Chapter 17 Always Mine
Always Mine
Jas
The bell chimes with the opening door, and a customer enters. A city girl with long black flowing hair and a leather jacket to match. Her skin glows like warm bronze beneath the café lights. I love the visitors wandering through our quaint little town. It makes it feel special.
“Hello, welcome! What can I get you?
She looks around, taking it all in. “First, your café is adorable!”
“Thank you!”
She offers me a hand. “I’m Sammie.”
“Jasmira, nice to meet you.” Her handshake is warm and firm. “What can I get you?”
She taps her foot, peering up at the menu. “Your Goddess blended iced tea sounds tasty. I’ll take the Rain Blossom."
“Perfect!”
The new spring-themed Goddess iced teas have been a hit, with Rain Blossom stealing the spotlight.
A combination of apple and berries with a hint of pear layered with floral syrup over the ice to create a sky-blue ombré effect.
It’s too stunning to drink. Poppy so graciously enchanted blue-purple Moon Lilies as an edible treat, resting on the lid, with the stem coiling around the straw.
I give it a swirl until the blue shimmers.
“First time staying in Everly Hollow or passing through?” I ask.
“Passing through…I think?” Sammie frowns at herself. “Honestly, I’m not sure.”
“You think?” I ask, handing her the drink, confused by her uncertainty. Maybe she is on some unknown quest.
“Wow, thank you,” she says, accepting the cup, turning it in awe. “It’s gorgeous!” She takes a drink. “Heavens, Moiraya, this is divine!”
“Moiraya?” The name strikes a chord. Why does that name sound familiar?
“Sorry—yes.” The straw pops out of her mouth. “The Moon Goddess, Moiraya, pulled me here. I’m a werewolf. It means my mate is close…I-I can feel it.” She looks down at her chest as if to say here, and rubs at the center with a fist, like she’s soothing an ache deep within.
Mate? My heart lurches. “You mean you followed some divine pull to this small town? Here?” I say, pointing two fingers to the floor.
“Well, maybe here?” Sammie shrugs. “I’m not sure.
The Blood Rose Moon has risen. I may be from the city, but the pull is strong.
I follow the tether that ties me to the one I’m meant to join.
Honestly, I’m surprised the Goddess is blessing me with a fated bond.
I got out of a relationship recently with a dentist who was ready for commitment before I was.
I still care for him. However, the Goddess feels I am ready for someone special.
But I still miss him—” She takes another sip of her drink. “Anyways, you need to patent this.”
A dentist. Hmph.
“Is that why the moon was red? It was so pretty. I’ve never seen anything like the rosy glow. There’s a pack at Crescent Springs, it’s not too far away, past Pumpkin Grove. My friend who lives here is a werewolf too; his family lives there.”
My heart hammers in my chest. If she is a werewolf, hunting for her mate…Dominik? Heat floods my face and my neck. I’m suffocating in this sweater.
“Wait—” Sammie’s hazel eyes flash wide. Her laugh fractures. “You said you saw the moon’s glow?”
I shrug. “Yeah?”
She grins, her cup shaking as she attempts to clap. “Oh my Goddess, that is exciting!”
“What is exciting?”
“Moiraya has chosen you.”
“Chosen…me? I’m not a werewolf.”
She holds up her hand, giving pause. “If you see the moon, your friend isn’t who I’m being pulled towards. You’re a human?”
I quickly nod.
“Being human, the connection may be experienced differently. The pull for me hasn’t intensified since I’ve arrived. I won’t stop searching. Blessings, Jasmira, and good luck!” she calls over her shoulder, walking out the door, giving me a wave with the flick of her fingers.
Fated bond? She did say that, right?
Pulling my apron off, I slam it down on the counter. I turn and crash right into Blythe.
“Can you lock up? If you can’t, I understand,” I say, forcing a shaking smile. “I…I have to go. Now.”
“Of course, but Jas, what’s wrong?” Alarm clouds her face, but I can’t say anything more.
“I’m fine,” I lie. “Seren’s fine, truly. Thank you.” I grab my bag, jacket, and run out the door. I’ll need every ounce of luck I can get. And Dom will need a miracle.
The door opens, and there he stands. His jeans hug his large thighs, and his sleeves are pushed up—my lungs seize. My heart thunders in my chest, wanting to escape and crawl to him. Dominik has always been handsome but seeing him now has my body on fire. He’s stunning.
My legs tremble as I take a step back. I can do this.
I can fight this, even if my body feels like I haven’t been touched in centuries instead of years.
What is this stirring inside me? There has to be a way to suppress this sudden urge I have for him.
