The Mating Rules

Raelyn’s POV

I wake up in a ridiculously comfortable bed, and I stetch my arms over my head, my eyes still closed as I roll over and inhale deeply. An amazing smell hits me, it’s like cinnamon rolls which are my favourite. I bury my face deeper into the pillow, groaning softly as I pull it closer to my nose.

‘Mmmm’ purrs a voice, ‘Mate smells good.’

‘He sure does’ I agree with a smile before my eyes fly open and I sit bolt upright in bed, a scream ripping from my lips.

‘Baby? Babe? Are you OK?’ Isaac rushes back into the room from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist, droplets of water running down his muscular torso as he looks around the room, his feet bringing him to me before his arms scoop me up, holding me tightly.

‘It’s OK Rae, you are in my room’ he murmurs against me, ‘Sorry, I meant to get back before you woke up so you wouldn’t wonder where you were.’

I shake my head, pulling back to look at him, ‘I heard a voice’ I say worriedly, glancing around the room, ‘someone is in here with us.’

Frowning, Isaac, peers over his shoulder before shaking his head slowly, ‘no baby, we’re alone’ he replies.

I shake my head back at him, my eyes wide, ‘I heard her’ I whisper, ‘she spoke, there is someone here!’

Slowly letting me go, Isaac stands up, moving around the room stealthily, opening the door to his closet and rummaging through the clothing that hangs there before shutting he door again and getting down on his hands and knees to check under the bed. I sit in the middle of his bed, the covers wrapped around me, watching as my Mate checks the entire room before coming back and sitting beside me.

‘There is no-one here babe, maybe you dreamed it?’ he offers.

I swallow hard, my eyes still taking in every shadow inside the room, maybe I did dream it . . . but it was so real.

‘Yeah, maybe’ I mumble uncertainly, ‘it’s just . . .’

Isaac turns toward me, cupping my face gently, ‘what, sweetheart, tell me.’

I shrug, ‘the voice, it said that you smell good’ I mutter, blushing slightly, ‘your pillow, it smells like cinnamon rolls and I was thinking how they were my favourite and then a voice said Mate smells good.’

I glance up at the Beta who is looking at me curiously before his eyes darken slightly and a rougher voice emerges.

‘Mate’ he growls affectionately.

I smile softly, ‘hey Indigo’ I reply, ‘you want to talk to me?’

Indigo leans closer and runs Isaac’s nose up my neck, smelling me, ‘love my Mate, want to speak to her.’

I nod, ‘I’m right here’ I whisper, ‘you can talk to me any time you want too.’

The wolf tilts his head in confusion before shaking it, ‘come forward’ he orders and suddenly I’m thrown back into my own mind, fear gripping me as I try to fight the invisible force.

‘Mate’ Indigo growls, rubbing Isaac’s cheek against mine, though his voice sounds distant as though there is a space between us.

‘Mate’ a much more feminine voice replies using my mouth. What the heck is going on?

‘What is Mate’s name?’ the werewolf asks curiously.

The voice taking over my body purrs as she replies, ‘Raven.’

‘My name Indigo’ Issac’s wolf responds, licking my face with Isaac’s tongue.

‘I know’ whoever Raven is, replies, ‘I could hear you, I just couldn’t reach out.’

Indigo’s eyes lighten and Isaac’s much smoother voice comes through as he brings up his hand to my face and cups it.

‘Hello Raven’ he murmurs, smiling softly.

‘Hello human Mate’ the voice replies, the purr in my chest growing louder as she nuzzles my face into Isaac’s hand.

‘It’s great to finally meet you’ my Mate continues, ‘you’ve been hiding for a long time.’

I feel my head nod, Raven’s voice coming out sad, ‘I tried to reach out over and over but the chains held me down, I couldn’t break them.’

Isaac presses his lips to mine, a sweet closed mouth k**s before pulling back, but you are here now’ he replies, ‘can you come forward whenever you want now or is this a one time thing?’

