Chapter Seven

Cathy

After we sealed our mating bond I all but passed out in Atlas’s arms. I didn’t even know sex could be like that. The only other experience I had was fast and almost mechanical. There was no connection. Sex with Atlas was anything but perfunctory. It was emotional, extremely personal, and a little overwhelming.

He carried me to his bed afterward and held me tight all night long. Atlas woke me twice to fuck me again, rocking me to multiple orgasms each time. He knotted me each time and even marked me some more, making sure each mark would be visible when I was dressed. And then, he asked me to mark him somewhere visible in return.

I fell into a deep sleep in his arms and didn’t wake until well after the sun had risen.

Now I’m lying here alone in his bed, in his house, and I don’t have a fucking clue what to do with myself. My belongings haven’t arrived from the Clover pack yet, and Atlas destroyed everything I was wearing yesterday. Slipping from the bed, I decide to rummage through his dresser until I find a soft, heather gray t-shirt and slip it over my head. I head downstairs, hoping to find him somewhere in the house.

It doesn’t take me long to realize I am alone. What the fuck do I do now? And where the hell is my mate?

An idea pops into my head, and I make my way into the kitchen, digging in his pantry and fridge to find everything I need to make a decent breakfast. It’s a little bare, but I can make do with what he has. I cook up a storm. Pans on every burner. Pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs, and more.

“What is that smell?” Atlas asks the moment he walks in the door, and I smile shyly.

“Breakfast. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Fuck, no, I don’t mind, sweetness. But we may have to go shopping if you’re going to have anything to cook.”

“Yeah…” I chuckle. “I saw you don’t have a lot to work with. Sit.”

Atlas smiles at me before taking a seat at the kitchen island. I place a massive plate filled with a bit of everything in front of him and watch him lick his lips. I love that he digs in with gusto and moans around every bite. For any shifter, feeding your mate and having them enjoy it is very important. It’s the idea of nourishing them, taking care of them, that satisfies something deep within us. It’s primal and stupid but I can’t stop from smiling like a fucking fool.

“Coffee or juice?” I ask, turning away to hide my face.

“Juice, thanks,” Atlas replies around a mouthful of food.

I stand and nibble on a piece of bacon as I watch him eat, my hip resting against the counter.

“We need to talk.”

I don’t want to ruin the peace between us, but we don’t know anything about each other, so we need to work through quite a few things. Atlas looks at me with something akin to trepidation.

“Relax. I’m not going to run off, we just need to figure out a few things.” He nods slowly as he swallows, and I continue. “Are we going to live with your pack or mine? I know the packs are now merged for all intents and purposes, but do we even want to live with a pack? What about my job?”

“Job?” he sputters.

“Yes, Atlas. The place you met me two nights ago. My job.”

“You want to take your clothes off for other men?” He frowns angrily.

“Don’t be an asshole,” I bite back. “I want to continue dancing. I deserve to make my own choices even if I have a mate.”

“And I want you to have everything your heart desires,” he says darkly. “But I won’t be held responsible for my actions if another man looks at you, much less touches you.”

“Touches me?” What the fuck is he talking about?

Atlas shakes his head. “Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about. Remember I was in the private room with you. I had my hands all over you.”

My eyebrows shoot up into my hairline. “You don’t know a damn thing about me and yet you’re so easy to judge.”

“Am I wrong?”

“You don’t have any idea how wrong you are,” I lean across the counter getting into his space. “Do you know how a suppression patch works?”

“Explain it to me,” he snaps, his nose millimeters away from mine.

I feel my emotions welling up. I’ve always been a crier. Whenever I get frustrated or angry, I burst into tears. I can feel the burn of the tears waiting to fall from my eyes.

“I don’t feel our mate bond,” I whisper as the first tear falls. “I knew that night something was different about you, but it will take a couple of days for the patch to wear off and for me to fully experience everything. I’ve been letting you and your reactions to our bond lead me, trusting you. I have never let a man touch me at work, but I couldn’t keep myself from wanting your hands all over me. I didn’t know why I felt drawn to you, I just couldn’t help myself.”

“Cathy,” he says softly but I cut him off.

“Don’t. I don’t need your apologies, explanations, or excuses. But I do want you to understand that just because you’re my mate doesn’t mean you get to dictate my life. And you may want to get to know me a little better before you make assumptions.” I glare at him before adding my last thought. “And if you ever accuse me of being a whore again, I will fucking rip your throat out, mate or not.”

Turning away from him, I walk through a house that isn’t mine. I find myself upstairs in the bedroom we shared last night, staring at the bed I wished I stayed in this morning. Taking off his shirt, I make my way to the bathroom and slip into the shower, tears falling from my eyes for who knows what reason. Anger, frustration, desperation, sadness, all these emotions swirl inside me and I can’t seem to get ahold of any of them.

I do know that being smothered in his scent is only pissing me off. I need to wash him off me so I can breathe.

Moments later, arms envelop me from behind, holding me up as I break open. This isn’t the way I was hoping things would turn out. Finding my fated mate is supposed to be one of the happiest moments of my life. Now I’ve ruined it. We both have.

This is the downside to being mated to a stranger. We don’t know how to talk to each other. We are bound to step on each other’s toes a lot before we finally find our footing.

“Sweetness,” he murmurs, nuzzling my neck. “How about you and I start over?”

“What?” I hiccup through the tears.

“Let’s go on a date. Get to know one another. Take a week and make these important decisions together, after talking things through.”

I turn in his arms, disbelief clouding my judgment. It’s like he read my thoughts. But the moment I see the earnest expression on his face and the hope in his eyes, I know the truth. He really is trying and that’s all I can ask for.

Who knew an Alpha would be willing to make concessions? Certainly not me.