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Chapter 8: Mates
Alex rushed to her Christmas gift from Charles, her horse.
He was black with a splash of white on his nose.
She named him Midnight.
Anna taught her how to ride, so she was quite good by now.
She saddled Midnight and climbed on his back.
She rode for hours but that didn't make her feel much better, so she changed and run as a wolf in to the woods.
'it's late, come back and let's talk, I didn't mean to hurt you,'
She could hear him in her head, but she didn't want to talk with him.
Why isn't she good enough for him? He said he will have to find a mate eventually, so why not her? What's wrong with her?
She whined to the wind and ran deeper in to the woods.
It was the next day and Alex hasn't come back yet.
Bran called Asil to come.
"Good morning, what's going on?" asked Asil.
"Good morning. Alex had a talk with my wolf yesterday,"
Asil stared at him.
"Your wolf doesn't talk," said Asil.
"Well, since he and her wolf want each other, I guess he though she should know that, because she is too small to know how to listen to her wolf,"
"Oh. I told her something similar once,"
"I know," groaned Bran.
"But you told her she can't be your mate and she was hurt," said Asil.
"I don't get it,"
"Really? You don't get it? You had Leah as a mate for a long time, an awful mate bond, and even more awful wolf," started Asil.
"Stop growling at me and let me get to the point. What does she supposed to think when you reject her, other than that she is not good enough? That she is worse than Leah, because you chose to be with Leah for years and you rejected Alex right away,"
"She is too young, as a human and as a wolf, to be the Marrok's mate? At that age?"
Asil looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Leah was stupid and shallow, Alex has 180 IQ, and you have the best relationship with her, I only saw you like this with another wolf when it's one of your sons," said Asil.
"I can't, the reason I took Leah, was because I knew I could never love her, Alex is sweet, and loveable, if I have her as a mate and lose her, I wouldn't survive this time,"
Asil looked at him.
"Here is a thought, if you don't take her, I will, who knows, maybe a mate will make me more stable,"
Bran growled, and his power threw Asil to the floor.
Asil chuckled.
"Alex is mine. No one can have her," growled Bran.
"That's what I was saying, old bard. She is already yours; she is yours since her first day here," said Asil when Bran released him.
"Coyote sent her here on purpose, he changed the balance,"
"If this Coyote guy is anything like your little coyote, that was his all point," said Asil.
"Maybe," said Bran.
Alex opened her eyes. She slept curled on the ground all night.
"Good morning little wolf, it's time to go back to your old wolf, he got his mistake, he knows that you two belong with each other, come along," said Coyote.
Alex followed him to her house.
Coyote knocked on Alex's door and she walked in as Asil opened it.
She was staring at Bran.
"What do you think? Is she going to eat him? I am Asil, by the way," he offered him his hand.
"Coyote, and she will lick him," he shook his hand.
Bran sat down on the couch waiting for Alex to follow.
She jumped on the couch and put her furry head on his lap.
Bran sank his face in her fur.
'sorry, I never meant to hurt you,'
Alex went upstairs, Bran opened her bedroom door.
"What's going on?" asked Coyote.
"She went to change back," said Bran, flinching to the sound of her little whines.
"Coyote," said Bran with a sigh.
"Yes,"
"Why did you send her here?"
"Well, you know that I met my cub-"
"Mercy is my cub," growled Bran.
"Fine, I can share. Anyway, I was watching her, the people in her life, people in general… stuff like that. Leah was… not good, for you or anyone else, and then I met the little wolf and liked her right away, and she seemed fit. But mostly, I did it because I was bored." He shrugged.
"Bran," called Alex just when Bran was about to jump on Coyote.
He looked at her, she seemed really tired.
His glare softened when he looked at her.
"Coyote is my friend," said Alex.
"You're too friendly," frowned Bran.
She kissed his nose and he closed his eyes and sighed.
"Cookies? Something to drink guys?" suggested Alex.
"No, thank you, we will leave, I think, Coyote?" said Asil.
"Sure, good bye little wolf, old wolf," said Coyote.
