pocket and unlocked the door and then led me inside.
He flicked on a light, which casted a blueish purple glow over the room. I could see from where we stood that all of the walls and the ceiling were made with windows.
“What is this place?” I asked him.
“The closest thing humans have is a solarium, but it doesn’t even begin to compare to this,” he replied.
That was when I saw the stars. For some reason, this room and the windows just seemed to amplify their brilliance. And the moon. The moon was full and round, and from here it just looked incredible.
“The stars, the moon, it all looks stunning,” I whispered.
“Just like you,” Theo said, wrapping his arm around my waist, pulling me to him.
He pulled his phone out then and put on “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran.
“Are you seriously trying to use an Ed Sheeran song on me?” I asked, even though I was unable to fully suppress my grin.
“Is it working?” Theo asked as his hands fell to my waist and we began to sway together to the music.
“Maybe,” I replied as I wrapped my arms around his neck.
It was definitely working. Who knew I was a sucker for Ed Sheeran?
It was just me and my mate dancing to this song under the beauty of the stars and the moon, without a care in the entire world except for each other.
Theo glanced down at me then, his light blue eyes glimmering in the moonlight.
I wasn’t sure who kissed who first; all I knew was that our lips had found each other’s, and his tongue was swirling around inside my mouth. His kiss was slower this time. It was the kiss of a guy who knew that there were going to be a million more kisses to come in the future.
And in that moment, kissing him underneath the moon, for the first time in a long time, everything between us felt completely perfect.
Chapter Seventeen
“How are you mated to two of them and I can’t find my own mate?” Iris asked the following afternoon in my dorm room after I had finished telling my friends everything.
“Um, it’s seriously unfair,” Vince agreed with a nod as he took a bite of his pizza.
“Seriously? You guys! I just told you guys all about this craziness and that’s your only response?” I laughed.
“I mean, it’s a good question,” Iris said with a shrug. “But in all seriousness, this is all really crazy.”
“Crazy is one way to put it,” Vince agreed. “Awesome is another way to put it. So, my question is, what will happen once you kiss them all?”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Well, you’ve only kissed two of the four and you’re mated to both of them. So, doesn’t it seem likely that you will end up being mated to the remaining two once you kiss them, too?” he said.
“Oh, that’s a really good point,” Iris agreed.
Huh. I hadn’t even considered the possibility that I could end up being mated to all of the Darken.
“What are the odds, though? It’s rare enough to have two mates, let alone four,” I said.
“All I’m saying is that next time you kiss one of the Darken, maybe make sure you’re somewhere comfortable in case you pass out,” Vince replied with a shrug.
“Thank you for that important life advice,” I chuckled. “Last night with Theo was just amazing, you guys.”
“So, who do you like the most?” Iris asked, glancing over at me with a look of intrigue.
“I don’t know,” I replied, shaking my head. “I guess I need to date them all to figure it out.”
“I just don’t understand,” Vince said. “I get that they all want to see you. It sounds like they all need to get laid really bad—”
“Would you sleep with all of them?” Iris asked me with raised eyebrows.
“I don’t know.” I hadn’t even thought about that yet. “I guess if it… feels right?”
“But my question is what happens once this is all over?” Vince asked.
“Once what is all over?” I asked.
“This whole arrangement. I mean, it can’t last forever, can it? Are you just going to be that girl with four boyfriends—or four mates—until the end of time? Will you end up picking one of them in the end?”
I sighed. “I don’t know. Like I said, it’s all really complicated.” I hadn’t thought about how this all would end. “If they do all turn out to be my mates, then I won’t have much of a choice, right? Theo told me you’re basically tied and connected to your mate for life.”
“I mean, yeah, pretty much,” Vince agreed with a nod. “So maybe think twice before kissing the other two.”
“What’s the difference?” Iris asked. “She already has two mates.”
“There is a very big difference between two and four,” Vince said.
“I know, but I mean it’s going to be complicated when there’s more than one, regardless. You might as well mate to all of them. Plus, that way nobody will feel left out. You don’t want to cause tension among the pack,” Iris said.
