Misunderstanding His Mate

by Ezra Dawn

  Fated mates. I can’t believe it. I’d hoped but I would’ve settled for being Teague’s bond mate. Sure, I’d have worried about him eventually finding his fated mate but now I don’t have to. Teague is mine and only mine. No one will ever take him away from me or me from him. His fingers brush my cheek as he says, “What are you thinking about love?”

  “I’m thinking that I’m glad we’re fated mates. Now I don’t have to worry about someone taking you away from me.”

  “That would never happen.”

  “I know.” My words are stretched on a groan as his fingers find my prostate.

  He snickers and says, “Like that huh?”

  I nod.

  “Then you’ll like this even more.”

  In one fluid movement, his fingers disappear only to be replaced by his cock. His pierced cock. “Holy shit you’re pierced.”

  “Uh huh. It’s a recent thing.”

  He pulls back then thrusts in, causing me to groan. “Christ that feels good.”

  He winks at me and says, “It’s about to get even better.”

  With that statement, he picks up the pace, pounding into me like a piston. Each time his cock presses against my prostate I cry out like a man possessed. Who knew I’d be so loud? Teague seems to love it though. He’s gorgeous in the throes of passion. I’m so lucky, I get to see these expressions for the rest of my life.

  On one hard pass, I can’t help but shout, “Oh god! Teague!”

  He grins at me, “I love it when you say my name like that.”

  “Get used to it, babe, you’re going to be hearing it for a long, long time.”

  His eyes flash wolf as he leans in and whispers, “Looking forward to it.”

  It’s the only warning I get before he sinks his teeth into my neck causing my orgasm to swamp me suddenly. He swipes a shifted claw along the side of his neck drawing blood and I immediately close my mouth over it, sealing our bond. Teague shudders from the contact and warmth floods my insides as Teague finds his release.

  You’re mine now.

  Smiling at his voice in my head I respond.

  Always.

  Teague gently removes his teeth from my neck and seals the wound closed. He slips from me and climbs off the bed. As he makes his way towards the bathroom he looks over his shoulder at me and says, “Shower with me?”

  Jumping off the bed I follow him into the bathroom where we get dirtier before we get clean.

  The next morning, I wake up with Teague plastered to me like an octopus. He has one leg draped across my hip, an arm thrown across my chest, and his face is pressed against my neck. The feeling is exquisite but the pressing need of my bladder is preventing me from enjoying it any longer. Carefully, I slip out from under Teague and make my way towards the bathroom.

  Once I’ve finished doing my business I head back into the bedroom hoping Teague is still asleep so I can spend some more time snuggled up with him. My body however, has other ideas. Excruciating pain radiates down my back and I can’t stop myself from crying out. Teague jolts awake and races to my side as I collapse on the floor.

  He looks at me with a worried expression and says, “What’s wrong, love?”

  Gasping through the pain I manage to say, “It hurts. It really hurts.”

  Bones begin to break and Teague’s eyes widen. “Oh god love, you’re shifting. Don’t fight it okay? Let it come. I know it hurts but you can’t fight it.”

  I nod and try not to scream as more pain shoots through my body. After what seems like forever, it stops and I’m lying in Teague’s lap panting as he runs his fingers through my fur. Fur, now there’s a thought. I didn’t shift when I hit puberty so I never thought I would. Guess I was wrong.

  What’s that rumbling noise? Is that me making that noise? What the fuck? I’m purring? Yep, I’m totally purring.

  Teague looks at me with awe in his eyes and says, “You’re so gorgeous love. I know your father is a cougar but I never expected this. He’s going to shit when he sees you.”

  Why?

  He smiles and says, “Because love, you’re a black panther. They’re extremely rare.”

  Oh. Do you think he’ll be mad?

  Teague shakes his head. “No love. I think he’ll be proud. Now, do you think you could shift back for me?”

  But it hurt so much the first time.