My shoulder’s shrug, ‘I think I can come back, I feel stronger, my chains are looser. Indigo can call me forward, his strength helps me’ she says, her voice weaker now as though speaking it tiring her. Then I’m shooting forward again, everything becoming louder as my body lurches forward, Isaac’s hands grabbing my upper arms to steady me.

‘It’s OK, I’ve got you’ he says softly, studying my face as I look up at him, feeling a little woozy.

‘I don’t know what happened’ I stutter, ‘one minute I was talking to you and then the next I was like trapped in my own mind! That wasn’t me you were talking too, who is she? Did something happen to me in the forest last night?’

I’m starting to panic, my body trembling under Isaac’s touch as he pulls me into his arms, wrapping them comfortingly around me, that yummy cinnamon smell calming me. I vaguely wonder what washing powder he uses because I’ve never heard of a cinnamon scented one before.

‘It’s OK Rae’ he soothes, ‘you get used to it and you wont feel so rough next time it happens.

I pull back, my face paling, ‘next time?’ I wail, ‘I don’t want there to be a next time! Make it go away!’

Isaac just smiles at me, holding on to me as he shakes his head, ‘I can’t Rae’ he replies, ‘that’s your wolf.’

I stare at him, my mouth falling open, ‘wha . . at?’ I gulp, ‘no, I don’t have a wolf, she was caged, my father . . . he hurt my mother . . . my wolf couldn’t come out . . ‘

The Beta presses a finger to my lips, quieting my rambling, ‘that’s your wolf baby’ he murmurs, ‘and her name is Raven, you have your wolf.’

My head is spinning, can I really have a wolf? After all this time?

‘Well now I understand this’ Isaac adds tilting his head to the side, four healed puncture wounds in his marking spot.

‘Is that . . ?’ I whisper, reaching out and running my fingers over the mark, mesmerised.

A low growl crawls up the Beta’s throat as his eyes darken, ‘I wouldn’t do that baby, not unless you want me to tie you to this bed for the rest of the day.’

I blush, dropping my hand quickly into my lap, a shiver of desire rolling over me.

‘I was just about to come out as show you’ Isaac continues, ‘I saw it in the mirror when I got out of the shower and wondered how the heck you marked me.’ His face lights up with happiness, ‘your wolf must have broken through when I marked you and marked me back.’

I want to touch the mark again, but at his words, I lift my fingers to my own neck, feeling the slight indents of four canines.

‘You are mine forever now Raelyn’ Isaac growls, his gaze moving to my fresh mark, ‘and I am yours’ he adds, touching his own mark.

I nod, my chest untightening, I have a wolf, I’m not broken, and I have a Mate, fated by the Goddess.

‘Can I talk to her?’ I ask shyly, ‘you know, my wolf?’

Isaac nods, ‘just speak to her, she can hear you’ he replies.

‘Hello?’ I say uncertainly, glancing at Isaac who is trying not to laugh, ‘what?’ I demand, suddenly self conscious.

‘In your mind baby, talk to her in your mind, not out loud’ Isaac replies in amusement.

Oh! I try again, this time thinking the word instead of speaking.

‘Hello? Raven’ I call silently.

‘Hello Raelyn’ comes the soft voice again, ‘It is so good to finally speak to you.’

I swallow hard, this is so weird, ‘how are you here?’ I ask in confusion, ‘the poison in my b***d . . . the Goddess said you were trapped . . ‘

‘I was’ Raven replies quietly, ‘for so long. I tried over and over to reach you, but it was like our connection never completed. I could feel you when you got badly hurt and I tried to send you my healing abilities each time, I don’t know if it worked though.’ My wolf sighs sadly, ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you Rae, I really wanted too, I tried, I promise, I tried.’

I can feel my wolf’s regret and it tugs at my heart, hurting me to know that she feels responsible.