His presence floods me. He’s under my skin, in my blood. This isn’t normal.
The man who is the only one with answers—my heart is angry with, even as my body desperately craves his touch. Rage should be coursing through my veins. He didn’t tell me. There is a burning inside me, and all I can focus on is his scent. It makes my mouth water.
He growls, a primal look in his eyes that makes me physically ache, and my pulse skips.
My head tilts back to look at him. “W–we need to talk,” I stammer, unable to keep a level head.
For a moment, he stares. His eyes sharpen until he motions me forward and steps aside. I hasten my steps and walk into his house, tossing my bag onto the couch in the living room. I pace a trench into the floor. The door closes behind me, and he gestures to the couch for me to have a seat.
“Do you know why I’m here, Dom?”
He sits on the cushions, swiping a hand down his face. “I’m sorry, Jas.”
And it hits me. Right in the gut.
We’re mates.
I don’t understand. What does this mean? What is happening to my body? I have no control over my emotions. Rage and lust are competing for dominance. I'm possessed with the primal urge to crawl into his lap, straddle him, and rub myself against his length because I know he would be hard for me.
I want his hands digging into my hips, his fangs piercing my skin as I shatter around him.
I whimper at the thought. The imagery in my head is so vivid.
My core is pulsing. When his nostrils flare, pupils dilating to dark pools, I know he can smell my hunger.
This bond is turning me into someone I don’t recognize. I didn’t ask for this.
My voice cracks as it rises. “Dominik, what is going on? I dreamt of you and saw a red moon. Then I met a wolf at the café. She said this red moon brought her here, a Blood Rose Moon, for her mate.” It’s hard getting the last word out of my throat.
“I thought she meant you.” I cross my arms tightly.
“You’re really fucking cute when you’re jealous,” he says, voice deep and husky.
“You'd better put him on a leash, Dominik!” I snap, my fingernails digging into my biceps. “I told her how I saw the moon and—” My feet carry me back and forth across the worn carpet, unable to keep still.
“My future, my life, my heart…” Each word comes out harder than the last. My fingers press into my temples, massaging in small circles. Pressure builds behind my eyes, and the first tear spills despite how hard I clench my eyelids shut.
“Please,” I sob. “Tell me what’s going on.
I can feel it, you know—what Sammie said at the café.
The pull. Goddess, it’s like my heart is on a hook.
I didn’t know how to explain what I’ve been feeling, but when I saw you…
” My eyes open as I look down at my chest. At the source of the ache screaming through my body.
He stands up from the couch, gaze darkening as he clenches his jaw. He reaches out, tucking a loose curl behind my ear, and I can’t help but lean into the palm of his hand. Feeling his warmth on my cheek makes me sigh, and I suddenly feel cold when he pulls away, turning to walk to the kitchen.
“Are you going to say anything?” I ask, following in his steps.
The sound of the cupboard door opening, the rush of water filling a glass—it all feels distant, muted under the pounding in my chest. He takes a few gulps. His shoulders are tight, and his back is to me.
“Tell me. Say it!” I throw my hands out, and they fall to my sides. “What did you do to me?”
He exhales, rough and low, like the words are going to tear out of him. “I didn’t do anything, Jas. The moon Goddess, Moiraya, did,” he answers. He sets the glass down and carefully takes a few cautious steps towards me. “The Blood Rose Moon, it bonded us. You’re my mate.”
“I’m not your anything.” I pause. “Well, besides your friend.”
How can I be his? Why now? What does it mean for my marriage to Aaryn? Breathe. Maybe this is a dream?
“How is this possible?”
“I’m not sure, but it is.”
I clench my jaw, eyes burning into him.
He drags a hand through his locs. “My grandmother shared her story with me when I was a kid. She bonded with my grandfather under the Blood Rose Moon. My mom talked to me about it recently, but I didn’t think anything of it.
I know a werewolf and their soul-tie will see the moon, but I didn’t know this would happen. ”
“But you knew Dom, about us. The second you knew, you should have told me.”
My hand goes to the goosebumps prickling at the nape of my neck. Being in close proximity to him feels magnetic. I take a step back, ignoring the aching pull in my body.
“How, Dom?” My voice carries a higher lilt than necessary.
“The Blood Rose Moon—”
“So, you said,” I interrupt. “I need answers.”
He growls. “Jas.”
“Sorry.” I bite my lower lip slightly. There’s no explanation for what his growls are doing to me.
He leans against the counter, folding his arms. That doesn’t help the situation either. Him standing like that. His muscles are straining against every part of him.
I’ve never felt this for Dominik before.
Ever.