Chapter Ten

Aziz

"Would you take a walk with me?" I asked as a new sense of peace blanketed my consciousness. Jack was my mate. Not just my mate but my fated mate. My true mate. Bella and I had been betrothed since we were babies, but a soul mate preceded birth. It was said Fate chose our souls to be bound even before they graced this earth.

And now we were together.

"A walk?" Jack asked.

"Please." I heard my plea. I never pleaded with anyone.

Jack smiled. The movement reached right into my chest and revived my heart a little. "Bryant is with Pop-Tart. He'll be okay for a while, I suppose."

My cheeks pulled up in a smile of my own. "Thank you, mate." I tested out the word.

"You're welcome."

We left the omega house to the backyard where a sprawling bit of green forest beckoned me. I wanted to shift with him, but now wasn't the right time. We would eventually, but not today. "What do we do now?" I asked, desperate to reach for his hand but restraining myself.

"I'm not one to beat around the bush, Aziz. My wolf is crying out for you. Howling for his mate, but the human part is still very much hurt and a bit weary."

I did tangle my fingers with his this time. Our connection would soothe him. And after the way I'd treated him, no matter my excuses, he was a bit scarred. The shame I felt for inflicting damage to my fated mate twisted my gut. He'd been through so much before, and I had only added to it.

"I know you didn't do it on purpose, Aziz. I do." That balmed some of the guilt but only a fraction.

"I'm glad you know, but I'm sorry as hell for it."

He nodded. "We still haven't decided where we go from here." We found a bench in those woods. It was covered by leaves but, once I swept them away with my hand, a lovely little sitting area emerged. "Thank you," he muttered and sat down.

Jack leaned on my shoulder, surprising me. I sighed. "I don't think I can stay away from you any longer now that I know you're mine. I propose we take it slow. Get to know each other. We'll take things at your pace, omega. Even if it takes decades, I'll be there with you however you need me."

"I've been through a lot, Aziz. A lot. And even before that, I didn't have a lot of relationship experience. We are going to mess up but I want this. I've prayed for my fated mate before they took me and I prayed while I was in the breeder house that my fated mate would save me."

"I wish we had gotten there sooner." He squeezed my biceps. I pulled my arm free of his hold and wrapped it around his shoulders, bringing him to rest against my chest. Right where he should've been all along.

"I think you're right. We take things slow. I want Bryant to get used to you. I've seen you hold Gray and Lachlan but never Bryant. He's a part of this too."

"I was afraid to get attached to him. I was afraid of falling in love with him and knowing you and he were going to move away."

Jack nodded. "I understand. Boy, Fate has put us through the wringer, right?"

I chuckled, agreeing. "I'm still mourning Bella," I added, wanting him to know. "If I'm sad sometimes or need some time to myself, it's not you. She was my best friend before anything else."

Jack raised up. "Don't hide that from me. I'm not going to hide my hurt either. I'm still healing from the breeder house and being scared all the time. Some of those scars will never go away, but maybe we can help each other heal."

"I'll help you in any way I can, omega."

"I know that, mate. I do have an idea if you're up for it."

I turned, wanting to know what had put a bit of happy into his tone. "What is it?"

"Let's shift together."

His suggestion knocked the wind from me. "Are you sure? I wanted to, but I thought it was too soon. You said to take things slowly."

He grabbed both of my hands. "Our animals know best, Aziz. If they are bonded, they will help you and I grow closer and that's all I want. Plus, with their bond, we can feel each other a bit more. And that will be important to me, for my reassurance. I'm going to need a lot of reassurance through this, mate."

Mate. He called me mate.

"I'll give you all the reassurance you need, omega. Now, take your clothes off. I want to see that beautiful wolf of yours."

Jack stood, but took nothing off as I undressed. "I've had a baby, Aziz. I'm not exactly fit anymore either. I've been focused on my mental health more than anything. I never turn down an extra pancake."

Shirtless and with my jeans already undone at the waist, I hugged him to me, letting the skin-to-skin contact take away some of his fears. "You will always be the most beautiful person in the world to me, in all your stages of life, and in all your shapes and sizes. I want you however I can get you, omega."

When I pulled back, Jack had tears running down his face. "They're happy ones, Aziz. I promise." He blocked my incoming apology.

We took off the rest of our clothes and shifted. I was right. Jack was a stunning wolf. He was mostly chocolate brown but had streaks of red running through his thick fur. We ran together through the woods. He nipped at my hyena's legs, and my beast nuzzled his neck, taking in his deep, rich scent. My hyena had a greater sense of smell than most other shifters, and I wanted Jack's ingrained in me.

We had run almost to the base of the mountain when a snap of a twig rang out right behind us. I put myself in between Jack and the noise, ready to defend my mate against whatever was out there.

I shifted onto two legs and called out, "Who are you?" I smelled another shifter. A lot of other shifters, but most were young, cubs to my nose.

"It's just us. We mean no harm." A young man came out of the woods, followed by six tiny bear shifter cubs. "My name's Ryan, and I mean you no harm."