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It was more than enough for Aubrey to act far too intimate with me than I was comfortable with in front of my mate, even if I’m not sure that I’ll be claiming Elodie as mine. She’s still human; that didn’t change overnight.
Elodie’s reaction to Aubrey’s display was a little surprising. It wasn’t just hurt on her face before she walked away from the table. There was pain there as well.
“You should have pushed Aubrey off our lap immediately,” my wolf snarls in my mind. He’s been on the edge of feral since Elodie walked away from us this morning and all of that vitriol has been directed at me. “Our mate was watching. She might not understand it, but she feels the bond and your inaction hurt her.”
“She’s still human,” I remind him, being as gentle as possible because he’s on edge and I’ll do pretty much anything to avoid the migraine I feel coming on because of his attitude. “I don’t know if I can claim her.”
Even as I say the words, a piercing pain shoots through my soul at the notion of not claiming my mate. It’s a reminder that the Moon Goddess does not take kindly to those who don’t appreciate her gifts; and our mates are one of her biggest gifts. Still, I’m not convinced that she didn’t get it wrong this time.
My wolf doesn’t dignify my words with a response. He simply howls in my mind. It tells me everything I need to know about how he feels about my unease at claiming a human and my treatment of Elodie.
I had a split second this morning at breakfast to make a decision about how to react to Aubrey’s behavior. It would have been easy to put her in her place, even if it would have been out of character for me. Instead, I chose to greet her how I normally would if my mate wasn’t sitting at the table with me.
“I’ll never forgive you if we lose her,” my wolf reiterates.
Maybe I made the wrong choice this morning. I’m sure there are people, like my parents, who are even more suspicious about what is going on. I noticed the way Elodie was rubbing her chest right over her heart. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who did.
I’m grateful Tilly took Elodie out on a tour. I’m sure it did her some good and it allowed me a little breathing room since the longer I sat near my mate, the more the instinct to claim her was becoming overwhelming. Her hibiscus and spun sugar scent was starting to seep into every fiber of my being.
“Because she’s our other half. She was made for us,” my wolf is not gentle as he tells me something I already know.
Once she was out of the dining hall, I gave Aubrey an indulgent grin which had her giggling and smiling. Internally I winced at the sound while wondering what my mate’s laugh sounded like. I doubt I’ll ever hear it now.
“Are you busy today?” Aubrey’s question was laced with inuendo as she continued to touch my arms and shoulders.
“Very,” I kept my tone neutral, “I’m behind on paperwork and can’t let it continue to pile up. I’ll be in my office working all day.”
Her voice dropped to a whisper, “Mind link me if you need a little stress relief.” She pouted, but it wasn’t fake, there was genuine concern in her expression, “You work too hard.”
“I won’t have time to see you today,” I dismissed her offer while keeping my words vague.
She glanced around at everyone else at the table and blushed when she noticed they were all watching us with various expressions on their faces. Mayer and Ivy were livid. My parents were suspicious with a side of disappointment.
I suspect they’ve already guessed that Elodie is my mate.
With a wink, Aubrey climbed off my lap and bounced away. She took my words at face value and that had me breathing out a sigh of relief. If it had been almost any other female, they would have demanded more information or for me to make firm plans with them.
Why the fuck did I spend so much time chasing females when I knew it wasn’t going to go anywhere?
“You were punishing our mate for not being dropped into your lap on your timeframe,” my wolf huffs.
I tilt my head back against my chair and take a deep breath while I think about my wolf’s explanation. It’s not often that he gets very deep considering his instincts are always right on the surface, but I wonder if he’s right on this one.
“I am,” he spits out. “I have access to all your thoughts and feelings. Don’t forget it,” he warns.
What he’s not saying is that he knows there is a part of me which is desperate for my mate, human or not. He’s not calling me out on it, yet. I know it’s just a matter of time.
“Maybe what happened this morning was for the best. It will put some distance between Elodie and me,” I murmur softly to myself.
The words don’t feel right, but logically I know they have merit. Part of me hates that Elodie saw another woman coming on to me and touching me.
“What if it was the other way around? What if there was someone flirting with our mate,” my wolf growls, “and you were forced to watch it?”
I growl so loud that the windows in my office shake.
“Yeah,” my wolf sounds smug as hell, “that’s what I thought. Can’t have it both ways.”
I’m about to argue with him but before I can the door to my office flies open to reveal a very pissed off Tilly. She’s breathing hard with her eyes narrowed as she stalks into the room. If it were possible, she would have steam coming out of her ears right now.
