A Wolf's Oath

by Alli, Jennifer T.

  “And I thought that we were friends, remember?”

  “I didn’t mean that.”

  This mate of mine sure likes to make things difficult doesn’t she? “So should I tell the children of your change of heart?”

  “Leave them out of this. They have nothing to do with you.”

  “They seem very important to you, who are they?”

  “Again that’s none of your business, please just leave.”

  “No.” His tone was unyielding as his resolved hardened. I have to have her for myself. She belongs with me. She’s my mate. His newly developed possessive streak had at first concerned him but the longer he spent in her presence the more justified he felt in having it. Others may try to take her from me and I can’t allow that to happen.

  “Sebastian, please, I’ve told you once before that I have nothing against you personally.”

  “Of course you don’t. You don’t even know me and for some strange reason you seem very against the very idea of doing so. Why is that Erica? Does your wolf have nothing to say on the matter? The instinct is never wrong, we’re meant to be together.”

  “What my wolf has to say to me isn’t your concern.”

  He laughed. “Ah so it has been saying something then? All good I hope.”

  Her wolf reaffirmed its presence in her mind, screaming so loudly that she if it had spoken the words aloud she was sure her ears would have been severely damaged. Want! Want! Want!

  Your vocabulary seems to have taken a turn for the worse since I met him. If that’s all you’ve got to say then be quiet.

  A moment of blessed silence passed before her wolf spoke up, its vocabulary having apparently made a miraculous recovery. Do I have to spell it out for you? I. Want. Him. And don’t try to lie to me; you want him too.

  I want nothing to do with him.

  I know you, I’m in your head remember? There is nothing that you can hide from me. He’s our mate. Accept it!

  If you know me so well then you should understand why I don’t want a mate.

  What happened then has nothing to do with now.

  There is no getting away from what happened, it affects everything.

  A warm hand against her scalp startled her out of her thoughts, hurtling her back to reality and the problems that accompanied it. While she and her wolf had been bickering Sebastian had closed the gap that separated them, invading her personal space and his rich scent now surrounded her, trying to lull her into a sense of security. Her body reacted as the instinct dictated, leaning towards him. Their bodies were now mere centimetres apart and as he spoke she could practically feel his voice rumbling through him, their chests almost meeting as they breathed.

  “Why did you do this to your hair?” He tugged at the knot that contained the wealth of her hair. “It looks much better when it’s down.” Her body was frozen as his surprisingly gentle hands began to unweave the knot that hid her hair from the sight of others. As the strands began to tumble down her back she jolted back into awareness, springing away from him.

  “What I do with my hair is none of your business. It is my hair,” she snapped.

  “Everything about you concerns me Erica, you’re my mate. I only want to care for you, love you.”

  “I’m capable of taking care of myself. I don’t need you to care for me.”

  “I want to. You cannot even begin to understand how I feel, how all males feel when they have not claimed a mate.”

  “No I can’t and I don’t want to either! I don’t know how many times I have to say this to you before you get the message, but hopefully this will be the last time. I want nothing to do with you.”

  Liar, her wolf remarked casually.

  Shut up.

  “Eric!” The loud call of her name diverted her attention from Sebastian and she watched as a group of four males began to approach them.

  “Are you ok?” One of the group hollered.

  “I’m fine.” She smiled, hands instantly reaching up to retie her hair now that people she knew had appeared.

  “We’re going to do some hunting, are you coming?” Another called.

  “Of course I’m coming, just give me a few minutes, I have a few things I need to do before I can leave.” And I want to have a talk with you Isaac, there’s no need for you to say things that worry Dylan and Wyatt.

  “Oi Eric, who is he?”

  All four eyes turned to regard Sebastian and he resisted the urge to squirm under their scrutiny, his normal nervousness returning in the presence of the strangers.

  “Don’t worry about him, he’s nobody.” She shrugged before seeing the small bodies of her siblings begin to approach. “Hey guys could you just look after Dylan and Wyatt for a minute. I’ll be right down, I just need to do one more thing up here and then we can head out.”

  “Are you sure you’ll be alright?” The group asked.

  “I’ll be fine, you worry too much besides its not like there’s anyone or anything up here that can hurt me.”

  Chapter Six

  Sebastian was seething inside, his mate’s calm dismissal of him had snapped something within him and fury coursed through his veins. The feeling of anger was a new sensation to him. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt angry with another person but he was coming to realise that his mate invoked many new emotions within him and not all of them were good. She was still standing close to him, waving to the group of males that she had so easily disregarded him in front of and his wolf decided to make it’s opinion on the matter known.

  She would choose them over us? I told you that there was another male involved.

  Be quiet.

  No. This is our mate and I won’t be silent until she has been claimed and I will do whatever is necessary to get us to that stage. To refuse our claim privately is one thing but this is another entirely. It’s obvious now why she refused our claim.

  And why is that?

  She’s involved with one of them, the wolf spat, eyeing their retreating bodies from within Sebastian's mind all the while wishing for release. Give me control for ten minutes; that’s all I need.

