The Elemental Mate

Xander POV

As I cupped her face within my hands and promised not to hurt her, I watched her deep blue eyes. I could see her struggle with herself. I could feel her emotions running through her as she fought with her feelings. The mate bond told her that she was safe, and she could trust me, but she didn’t understand why.

I knew I shouldn’t have moved so quickly earlier, but when she said she was attacked, not injured, I started thinking about when we found her all over again.

The image of holding her in my arms as I could feel her dying flashed before my eyes again. I couldn’t stop myself or Kai from reaching out to her, holding her in our arms so we could guarantee that she was safe, that she was alive.

Once I had marked her, we were able to bring her back to the pack where the doctors started to work on her injuries. It was agonizing. After marking her as my own, I could feel a degree of her pain, and I’ve never been in so much anguish.

When the doctor tried to throw me out of the room, I refused to leave. I actually hit my beta and gamma when they tried to force me to go.

I had to stay.

Being tied to her feelings and emotions, even only a small portion of them since we haven’t fully bonded still gave me hope as I could feel some relief from the pain when I touched her. So, I stayed. For two weeks, I held her as she healed slowly.

Levi was right. She may not be a wolf, but the mating bite did give her a small portion of the healing traits of a wolf. She couldn’t heal as fast as us, but her scars and injuries had severely decreased. I thanked the moon goddess for not taking her from me.

A soft voice broke me out of my thoughts. I peered down at her as she repeated her question, “Why?”

“Why what, sweetheart?” I asked her gently.

“Why do I feel like I can trust you?” she asks me, uncertainty clear in her eyes.

“I’m not sure you want to know why yet,” I tell her, trying to avoid telling her that I marked her without her permission. I may have done it to save her life, but the guilt of it was killing me. She may never forgive me for taking the choice away from her.

I may have taken of the choice of being marked away, but she could still reject the bond. But, if she did that, the mate bond would sever completely, leaving us both hollow. We would never be allowed to touch again without causing massive pain to each other. I almost lost her once, I don’t think I would survive if she left me completely, “Can you just forget why and just know that you can trust me.”

“No, I’ve had enough lies in my life. I need to know,” she tells me, a hard look on her face, “Tell me why I should trust you.”

I gave her a seldom look as I held her eyes with mine, not looking anywhere other than her, “You trust me because you are my mate,” I tell her truthfully.

She gives me a confused and a little startled look, pulling away from me again, “No, I’m not,” she tries to tell me, “That’s not possible.”

I felt a gab of pain when she stated we couldn’t be mates, causing Kai to whimper in my mind from the feel of our mate rejecting us. Trying not to show the hurt, I forced a light smile, “It is very possible.”

She shakes her head in denial, “No, it’s not.”

“Why not?” I beg her, trying to move closer to her again, but she just moves back on the bed more.

“Because you are a wolf. I’m not,” she tells me as if it is the most obvious and simple reason in the world.

I grabbed her hand quickly before she could pull away from me. The electricity shot up through us from the contact, “Do you feel that? The sparks, the energy?”

She nodded her head, trying to pull away, “That doesn’t mean anything.”

I laugh quietly at that, “That means everything,” I tell her as I rub small circles over the back of her hand. I lean closer to her, moving my other hand along her arm, feeling the sparks traveling through us both, “A mate bond is like an electric current between two people, always drawing them closer together, providing safety, love, and trust. It’s a bond tethering two people together forever,” I tell her lowly, slowly leaning until my forehead was rested against hers.

Her eyes closed at the contact and the feelings she was experiencing. I took in her beauty as we sat in silence. The feeling of peace washed over me as we sat there, completely content. She opens her eyes to look into mine.

Breaking the silence, I whispered lightly, “Do you believe me now?”

“I want to, more than anything,” her voice cracks, “My heart is telling me it is true, but my mind knows that I can’t have a mate, especially a mate who is a wolf.”

“Please, listen to your heart,” I beg her. I just found my mate, and I wasn’t ready to lose her already, “I nearly lost you once, I can’t go through that again.”

“I may not be who you think I am. My past, my problems, I’m not safe,” her eyes hold mine, her emotions of uncertainty running through me as she asks, “Are you sure?”

“I am very sure,” I state, practically seeing Kai nod his head like a child in response.

She looked down for a moment as if lost in thought, before lifting her eyes to meet mine. She gave me a light smile before speaking, “I never asked what your name was.”

My smile brightened at that, “It’s Xander Baker.”

She gave me a small smile back, “I’m Aurora Wytte.”

“Aurora,” I tested, loving the way it sounded, “It’s nice to finally meet you.”