They went into a full-on heated debate about whether two or four was a better number of mates for me when there was a knock on the door to my dorm room.
As I opened the door, I fully expected to see Theo or one of the other Darken on the other side.
So, I was completely caught off-guard when it was the She-Wolves standing outside my door.
“Hey, are you Raven?” Jessica Davis, the Alpha of their pack, asked.
“Yeah,” I agreed with a nod.
“We have an invitation for you.” She handed an envelope to me. “Be there or be square,” she added, an almost threatening tone in her voice.
Then, without saying another word, she turned on her heel and walked away from me. The other girls followed after her.
As I closed the door, I wondered what the She-Wolves could have even been inviting me to.
“What is it?” Iris asked, obviously as curious as I was by their random drop-by and invitation.
“I guess we’re about to find out,” I replied as I tore open the envelope, which had my name written on the outside in swirly letters.
I read the words written on the invitation.
Congratulations! The She-Wolves pack is looking to expand, and you are being considered as a member.
The reason you have been chosen is because we believe your strength and abilities give you what it takes to be a She-Wolf. The She-Wolves have not added any new members outside of direct descendants of the founding members in more than 40 years, so please recognize what an honor it is that you have been hand-selected.
Our induction ceremony is going to be held on November 15th at 9 p.m. in the Dark Woods.
Once I finished reading, I handed the invitation to Iris. Vince read over her shoulder.
“Damn. They must really want you!” Vince said once he finished reading.
“Yeah, apparently,” I replied. Truthfully, I wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about this. “Why would they want me of all people?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Iris asked. “They must have somehow caught wind of the fact that you’re, like, crazy powerful. They want you to be a part of their pack so that you can make their pack more powerful.”
“Ugh.” I sighed, crumpling the invitation up.
“You’re not even going to think about it?” Vince asked with raised eyebrows.
“Nope. I’m not about to let them try to use me for my so-called powers,” I replied, shaking my head.
I may have been powerful, but I wasn’t about to let myself be used by just anyone. I didn’t even know these girls and they were trying to use my powers for themselves.
No, thank you.
Jessica’s threatening tone she’d used when giving me the invitation echoed in my mind. “Be there or be square.”
I got the feeling that they weren’t going to like the fact that I was going to be a no-show to their induction ceremony, but oh well.
***
On Monday, it fel
t like everything was back to normal again with the Darken. They stopped acting like I didn’t exist, and instead gave me tons of attention.
I felt so relieved. That, in itself, had been the best birthday gift (or fake birthday gift) ever. The last thing I needed to worry about was whether they were mad at me, on top of everything that I had just learned about myself and my parents.
The one thing that had changed? I felt like I was in constant need of both Aiden and Theo. Every moment that I wasn’t with them, my body just missed them.
The only good thing about all of this was that I least understood the reason why. I no longer had to feel like a weak, pathetic girl who was longing after a guy who she hadn’t known for very long. I was longing after both of them because we were connected in a way that could never be undone; our souls were permanently bound together. And I knew that they were longing for me, too.
I sometimes heard girls in my classes talking about how badly they wanted to find their mates. It boggled my mind that girls actually wanted this. The truth was that, as attracted as I was to both Theo and Aiden, life had been so much easier before these withdrawals became a part of my daily life.
But at the same time, my life would have been so lonely without having the Darken around.
I wasn’t sure what I would do if Vince was right. If I ended up mating with all of the Darken, life would be even more complicated. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to handle it physical or emotionally, but honestly?
There was no turning back now. I had agreed to be with all of the Darken, and that was what I really wanted.
***
On Friday morning, Iris and I headed for the track before classes started. We’d done this every morning for the past couple of weeks. Today, she hadn’t drank enough caffeine to wake up yet, so she was sitting on the sideline while I ran the mile.
I had really been working on my running times. I had gotten the amount of time I could run a mile in down to two minutes and thirty-seven seconds.