Chapter 9
Before him stood his mate—a naked mate—with a perfect body that ticked all of Slate’s boxes.
He had fucked more men than he could remember in his long lifetime but none had ever come close.
Sheer fucking perfection! Except for the frown on Dakota’s face.
Slate studied it, trying to figure out why his mate looked so sad.
Is he unhappy because I ended up as his mate?
Seeing Slate naked brought back all the delicious feelings Dakota experienced in the bedroom but it also drove home the impossible situation he was now in.
Dakota spied a backpack on the ground behind Slate, guessing one of his brothers left it there for him.
Stepping around his mate, Dakota retrieved it, zipped it open and took out the clothes meant for both of them.
Smiling to himself at his brothers’ love, he handed some jeans to his mate and then put on his.
While his mouth still watered over Slate’s delicious naked chest, at least Dakota thought he’d now be able to talk to him.
“C’mon, I know a better place where we can figure out what to do about this,” Dakota said, leading the way through the forest until he arrived at a shady glen with a mountain brook running nearby.
Kneeling down by the cold mountain water, Dakota scooped up handfuls of it to quench his thirst before sitting back against a tree.
Slate picked a tree across from his mate, wondering how to proceed. Never at a loss for words, he now couldn’t figure out how to begin. Yet he had to, because he knew instantly his whole life would be worth nothing if he couldn’t have Dakota.
“Just start by telling me about yourself,” Dakota said quietly.
Startled by the suggestion that answered the question in his mind, Slate wondered if Dakota had a natural ability, like some of his other brothers.
Putting that aside, he began. “Well, you know I’m Steel’s brother and work at Dire Enterprises which is something I love although I really didn’t expect to in the beginning. ”
“Why do you love it?” interrupted Dakota.
“Because I help shifters have a better life and that makes me feel like there is a purpose to my life.”
“So why was it such a surprise?”
“Because ever since I can remember I knew my life had been decided for me…I mean I grew up knowing I would be a guardian of the Dire Wolf Treasure.”
“And you didn’t want to do that?” asked Dakota.
“Honestly? No. I wanted to be like every other shifter who had a choice in what they would do with their lives. But instead I was expected to do that with no chance to build something on my own, to see if I had the stuff to make a success of it. Instead I walked into a ready-made job with all the perks that takes others years to achieve.”
“But now you enjoy it?”
“Yes, surprisingly so. It’s rewarding to know my decisions have made someone’s life better…
fathers can provide for their families because they have a good-paying job, pups have food to eat, and shifters are now healthier than they ever were.
Unlike some jobs where results are measured in micro steps, I see huge changes as soon as we build a hospital or a house.
” Slate glanced down at the ground, thinking about the shifters recently saved in Mexico and Tajikistan, knowing it would remain one of the highlights of his life.
Looking back at his childhood, he wondered why he’d fought so hard against being a guardian because he now realized it was as close to being a superhero as you could get, at least the ones he’d admired in his huge collection of comic books.
The dreams of rushing to the rescue, fighting evil and bringing happiness to everyone was what he ended up doing, only without the cape and tights.
Giving a hint of a smile, he pictured himself dressed in a costume with a big letter ‘G’ for Guardian on his chest, a flowing cape and his trusty sword of justice in his hand.
Funny he had never looked at what he was doing now that way before, but when he thought back about the wolf shifters he helped, it all seemed to fit.
“What was your childhood like?” asked Dakota, surprised at what he’d heard so far. That will teach me not to make snap judgments. “Other than being a…superhero,” he said softly, with a ghost of a smile.
“My childhood, hmmm,” mused Slate. “Well, I had an Oracle for a mother, so you can imagine what that was like. When I was very young, three or four, I didn’t grasp what an Oracle was because I thought my mom just knew what I was doing every minute of the day…
even when she wasn’t home.” Slate burst out laughing.
“I think it was the only time I was well behaved and it lasted until I was about five or six when I finally understood what Oracles were.
From that point on, I was trouble with a capital ‘T’.
My poor brother always ended up going along with whatever plan or scheme I came up with…
not that he wanted to…but more to protect me from the danger I always seemed to find myself in.
“There was a steady parade of important people coming to our home seeking to meet with my mother, so my brother and I would hide in the ‘meeting’ room…
well that is what I called it…and watch as all kinds of paranormals bowed or curtsied to her before asking their questions.
My brother would hold his hand over my mouth in an effort to silence my laughter but we would always be discovered and then the visitor would give us a small present or sometimes, even candy.
“One time a witch gave my brother a small package of sneezing powder and I got something else. I don’t remember what it was now but I wanted the sneezing powder so bad I begged my brother to trade with me, but he refused…
probably because he knew what I was capable of.
One day when he was doing something with our father, I snuck into his room, found the sneezing powder and emptied the package into an envelope.
I had nicked some flour from the kitchen a couple of days before and used it to refill the empty package.
Then tucking it back into its hiding place, I left, so proud of pulling off what I thought was the greatest caper of my life.
I waited to see if my brother discovered what I’d done but after a week when nothing happened, I knew I had gotten away with it. ”
Chuckling, Dakota imagined Slate’s boyish pride in outsmarting everyone and asked, “Now since you had it, what did you do with it?”
“It took me a while because I kept imagining new possibilities…using it during one of my mother’s meetings, or maybe during the few times my parents took us with them while on a business trip. I would lay awake at night, picturing my dad at a business meeting, unable to stop sneezing.”
Slate fell silent, remembering the excitement he felt for all the possibilities, then continued.