  He strokes my fur and says, “I know love but it gets easier I promise. Once you’ve gotten the hang of it there’ll be no pain at all.”

  Promise?

  “Promise.”

  Okay.

  Concentrating on my human self I begin to shift. It doesn’t take as long as it did the first time and when I’m finally human again everything is different. I can hear things I didn’t before, smell things I didn’t before. Oh my god, how did I miss that?!

  Pulling Teague in close I bury my nose into his neck and sniff. “Oh god, you smell fantastic. Like sour apples and the original bubble tape bubble gum.”

  I push him onto his back and begin my assault. Now that I’ve shifted, I can feel my panther at the back of my mind and he’s pushing me to claim our mate just as he claimed us. To mark him on the inside as well as the outside.

  Teague groans as I move my assault to his nipples. “Let’s move. Please love. The bed is right there and I really don’t want carpet burns on my back.”

  I nod and stand up pulling him with me only to push him down again so he flops back onto the bed. Crawling up the bed I position myself between his legs and wrap my lips around his cock. Teague throws his head back and groans. “Fuck, Roman!”

  Reaching out I grab the lube from under the pillow where we stashed it last night and pour some into my hand. Rubbing some around his hole I insert a finger and begin to stretch him while I suck him off. By the time I’ve gotten him fully stretched he’s gripping my hair tightly in his fists as he thrusts his hips. “God baby, I’m so close but I don’t want to come yet; not until you’re inside me.”

  I pull off his cock and move up the bed positioning myself at his entrance. He’s got my hair in a death grip but I don’t mind. I like it when he hangs on like that. Pressing my lips to his in a soft kiss, I thrust inside of him on a single stroke.

  I wonder if I should tell him. I wonder how he’d feel if he knew. As he removes his teeth from my neck and begins to seal the wound I kiss his neck and say, “Thank you.”

  He looks down at me and says, “For what?”

  “For being my first and only.”

  His mouth drops open in shock. “You mean you’ve never?”

  I shake my head. “Last night was the first time.”

  “You knew what you were doing though.”

  I shrug. “I’ve watched a lot of porn.”

  “Not to be rude but why haven’t you been with anyone?”

  “I’ve known you were my mate since I was fifteen, love. The thought of being with anyone else other than you made me ill. So, I waited. I’m glad I did. Nothing could’ve compared to what we have.”

  His eyes water and he says, “Oh sweetheart. I should’ve told you how I felt a lot sooner. How many years did we miss out on?”

  “A few but we have the entire future ahead of us.”

  He nods. “That we do.”

  “Now about this bonding ceremony you mentioned. When was it supposed to take place?”

  “This weekend why?”

  “Because we’re doing it.”

  His eyes widen. “We don’t have to. We’re mated and that’s enough for me.”

  “You planned this ceremony and we’re going through with it. I want everyone to know you’re mine.”

  He smiles and says, “Okay sweetheart.”

  The doorbell begins to ring furiously and only one person in my family would do that. Renee. Groaning I say, “That’s probably my sister.”

  Roman’s face pales and he says, “Oh shit. I forgot to call her.”

  Laughing I say, “Well then, we better go greet her.”

 
Climbing out of bed I pull on my black silk robe and turn to Roman. “I have more robes in the closet if you want to grab one.”

  He shakes his head as he pulls on his jeans. I make my way down the stairs with Roman following close behind. The doorbell still furiously ringing.

  “Hold your horses!!! We’re coming!!”

  I swing open the front door and find Renee standing on the other side. She sniffs the air and her eyes widen. “Oh my god! I’m so happy for you two!!” She engulfs us both in a bone crushing hug and says, “Now I see why you didn’t call. I apologize if I interrupted you guys.”

  I wave a hand at her. “It’s fine. We needed to pull ourselves from the bedroom anyways. I’ve got to call my boss and make sure I can get my job back since yesterday should’ve been my last day and Roman needs to call his dad and tell him he shifted.”

  Renee’s eyes widen and she turns to Roman. “You shifted?”

