I'm the Alpha's Mate

Chapter 10

Am I pretty? If I am pretty she is something above gorgeous. Next to her I probably resemble a troll, preferably one from under a bridge. I look back at Sebastian, wanting to know if he indeed sees Fiona as well. He seems to be.

"I'll be back to get you later unless you two end up at the house somehow," he tells me again, but this time I abruptly grab his hand, not wanting him to go. This feels all too familiar.

He gives me a questioning look.

"I'll give you two a moment to say goodbye," Fiona blushes and politely closes the door.

"What's wrong, Evangeline?" He asks, and I do not let go of his hand.

My breaths quicken as the memories come back to me, though I am not sure why they are affecting me now. Sebastian has left me before this, leaving the house for the searches, for Alpha duties, but for some reason this time it is different. "Where are you going?"

"To the west border," he tells me briefly. "Are you alright?"

"When will you get me—what time?"

"Probably in a few hours, maybe more. Just get to know Fiona, have fun, and I'll be back."

Sebastian makes a move to walk away, but my grip on him tightens, not letting him go.

It is all coming to me: Her eyes gaze up at mine, the lovely chocolate color that usually brings a smile to my face, but this time I could not smile. I latch onto her arm tightly, with all the strength I have. "Sweetheart, we'll be back in a few days okay? Grandma will take care of you until then."

"I don't know Grandma," I mumble.

"Well, you can get to know her, she can play dolls with you," my mother strokes my cheek, wiping the stray tears from them. "Don't cry. Daddy and I are coming back."

I could see the pain in her eyes. "Please don't go. Why can't I stay with you?"

"The pack isn't safe right now. Once things clear up from the attack, I'll be knocking on the door, alright?"

I shake my head, gripping onto her tightly. "Don't leave me." The tears continue to fall down my cheeks, only to have more follow behind. "Please don't go."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," She whispers while pulling her arm from my grasp. "Daddy and I will be back, we'll be back," she calls to me as she hurries to my father in the distance. My grandmother holds onto my shoulders, stopping me from chasing after her. I sob, and I sob, and I sob.

"Mom!" I shout at the trees. "Mom!"

"Evangeline?" Sebastian's voice caresses me. "Are you crying?"

Suddenly my hand shoots up to my cheeks, and I fiercely wipe the tears off my face. "No, I mean—no I just," I struggle to come up with the right thing to say. Turning away from him, I curse myself and fan my eyes with my hands.

Sebastian grabs me and turns me back around, back facing him. "What happened? What did I say?" The concern is evident on his face, and I hate myself for making him feel this way.

"You didn't do anything, I-I just—I don't know."

"Calm down," he tells me until some sort of realization comes to his eyes. He places his hands on either side of me, forcing me to look up at his handsome face. "I'm coming back. I'm coming back, okay? I'll be at the west border," Sebastian points in the direction, "I'll be just over there. If you need me, tell Fiona, and she will take you to me."

I nod.

"You know what, just step outside, scream my name, and I will come running. I'm not going anywhere."

I take few deep breaths, trusting Sebastian, trusting that I will see him again. "Okay, okay. Can I have a hug?"

Sebastian does not think twice before wrapping his arms around me. I take in his scent greedily and finally find myself relaxing. "If you need me—"

"I'll scream," I interrupt as we pull apart. At this moment I feel close to him, I feel our bond strengthening, and it is a good feeling. "Thank you."

I watch Sebastian walk away for a few seconds before slowly opening the door and peeking inside. "Fiona?" I call into the house.

"Right here," she pulls my gaze to the side, and I see her sitting in a small living room. "You two are so cute. Please, come in."

Once inside Fiona offers me water and a snack, which I kindly refuse, so she leads me towards the living room. I sit down on a couch while she takes a chair across from me. Trying to act proper, I place my hands neatly on my lap.

"So I heard about how you and Sebastian met, Andrew told me the story. You are so brave for saving those rogues like that."

She must not know that they were dirty rogues. "Oh, it was a spur of the moment kind of thing. I didn't know much about packs and how they work, but thank you."

"You were a rogue?"

"Sort of. I lived with my grandmother, but before that, I belonged to a pack. How did you and Andrew meet?"

A smile lights up her face. "Well, back before I met Andrew I was a bit of a party girl. Oh my gosh, my friends and I used to drive all the way to the closest city and see what we could get ourselves into. One night, we were walking down the street and across the road Andrew was walking the opposite way. I felt it, you know the pull, his scent, and I knew he was my mate. I was so excited and taken by him that I stupidly stepped out into the road and almost got hit by a car. I don't know why, but for some reason, I thought that the world had suddenly stopped spinning for me. Andrew saw all this, obviously going through the feelings too, and he ran across the road, dodging cars to make sure I was okay."

I watch her as she begins to fill with color, probably thinking back to the exact moment, remembering everything she felt. "Right when I looked up at his face, I knew he was going to be the end of me. He changed me for the better, making me into the person I am today. I don't know where I would be without him. But I'm sure you know how it is. Sebastian, he looks at you with such adoration."

"Really?" I let a small smile curve from my lips and a light blush coat my cheeks.

"Oh, it is as clear as day. I can tell that he cares about you, wants to protect you."

A moment passes while I think about her words. "Thank you for letting me borrow your clothes. I'm assuming you got them back?"

"Oh, yes. Marina thanked me enough already, don't worry about it. My younger sister used to steal my clothes all the time."

"Your younger sister, is she part of this pack?"

Fiona shakes her head, letting the curls bounce off of her shoulders. "No, she's still at my old pack, but hopefully she'll find her mate soon."

"Do you miss your family?" I ask. Maybe we could have this in common.

"All of the time. At first I was excited to leave home, start my own life, but now I try and visit them as often as possible."

Our conversation continues, and I find myself enjoying her company. She was intimidating at first, but once I began to dig, Fiona became a normal person. All I had to do was open my mind and not worry about anything else, which was difficult at first. Sebastian kept coming to mind, making me wonder what he might be doing at that exact moment. Could he be thinking about me? Is it selfish to desire for his thoughts to be overrun by me?

"You're bringing me back to when Andrew and I first started off as mates. The glimmer in your eye, it will give you away every time," Fiona pulls me back down to earth. "Mates, they make everything seem okay. They turn on the light when things get dark, they yell at you when you put yourself at risk, they make a crumbling world seem like a paradise, all to keep you happy. You'll think that you don't deserve him—or at least I did—but know that he is thinking the same way."