  I’ve told you before she isn’t involved with another. But I can’t just allow her to continue pretending that I’m not here. She needs to acknowledge us as her mate and others need to be aware of that as well.

  What do you plan to do?

  Turning he grabbed Erica by the wrists and pulled her close to his chest, locking his arms around her to ensure she couldn’t escape him. “Erica?”

  His voice was calm, friendly even but his ragged breaths and the rapid rise and fall of his chest told her he was anything but. “Let go of me Sebastian.” What if someone sees us like this, how on earth would I explain this to them?

  He ignored her question, nuzzling against her hair. “That was pretty rude what you just said, don’t you agree?”

  “It was the truth.” Liar. The word rang through her mind though she was unsure whether it came from her wolf or her own treacherous thoughts.

  He tutted, “We both know that isn’t true, even you know it’s a lie. I can smell you sweetheart.” His warm breaths fluttered over her ear as his head descended to rest in the curve of her neck, his lips moved gently against her skin as he spoke and she found herself reluctantly glorying in the sensation. “Why did you lie sweetheart? They’re going to find out about us eventually, it’s inevitable.”

  “I don’t want them to know Sebastian. Please just go, you don’t need me.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. You don’t understand just how much I need you. The world just isn’t the same without you with me. There’s a growing emptiness inside me that nothing else can fill. Yes, I was aware of it before, I knew that life could be better but that was just an idea, there was nothing to prove it until I met you. Now my thoughts are filled with you Erica, just being near you makes the world seem a better place, filled with endless possibilities. I want to have that feeling always and I know I could if you would just accept me
for what I am, your mate.”

  “I can’t Sebastian. I’m really sorry but I can’t accept anyone as a mate.”

  “Is it because of them?”

  “Who?”

  “Those men?” His jaw was clenched tightly as he spat the words.

  “Those guys?” She chuckled. “They’re just my friends, they have nothing to do with us.”

  “So there is an us then?”

  “No Sebastian, there isn’t.”

  His head lifted and their eyes met. “Yes Erica, there is.” The arms around her tightened as he put on a burst of speed, moving them to the tree on the top of the hill and pushing her back against it. “You’re my mate sweetheart and it’s about time you accepted that.”

  Before she could form a response, his head descended to hers and his lips captured her own. Though they had touched only a few times, she hadn’t expected the wave of desire that flooded her at the simple meeting of their lips. Groaning against his mouth, she found her mind become increasingly fuzzy. Her arms rose of their own volition, wrapping themselves around his neck as her body pressed closer. More. The insistent demand pulsed through his thoughts and he obeyed, the kiss becoming more fervent as he began to lose himself in his mate. As he nipped and sucked at her lower lip her mouth opened on a loud moan and his tongue took advantage of the movement, slipping inside to meet her own. Their tongues clashed as their bodies pushed closer to each other, silently demanding more contact. His lips left her mouth abruptly; trailing warm kisses down her face until he reached the smooth skin of her neck. Mine…and I want everyone to know it. His mouth moved slowly against her skin, his tongue gently licking her before his teeth bit down. The pain from the bite was unexpected as was her reaction as she moaned loudly, pleasure filling her as his mouth moved gently on her skin, his lips placing gentle kisses against the unseen mark before his tongue began licking her frantically, soothing the pain he had caused. Mine.

  Her body’s reaction to him confused her, her breasts were now heavy and aching for his touch, she could feel that between her thighs was damp and her skin felt too sensitive in his presence, aware of each small brush of his skin against her own. What’s wrong with me?

  We’re his mate. Our body is meant to react to him like this. There’s nothing wrong, her wolf supplied, its voice lazy and content as it savoured Sebastian's closeness.

  The warmth of his mouth left her skin and he took a step back, satisfied with simply watching her for the minute now that his mark was in place. “Erica,” he breathed, caressing her cheek gently. “I don’t want to have to fight you on this. Can’t you simply accept that we’re meant to be?”

  “No Sebastian, I can’t.”

  “And I can’t accept that we won’t be together. It seems that one of us is going to have to change their mind and that won’t be me Erica. I’ll leave you to go hunting and come back tomorrow.”

  “Is there anything I can do to make you change your mind? This isn’t going to work Sebastian. I can’t take a mate.”

  “I won’t change my mind about this sweetheart and you don’t have a choice in the matter of a mate, I’m already here.” Though it was almost physically painful, he turned to leave, walking down the path he had come. He refused to look back knowing that if he did he might not be willing to leave her. I’ve got to give her some space, some time to adjust and then she’ll see reason, he assured himself.

  He continued walking through the trees, content to restrict himself to a slow pace now that he had seen Erica and was assured of doing so again tomorrow. As he carried on walking in the direction of the royal estate he became aware that he was no longer alone on his journey. “Who’s there?” he called, stopping as he waited for someone to make themselves known.

  The sound of rustling greeted his demand and a tall man with shaggy brown hair stepped out from amidst the trees smiling widely at Sebastian. Instantly recognizing the man as one of Erica's friends his lips drew back in a snarl.

  I don’t like him, the wolf commented, eyeing the man with disgust. He’s too friendly with our mate.

