Chapter One

 

Present day

 

I’m sitting outside with Elizabeth at the Jackson’s, our in-laws. It’s nice and sunny so we decide to tan a little bit. Ryan and Caleb are helping their father put up a tree house. We’ve been laughing all afternoon at them trying to put it together. Darren wants it up for the grand babies. I won’t be getting pregnant anytime soon.

Elizabeth, on the other hand, well it’s just a matter of time until she gets knocked up. The way she talks about how her mates are with her. It’s just a question of when she’ll be pregnant because the way she talks, her mates have a very healthy sexual appetite.

I’m a little jealous she knows her mates on an intimate level. I’ve only cuddled with Ryan, maybe sneaking a kiss in here and there. It’s not like he hasn’t hinted to me that he would love for us to go further, but I’m scared. He hasn’t pushed it on me or anything, which I adore him for. He doesn’t pressure me into anything I’m not ready for. I’m sure he has the worst case of blue balls.

I can’t wait for tonight. Ryan’s taking me out on a proper date. We haven’t been on a real date together since we found out I was his mate. We haven’t really been alone in public, just the two of us, because usually Elizabeth, Samuel, and Caleb have been out with us. Sometimes even Kelly and Noah, too.

My heart hurts for Kelly. I can’t imagine what she’s going though. Her mate rejecting her. I’m lucky my mate loves me and wants me as badly as he does. I know it’s different for humans, but Kelly seems to be trying to move on with Noah, Ryan’s cousin. Noah seems like a pretty decent guy from what Ryan has told me, and from what I’ve seen of him. Ryan told me Noah’s mate passed away when they were younger. Maybe they’re both trying to heal each other? I just hope everything turns out for them. Even though Kelly’s mate rejected her in front of his clan no less, I have a feeling we haven’t seen the last of the big, bad bear, Issac.

“So, where is Ryan taking you tonight?” Elizabeth asks, taking a sip of her ice tea.

I look out at the guys again and chuckle before responding.

“Well, he won’t tell me. All I know is that I should dress up just a little. I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean. That’s all he said.” I pout. Elizabeth chuckles. I turn to give her a playful glare.

“It’s not funny. I don’t want to overdress or under dress for the restaurant,” I grumble.

“I’m sure whatever you pick to wear will work just fine. Stop stressing over it.”

Well, that’s easier said than done. I haven’t really been on a date. Steve and I never really went out, and after what happened with Steve, I stayed away from guys altogether for a while. Until Ryan. I don’t know where Ryan is planning on taking us, if it’s fancy or semi-fancy.

“I don’t really have much to wear. I’ve worn all the stuff I brought in my suit cases already. He’s seen me in everything I own,” I whine.

Elizabeth sighs. “How about we head to my place after these guys are finished up and you can borrow something of mine to wear tonight?” she mentions and I perk up.

“You would lend me something to wear? You're a lifesaver, Elizabeth. Thank you.” I say quickly, my nerves getting the better of me. 

“Don’t need to thank me. What are friends for?” she giggles.

“I don’t know what I would do without you sometimes,” I whisper.

Elizabeth gives me a sincere smile and puts her hand on mine.

“You’ll never have to find out. I’ll always be here for you, no matter what,” she whispers.

I’m standing in front of the full-length mirror in Elizabeth’s room. I’m staring at myself in awe. The pale blue dress hugging my curves. It looks amazing on me.

“See, I told you it would look great on you. Your smoking hot, Tori.” Elizabeth smirks then whistles.

I shake my head, biting my lip. The dress seems like it was made for me. The material hugging me like a second skin.

“What time is Ryan coming to get you?” Elizabeth asks, hanging the dresses that failed their attempt to be worn.

“He said he’ll be here to pick me up around five,” I mention and Elizabeth hums in her throat. A few seconds later, there’s a knock at the bedroom door.

“Come in,” Elizabeth yells from inside the closet.

The door opens some and Caleb’s head pops in. He gives a nod and whistles. “Well, my baby brother won’t know what hit him when he sees you,” he says playfully.  My cheeks heat as the blush spreads across my face.

Elizabeth comes walking out of the closet and gives a stern glare at Caleb. “Caleb, don’t make her shy now. She’s been worrying about the date like there’s no tomorrow,” she hisses at him with her hands on her hips.

Caleb throws his hands up in the air.

“I just said that my brother won’t know what hit him,” he grumbles.

Elizabeth mumbles under her breath and I shake my head and chuckle at them both. Caleb’s like the big brother I never had. I just hope what he’s saying is true and I knock his brother off his feet.

“Shoo, you have to get out of here so I can finish helping Tori. I need to finish her hair and do her make-up. I don’t need my mate in here distracting me from my best friend duties,” she mutters before shooting a quick wink his way.

