Mates Conquer Everything, Right?

I wake up around dinnertime and find myself alone. Walking to the living room, I find my mate sitting on the couch.

“I didn’t expect you to leave me alone.” I was not resented, just stating a fact.

“I still had some work to do.” He is sipping coffee and I see a jar of mayonnaise on the little table.

“You really don’t know how to cook, do you?” I chuckle and point at the jar on the table.

“No, I don’t. But the mayonnaise can counter some of the aftereffects of the wolfsbane. Grab a spoon and join me?” He asks, and I comply.

I take a seat next to him and have some of the dressing. “Ugh, I need fries with it.” My mouth is full of my favorite sandwich topping and I’m hating it.

“Does your throat feel better?” He is holding me tight to his side. It’s a stupid question, because everything feels better with him. I swallow and find that it does help with the sore throat.

“Yes, it does.”

“How is Vasil? Is he back?”

“No, he is sleeping. It is so quiet, I don’t feel complete.”

“I hope he comes back soon. You look a little lost.”

A grin appears on his face. “Lost?”

“Yes, your body language is off.”

I see him thinking and he agrees: “I think you are right. Not having him watching over my shoulder and speaking to me is a little strange.”

“Since he is sleeping, can I ask you something?”

“Anything,” he says, taking me in his lap. He smells my hair.

“That might not be a good idea.”

He lets me go and I sit next to him. “I have a question about sex.” I just go for the direct route since I don’t have to take Vasil’s feelings into account.

“Oh, okay. Mating, yes of course. That was the reason we were fighting.”

“No,” I point a finger to his chest, “the reason why we had a fight was that you didn’t choose me, and I must say, I understand now. I am still hurt by your decision not to help me.” I take my finger back and fiddle with it.

Before Igétas can open his mouth, Amanda comes barging, “Stop, don’t say another word!”

Igétas growls a little at the disrespectfulness of her manner, so she bares her neck and makes herself look small.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, completely surprised, and she looks at Igétas.

“I want to know too,” Igétas replies.

“You two were about to have a fight and that would have backtracked us for a couple of months.” She explains. I am not following.

“I don’t understand. What is going on?”

“Can I tell her now?” She asks and Igétas nods.

“I chose my power.”

“That is great news. Can I know what your power is?”

“Yes, you can, it is clairvoyance. It was always one of the stronger powers within me and when Igétas asked for my help, I couldn’t disobey.” Amanda looks at my mate and I raise an eyebrow at him.

“You asked her to pick what you wanted?” I am not on board with that. She is her own person and a Beta can’t decide her fate.

“Nothing like that.” He says and gives Amanda a cursory glance.

She sighs and takes my hand in hers. “I was ready to choose and when Igétas came to me in distress, I knew which one Selene wanted me to pick. The attacks on the border were still happening, the uncertainty around what they wanted and, of course, Igétas who was and still is walking around like a ticking time bomb. There was no other choice than the gift of seeing the future.”

I am a little stunned by her story. Seeing the future is a massive superpower. I am picturing her with a latex outfit and a cape.

“So you can see the future, for real?” I ask, not sure how I can ever find it normal. The mind-linking is still a trick I need to get used to.

“It is not very precise. What I see is still a little scrambled in my head. But in a couple of years, it will be more clear and less cluttered. If I focus, I mostly see a couple of pictures or words.”

Igétas wraps an arm around me, not being able to stand next to me and not touch me. I don’t complain.

“Amanda, tell me why you barged in here like a bull, stopping our conversation as if the world is going to end.”

She looks at her Beta, “Right, sorry Beta. I did it because you asked me to keep an eye on Violet, and it turns out I am a little more in tune with her than I thought.”

“Wait, what does she mean?” I turn to my mate and raise an eyebrow.

“Did you really think I would let you die? That I wouldn’t intercept the next heat? You were in the most excruciating pain and I will never let you experience it again, Alpha command or not. You are mine to protect and to love, and losing you because of my idiotic brother isn’t something I am willing to do...”

I get a little teared up by his love admission.

“So I went to Amanda for help. I asked her to keep an eye on you when I wasn’t close, and hoped her ability to sense something more could help us out. Turned out she just chose her power and she was willing to watch over you.”

“Of course I was.” She tells me and hugs me tight. “So, I was…” She pauses and thinks for a second. “… let’s call it ‘watching’ over the Pack and the threat, but also over you.”

I turn to Igétas and think back to our conversation and his promise: ’’You will not experience the heat again. I won’t let it happen. I need you to trust me. Can you do that?”

His words and his promise make so much more sense now that I know that he talked to Amanda. He didn’t let me down. He did promise me I wouldn’t die, but I just couldn’t believe him. Now I know he told me the truth. He is a good man, my mate.

“You told me I wouldn’t experience heat again.” I hug him tightly.

“Yes, Amanda would have contacted me and I would have mated you, right on the spot.”

“I am sorry I didn’t believe you.”

“I am sorry I couldn’t tell you what I had in mind. It was too risky.”

We hug, and Amanda clears her throat.

“Now that it is cleared up, I can leave.” She skips out of the room and leaves us alone.