Blake Sexy AF: Do you want to come to the packhouse? Happy to give you another birthday gift in my bed ;)
Me: No, packhouse is a bad idea. Can we go somewhere more private?
Blake Sexy AF: What about the party lake? I can have patrol avoid it tonight and we can be alone
Me: How soon can you get there?
Blake Sexy AF: I just have to finish up with something and I can be there in 20 mins
Me: Ok see you in 20
I changed out of my dress into jeans and a sweatshirt and threw my hair into a ponytail. I ran down the stairs, not even bothering to tell my parents that I was leaving, something I’d never dared to do before. I just didn’t have the energy to come up with some convoluted story of where I was going. Anyway, I was twenty now and well past the time I should still be asking my parents’ permission to do everything.
I jumped into my car and sped toward the lake at the outskirts of the pack territory. I had to park at the edge of the woods and make my way over by foot. Upon exiting the car, my night vision kicked in, allowing me to clearly see the path in the dark forest. I reached the clearing by the lake and sat down on a patch of grass, waiting for Blake to arrive. I saw that my parents were texting me asking where I went. I didn’t bother responding, knowing I’d get an earful whenever I finally returned home. Moments later, I felt my dad attempting to mindlink me, and blocked the connection. He was going to be pissed, but it seemed like small guppies compared to the tiger shark I had to fry now.
Before long, Blake appeared and sat down next to me. “I know I asked you to text me when you were ready to celebrate your birthday with me, but I didn’t think it would be so soon. Won’t lie though, if I knew I could celebrate with me and my body, I wouldn’t want to wait either.”
“This is serious,” I replied.
His eyes searched mine. “Tell me.”
“I found my mate.”
“You did? Why do you look so upset then? Where is he? And why are you with me instead of him right now?”
“My mate doesn’t want me.”
“I don’t believe that for a second. What kind of idiot wouldn’t want you?”
I choked out, “My mate is Luke.”
“Luke? Like my beta, Luke?”
“Yes.”
“Your mate’s my best friend and beta, Luke Hemming?”
“Yes.”
“Well, shit. That’s a plot twist.” He took a seat next to me, his shoulders slumping. “And you never realized he was your mate until today?”
I looked into his eyes, and if I didn’t know better, he almost seemed sad, his brows furrowed and the corners of his eyes downturned. “He left before I turned eighteen. Now that I think back, there were signs. I just didn’t realize what they meant at the time. Like, months before I turned eighteen, I thought he had gotten a new cologne. He always smelled so good! But I recently found out he doesn’t even wear cologne. And the night before he left for Quebec, he touched me—”
“He touched you?”
“Not sexually. In conversation, he would touch my leg or arm, and I felt this calm feeling being emitted from his hand. I thought I was just drunk. But when he touched me today, it was the same thing but so much stronger, like sparks.”
“So, what happened today? When did you figure it out?”
“When he came to my party. As soon as I looked in his eyes, I just had this feeling come over me, like we were meant to be together.”
“Damn.”
“Yeah, and when I asked him what now, he said he didn’t know. He didn’t say it, but I could tell that he didn’t want to leave Lucy for me.” Tears fell from my eyes, pained with the rejection from earlier.
Blake wrapped his arms around me, holding me against him, and I put my head against his chest. “Jasmine, don’t cry. It will be okay,” Blake whispered in my ear while he brushed his hand down the back of my head. After some time, he asked, “So, what did Luke say he was going to do?”
“He said he didn’t know and asked for time to decide.” I sniffled, my throat tight and lungs heavy, unable to shake the misery and helplessness. I lay against Blake’s warm body, feeling safe with his huge, muscular arms wrapped around me.