Chapter Five
Edris
I stood there looking at my mate. There was so much to say, so much to ask, but all I could think of was getting us somewhere private so it wouldn’t be interrupted.
I wasn’t sure how human this town was, and two people standing outside naked in this weather was bound to cause some gossip… or fear…or both.
I took his hand and started dragging him with me, toward my room, not stopping to get our belongings. I’d have stopped if he gave any resistance, but he didn’t. If anything, I could have sworn I heard a chuckle coming from behind me.
Our arms were outstretched, my feet going a little faster than his, and we made our way to the motel.
This was so different than what I thought my once-upon-a-time fairy tale of true love would be.
When Fate sent me my mate in my dreams, it wasn’t with me stuck at some crappy motel in a tiny town with a busted car.
I wanted to do so much better for him, to show him at least a nice hotel if I had to have my car die, one with room service and a huge tub, and a king-sized bed with a bazillion-thread-count sheets. The people here were nice and it was clean. That would have to make it good enough.
Once we were inside, I grabbed a shirt out of my suitcase and some boxers, tossed them to him, and grabbed a second set for myself.
Looking at his naked body wasn’t going to get this conversation heading in the right direction.
There was a time when it was normal, expected even, to scent your mate and instantly mark them.
My bear thought that was still now. It wasn’t.
“I see how it is,” he teased, and I relaxed a little. Not a lot. I was still stressed, trying to figure out how to navigate all of this. I liked to have a plan and I didn’t have a name yet, much less an idea on how to move forward.
“I thought we could talk better if we weren’t distracted.”
“I think the distracted ship has sailed.” He winked. “You’re my mate.”
“And you’re mine. I’m Edris.”
“I’m Zac.” My mate’s name is Zac.
“Zac.” I tasted the name and loved it. “I’m here because my car broke down and it’s gonna be a while.”
“That’s odd. Jesse is usually pretty quick at stuff like that.”
And just like that, I knew that he was a local or at least had local connections, which was good. It meant we had some time to figure this mate thing out before making decisions.
“He said it needs parts he has to wait for the dealer to send. I took some bad advice and bought a car far too fancy, I guess. But that means I’m here for a while.”
“But you don’t live here.” He wasn’t asking. It was a statement.
“No. I’m a city boy.”
He cringed. That wasn’t a good sign.
“I’m not. I live here Autumn Hills and am at the motel because my well broke and it was easier than dealing with no water while it is being fixed.”
Wells. The only thing I knew about the topic was Jack and Jill. I understood this town was small, but not well-water small. My mate and I led very different lives.
“Tell me about yourself. I want to learn it all.”
He extended his arm. “Can I hold your hand?”
“Please.” It was exactly what I needed, too.
I sat on the bed next to him, and we intertwined our fingers, the warmth of his touch calming my bear, who wanted to skip all the small talk and claim our mate already.
“Thanks. My beast does not like you being so far away.” He leaned into my side.
“Mine doesn’t either. But this…” I picked up our linked hands and kissed the back of his. “This is good. Tell me about Zac.” I kissed his hand again, wanting to do so much more than that.
“Not a lot to say. This is my home. I love Autumn Hills. I work at the birthing center as a doula. It’s pretty awesome bringing babies into the world. How about you?”
I told him about my job, which, compared to his, probably didn’t seem as valuable, but financially probably significantly better and about my condo and friends.
“So what are we gonna do? You’re my mate.” Zac addressed the elephant in the room. This wasn’t as easy as running into the guy two floors down from you and discovering you were mates. We had geography to deal with. “We live so far away from each other.”
“Move in with me. My condo is great and even has a saltwater pool, and my job pays enough to support us both while you settle in. I’m sure we could find you a job there, easy enough, too. People have babies everywhere.”
His hand loosened, then he let go. Fuck.
“Do you think my job is so insignificant I can just get another one?”
Worse than fuck. I’d known my mate less than an hour and I already pissed him off.
“Do you think that my town is disposable and I can just walk away? Tell me about your city life. Who’s the person who checks you out when you buy groceries? Who’s the bartender? Who makes the best apple pie? Who’s going to fix your car when it breaks? Do you have names for any of those faces?”
I shook my head. “No.” I didn’t even know the name of the bartender at the bar I went to. There were so many there, and they came and went with the seasons.
“You know what? I think this is too much emotion all at once.” He stood up. “And with that mixed with being trapped with your scent… I need to step away.”
I wanted to beg him to stay, to tell him I was sorry and didn’t mean it like that. Instead, I froze.
“I’m leaving,” he said. “We can talk about this later, but the solution is not you taking over my life because yours has more value. It will never be that.”
His beast growled in his chest as he walked out the door. I let him go without another word, unsure what to do next.
I’d made the same mistake I always did. I tried to fix things, tried to make them better, not asking for other people’s input, instead just finding solutions. In my job, that worked well. In my personal life, it never had. I knew better.
My bear was begging to get out, to chase him, to follow him, to mark him, to let him know we would do whatever was necessary to keep him. I pushed my beast down. My mate asked for space. He was getting space.
My phone buzzed. For a quick second, I thought it was Zac, then I remembered he barely knew my name. How would he know my phone number? When I looked down, it was Johan, my bestie from the city. I answered and before I could speak, his words came tumbling through the phone.
“Please tell me your car’s ready. You gotta get home.”
I fell back on the bed. “I can’t go home yet, even if the car were ready, which it isn’t.”
“Tell me everything.”