He tips his head and returns her wink with one of his own.

“Whatever you say, darling,” he replies in his best western accent.

These two are always like this. It just cracks me up when they’re all lovey dovey.  How they interact with one another, it’s cute to see. Elizabeth gives Caleb a playful glare. Caleb chuckles under his breath lightly.

“Fine, mate. I’ll leave you two girlies alone,” he says, placing a kiss to Elizabeth’s lips before turning around leaving the room. Elizabeth sighs as she watches her mate leave.

“Were you just watching your mate’s ass when he left the room?” I teasingly joke.

Elizabeth looks at me like I’m crazy. “Of course, he has a nice ass,” she says with a smirk on her face. I chuckle, shaking my head. That’s Elizabeth for you, no filter.

Elizabeth grins, clapping her hands together.

“Time for hair, then I’ll do your make-up.”

My eyes widen, taking in my appearance in the mirror. Where my hair is usually flat and boring, wild curls fall loosely from a single clip holding the hair from my face. I really like how it looks; it suits me.  I’m not one to go out of my way to get dressed up, or even do my make-up or hair. So this is a change for me. My eyes are filled with excitement as they roam over my body in the mirror.

“Do you like your hair?” Elizabeth asks, chewing her bottom lip.

“Of course, I do. It looks amazing. Thank you.” I grin and Elizabeth squeals.

“No need to thank me. I’m glad you like it,” she says, waving me off like it’s nothing, but to me it is. “Now, Ryan should be here any minute,” she mentions, walking out the door. Once she’s gone, I look at myself in the mirror one last time before leaving the room. I head downstairs.

When my foot hits the bottom step, I hear voices coming from the living room. My nerves flutter in my stomach a bit before I walk in and see Caleb, Elizabeth, and Samuel, sitting on the couch together. My head snaps to the left and I see Ryan sitting on the lazy boy. His head turns with a smile on his face, and then his eyes widen, taking in my appearance.

“Wow, Tori… you look-” he stutters. Caleb snickers at his brother and Ryan snaps his head over to him and glares.

“See, I told you,” Caleb assures me.

I shake my head and grin. I’m glad I can impress my mate.

Ryan stands up and comes around his chair to meet me. He looks me up and down. You can see the lust pooling in his eyes as he licks his lips.

“You look amazing,” he whispers, taking my hand in his, his lips touching the back of my hand lightly. I feel the zap of electricity shoot through my body, down to my core.  I squeeze my thighs together, hoping he doesn’t notice or smell my arousal, but the look in his eyes tells me he’s already noticed. He licks his lips again, almost like he wants to eat me up.

“Umm, we should get going,” I suggest and Ryan nods.

We both begin walking towards the exit of the living room. Once we’re out in the hallway near the front door, we both yell, “Good night.”  Then we hear them hollering it back to us before we’re out the door and walking towards the car.

“You ready, my lady,” he says, opening the car door. I bite my lip and nod my head. He groans deep in his throat.

He shuts the door after I get in and sit. He runs around the car and opens the door, hopping in. He looks over at me and grins.

“I wasn’t lying. You look amazing. So beautiful,” his voice sincere. “And all mine,” he adds.  My cheeks warm as the blush spreads across them.

“Thank you,” I whisper.

I take a good look at my mate, and admire how handsome he is in his suit. He looks great. “You look really nice, too,” I mention. Ryan turns his head my way and smirks. He backs out of the driveway and pulls onto the road.

“Where are we going for supper?” I try to pry, but he just shakes his head, chuckling at me.

I cross my arms and pout. Ryan snickers under his breath.

“It’s a surprise, you’ll see once we get there.”

That’s all I get out of him, he won’t tell me. I just hope what I’m wearing isn’t too much for the restaurant. I shift in my seat some, trying to figure out if I should ask if I’m overdressed.

“What I’m wearing is fine for the restaurant?” I ask. He nods his head. 

“Yes, what you're wearing is perfect.”

Well, I guess I’ll take his word for it.

 

The restaurant is amazing. The candles on top of the tables are a nice touch, so romantic. I didn’t know Ryan was the whole candlelight romantic type. “It’s beautiful,” I whisper, looking at our little table, the bright burning candles in the middle. I look up at Ryan and he smiles, his pearly whites flashing my way.

“I want to woo you,” he purrs. I look at him puzzled. Did he just say ‘woo me’?

“Woo me?” I ask confused.

He chuckles, nodding his head. “Yes, woo. That’s what my kind does when our mate isn’t a shifter. We need to woo you with our charms. It’s different when the mate is a shifter they both know right off the bat,” he replies softly.