‘it wasn’t your fault’ I reply quickly, ‘and I had a really good life, no one treated me badly for not shifting or being slower than anyone else, if anything they were crazy over protective of me.’

My wolf laughs, and I wish I could see her, but it’s just a voice in the darkness for me.

‘How are you here now?’ I finally ask, desperate to know how my wolf has even managed to emerge this far. ‘The Moon Goddess said you were blocked by the poison from the knife, what happened?’

Raven purrs happily, ‘Mate’ she replies simply, ‘when he forged the bond by claiming us, it gave me enough strength to push forward and mark him in return. Mate’s b***d is pure, untainted, when we bit into his skin, absorbed his b***d, it started to change ours, cleaning it of the toxins that flow through us. It has taken all night, but I was finally able to push forward enough to speak to you, when Mate summoned me to him, his order was strong enough to break through the already weakening restraints that hold me.’

‘Can you shift? I mean, can we?’ I whisper, hardly daring to hope that maybe, one day, I’ll be able to take on a wolf form and run with everyone else.

‘No’ Raven replies sadly, ‘I am not strong enough, the poison still holds me captive inside of you.’

‘OH, OK’ I murmur, trying to keep my disappointment out of my voice , ‘its still wonderful to speak to you though’ I add, ‘for so long I was alone, jealous of everyone else when they’d talk about their best friend, their wolf.’

Raven growls softly, her voice weaker, ‘I was there Raelyn’ she whispers faintly, ‘I will always be there, you were never alone.’

Her voice fades away and after calling out to her a few times, I realise she’s gone and a tear slides down my face.

‘Hey, you OK?’ Isaac asks, wiping my cheek with his thumb as my blink a few times, refocusing on the man in front of me.

‘She’s gone’ I mumble, ‘she faded away.’

The Beta pulls me onto his lap, stroking his fingers through my hair as I burrow into his warmth. ‘Tell me what she said’ he murmurs, pressing his lips to my crown as I recount the conversation between Raven and myself.

When I’m finished, Isaac moves e back slightly so he can see me, ‘I think she’s tired’ he muses, ‘she’s been fighting for years to try and break through the poison in your system, to finally get through must have wiped her out. She said she was always with you, I believe she’ll come back, she’s just resting.’

I nod, wiping at my face with the backs of my hands, ‘you know for a second, I really thought I might shift one day, get to see her’ I admit with a weak laugh.

Isaac cups my face with his hands, turning my face up toward him, ‘well marking me gave her strength, that’s what she said right? My b***d is helping to clean the toxins from yours? So maybe you just need to mark me a few more times, absorb more of my b***d, to help decontaminate your own. Once enough of the poison is gone, maybe Raven will be able to emerge.’

I peer up at him, not daring to hope, ‘you really think that could work?’ I ask hopefully.

The Beta shrugs, ‘there’s no guarantee’ he admits, ‘but I’m all for mating and marking over and over again until I’m proven wrong. He waggles his eyebrows at me, his hand sliding up under his t’shirt that I’m wearing as I laugh, slapping at him playfully.

‘You are such a p*****t’ I accuse him, ‘this has nothing to do with my wolf and everything to do with you getting laid!’

My Mate gives me an incredulous look, ‘of course it’s about your wolf’ he gasps, ‘do you think I want to stay in this bed with you for hours, mating over and over again? This is a sacrifice woman! One that I will reluctantly make for your happiness!’

I roll my eyes, as I smile up at him, ‘still full of it, Beta’ I grumble at him, poking him in the chest.

A scream escapes me as with one swift movement I’m thrown back onto the bed, Isaac laying on top of me, pinning me to the mattress with his body.

‘So damn sassy’ the Beta growls, nipping at my shoulder as his hands trail up my exposed stomach, ‘I think I need to do a better job of wearing you out, make you too tired to give me that attitude.’

‘You love my attitude’ I m**n, as his fingers find my n****e and pinch it gently.

‘I love you Rae’ Isaac replies heatedly, ‘for always.’