A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! Oh my gosh, the response from last chapter was just overwhelming! I am so glad you guys seem to have liked the mate twist. But, I know you want to get right into it, so I will stop babbling. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions.
Please let me know what you thought of chapter fifteen and be on the lookout for chapter sixteen soon!
From the moment that Theo captured her lips in a kiss, Hermione was able to think of little else. She couldn't even begin to comprehend what he meant about her being his mate and she certainly wasn't thinking about their unfinished conversation. The only thing that seemed to matter was the way his body pressed against her, the trace of his tongue along the seam of her lips. He didn't coax her into opening up to him, he demanded it.
Hermione was unable to stop her moan from bubbling up the moment that his tongue slid against hers. He brought one hand to her hip, holding her body more snuggly against his, not caring how obscenely he was pressed against her, too delirious from the feeling to care that she could very clearly feel how much she was affecting him. His other hand cradled the back of her head, long fingers tangling in her hair so that she was held just how he wanted.
Needing to get her hands on him, Hermione brought her hands up around his shoulders, her fingers tangling together behind his neck. She wanted him closer to her, but she didn't know how to make that happen. Luckily, Theo seemed to be intent on the same thing, his hands sliding up under the edge of her jumper, until his large hands were resting on the bare skin of her waist. His thumbs moved back and forth across her skin, sending shivers up her spine.
Pressing herself towards him, Hermione stumbled forward, not wanting to push him away, but rather to push him towards the more comfortable bed. It did not take long for him to understand what she wanted. Picking her up by her waist, Theo's lips never left her while he made the short walk to the bed, before depositing her down.
In the blink of an eye, he was on her once again. He gave her open mouthed kisses down the column of her neck, tugging down on her jumper to get access to more of her skin. Hermione felt dizzy and off-balance, feeling as if she could only be grounded by holding onto him. She wrapped her arms around him, her legs opening to cradle him. Greedily, she let her fingers trail up and down his back, hoping to fill out the mental picture of him that she'd had. She was intrigued by the lean muscle that she could feel.
She felt a zing of excitement when he gave a firm suck to her neck and an unbidden thought came over her. Was he trying to mark her? He'd said he was her mate, so didn't that mean that she was made for him? The idea was intoxicating and sent a surge of heat to the spot between her legs. Merlin, she wanted him closer. She wished that she didn't have her jeans on.
Using her hands to cup his jaw, Hermione pulled him up to kiss him again, wanting to feel even closer to him than before. He caught her lower lip between his teeth, giving her a little nip before invading her mouth again. She moaned, feeling his tongue tangling with hers once again, and she was positive that she could never get sick of kissing Theo. She felt as if she were being consumed by him, but she couldn't find it in herself to care.
Theo was a man possessed, singularly focused on making her body sing. He brought one large hand to trail down her side only to snake up under her jumper once again. He left it on the curve of her waist for a moment, letting Hermione bask in the feeling of the heat seeping into her body. She groaned, feeling his thumb moving back and forth, caressing her skin softly. Before long, though, he was no longer content just to keep his hand there. Cautiously, treating her as if she might bolt like some kind of wild animal, he let his hand wander further up, until he was cupping her breast.
Even though they were separated by the cotton material of her bra, Hermione was overwhelmed by the sensation. Arching her back, she sighed into him when he gave her an affectionate squeeze, her nipple hardening under the fabric. He must have felt her body's response to him, too, because in an instant, he was shuddering against her, as though he couldn't believe she was actually reacting this way.
He broke their kiss, his blue eyes staring into hers full of hunger. She was sure that her cheeks were flushed and she was gasping for air, lips swollen and kiss stung. Hermione would not relinquish her hold on him, and pulled him back down for another kiss, not wanting to stop what they had started. She couldn't find it in herself to be embarrassed about the way she was aching for him.
The Slytherin was easily coaxed into another kiss, his mouth fitting against hers perfectly, but it was over again all too soon. He pressed his face into the crook of her neck, breathing in deeply. Hermione wondered what it was about her scent that drew him in so much. Her heart was pounding against her ribcage, and she wondered if he could feel her heartbeat. She wondered if he could feel the way that he made her heart race.
Theo pulled away with a groan that sounded animalistic, more like a growl than anything else. Hermione wasn't ready for their needy explorations of one another to be over. "What?" she asked, her eyes focusing on his well-kissed lips. "Why did you stop?" It was the first words they had spoken since he revealed that she was his mate.
"Fucking Salazar, Hermione," he said, looking like he'd like to resume where they left off once again. "You have to leave. It's almost time." He sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed, looking as if he was too full of energy to sit still.
