ROWAN .
“Stop following me,” I snap at the two women as they chase after me, hot on my heels.
“We are not following you, we are curious about your mate,” Lisa shoots back.
“Stop calling him that, he is not my mate.”
“Just because you don’t accept it doesn’t make it any less true,” Rina retorts. “Your wolf called him mate.”
“And just because she called him that doesn’t make it true!” I snap back.
“Actually, it does. It is our wolves that recognize the mates, not the human, which means your feelings, thoughts and opinion on the matter has no bearing on the truth. Your wolf called him mate, he is your mate. End of discussion.”
“Stop following me.”
“No.”
“Not a chance.”
With an annoyed huff I quicken my footsteps as I head to the clinic, nodding and acknowledging the greetings of the people milling about as I pass by.
“You know, we still have no idea as to why he was there in the first place,” I remark. “You two are so hell bent on making me accept him you are completely ignoring the fact that he might have been part of a party sent to attack us.”.
“Hmm, you make a good point,” Lisa agrees. “But it still doesn’t change anything.”
“What? How do you come to that conclusion?” I demand, annoyed by their fixation on the matter
“We have always known that our presence is not accepted nor welcomed in the werewolf community,” she explains. “We are looked upon with fear and distrust, so yes, a group of wolves coming to check us out or attack us is not so far fetched.”
“Besides, even if that were so, there was no way he could have known his mate was here. Once he finds out, he might actually have a change of heart,” Rina adds.
“When did you two get so romantic? Is it old age?”
“Now you are just being mean.”
Thankfully, I am saved from responding to that by our arrival at the clinic.
“Guia,” Dawn, our healer greets as she walks up to us.
“Dawn. I hear our guest is awake. Has he said anything?”
“No. He has been quite numb. Won’t even tell us his name.”
“I see. I will take it from here,” I say as I start to walk away.
“Of course, Guia. I will lead you to him,” she replies as she hurries on ahead.
“Can you two stop following me now?” I ask them. “I am just going to question him.”
“No can do. But don’t worry, we won’t go in with you, we will stay right by the door,” Lisa offers to which Rina nods in agreement.
I suppose it is the best I can get.
Dawn leads us to a door before taking her leave and with a single scathing look at the two leeches following me, I walk in.
His scent is what hits me first.
The whole room is filled with the aromatic scent of cedarwood and spice. The kind of smell that makes you think of old libraries and well, worn leather, with a little touch of earthiness that lingers between the two scents.
It is warm, inviting, and undeniably masculine. It also pulls me in and ruffles my wolf’s feather.
Okay, maybe my wolf knew what she was talking about when she called him mate.
I also notice the moment his eyes widen in realization of the fact.
“Mate,” he gasps.
“If I am to go by the healer’s report, this would be the first time you are speaking since you woke up.”
“You are my mate,” he repeats.
“Yes, so I have been told,” I reply dryly.
He is a handsome man, I will give him that.
He has raven dark hair, with peeping streaks of silver at the temples. It is kept short and tousled, thanks to the unkempt way we found him. He sports the most beautiful pair of gray eyes I have ever seen, and even as we speak I can see them darken with emotion. Anger? Surprise? Desire? I am not sure and I don’t want to know.
The scar at the corner of his jaw adds the finishing touch in making him look rugged but has no detracting value to him.
He is attractive.
I want him.
The urge is so sudden, so foreign, it renders me speechless for a moment.
In all my years that I have spent on this earth, I have never, absolutely never reacted like that to anyone or anything before.
The only person that has come close in evoking such strong emotions in me is Jhenelle.
This should be interesting.
“What is your name?” his voice echoes in my head bringing me out of my thoughts.
“What?” I asks confused.
“Your name, what is it?”
“I don’t think that is what you should be concerned about, right now. You are in a clinic, after being unconscious for goddess knows how long and in a foreign place and the first thing you ask is what is my name?” I respond, incredulous at his reaction.
“Well, you are my mate. Seems an important thing to be curious about,” he retorts. “Of anything, it is your reaction I am surprised about. You don’t seem excited to have found your mate.”
“That is because I am not,” I say.
“Why not?”
“I ask the question here. This is my territory, my place. You answer to me , not the other way around.”
“Your territory?” he asks, confused. “I apologize, I had no idea that you were an Alpha. I meant no disrespect.”
“I am not an Alpha and no offense was taken.”
“Not an Alpha?”
“As I am sure you know, the Coalition is made up of rogues, people who have been kicked out or left their pack. None of us are willing to be placed under any authority. I only lead them in the sense of making sure the place runs smoothly. What they do with their lives is up to them. Now enough with your questions. What is your name?”
“Louis.”