The Contrary Mate

Jack

Instructing the guards on duty to stay back but keep watch, I walked outside the gates. Thanks to my excellent vision in low lights, I recognized the figure before I reached him as the one who I had spotted skulking outside the gates previously. He apparently still refused to stop interfering with my mate. I could understand why he wasn’t over Aura—after all, who could get over Aura?—but I still wasn’t going to tolerate being spied on. If the fae thought he was safe lurking outside because it was dark, he had another thing coming.

His eyes widened as I stalked straight up towards him. Did this fae not know that werewolves had excellent low light vision? Even if I hadn’t spotted him on my way in, the guards at the gates surely knew he was there. Not to mention the security tech around the estate. Was he oblivious to all of that? What had Aura ever seen in this squirmy little insect?

“What are you doing here?” he asked without preamble, as if it were me who was loitering outside of a private residence instead of the reverse.

“I could ask you the same question.” I let my wolf’s menace leak through my tone. This fae kept intruding on his territory and that challenge brought him dangerously near the surface.

The fae’s wings sprang from his back, presumably a fight or flight response to his fear. He should be afraid, getting between a wolf and its loved ones was not a safe place to be. “I was—”

I didn’t actually care about his excuses. “If you keep lurking around here, you’ll be lucky if I only call the human authorities.”

“I’m not doing anything illegal,” he snapped.

“Oh? Loitering outside a private residence, stalking a woman...”

“I haven’t done either of those things,” he protested.

“No? I know that you followed her here, that’s how you find this place. When a lady tells you to leave her alone, you leave her alone. And I’m also aware that you’re the reason that she has to worry about what all the other fae are going to think about her.”

“No, you’re the reason that she needs to worry about what all the other fae are going to think of her,” he said, raising his wings as if trying to make himself look larger. “You came barging into her life and upturned everything. You don’t know how much she’s had to give up for you already, and it’s only going to get worse.”

“I don’t—”

“You don’t know, that’s just the thing. She’s sacrificing a lifetime of being a proper fae, her reputation and for what? A werewolf player who will probably drop her at the—”

My wolf growled. “She’s my mate. I’d rather die than drop her for anyone else. Your seclusion is showing, you obviously know nothing of werewolves and the bonds we form.” I clenched my fists and breathed calmly, trying to be rational. My wolf wanted to go for his throat, and I would bet it would feel great. But if I beat up this puny fae I’d look like a monster and a bully. And I had no doubt if I gave in to my bloody instincts and assaulted him the first thing he would do would be to go running back to Aura to show her what I had done, completely without context. I could probably explain, but I didn’t want to have to.

“I know that fae don’t have those bonds, and if you really cared about her you’d stop dragging her into your werewolf world and leave her alone.”

I growled. “I’m not dragging her anywhere. And if you really cared about her, you’d accept her choices. She’s with me willingly.”

“Is she? Because this is nothing like her. Maybe it’s not you doing it, maybe she’s being forced by your creepy werewolf magic to be with a werewolf in a dead place I’m sure she hates more than she’d tell you.”

“Oh?” He must have been able to read the disdain in my tone.

“This home of yours is cold and empty. I can feel it from here. It makes me want to vomit. A fae would fade away living there with you, and doubly so for her because she’s so in tune with her magic. It won’t be good for Aura.”

If this idiot thought he could scare me away from Aura by threatening my lifestyle, he clearly had no idea how serious I was. “That’s fine, I’d live with her elsewhere.”

“Elsewhere, like a tiny house in the woods, with no human conveniences?” He was so smug.

Did he really believe that he could sway me with nonsense like that? Laughable. “I don’t care. I am part wolf, I can live in the forest quite happily. I don’t even need the house. This is luxury and convenience, but an animal doesn’t need it.” I moved forward a step, and was pleased to see him take a step back, clearly intimidated. My wolf was excited at this unintended sign of submission. We had the power over this creature, whether he wanted to admit it or not. What could prey do before a predator but flee?

And this fae needed to understand that before he pushed too far and I lost control of my animal instincts for the first time in my life. “What you need to understand, is I will do almost anything for her, if that’s what it takes for her to be happy with me. I’ll give up this life, I’d give up civilization, I’d give up whatever she asks. If she wants to wander around the forest for the rest of her life, I don’t care, as long as she wants a wolf by her side. You can’t scare me by telling me that I’ll lose some frivolous things, because I’ll readily drop it all if needed.”

Rex glowered at me. My wolf could have laughed at the pitiable attempt. I would have felt sorry for him if he wasn’t trying to get between me and Aura. He spat out “Right, you’ll drop your power, your wealth.”

He was a fool if he thought that he understood me. The reason Vander and I had started everything in the first place was merely that we had seen an area where pack security—and security for other kinds of creatures as well—could be improved, and we had worked to improve it. All the other things that had come with success were just bonuses we had received upon completing our original goal.

“It’s all meaningless without her. You’re wasting your time. She’s the only one who can make me give up on her, and she’s not going to do that.” Half hope, half bluff, and I desperately hoped it was true.

With one last final resentful look, he flew off into the darkness. He wasn’t done trying to come between us and I needed to go on the offensive.

I worked diligently the next day after sending Aura’s father a quick text and receiving a reply that he was willing to secretly meet me. He was the perfect fae to help me with my quandary, since he both knew fae customs and his own daughter. Plus, he was probably the most reasonable of the fae from what Aura had said. I hadn’t realized just how resistant they were to outsiders before I had discovered my mate amongst them and I was getting the distinct impression that a lot of them would spit in my face if I dared to ask them for assistance.

After he got off of work, I met him at a coffee shop owned by one of my pack members. While werewolf run, the place also catered to human customers, but it was out of the way so there weren’t that many, and as luck would have it, there were no humans present when I arrived other than a couple of travellers who were taking their coffee to go.

Aura’s father seemed in a good mood when he came in. He ordered a decaf but I’d already told the barista that I would pay for whatever he got. He seemed amused that I had done so, but I was hardly going to let my mate’s father treat himself when I had invited him out.

“So, you wanted to meet me?” he prompted as soon as he sat down. Our coffees were brought and set before us.

“Yes, thanks for coming on such short notice, August.”

“Not to mention it, Jack. I am curious what you want, though.” He took a drink of the steaming beverage.

My throat felt tight with the severity of my next sentence. “I know it’s soon, and probably too soon for a non-werewolf, but I want to marry—or whatever the fae equivalent of marking is—your daughter.”

August inspected me for a long moment, brow furrowed as if lost in thought. “If you’re looking for my permission to ask her, you’ve got it, but by now I imagine you’ve noticed that Aura is sweet and gentle. And as stubborn as a ancient redwood. She’ll eventually do what she wants, with or without my permission.”

“Thank you,” I said. It was still good to have direct confirmation that her father wasn’t going to oppose us. If he had it wasn’t going to stop me, but it was better for Aura if we had the support of the people closest to her. “But I’m also here to ask for your help.”