The Contrary Mate

Jack

My wolf was practically losing his mind at the sight of her standing before me. Her eyes were as bright as when I first found her, but now she was in a dress that only accentuated her beauty. She was stunning. I walked over to her as casually as I could manage, considering my wolf wanted to transform and run to her.

"You came." As I was coming to expect, all my charm deserted me once again now that I was in her presence.

"Yes." The word was perfect.

"I didn't think you would." I paused and drank her in. "But I'm glad you did. You look beautiful."

She flushed slightly at my comment. "Thank you. I, uh, actually didn't really come here for your celebration, although it looks really nice. I actually came here to speak to you about what you said the other day. I just thought I shouldn't come in my regular clothing, you know? But I'm thinking this was a mistake now. I'll come back another time."

My heart sunk at her words and my wolf went into full on panic. Maybe inviting her had been a mistake at a time when my control over him was low. "No, you're already here. Please stay. We'll go somewhere and we'll talk." I had a bad feeling that I wasn't going to like what she wanted to say, but not meeting her decision head on would not help, either. "Follow me, please."

She nodded, and I led her out of the hall. I ignored the curious and concerned looks from some of my pack, especially the ones who had been within hearing range of our conversation.

I hadn't told anyone I had found her yet, other than to give my vampire guards the orders to let her in, and Fred had been aware she was invited, I told my parents—especially my mother—to stay away from any fae that might show up, and of course Irini had already figured everything out at once. So everyone probably already knew.

I led her through to my study and watched as she looked around the room, her eyes sweeping the bookshelves while I waited for her to speak. I shut the door behind us. I didn't want any witnesses to what she was going to say. I had to find some way to convince her not to do what I sensed she was about to do. Some way that wouldn't just push her to run away.

Why had it been so easy to find the right things to say when the stakes were low, but now that I had found the one for me I couldn't seem to do anything right?

Finally, she faced me. "I don't think I'm what you're looking for."

I could have protested, but I bit my tongue and waited.

"You, um, seem like a decent guy and all that. But I'm not a werewolf, I'm a fae. And this world you live in isn't the world for me. It's too much, and I don't want it. It would never work between us."

I was balanced on an edge. One wrong move and I would lose her forever and that thought terrified me like nothing else. I managed an approximation of a calm and reasonable voice through my constricting throat. "I don't think we know each other well enough yet to know that it would never work. Maybe you're exactly what I need, and I hope I could be what you need in return."

"I'm not looking for a mate, fae don't have them."

"Neither do humans, but occasionally it happens, and it seems to work out when it does."

Her eyes pierced me. They were so beautiful I wanted to look at nothing else for the rest of my life. Her voice was somehow both tremulous but firm. "I'm not looking for a relationship right now, mate or not."

My wolf began slamming against my control. I gripped the edge of the chair beside me and fought to keep my composure. "I'm not asking you to just drop everything. I understand you weren't expecting this. All I'm asking for is a chance for me to get to know you, for you to get to know me, before you make a final decision."

"Is there a point, though? You and I, we're like night and day."

"Maybe, but doesn't night seem full of peaceful stillness after the busyness of the day, and doesn't day shine brighter compared to the darkness of night?"

She silently looked at my face as if she could read my thoughts, her eyebrows knit, her expression solemn.

I continued, praying that my words would stop her from doing anything permanent. "And maybe the night has always longed for that one moment when day and night meet at dawn, when the other stars disappear, because the most important one outshines them all."

She didn't respond and I began to sweat. Had I laid it on too thick? Some women would have been swooning at my feet if I said something like that to them, but if there was one thing I had learned all women had in common, it was that they were all as completely different as they were all the same. Beautifully unpredictable. And normally that was an interesting challenge, but normally the gamble didn't have everything I had ever wanted on the line.

She stared at me, and I looked back, the silence growing between us. I said nothing else because I feared it would be the last thing I would ever say to her if I did. Finally she broke it. "Is that how you really feel?"

"It is."

She closed her eyes and inhaled and then opened them again. "Fine. I'll give it a chance."

Only my desire not to want to appear weak in front of her stopped me from sagging with relief. At the same time, my wolf crooned in my head, thrilled that we had passed the first barrier, we'd gained time with our mate. Time to win her over. Time to learn everything about her, to discover the person beneath the beauty before my eyes.