“Well, one day, I learned the entire High Council was coming to dinner the next day. My mother spent the day cooking and getting everything ready while my brother was in charge of making sure we were clean and dressed for the occasion. I remember my father was very tense and shooed me away when I came into his office. That was very upsetting because he’d never done that before and I wanted my fun-loving parent back. ”
“Oh no, you didn’t,” exclaimed Dakota.
Grinning at his mate, Slate said, “Ahh, yes I did. To this day, I’m not sure why I ever thought it was a good idea, but at that moment, when I stood outside of my father’s office, thinking about some way to make him laugh again, I decided to use the sneezing powder on the High Council because they were causing my dad to be unhappy.
So I got the powder from where I had hidden it and ran down to the kitchen.
Looking at the dishes she had prepared, I decided to sprinkle it in the salad. ”
“Didn’t your mother notice it?” asked Dakota,
“No! The powder immediately disappeared…like poof. I was so surprised I thought it was fake so I thought I’d eat a piece of lettuce to see if I sneezed but before I could try it, I heard my mother outside the kitchen.
I bolted out the back door and then walked around to the front door where I came back in with the arriving council members.
When we sat down for dinner, I really thought nothing would happen so I wasn’t paying much attention when my mother brought out the salad.
I wasn’t a big fan of salad, so I did what I always did…
I moved it around my plate while waiting for that course to be finished. ”
Giggling, Dakota asked, “What happened?”
“First the chairman sneezed, and then another sneeze from someone else and soon everyone was sneezing…over and over and over…except me. Later on, I found out I should have used only a pinch, but I used the entire fucking package. No one could stop sneezing until my mother figured out what I’d done and then she sent for Mystia who was able to reverse the effects. ”
Dakota couldn’t help it; his laughter exploded, picturing the scene with all the honored guests. Finally he managed to ask, “Were you punished?”
Smiling at his mate’s enjoyment, he replied, “Oh boy, was I ever! Looking back I wonder how my parents put up with all the crap I pulled. Steel was constantly trying to keep my plans from going too wild, but I was a lost cause. When he finally left for college, I’m sure he heaved a sigh of relief, thanking his lucky stars he finally had some peace from all my antics.
” Reflecting back on his childhood, Slate couldn’t remember how many times he was in trouble for something he did and suddenly, with clarity, it came to him.
“You know, I think I was always getting into trouble as a way to protest my destiny. It wasn’t until I began to work with Steel in Dire Enterprises that I understood the bigger picture of what we were doing. ”
“Is that also why you didn’t want a mate?” asked Dakota, softly.
Slate thought about Dakota’s question, sorting through his mind to find the answer.
“Yes, in a way. When I was younger, I never liked the idea that I couldn’t make my own decisions about that…
that my future had been predetermined for me…
and all I could do was to follow someone else’s plan for my life.
Having the Fates pick my mate was just another restriction I felt choking me.
Luckily, I grew up…a little later than my parents hoped for…
but I did. Instead of viewing my destiny as a chain around my neck, holding me back from what I was sure was a better life, I embraced it and decided to enjoy the benefits that came with the job of guardian.
When my brother found his mate, I could hear the happiness in his voice every time I spoke with him and realized I wanted that also…
someone who I could love, protect and would be mine for the rest of my life.
“Did I think it would happen this fast? No. Steel had looked a long time before he found Jackson so I assumed it would be the same for me. Was I shocked when I discovered you were my mate? Absolutely! You could have knocked me over with a feather. Do I regret finding you? No fucking way! I’m guessing the Fates have forgiven me for everything I did when I was younger.
After getting over my shock at how easy it was to find you, I’m floating among the stars right now, feeling for the first time in my life that I am whole because up until I met you, I always felt a part of me was missing. ”
Slate’s eyes roamed over his mate, his body hungering to feel Dakota’s body under his, but knew there still was a lot to say.
“I haven’t spoken to my brother or my father about this yet, but I want you to know, if you accept me as your mate, I won’t be traveling anymore.
I haven’t ever lived in a pack, but when Dylon was over in Tajikistan, I asked him how he felt about it.
I was curious because I knew in all likelihood, my mate would belong to one.
Dylon explained what it was like and how much he loved it compared to what he had when he grew up.
He told me it was one of the main reasons he became an enforcer…
he wanted to belong to something bigger.
He finally found it in the Blackwood Pack as did my brother.
I saw the tightness of the bond between Cody and Colton when they were in Mexico and, while it wasn’t that surprising because they were brothers, Steel’s tightness with them was.
And that’s when I made up my mind to quit traveling when I found my mate; instead I would find someone younger and eager to do that part of my job.
“When I saw you standing in my bedroom, everything became so crystal clear I knew in that single moment, everything I did before would pale in comparison to everything that came afterwards. I felt my whole universe shift on its axis as my heart sang for you, my soul was filled with joy and you filled my world with every color, brighter even than the sun. All I have to give you back is my devotion and love which I swear to the gods will be yours forever.”
Dakota studied Slate’s face as he thought about what he heard.
Even though he was stunned when his mate addressed Dakota’s biggest concern, he instantly trusted his mate and knew he was telling the truth.
For the first time since he found out he had a mate, he felt a spark of hope that they could make this mating work.
The guilt he felt when he ran away came from what Oracle told him about the pain that would only disappear after his mate was claimed or had died.
That had panicked him because he knew Jackson would be devastated regardless of who chose to die; not to mention his brothers or Steel or Daniel or his mate’s parents—the list never seemed to end.
And he wasn’t wired to cause pain if he could do something so the people he loved wouldn’t suffer.
Dakota appreciated how honest his mate had been and he would be just as honest. He hoped his mate would still feel that way once he found out about his curse.