  “Hello,” the stranger called. “I’m Isaac, one of Eric's friends.”

  “Yes, I saw.”

  “Who are you?”

  “I’m Sebastian. Why do you want to know?”

  “I just thought I should give you some advice about Eric.”

  A stranger knows more about my mate than I do, he groaned. “Advice?”

  “Yeah, you’re not from around here otherwise I’d know you and you’d know all about Eric. I’m guessing that you met her at that party Anna dragged her to.” Sebastian remained silent allowing Isaac to continue. “I saw her before she left and I knew something like this would happen. Eric has always been one of the guys so I tend to forget that she’s actually a woman but when I saw her that night… boy did I remember.” He whistled appreciatively.

  Kill him, his wolf advised. Kill him now before he speaks another word about our mate.

  He might have something useful to say, Sebastian reasoned. Let’s hear what he has to say and then decide whether or not to let him live.

  Unaware of Sebastian's inner turmoil Isaac continued. “I had a feeling that she’d attract some poor unknowing man and now I see that it’s true. Anyway my advise to you is to give up on Eric now. There’s no point in wasting your time, she’ll never go out with you.”

  “And why is that?” His jaw was clenched tight as he resisted the urge to attack the man in front of him.

  “Eric doesn’t view men in any other way than as friends.”

  He remembered the way that she had responded to his kiss, a small smile appearing on his face. Maybe he doesn’t know more about her than I do.

  “You’re not from this clan so you wouldn’t know. It’s not a secret.”

  “What isn’t?”

  “You might not have seen them but Eric has a little brother and sister.”

  “I saw them,” he remarked quietly.

  “Eric has been taking care of them since they were born because both her parents are dead. Her mother was killed by hunters about a year after the twins were born and her father…” Isaac trailed off.

  “Her father what?” Sebastian demanded taking a step forward.

  “Mated males don’t do well without their mates you know that.” Sebastian nodded. “Well her father took his own life not long after his wife died, leaving Eric alone with her siblings. She swore never to let a man close to her after that. She said it wasn’t worth the hassle and the strain it could leave on a family if he chose to take himself from the world. The one I feel bad for is her actual mate. She’d never let him near her. Even if she didn’t have her siblings to look after, she wouldn’t accept a mate in case he did exactly what her father did and left a family behind to fend for themselves. Poor guy whoever he is, maybe he’ll get lucky and won’t find her for a while. Who knows one day she might want to start a family. My guess though is probably not.”

  Thank you for your pity, he groaned. This is going to be even harder than I thought. It was bad enough when I thought she was just being difficult but now I know she actually has a reason for not wanting a mate.

  Are you saying your giving up? His wolf questioned.

  Sebastian smiled. Of course not, she’s our mate. We belong together. All I have to do is convince her of that.

  Chapter Seven

  Erica stood in the her bathroom in front of the small sink and with a flannel in her hand as she scrubbed frantically at her neck trying to remove Sebastian's mark from her skin. There was no visible sign that it was there but his scent surrounded her constantly, refusing to leave no matter how hard she washed. A full day had passed since Sebastian had kissed her senseless and branded her with his mark and the smell of him still refused to fade, being as stubborn as the man himself. She had called off the hunting trip with her friends from a distance not wanting them to smell him on her and know that despite all her efforts to the contrary, she had found a mate. Dylan and Wyatt were still
too young to understand what the strange scent following her meant as their experience with mating was extremely limited and she thanked God for small miracles. She continued to scrub harder at her skin, making the pale area turn an angry red for her efforts but his scent refused to fade. A knock at the door grabbed her attention for a moment but it quickly faded and she returned to the more important task of washing away any and all evidence of her mate’s existence.

  A small child opened the door for him and Sebastian smiled widely at him, determined to make a good impression on his mate’s family. They might be able to help me in the long run, he reasoned. “Hello.”

  Curious brown eyes watched him from the inside of the house, refusing to let him cross the threshold. “Who are you?”

  “I’m Erica's friend, I saw you yesterday do you remember?”

  He nodded before sniffing the air around Sebastian. “Erica smells like you,” he commented, his eyes wandering Sebastian's much taller frame as though searching for something.

  Sebastian’s smile faltered as he became increasingly uncomfortable, rubbing a large hand against the back of his neck in a nervous habit. I don’t think she wants them to know that we’re mates; otherwise she wouldn’t have introduced me as a friend yesterday. Now that I know why she doesn’t want to accept me I have to do everything I can to earn her trust. What should I do? he groaned.

  Lie, the wolf suggested calmly.

  You seem determined to turn me into a professional liar, Sebastian noted before turning his attention back to the young boy in front of him, his mind searching frantically for a plausible story. “Well yes, about that…”

  “Wyatt, who’s at the door?” Another voice called before a young girl appeared in the doorway saving Sebastian from a poor attempt to explain what had happened between him and their sister. “I remember you from yesterday, you’re Erica's new friend. Wyatt, you should invite people inside it’s rude to just leave them outside,” the newcomer scolded. “What would Erica say if she saw you? This is her friend remember?”