Page 11 of Jared

“How, how do you know we're mates?” There, that is a sensible question, right? We only just met, so how does he know we're mates? And what does that mean exactly, anyway? Not like I can have puppies, eh?

“Your scent. See, like pure humans, we can form lasting relationships with people we find compatible. But we also have one person somewhere out in the world who can form a soul bond with us. We call those people True Mates, and the bond literally intertwines our very being with that person. You've heard of marriage making two people one?” Jared nodded, listening closely. “This is very much like that. Once bonded, True Mates can speak to each other mind to mind, feel what the other is feeling, and cannot bear to be parted for any long length of time. To aid us in finding that one in a billion fated match, nature gifted us with a special hint. All other persons carry their normal personal scent, but our Fated Mate will have a special additional scent that makes them irresistible to us. Only one's True Mate carries that scent, and only the other True Mate can smell it.”

“So, I have a scent that's just me, and everyone can smell that, but I also have a special magical scent only you can smell. Shouldn't you have one as well?”

“Yes, but you only have a human's senses and you probably can't scent my normal scent anyway. It's not like a cologne or anything. It's an underlying scent.”

“I see. That sounds reasonable- the bit about me not scenting you as I'm not a werewolf. The rest sounds like a fairy tale, but then before today, werewolves were a myth too, so I guess I'll have to give you the benefit of the doubt. But I'm not just some prize fate has handed you on a silver platter. I'm not going to marry you just because you saved me back there and carried me home as a trophy. I mean, I know I'm an ordinary guy living an unremarkable life, well up until now anyway, but it's my life and I should get to choose how I live it. You had a life before me, too, right? You might not even like me, and just be tricked into thinking you do because I smell delicious to you because of some genetic weirdness or something.”

Jared pulled away and Steve let him go. Standing up, Jared began to pace.

“I'm going to be one hundred percent honest here. Yesterday seems like a bad dream, almost like it happened to someone else. One moment I was laughing with people I thought were friends and walking to go grab a meal, and the next thing I know, wham! Everything turned topsy turvy and I was in bizarro land. Nice people became villains and my hero and his friends and even his Mom and Dad all turn out to be werewolves, and for all I know, next I'll have to clap my hands and shout that I believe in fairies. I just want to be normal again, for the world to be normal and makes sense.”

Jared stopped and stared blankly out the window.

Steve felt his heart sink. I hadn't expected him to just take it in stride or jump up and down and shout, “Yippee! I'm a wolf's True Mate, let's plan a wedding tomorrow!” or anything like that. This isn't what I was hoping for either, though. This sounds like rejection. Can't he just give us a chance?and as for the fairies... Steve mentally winced. One thing at a time. Just one thing.

“So, you want to be able to just go home and never see me or anyone else from the pack ever again?” he asked hoarsely.

“Yes-no, I don't know.” Jared raised his eyes to meet Steve's in the reflective surface of the window.

“I don't just think I like you and haven't fallen into insta-love because you smell like candy to me. I'm attracted to you, yes, but I helped you because it was the right thing to do for anybody. Your scent just makes my attraction to you stronger and if you'd let me, I'd like to get to know you.”

Jared turned around to face him. “You mean like, go on normal, human dates? Meet up for coffee? Go to the movies? That sort of thing?”

Steve smiled. “Well, yeah. Us wolves like a good latte as much as the next person, but it's hard to order one and get to drink it in our wolf form,” he teased.

Jared gave a snort. “Heh. True.”

“I'm serious. I'm a civilized man. I don't expect you to simply drop trou and mate me with me under a full moon just because you're my True Mate. If dating you is what it takes, then dating it is.”

“We have to have sex under a full moon?” Jared's eyes were large and round. Steve snickered. “Traditionally, when an alpha takes his True Mate? Yeah. We can talk about that later.”

“That'll be a no fucking way!”

“Do you always follow traditions?”

“What?”

“I said it was tradition, not that it had to be done that way. How about food and a movie?”

“Uh, yeah, I can do food and a movie. When? I'll have to check my work schedule.”

“You never ate the meal I sat out for you and you never got to go get dinner before. How about I warm it up and watch a film?”

“Now? Umm, sure, okay. Is everyone going to-” Jared's stomach let out a loud gurgle and he blushed.

“I best go get to it before you digest yourself,” Steve teased. “And everyone has gone home. It's just us. You can either stay or I can take you home after. It's no problem. “

“I, uh, can't take your bed,” Jared protested.

“It's okay,” Steve reassured him. “My wolf likes the idea of you sleeping there and besides, I can sleep on the sofa bed in my study. It's late as it is.”

Jared nodded. “Okay, I'll trust you on this. I mean, you wouldn't hurt your True Mate, right?”

“Never,” Steve whispered and turned to go warm Jared's meal.

Steve wondered just how he was going to pull this off. On the one hand, he rationally understood the need to approach his human mate softly, especially after everything he'd recently been through.