Chapter 4

Bastian

Running with our members is one of my lion's favorite things to do, so I'm beyond frustrated that he's being so pissy. I find myself wrestling for control multiple times just to stop him from ending the run early and going back to the house.

I reach the fallen log we always end at and sit, waiting for the pride to file by. Tom runs by, chuffing a greeting, before trotting across the yard back to his pit. Mary and the boys continue their game of tag, drawing my attention to a lone figure hovering around the Walkers' pit as he tries desperately not to watch the shifters dress.

My lion pushes at me again, wanting to meet the mystery man, though obviously I can guess that this is the elusive Theo. I don't know what I was expecting, but he's absolutely breathtaking. I allow myself to follow my lion's urges and lope toward him.

Halfway to Tom, I catch Theo's scent of vanilla bean and freshly cut wood. My heart rate picks up, and although I don't need my lion's confirmation, his rumble of longing and certainty cements what my soul is telling me. Theo is my mate. My lion's recent behavior definitely makes more sense now.

I shake out my mane, letting my lion preen under our mate's gaze. He looks nervous, and I wish I could slow my steps, but my animal has reached his limit and doesn't stop until he's close to nuzzling our mate's chest.

With one last noise of excitement from my lion, I'm able to snag control and shift. Once on two legs I realize Theo's gaze hasn't left my now fully erect cock.

"My eyes are up here, beautiful." I try not to laugh.

"Hi. Theo . . . I'm . . . That's my name?" He shakes his head and starts again. "I'm Theo."

I lose the battle to keep my laughter inside, chuckling at his adorable introduction. "It's such a pleasure to meet you, Theo. I'm Sebastian. You can call me Bastian, or whatever you'd like."

Before Theo can respond, Cole interrupts. "Alpha, here are your clothes. Do you need me to continue to entertain the prospective alpha mates, or will you be joining them?"

My eyes widen as I take in the insecurities and pain on Theo's face. He looks ready to bolt. I want to strangle Cole for his thoughtless words. He knows damned well none of those shifters is my mate.

"No! No. Please, Theo. Don't go. I can explain. Please."

I snatch the pants from Cole's hands and hurry to dress. "I already told them that no one they sent today is my fated mate and that I'm not going to settle for less than my perfect match, no matter how much connecting with another pack would seem beneficial on paper. The other packs know this, but they won't stop sending potentials, and I have no idea why. Some of them I"ve even met before, so they already knew I wouldn"t choose them. I will only claim my fated mate."

No understanding seems to have dawned, so I continue in a whisper. "I will only ever claim you, Theo. That is, if you'll have me."

Mary asks me to confirm, so I give a small nod, but the longer Theo just stands there, staring at me, the more I start to panic. I scent him deeply, trying to get a clue as to where his mind is with all this. There are a bunch of emotions, but my lion locks on the lust and won't let go. If he desires me, maybe we still have a chance.

"Damn, Theo, say something!" my gamma snaps, elbowing him. I growl, not liking the action or tone Cole has taken with my mate. I try to smile at him reassuringly, but it slips when he asks me to show him somewhere private.

The only place we can go is in the house, so I offer him my hand, holding my breath until his soft palm meets mine.

My lion immediately chuffs happily inside of me, content now that we are touching our mate. Theo squeezes my hand and smiles sweetly as I turn to lead us back to the house.

I would normally be mingling with the pride after our run, but I don't think I could stand to wait that long to get my mate alone, anyway, so I'm glad he suggested privacy, even if it means he's letting me down gently. A fissure of worry wiggles its way through me, but my lion ignores my human doubts, practically rolling over to show our mate his belly.

We reach the house, and I continue to weave us deeper inside, heading for the second floor since it's the only place off-limits to the entire pride. At the top of the stairs, I hesitate, not wanting him to think I'm just dragging him off to bed. Make no mistake, I absolutely would ravish my mate if he gave me the smallest indication, but until then I don't want to make it seem as if I just want to get him into bed.

