Samantha.
The car ride is akward and silent. You would have never thought an hour ago he asked me to be his "mate" and "Luna". I know he is thinking hard on how to make it a reality because we both know that so far, it is an empty promise. Everyone pretty much agreess it's impossible. His laws forbid my child living on their lands. The reason? I might never know. I never asked because I would never fight to be where my child is not wanted. I am not even sure I want Eli to find a way. I'm not sure if I want Eli. Physically, of course, he is by far the sexiest man I've ever met. If we would have met in a nightclub or party, I would have been down with a one night stand. However, my mind is at war with this bond. The reality is that I do not know this man, and he does not know me or my child. Apart from his looks, what if I don't like him? What if Alex doesn't like him? I have so many reasons to not get ahead of myself, but the stupid bond magic mate thingy is clearly messing with my ability to think properly. This is all moving too fast for me. We just met. But, I still can't push him away. It is confusing.
I am oddly comfortable sitting beside him in complete silence. The hours fly by, and soon, I drift off to sleep.
ELI.
The car ride is horrible. Even though Samantha is a lot calmer and relaxed enough to even fall asleep, I hate it. I know I am taking her further and further away from my pack, our pack. What is mine is hers, and I want her to share our bed every night. I don't say much to her during this ride, and I regret it. My mind is going faster than my car on the highway; which I'm driving a little under the speed limit to make our trip as long as possible. Fuck those who honk at me. They can drive through the rails and swim for all I care.
With the air on, her scent fills the car and fuels my desires. She is a goddess and smells so damn good as one too. I can tell she works hard every day. Her eyes are a little dark underneath, and her skin is a little pale, too pale for mid-August. Clearly, she needs to get out more. She is a single mom and works as well. She must be exhausted all the time.
I can't imagine how she became a single mother. She is so beautiful and no doubt she'd bare beautiful children too. That man is a freaking moron to let her go. But moron or not, he was able to capture her heart at one point and put his seed in her. That enraged me even though she wasn't mine at the time. The Moon Goddess made her for me, so in a sense, she was always mine. I'd kill him for tying himself to her that way; for tying himself to what's mine. But, they share a child together, so he is here to stay. Well, is he? She didn't say he was still around. Hopefully not.
...
We pull up to the bus stop where we first met. I rest back in my seat and stare at her. She is still sound asleep. I turn off the engine and reach over to touch her. I trail my finger across her jawline, which makes her hum again my touch.
"Wake up, sleeping beauty." I pat her cheek.
Her eyes flutter open, and she quickly sits up. She's probably embarrassed that she fell asleep.
"Wow, how long was I out?" She blushes as she wipes at her mouth, probably checking for drool. It makes me more aware of how plump and full her lips are.
"The whole ride.." I stare.
Soon, she notices me gawking, and she squirms in her seat. She awkwardly looks out the window.
"I didn't know where you lived." I motion to the bus stop. "So I figured I would leave you where I found you." I say with a forced smile.
She looks back at me and gives me a small tight smile in return.
We sit in silence. I don't want to say goodbye and her, I don't know. She is clearly thinking hard, though. Maybe she feels the same. I hope she does.
"I Sam-Uhm," she starts, then shakes her head and huffs.
"What?" I ask eagerly. My wolf is stiring inside of me. It almost sounded like she was going to reject me.
"Nothing." She smiles again. "Thanks for the ride."
She slowly opens the door and steps one foot out of the car. As she turns in the seat to climb out, I grab her elbow to stop her. She turns around with a gasp.
"Yes?" She asks, clearly flustered.
I reach into the glove compartment and pull out a small bag, and hand it to her.
She grabs it, and instead of letting it go, I hold it tight. She looks at me confused.
"Promise I will always find you here."
She hesitates first but nods. I let go of the bag, and she leaps out of the car.
"Take it easy." She mumbles, and with that, she is gone.
I watch her dash down about two blocks before she turns left down another, and I can't see her anymore. I want to turn the car around and chase after her. So I do.
I make a quick u-turn, which I'm sure was illegal and speed down the block. I turn left after her, but she is already gone. I stop in the middle of the street. She must live here in one of the many duplexes that line the block. I can easily get out of my car and sniff her out, but this is a human neighborhood. A grown man sniffing the air around people's homes? Yeah, serious sex offender vibes. Instead, I drive off. I feel like I'm leaving part of my soul behind.
I try to tell myself and my wolf we will come back for her. We know where she is. For now, that should be enough. Even though we both feel that it isn't. I feel my wolf bury himself away at the thought of leaving her, and I wish I was lucky enough to be able to do the same. I want to crawl into bed and forget about the pack and the businesses. I want to isolate myself and only focus on how I can be with my Luna. I mean, after kissing her, holding her, and catching her scent, it is going to take a mirical to make it home without turning back.
There has to be a way. I am not going to accept the fact that it is her or my pack.
...
I reach home in a decent time. We aren't that far out from the city by car, but with traffic, the trip can drag.
My wolf is pacing again. He has been since we reached the gates. I pull up to the garage, and as the door opens, I can already see mom standing there. I love her, but this is definitely not the time. Especially knowing all she's going to talk about is Samantha.
"Did you do it?" Of course, that's the first thing she asks me as soon as I open the door and my foot hits the ground.
"Mother, please." I pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to keep calm.
"Don't start that, Eli. This is important, I'm not asking you if you ate lunch... But while we are on the topic-"
I let out a short groan of frustration, and she crosses her arms tight against her chest.
"Mother, my wolf is stressed and anxious. I, too, am stressed. Can I just have some space. Please?... I just need to be alone right now and collect myself."
When I look at her, I can see the sadness in her eyes. I know she just cares about me and is making sure I'm ok. But, I'm not a pup anymore. I'm a damn alpha. I have to take care of myself and stop letting her interfere with my decisions. Especially personal ones. This is my mate. I have to slove this issue on my own or with Samantha. Her opinion is the only one that matters in this situation.
"I understand, son. Take all the time you need. Just know that I am here for you. If anyone understands the pain of losing a mate, it's me."
I grit my teeth. She's your mother Eli stay calm. I can't take much more of this.
"Thank you, Mother." I force out.
She stares at me curiously and expectantly. What the heck is she waiting for? I still don't want to talk to her. She is the last person I want a conversation with. Especially after how she treated my mate.
"Anything else?" I ask her, trying to mask the annoyance in my voice. It comes out sounding a bit rude. She's a little taken aback and I'm hoping she takes the hint to leave me alone.
"No. Well, goodnight." She takes a step forward towards me, but then suddenly turns abruptly and heads inside.She was probably coming for a goodnight hug and kiss on the cheek; our normal bedtime routine. I'm not in the mood tonight, and I'm glad she sensed that.
As soon as she disappears inside the packhouse, I finally close the car door with a slam.
Let me out. My wolf Merc growls inside.
"As much as I want to go for a run, I do not trust you." I push him to the back of my mind and head inside.
I know I won't be getting any sleep. Instead of bed, I head to the Librabry. I am going to figure this out.