I can’t help feeling uneasy about the fact I’m not a shifter. Does it bother him? Why am I doubting myself now?

“Are you sure it doesn’t bother you that... I’m not a shifter?” I stutter, worried he’ll finally wake up and decide to have a nice female wolf instead of me, a plain human.

He reaches, putting his hand out for me to take hold of. I’m hesitant for a second before placing my hand in his. He stares at me with such love shining in his eyes.

“I wouldn’t change you for any she-wolf in the world, Tori. You’re it for me. You're my mate.” His voice is firm and steady as he speaks. A smile spreads across my face.

I feel like something’s off and I don’t know what it is. My hand tenses a little in his. I look up at Ryan and his face is masked with concern.

“Are you alright?” he asks.

I shrug my shoulders while my eyes survey the restaurant. Searching for something, but not sure what, and coming up empty handed in the end.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, his voice filled with concern. My eyes swing up to his and I bite my lip.

“I don’t know,” I mumble. I look around again quickly, and Ryan does the same.

“I just feel like someone is watching us,” I add. Ryan’s face goes rigid, his nostrils flaring as he sniffs the air lightly.

Ryan frowns. “I don’t smell anyone besides the waiters and waitress in here. There’s an elderly couple in the corner but that’s it.” He assures me but it doesn’t ease my worry. I just nod my head. I’m probably overreacting, it’s nothing, I tell myself.

The waitress comes walking back out and brings us our food. She openly stares at Ryan. My face heats, pissed at the fact that we’re on a date and she’s standing there staring at my mate in front of me. A tiny growl of annoyance escapes my mouth. The waitress blushes from being caught and turns around, leaving the table quickly.  My head snaps up because I can feel his eyes on me. Ryan’s grinning.

“Tori, are you jealous?” he asks teasingly.

My jealously getting the better of me, I snap, “How would you feel if our waiter was staring at me openly in front of you like that?” I hiss.

Ryan’s eyes go wide. “Woah, I didn’t mean anything by it. It has nothing to do with the waitress. It’s something else that’s bothering you. What is it?”

I sigh, hanging my head. “I just don’t like the fact that she was pretty much drooling over you in front of me. And I can’t seem to shake the feeling that someone is watching us.”

“You know, I’ll protect you with my life,” he mentions.

I nod because I know he will.

“I know,” I whisper.

We enjoyed the rest of supper, the dessert was phenomenal. It was chocolate devil’s food cake. It was to die for, it was so rich and creamy. There wasn’t a crumb left on the plate.

“You ready?” Ryan asks. He stands up and takes his wallet out of his pocket and tosses some cash on the table for the bill then comes around to the side of me, holding his hand out for me. I can’t wait to get home.

Home, Ryan’s my home now. He’s my mate, even though we’re not mated yet. I don’t know what’s holding me back. Am I scared of giving myself fully to someone who holds so much power, which could crush everything in me? “Yeah, let’s go home,” I reply, putting my hand in his. He helps me out of the chair then we head out. Once we’re outside, I start getting that feeling again, like someone is watching. I turn my head, looking around and down both sides of the street. Then I see a familiar figure, and I freeze. There’s no way, that can’t be. No, it can’t. I shake my head looking again and nothing’s there. Ryan stops and turns. He comes over to me with a concerned look on his face.

“What’s wrong?” he rushes to ask.

“I thought I just saw someone I knew,” I say, my body quivering. Ryan puts his arm around me.

“Tori, you’re shaking. What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

He knows about my ex and what he’s done to me. So, I’m not going to lie to him about what I think I just saw.

“Remember I told you about my ex.” He growls deep in his chest and gives a firm nod.

“Well, umm... I’m pretty sure I just saw him, but my mind could be playing tricks on me.” I stutter.

Ryan’s eyes flash and he growls. I jump a little from the echo of it, then his face softens.

“You don’t ever have to fear me. I would never hurt you, ever,” he mutters. I nod, he takes hold of me and brings me to him, holding me close. I release a tiny sigh, feeling safe with Ryan.

Ryan opens the car door for me then closes it when I’m in. He walks around and gets in before we pull away from the restaurant and head home. I don’t look back, I don’t know why I thought I saw Steve, but something in my bones tells me something is wrong and I’ll find out soon enough what it is.

A few minutes later, we pull up to the house. I’m completely drained. I just want to head to bed.

I turn to Ryan and give a faint smile.

“Ryan. I’m tired. I just want to go to bed, if that’s okay?” I feel like I ruined the evening with my stupid head thinking of things that aren’t there.

Why is he always popping up inside of my head? When will he forever disappear from my life?

“Alright. Let’s head inside and we’ll head up to bed,” Ryan replies.