"Bye," said Alex and they left.
Alex huffed as she sat down on the couch.
Bran went to sit with her.
"I am graduating on Monday," said Alex.
"Congrats. Do you know what next?" asked Bran.
"You mean other than avoiding the mate issue?"
He chuckled, and changed position, putting his head in her lap.
She smiled and kissed his nose, passing her fingers through his sandy hair.
"Tell me," he said looking up at her.
"Tell you what?"
"Tell me what worries you about the whole issue,"
"I don't understand the issue for a start," she bit her lip, "I mean, in general, it's husband-wife relationship, right?"
"Yes, for a start. But it usually deeper, and it gives some special abilities, I could tell where Leah was, and she could tell where I was, but that was mostly it, for us,"
"That and the sex," she reminded him.
"And the sex," he rolled his eyes at her.
"For example, Charles and Anna can telepath with each other,"
"You already doing it with every wolf in the country,"
"I send, I can't receive," said Bran.
"Right."
"We can wait for a little while with all of that, we don't have to become mates immediately,"
She growled at him, "mine," and her eyes flashed.
"I didn't say otherwise,"
"Yes, you did. If we are not mates, it means that anyone can try her luck and have you,"
"My wolf already chose, I can try and go against him, but I wouldn't, basically because I chose the same," he grinned at her.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"You are scared," he frowned, "tell me, what scares you,"
She didn't say anything, just kept playing with his hair.
He took her hand and kissed her wrist.
She surprised him by leaning down and kissing his lips softly.
That action sparked something right away, and them both could feel it.
Alex pulled away looking in to his hazel eyes.
Bran sat up, and kissed her lips again, tasting, feeling, trying. She kissed him back, gently at first, warping her arms around him.
Bran tangled his fingers through her hair, pulling her closer, deepening the kiss. His tongue touched her lower lip, asking access in. Alex opened her mouth hesitantly. Bran's tongue got in her mouth, tangling with hers.
They kissed until they needed to take a breath.
Alex's cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright, so were Bran's.
He tilted his head at her in a wolfish gesture.
She warped her arms around his waist and put her head on his chest. Bran hugged her, resting his cheek on the top of her head.
Eventually Bran pulled her to lay down on the couch next to him, and they spent the morning napping together.
By noon, when they woke up, everything felt normal, they were acting as always, except for the stolen kisses.
On Monday, at her graduation ceremony, she could see the Cornicks in the crowd, but also Asil and Sage. For a moment, she though she saw Coyote from the corner of eye, but then she blinked, and he was gone.
After getting her diploma, she was hugged by all of them, keeping Bran for last. He held her tight when silent tears rolled down her cheeks.
In moments like this she missed her parents the most.
After the ceremony, they went to Bran's house for celebration party.
Like always, at some point of the evening, Alex found herself dancing with Bran.
'You o.k.?'
She just nodded.
He swirled her around and around, making her laugh.
'I love it when you laugh,'
She smiled and kissed his lips.
A whistle from Asil made her cheeks red.
Bran grinned at her, laughing happily, swirling her again.
"Dinner is ready," called Charles, smiling.
They sat to the table, to eat and laugh and talk the evening away.
It was one a.m. when Alex and Bran were left to themselves.
"Want to go home or sleep here?" asked Bran.
"Here?"
He chuckled, "you are asking or deciding?"
"Here," she grinned, and rushed up the stairs to one of the guestrooms. Bran was right behind her.
When he got in to the room, the first thing he noticed was shoes. She left them by the door.
Bran closed the door behind him, and tilted his head at Alex, that was crossed legged in the middle of the big bed.
Her eyes flashed for a moment.
Bran took his shoes off and climbed to the bed, sitting in front of her.
"We don't have to do anything," he said softly.
"I want to," she whispered, blushing.
He stroked her cheek, and just nodded.
He kissed her gently, while their clothes got off one by one. They made love slowly, lovingly, learning each other bodies, caressing and kissing.
As they fell asleep in bliss, they could feel the mate bond thick and strong.