The Contrary Mate

Jack

I searched the room, looking for the face that matched the scent in my memory but I couldn’t find her. It couldn’t be a good sign that Charlie was here again even after I’d so obviously rejected her advances. I wasn’t going to let her come between me and my mate, no matter what she was planning. My wolf, who had been calmly revelling in our mate, stirred in anger at the potential threat towards Aura.

This threat needed to be dealt with before it got out of hand. I glanced at her as they began to bring out the food. Surely Charlie wouldn’t cause a scene during the meal.

Aura’s eyes met mine. “What’s wrong?” she whispered.

“Do you trust me?” I whispered back against her ear.

“Yes,” she said, looking at me with eyes wide with confusion.

“There’s someone here who I believe is going to try to cause trouble.”

“What sort of trouble?”

I breathed in deeply. “Trouble of the female variety.”

Her brows narrowed. “Oh?”

“I could ignore the problem, but I’d prefer to confront her now and avoid a scene. I’ll explain everything later.”

Aura searched my eyes for a long moment and nodded. “But I want to come with you.”

I lowered my voice even lower. “It’s not safe. The problem isn’t human.”

She didn’t look convinced, but she nodded. “Okay. Go then.”

I took her words as permission, apologetically weaving my way through the servers who had begun streaming into the room. As I stepped out into the hallway, someone began speaking, and I continued searched for the problematic scent. It would have been easier if I could have transformed and used my more sensitive wolf senses.

I finally found the trail, and I followed my nose to the kitchen. It took me only a moment to locate her inside, wearing a white kitchen uniform and moving plated food to trays that the servers were taking out. She seemed to be working, but the coincidence of running into her again seemed too much.

I watched for a moment, debating what to do, when a woman who appeared to be the head chef noticed me. “Can I help you?” she asked in a distinctly irritated voice.

“Yeah, just got turned around on my way to the washroom, and spotted an old friend of mine working here.” I smiled at her and she defrosted just a degree. “Could I borrow Charlie for just a moment to get me turned around.”

At the sound of her name, the werewolf perked up. I wondered how she could be so deluded to imagine that I would be here for any good reason.

The chef glanced between the two of us and crossed her arms. “If you go, don’t come back. Every moment is critical.”

“It’s not that important,” I said quickly. If she was too busy to cause trouble I could deal with her later.

Charlie smiled. “Sounds good to me.” She pulled off her apron and dropped it on the counter and strode across the room, the chef’s mouth hanging open as she passed, clearly not having expected to lose a helper right then.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” I told her as she met me in the hallway.

“Why not?” she smirked.

“I’m not here for you. I wanted to know what you’re doing here.”

Her smile faded. “I thought—”

“Come on,” I said, gripping her arm and pulling her along until I found a deserted supply room. The deluded werewolf licked her lips.

“Jack, I’m glad that you—”

I steered her inside and shut the door before releasing her. “No, listen to me, I was serious about what I said to you last time. You have a mate, and now I have a mate.”

She scoffed. “Yes, I know. A fae.”

“Yes, my mate is of the fae.”

“Now maybe you can see that we’d be great together. What could you possibly have in common with one of them, Jack? They’re weird and reclusive.”

I gritted my teeth at the insult towards Aura’s people. My wolf growled. “I’m not here to discuss her with you. I warned you to stay away from me. Is that why you got a job here? Does Greyclaw know you’re staying here?”

“I’m on neutral territory.”

Unfortunately she was right. “Did you leave your pack?” I detected the faintest scent of rogue where there hadn’t been before. My wolf felt calmed in that moment, it was the strangest thing.

“No, not yet. But I will in a heartbeat if you’ll just accept me.”

“You need to hear my words, I have no interest in you. I never got involved with mated females, and I’ll never even think of any female other than my mate, ever, now that I’ve found her and you’re not her.”

“I could be your second chance. Surely you see how well we mesh. I’ll reject—”

“I don’t think you’re hearing me. I’m not interested, and you need to stay away, or I will get our packs involved.”

A different, pleasing scent flowed towards me, and the door slipped open slowly. Aura glanced inside, those wide eyes concerned.

Charlie moved towards me as if she were going to try to make it look like I was doing something wrong, and I growled lowly at her as I sidestepped towards my mate. Aura glanced around, and before I could explain, she asked, “So you’re the female problem?”

“I’m not problem, I’m the solution. You’re not right for Jack, and I am.”

“I’m not sure you know what you’re talking about,” Aura said. “I’m not meant to be his exact duplicate. You’re a werewolf, shouldn’t you know more about how the mate bond thing works than I do?”

I cut in. “She has a mate. He’s the one who gave me a good beating.”

She glanced at me. “The bruises? So this was recent. I recognize you from a picture.”

“Very recent. Jack had me up against the wall and—”

“I’m sorry, Aura,” I broke in. It was true. I’d almost given up so close to when I would find her.

She shrugged. “It was before we met.”

“We were interrupted before I could make an irreversible mistake.”

Aura rounded on Charlie. “Listen—what’s your name—?”

Charlie shot Aura a dirty look and my wolf growled at her. “Charlie,” I supplied.

“—Charlie, I can see you’ve got some sort of interest in Jack, but it sounds like he’s been pretty clear with you that he doesn’t return it.”

“It wasn’t at all clear when we first met,” she said, her smirk reforming.

“It was pretty clear when your mate interrupted us,” I pointed out coldly.

She tried sending me another pleading look.

I growled. “Come near me or my mate again and you’ll regret it.”

Aura looked concerned. “Please listen to him. I wouldn’t want something bad to happen to you.” My mate’s genuine concern clearly flew straight over Charlie’s head and she growled as Aura continued speaking. “I can see that you’re fixated and that’s not healthy. You’ve got to let go and live your own life.”

Aura turned and cast me one final look. “Your supper is going to get cold.” She left the room.

I looked at the pathetic werewolf watching her exit.

“You need to understand you’re nothing to me, and I’m nothing to you, before you get any ideas. If you even think of looking down on her because she’s fae or plotting against her, remember that she’s got a werewolf on a leash, and it wouldn’t take much for my wolf to escape it. Do not cross me.”

Wasting no more time on her, I hurried and followed my mate. “How did you find me?” I asked Aura.

She shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s like I’m pulled towards you. Like how my dad explained magnets. We’re opposites, and opposites attract.”

I caught her hand in my own.

When supper was over, the rest of the evening went fairly smoothly. Charlie must have made herself scarce, and I believed that Aura enjoyed herself in spite of the earlier drama. I enjoyed watching the way she looked over all the art, and with amusement I heard her use the word profound more than once, although she actually seemed to mean it, which was even more charming. I bid on several paintings because she liked them, two paintings with botanical themes, which wasn’t surprising, and one abstract one that I could not understand, but I was happy if it made her happy.

After the night was over, I drove her home, desperately wishing that she was coming back with me to my place. My wolf wanted it in a fairly innocent way in that he mainly wanted her close for protection and comfort after feeling she had been threatened, but I was having trouble keeping my thoughts in line. Every time I saw her it only got worse.

It was time to consult a fae at the earliest opportunity and figure out exactly how to seal the deal in a fae way.

As I pulled up to my driveway, I spotted a dark figure in the shadows of the gate. Instantly on guard, I parked my car. My patience was already on a thin thread as I went out to confront the intruder.