  He nods. “It hurt like a motherfucker but yeah I did.”

  She smiles. “That’s great!!”

  I open the door wider and say, “Why don’t you come inside?”

  She shakes her head and says, “No thanks little bro. I have to get to work. I just stopped by to check on you two.”

  She turns around and heads towards her car. We wait until she’s driving away before we go back inside. Roman goes into the kitchen and starts pulling out ingredients for breakfast. I follow and start the coffee maker. Grabbing the land line from its cradle I dial Vic’s number and wait.

  He answers groggily, “Hello?”

  “Hey Vic, it’s Teague.”

  “What’s up man? You find a new place yet?”

  “Actually, I never left. Things changed and I called to see if I still had a job.”

  “Of course, man. I was hoping you’d change your mind about leaving. You’re one of my best guys and I hated losing you.”

  “Well now you don’t have to.”

  “So, what changed?”

  “Roman. He came by last night, told me some things and well, we mated.”

  “No shit? Congrats man. Take the week, I know all newly mated pairs need some time to get acclimated so I’ll see you back in the shop next week.”

  “See you then. Thanks Vic.”

  “No problem.”

  I hang up the phone and pour myself a cup of coffee. Roman wraps his arms around my waist and says, “Still got your job?”

  “Yeah. I’m officially on leave to get acclimated with my new mate.” I waggle my eyebrows at him for emphasis.

  He laughs and says, “Sounds hot. Breakfast is ready. I just whipped up a couple omelets.”

  “Sounds tasty. Let’s eat and then you can call your dad.”

  “Okay.”

  We move to the breakfast bar to eat. Damn, I forgot how great a cook my mate is. These omelets are absolutely tantalizing. I’ll have to keep the kitchen stocked with ingredients so my man can make whatever he wants.

  After breakfast, Teague heads upstairs to shower and I use the land line to call my dad. He’s probably spitting tacks right now since I didn’t show up for work this morning. I’m one of the few sheriff’s deputies he’s got. Rockydale might be a small town but it’s filled with paranormals and since there’s no established pack, pride, or coven in the area some of these guys tend to run rampant. Which is where my father comes in. As the sheriff of a paranormal town, anyone who breaks the laws has to answer to the council directly. It’s just the way things are.

  When no one picks up at home, I know my father has already left for work. My parents weren’t fated mates so when my mother met hers a few years ago my father stepped aside so she could experience that happiness. My mother now lives in Coal Springs with her mate and we visit on the holidays. I hope my dad finds his mate too.

  Dialing the number to his office I wait for the scathing lecture I’m about to receive.

  “Sheriff’s office this is Joanna. How may I help you?”

  “Can I speak to the sheriff?”

  “I’ll put you through now.”

  A few seconds later, my father’s gruff voice comes over the line. “Sheriff Johnson speaking, how can I help you?”

  “Hi dad.”

  “Roman! Where in the hell are you?! You should’ve been in this office an hour ago!”

  “I apologize for that dad but I need some time off.”

  “Time off? Are you kidding me? You don’t show up for work and then you ask me for time off?! What has gotten into you boy?”

  “Well, I figured out that plan Renee came up with for me to win Teague over was the stupidest idea ever created. Turns out we’re fated mates and I didn’t even know it. What else is there? Oh, I shifted last night. Hurt like a bitch too. For a minute there I thought I was dying. So, yeah, I need some time off since I’m newly mated and also new to shifting.”

  “Are you done?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll give you a week off. Make sure Teague teaches you how to control your shift. Congratulations on your mating, son. Oh, and don’t forget to call your mother.”

  I roll my eyes, “I won’t. Oh, by the way, dad. My animal form is a black panther.”

  “You’re a what?!!!”

  “A black panther.”

  “I’m coming over right now. Are you at Teague’s?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

  He hangs up the phone and I stare at it wondering what the hell just happened.

  Five minutes later there’s a knock at the door.