She found herself shaking her head. "There is no way for me to leave, Theo," she said, unwilling to leave his side so close to moonrise. "The warding is too good." She felt slightly drunk off of his kisses, and wanted nothing more than to pull him back on top of her.
"I don't want to hurt you," he whispered, his blue eyes boring into hers, looking incredibly guilty. It seemed like he wanted to say more, but he held himself back. She wondered how he thought he would be able to hurt her. Did he think his wolf would maul her, or was there something more serious at play? Did he think that he would hurt her emotionally?
Hermione shook her head back and forth, knowing that it wasn't possible. "You won't hurt me, Theo, I know it," she insisted, feeling a little bit like a broken record. She had no idea how to get him to stop panicking enough long enough to just listen to her. "Listen, you're taking wolfsbane, right? I figure Dumbledore wouldn't let you stay in the school if you weren't."
"Yes, I've been taking-"
"So then, see, you won't hurt me," she explained, hoping to get him to use reason to see through this issue. "Wolfsbane allows you to keep your mind through the transformation. So I know you won't hurt me, because, well, you don't want to hurt me right now do you?"
"Of course not," he snapped, irritated that such a thing could even be suggested. Theo ran his hand down his face. "Please, Hermione, I'm barely able to hold myself back around you already," he revealed, sounding sad. "But this close to moonrise, it's just torture to be so close to you and to know that...I just don't know if I will be able to control myself," he admitted, sounding ashamed.
"I didn't mind," she insisted, thinking that she might just go mad if she couldn't feel his lips on hers again. "The kissing, I mean," she added with a blush. "You have no idea how long I've wanted you to kiss me. Since that time in the broom closet. So, you don't have to hold back around me."
Her confession rendered Theo momentarily speechless, like he couldn't believe that she honestly might want to be with him, even though she'd just spent the better part of an hour rubbing herself up against him. His pupils were blown wide with desire, and he looked nearly about to give into her greedy hands before he blinked and cleared his mind. "You are taking this too well," he said, glumly. "You must not be thinking clearly."
"It's a shock, that's for sure," Hermione told him, really thinking about what he'd insisted for the first time. "And of course I have loads of questions...I suppose that I didn't know werewolves even had mates in the first place...and how do you know that it's me?" she rambled on, all of the unknowns sinking in for the first time. Shaking her head, she refocused on the task at hand - comforting Theo. "But, it's something that we can learn to work through. Together," she ended her sentence brightly.
Theo looked ready to argue with her, but then he groaned out in pain. Standing from the bed she was lounging on, he staggered. "Please, Hermione, go," he implored. "Moonrise-" he gasped out, unable to complete the thought as his transformation began.
Hermione was sure that she would never get used to seeing the transformation someone underwent when they began to morph into a werewolf. She had witnessed Remus's change twice, but knowing what was yet to come only made it seem more horrible. She felt even worse knowing that Theo was still so concerned about her presence in the room with her, thinking that he was going to hurt her. Wishing that she had thought about this before sneaking into his room, she tried to reassure him. "It's okay, Theo. I know you won't hurt me," she told him. "I'm your mate."
Despite all of his protestations, Hermione was positive that Theo wouldn't actually hurt her. She had already been positive that while on wolfsbane, he wouldn't want to attack her, but after learning that she was his mate as well, she knew that he wouldn't let harm come to her. She knew that she was probably safest in here with Theo at her side.
She tried not to let the sound of snapping bone and growing muscle frighten her too much. It seemed to go on for an eternity, but in the end, she knew that it was all said and done with in a matter of minutes. When it was all over, a beautiful dark wolf was looking up at her with knowing eyes.
Biting her lower lip, she hoped that Theo wouldn't be too cross with her in the morning. She had brought some chocolate with her, just to hopefully smooth things over. Lying back down on the bed, she gave a great yawn, surprised by how tired she suddenly felt. Rolling onto her side, she stared down at that wolf who looked thoroughly irritated with her. "Oh, please don't look at me like that," she said with a frown. "I know that it's still you in there, Theo."
He was not impressed.
Patting the bed beside her, she moved so that there would be room enough for the furry creature. "Come on," she encouraged. "There's room enough for both of us."
While he still seemed reluctant, he eventually jumped up onto the bed, before curling up in a ball. Hermione let her fingers run through his fur, giggling slightly when he snuffled at her, enjoying the sensation rather more than he wanted to. It was more than comfortable to lie there with him, knowing that it was still Theo inside the wolf's body. Feeling the warmth radiating from the large creature next to her, Hermione's eyes were quickly drooping shut in sleep.