He trailed off, as if uncomfortable with finishing that phrase. “Look, how about this? Let’s start over. I’ll go now, give you some space and some time to think, to process all this. I’d like to get to know you better, your way, the human way. This is happening very fast for you, and I don’t want to scare you more than I already have.”
Despite himself, Ward nodded. “That sounds fair. I think... I need that, some hours to gather my thoughts.” Without the distracting presence that attracted him far too much for his comfort.
“Okay then. I’ll come back this evening if that’s all right with you?”
Ward assented once again. In the awkward silence that followed, Mathias took a step forward, finally invading Ward’s personal space. Ward was no slouch in the height department, but he still had to look up to meet Mathias’s gaze.
The werewolf—and oh God, would Ward ever get used to that thought?—was looking at him with a tender expression Ward couldn’t quite identify. Mathias leaned forward, and Ward held his breath, expecting to be kissed.
And Mathias did, indeed, kiss him, but not in any way Ward expected. He pressed his lips to Ward’s forehead in a tender peck, lingering ever so slightly, like Ward was precious to him. “Be safe,” he whispered as he pulled away.
Ward’s heart almost stopped, and he stood there like an idiot, watching Mathias. With one final look at him—still so gold—Mathias stepped out of the bedroom and left Ward’s view.
It was only when Ward heard the front door open and close that he snapped out of his trance. He dropped to his knees in the middle of his bedroom, completely drained of strength.
Tenderness, warmth, honesty. When had he last experienced that, and why did it shock him more than the werewolf thing? Could he trust it? Why did he even want to?
Burying his head in his hands, Ward thought about golden eyes and wondered what in the world he was going to do.
It was well into the later hours of the morning when Mathias arrived at the residence of the Lone Wolf Pack. He first ran into Finn, who was out on patrol in wolf form. Finn gave him a long look, and Mathias was reminded of his promise to look over Parker. Had it just been the night before? It seemed almost distant now.
Leaving aside his confusion, he couldn’t deny he felt impossibly happy to have found his mate. He realized things weren’t going to be easy, especially not since Ward was just recovering from a bad relationship. But Mathias was patient. He could wait. He’d take things slow, not pushing his mate or himself. He had no doubts when it came to the fact that Ward was his mate, but his experience with Will had taught him the value of being careful and not jumping into things, not matter how much he wanted to.
For the moment, he knocked at the door of the house, knowing Will and Jessie would most likely be waiting for him. His guess was proven half-correct. Will was indeed the one to let him in, but he said, “Jessie’s still resting. Come in. You should meet the rest of the pack.”
The house was even busier today than the night before. Other than the people Mathias had already met, he found five others, whom had all been mentioned in the previous conversation. He’d of course heard of the former silencer Erdi, who’d been talking to Saul when Mathias had come in, but stopped to analyze him with deep appraising eyes. Erdi’s mate had no such qualms. He greeted Mathias with obvious enthusiasm, which Mathias half-suspected was because he also carried a baby.
No wonder the Lone Wolf Pack was jumpy, what with so many children coming. Mathias wondered how Saul would react to the news of Ward being in town.
The other three members of the pack were human, Gavin’s mother and siblings. Mathias liked the children at once. The youngest, Jackie, was quite curious and didn’t bother to hide it. “Is it true that you can do magic? Like inLord of the Rings?”
“I can, yes,” Mathias replied. “That’s why I’m here.”
Jackie’s brother, Kyle, looked somewhat suspicious. “If you have magic, where’s your staff? Saruman and Gandalf both had it. And Sauron had the ring. Do you have a ring?”
“Err... No.” Mathias wondered how he’d gone from explaining his nature to his mate to doing the same thing with two human boys. “I channel magic through myself. I don’t need any additional items. It’s something that is connected to my nature.”
“So... You’re like... an elf?”
“I’m half-werewolf, half-Sidhe,” Mathias explained. “More of a... fairy than an elf, I suppose, although that’s not exactly accurate either.”
Jackie looked like he wanted to ask another question, but Will intervened. “Give me a moment, boys. I need a word with Matt.”
The children pouted, but Mathias went along with his friend’s request. He already suspected what it was that Will wanted to talk about.
Will stepped outside the cabin, guiding him to a nearby tree. He leaned against the tree trunk and arched a brow at Mathias. “You’re different today. I... I can’t quite put my finger on it, but something’s changed since last night. Are you okay?”
Mathias knew it was far too soon to celebrate or even understand the exact ramifications of what had just happened, but in past decades, Will had shared so much with him. He couldn’t stay quiet, not when he was practically bursting with emotion. “I found my mate.”
Judging by Will’s flabbergasted expression, the man would have expected anything but that. “What?”
“I sort of felt something strange ever since I entered Willow Cove. I blamed it on my frustration over you and Dean, and then Shannon’s power, but there was more to it. My mate is here. After all this time, I finally found him.”
“Are you sure, Matt?” Will frowned, his green eyes darkening in concern. “I don’t want you to... make any rash decisions.”
Mathias was well aware of how this might look, and it would probably not get any better once he explained the identity of his other half. This was why it was important for Will to understand everything from the get-go.
“First of all, I owe you an apology,” he said. “I know I apologized yesterday, but given recent developments, I think you deserve it even more.”