  I open it to find my father on the other side. “I thought you said ten minutes.”

  He shrugs. “I had to account for traffic.”

  “Dad. There’s never any traffic this early.”

  He waves me off and I close the door.

  We walk into the living room and he says, “Show me.”

  “What?”

  “Show me your animal form. I need to see it for myself.”

  I shrug and say, “Okay.”

  Kicking off my jeans, I initiate my shift and shake out my fur once it’s complete. I take a moment to stretch before shifting back. Teague was right, it does get easier.

  My father looks at me in shock. “Your grandfather is going to shit kittens. There hasn’t been a black panther in our family line in over eight hundred years. We thought the gene had disappeared.”

  “What’s the big deal about it?”

  “Black panthers are different. They have unique abilities. They’re stronger, faster, have better senses and they live longer than regular shifters by a few centuries.”

  “Unique abilities? Like what?”

  “It’s kind of like magic. Granted you’ll never be as strong as a traditional warlock but you can cast minor spells. They’ll do in a pinch especially if you need a quick defense. Because of these abilities, black panthers only pop-up in certain families who carry the black panther gene once every hundred years. At least, that’s how it’s supposed to go, sometimes the gene gets snuffed out due to mixed matings or it just lies dormant and never activates. You not shifting should’ve been a clear sign as to what you are. Most dormant genes will activate in the presence of a mate. If not before the claiming, then after.”

  “Ookay…”

  “Your grandfather can explain it to you in more detail or you can talk to Tiberius the local warlock and have him teach you a few things regarding spells. However, I’m not sure Tiberius will be able to tell you much about the history of black panthers so you may have to talk to your grandfather about that one but Tiberius is one of the most powerful warlocks around and he can definitely help you with some minor spells.” “Thanks dad, I’ll talk to both of them.”

  ”

  He pats me on the shoulder and says, “Well I’ve got to get back to work. Say hi to Teague for me.”

  “Will do.”

  He walks out the front door and I make my way into the kitchen once more. Time to call my mother.

  I make my way dow
n the stairs, towel drying my hair as I go. I took a bit longer in the shower than I probably should’ve but I wanted to give my mate plenty of time to make his phone call. If I hoped he’d end the call quickly and come join me well, no one has to know about it but me. Damn, I probably should’ve held off on taking a shower. Roman still smells like sex and us and it’s fucking delicious. Yep, should’ve waited on that shower. I’ve got a feeling I’m about to get dirty again.

  Sneaking up behind him, I wrap my arms around his waist and press my nose against his neck, inhaling his scent.

  He groans and says, “God baby, we can’t. Not right now.”

  I lick the side of his neck and gently bite his ear. “Why not?”

  “I have to call my mother and my grandfather, then we have to go to my apartment and get my stuff. Then I have to go meet with the local warlock because my dad says as a black panther I have magical abilities. If I let you drag me back to bed now, it’ll never get done.”

  “I suppose you’re right but when we get back all bets are off.”

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way. Better call my mom first before my dad does and she chews me out for not telling her before he did.”

  I laugh and say, “Yeah, you might want to do that. We’ll head to your place after.”

  He nods and I move to sit at the breakfast bar while he makes his call.

  He sits across from me and dials the number on the land line.

  With my heightened sense of hearing, I can hear every word being said.

  A man’s voice comes across the line. “Hello?”

  Roman says, “Hey Jerry, it’s Roman. Is my mom home?”

  “Roman! How are you?”

  “I’m good Jerry. How are you?”

  “I’m doing fine. Your mom went to the grocery store but she should be back any minute now.”

  “I could try her on her cell phone.”

  Jerry says, “No need for that, I believe she just pulled into the driveway. I’ll take the phone out to her.”

  There’s movement, a door opens, and Jerry shouts, “Honey! Roman’s on the phone for you! Leave the bags, I’ll get them.”

  A few seconds later his mom comes across the line. “Roman sweetie! How are you? It’s been too long since you called.”