"Bastian? Is something wrong?" His voice is filled with concern and some confusion.

"I, uh—I want to take you to my rooms. They"re private, and honestly I want them to smell like you, but I don't want to make assumptions or make you uncomfortable."

He pulls his lips between his teeth, flattening them as he tries to hide his smile. "Do you have seating somewhere in there? If I get too close to your bed, I might end up jumping you,but I think we need to talk a little first, don't ya think?"

"There are a couple chairs in front of the fireplace. It's not ready to be lit or anything, and I'm pretty sure there are some dishes on the desk in there. I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting—"

"Obviously you weren't expecting your mate to show up randomly at your pack, ahem, pride run, Bastian. I don't care about a little mess. I mean, I'm not the tidiest guy, either, so I won't judge you for not mopping every day."

I grimace. "I have a pride member who cleans a few times a week. I honestly don't have time for anything more than tidying, but I haven't been doing the best job of that either." I relax a little when his only response is a soft laugh and a nudge.

Opening the door to my rooms, I keep his hand in mine as I pull him into the living area. Someone before me had knocked down a wall and made two rooms into one, allowing for a living area and larger bathroom to be added to the master suite. I applaud their decision because it"s the perfect place to retire at the end of the night, whether it is strictly for sleeping or if you need to wind down beforehand. It"s obviously set up for a couple, with two of everything in each area. One of the walk-in closets is definitely bigger than the other, but its long shelves sit empty. I didn"t know if my mate would be into clothing or fashion, and I wanted to keep the bigger one open for them.

We settle on the loveseat, facing each other, our shins pressing together as the cushions sag under our combined weight. My mind races, trying to find the best way to approach the conversation I"m not sure I want to have. He called himself my mate earlier, but that doesn"t mean he will accept me and, by default, my pride. Becoming an alpha mate is a big deal, and as a human, he may not want that type of invasive responsibility.

"Hey, it"ll be okay." He pats my free arm, drawing my attention. He has such beautiful blue eyes.

I cough and center myself. "You asked if we could talk . . . Did you mean in general or do you want to cover something specific? I"m sure you have plenty of questions, and I will answer them happily. I just don't want to overload you with information you aren't looking for yet."

"Well, I"d like to start with us being mates? That"s kind of a huge deal. Are you happy to have found your mate? I know every shifter I"ve talked to has been almost reverent about fated mates, but I don"t know if that was something you were looking for or if I just fell into your lap and took your choice away?" I must look horrified, because he stops talking.

"No, quite the opposite. I"ve been searching for you for a long time, Theo. I"m a rare shifter to have been born of fated mates who were each born of fated mates. The type of love and devotion I grew up seeing is the only thing I"ve craved in a relationship. I"m not going to lie to you and say I"ve been a monk, but I haven"t gone into any relationship thinking it would last or gotten too emotionally invested. I knew my mate was out there somewhere and hoped he would look past my, well, past and understand the need for companionship once in a while."

"I won"t begrudge you your sexual history, Bas. You had no idea when or even if you would meet me. I promise I understand. I don"t want to hear a damned word about them past this conversation, though, unless I am going to meet them. I don"t want to be blindsided. Now that I know who you are to me, I find I"m incredibly possessive. That"s not like me, so I assume it"s a mates thing?"

I give what I know is a wicked grin. "It is. We will both be pretty irrational until I"ve claimed you. My lion is preening at the thought of you being possessive, so I"m not sure I"d mind if you were jealous over me, even afterward, but I don"t think you"ll like feeling that way, so I won't do anything to invoke that response on purpose. That being said, feel free to stake your claim on me anytime, anywhere."

Just the thought of his blue eyes flashing with possession and lust has my cock twitching in my pants. Don"t come. Don"t come.

"Anytime, really? Even if you"re in a meeting with other leaders? How about a conference call and I want to stake my claim in your office right where they can see or hear us?" His voice is sinful and mischievous. I groan at the visual and breathe a little heavier as my erection threatens to bust through the fabric trying so hard to restrain it.