Chapter 5
“Want some breakfast? I’ll make your favorite,” Ian asked, his eyes still closed. His voice still gruff from sleep. He reached for Emily, needing to feel her bare skin next to his.
“She’s gone,” his wolf said. The sadness in his voice was evident. Though only a few hours had passed, he missed his mate. It had been so long since he'd seen her.
Ian’s heart instantly sank. He heard the sorrow in his wolf's voice and combined it with his own. Why he thought Emily would still be there when he woke up was beyond him. But he had. It was a foolish thought. One that he should have known better than to have when it came to his mate. Unlike him, she was fully human and didn’t understand any of the damage she did by running away and staying away each time they were together.
He’d pulled himself out of depression more than once, knowing his mate was out there unprotected, unmarked, unclaimed.
“How long ago did she leave?” Ian sat up and pushed the blankets off of him. Glancing at the clock, he’d realized he’d slept in. He didn’t know the last time he’d had that good of a night’s sleep.
“Hours.”
He made his way to the kitchen and flicked on the coffee pot. Checking his phone, he hoped to see a message from Emily. Anything to explain where she was. Why she had left.
Nothing.
Not so much as a single damn message or explanation as to why she ran off…or how. He pulled the curtains back and looked out of the window, knowing he had driven her to his house last night.
No cars. No tire tracks.
Nothing.
“Did she call an Uber or what?” he asked out loud.
Pouring himself a cup of coffee, Ian wondered how she had left without his notice. Swiping through his contacts, he stopped at Jenn’s number. He started to type a message before deleting it…twice.
“Fuck it.” His fingers danced across the screen.
“Where’s Emily?”
Padding onto the back deck with his coffee in hand, he waited for Jenn’s response. Towering trees stood tall in the distance. His wolf whined in his mind, wanting to be free to run.
“Later,” he said aloud. He glanced down at his phone just as it buzzed in his hand.
“At home. She texted me this morning, begging me to pick her up.”
While he was glad that she was safe at home, he was pissed that she had felt the need to sneak out. Who does that? It’s not like they had never been together before. Did she hate him that much?
“Why?”
“Because she’s still torn about being with you. Her parents have this warped hold over her. No matter how hard I try to guide her to the light, she refuses to go against their will.”
Ten fucking years. It’s been the same damn story for ten fucking years.
“Thanks.” What else could he say? It wasn’t Jenn’s fault that Emily refused to break the hold her parents had over her. She lived and breathed by their schedule. She always had, and it looked like she always would.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know why, but I really hoped it would be different this time for you. She’s been so sad and withdrawn lately, she doesn’t even realize it. When she saw you at the restaurant, that spark in her eyes finally came back.”
“I didn’t know she had been acting any different.
” The information disturbed him more than it should.
But then again, she was his mate. Her wellbeing was everything to him.
He had spent night after night camped outside of her apartment to make sure she was safe.
Ian had done everything he could to catch glimpses of her here and there without her being aware of his presence.
Staying away from her had been nothing short of living in Hell.
Watching her live her life broke his heart.
Each date she went on was like a knife directly to his chest. His wolf wanted to tear each new suitor limb from bloody limb.
By the grace of the Gods, Ian found a way to keep his shit together.
“That’s why I asked her to go to the Annual Convergence.
She doesn’t realize that you are her other half.
And if she does realize it, she’s allowing her parents to interfere.
That’s not cool. The shit has to stop. I gotta’ get back to work.
Make sure you’re there this weekend. It may be your only chance. ”
“The devil himself couldn’t keep me away.”
Ian’s resolve was stronger than ever. He knew that Emily wanted him.
After the passion they had shared last night, he didn’t doubt it.
Not one freaking bit. He was tired of her parents running the show.
Emily wanted him just as much as he wanted her.
She just needed to know there was more to life than what her parents allowed her to experience.
“Ian, nice to see you. What can I do for you?” Rafe asked.
“Thanks for letting me take up some of your time. I’m hoping you can help with a problem I’m having,” he replied, hoping he wasn’t making a mistake by bringing his issue to Rafe.
“I can try. What’s up?” Rafe pulled two beers from the fridge and offered one to Ian. “You look like you could use this.”
“Thanks.” Ian popped the lid off and took a healthy slug, hoping to calm his sudden case of anxiety.
“Better?” Rafe asked.
“Yeah. So…here’s the thing. I know who my mate is.”
“Congratulations! That’s a great thing. So, what’s the problem?” Rafe eyed him skeptically.
“She’s human.” Ian spat the words from his mouth like a day-old bagel.
“I’m failing to see the issue here.”
“My mate is Emily Holmes.”
“As in the daughter of Mayor Holmes?” Rafe asked.
“The one and only.”
“Well, that complicates things. Doesn’t it?”
“Just a bit,” Ian said. “And I’ve known that she’s my mate for a very long time.
I can’t stay away from her anymore.” The Gods knew he tried.
He sacrificed his mate for the good of the pack.
He walked away from her rather than push the issue, because not only was she his mate, her father was the Mayor of the neighboring town.
As far as Ian was concerned, Mayor Holmes was nothing more than an asshat with a hard-on for destroying shifters.
The fact that his one and only child was the Fated mate of a shifter was going to hit that mofo hard.
“How long have you known?” Rafe asked.
“Since the moment I met her.”
Rafe’s eyes widened in surprise. “You’ve known her for years!”
Ian could see Rafe doing the mental math in his head.
“Yeah. I have and somehow, I’ve managed to stay away from her and not force the issue because it would have looked bad for the pack.
But I can’t keep going like this. She is my mate.
” If his wolf had his way, he’d track her ass down and claim her right now.
Had he not been with her last night, he might have been able to keep a leash on his needs, his feelings, but being with her again had caused something inside of him to snap.
“What’s your plan?” Rafe asked.
“Jenn asked her to go to the Annual Convergence with her this weekend. I’m going to make my move there. I figure if I can get her out of town for a few days and away from her parents, she might finally see that we are meant to be together.”
“You know there’s going to be hell to pay with the Mayor when he finds out?” Rafe eyed him up to see if he was up to the challenge.
“I don’t even care anymore. I’ll do what I have to do to claim my mate. I need her in my life. So does my wolf. Neither of us can take it anymore.” The was the crux of the matter. Ian couldn’t imagine living the rest of his life without Emily. He needed her more than he needed his next breath.
“I’ll call Marcus and give him a heads up,” Rafe said.
“Do you think it’s going to be a problem taking a human to the Annual Convergence?”
“No. It shouldn’t be a problem. It certainly won’t be the first time a human has been there. If I’m not mistaken, it’s a pretty frequent thing.”
“Really?” Ian asked, surprised by Rafe’s answer.
“Yeah. Isabelle has been instrumental in making changes as needed to the Convergence. She’s recognized that not everyone will have a shifter mate. Hell, look around. It’s not all shifters at Black Paw these days.”
“True.” Rafe was right. Black Paw had an influx of other paranormal species. It was something Ian hadn’t considered.
“And honestly, have you seen all the humans at Twisted Tail these days who have been gifted with their own wolves? It’s pretty incredible if you ask me.”
“Wow! I guess I hadn’t realized, but you’re right. There has been. Why do you think that is?”
Rafe scratched his head before answering. “I’m really not sure. I think something in our world is changing, but I really don’t know why. The Gods have something to do with it. I just wish I knew what the reason was.”
“You really have no idea?” Ian asked.
“None. But I will say this. The Fates have chosen Emily for you. There must be a reason. It’s time to stop fighting your fate and start fighting for it.”