Ayn's Healing

Chapter 19 - Kari

As I quickly walk towards the house, almost running, I am trying to forget the image of her tiny knees and soft inner thighs pointing at the spring sun. When I lied down next to her, as she asked me to observe some sort of bug hatching, our elbows touched. I had to think of cold rain and paper cuts in order not to turn towards her and kiss her until my cravings would be satisfied. Like until forever or so.

"Why didn't you? Why didn't you at least hug her goodbye? What is wrong with you, human?" Storm protests loudly, pushing himself to my surface.

"Well, for one thing, as you have heard, the female of great powers wants to have a spring fling with me, whatever the crap that is, and I wouldn't want to give her the wrong impression that I am open to it," I retort cynically because am still not completely over the fact that my Goddess-given mate implied that I could be some sort of distraction during her time here. "Also I need to understand what am I dragging her..us into..."

"The sealing of the bond is not dragging into something. We have a second chance at having a mate, a second chance at being the Alpha. Which you seem to be squandering, if I may offer an opinion."

"No, you may not," I mutter, as I try to push the wolf away from my consciousness.

"You could have at least hugged her goodbye..." he growls his contempt before fading in my mind.

I knock on my sister's door and enter without waiting for an answer. Which turns out to be a big mistake as she and Timo slip as quickly as they can under covers.

"Ah, my eyes," I sigh. "Seriously, in the middle of the day??"

"I am ovulating and also, aren't you supposed to wait to be invited in?" My sister hisses at me as she hops with the bedsheets wrapped around her towards her closet.

"Beta, put on some pants, I need to speak to you," I say to Timo as I turn towards the door to give him some overdue privacy.

"Done."

"Timo, I will be travelling to Albert's pack for some training."

"Some training? Are you resuming Alpha training?" Timo is very excited but I can only return him a dry nod.

"In the meantime, Beta, I want you to guard Ayn with your life. She has a tendency of getting in trouble. If she has so much as a scratch on her when I am back, I will hunt you down and kill you."

"So I am basically already dead, as the woman is a specialist in self injury," Timo laughs, because he knows how Ayn crosses borders blindly in search of her plants and also how she  randomly walks into walls because her cute nose is always in a book or a stack of experimental notes.

"Point taken, let me rephrase that: If anything beyond the usual scratches happens to her, I will hunt you down and kill you."

"Understood, Kari. But, if I may ask, why the sudden intense interest in the witch girl's well being?"

I ponder for a moment whether it's worth trying to keep it a secret, seeing that my mother knows. I decide it is better if they find out from me.

"She is my mate."

"Whaaaat?" Mia hops back in the room trying to slip her left leg in a pair of pants."Kari, that is amazing, you got your second chance!!! I am so so happy for you!" and she wraps me with her warm sister hug.

"Yeah, I don't know..." I whisper as I rest my arms on her shoulders.

"What do you mean you don't know??? Kari, I haven't seen you smile as much in the last six years as I have since she is here, she is pretty and kind....She makes the same geeky jokes nobody understands, like you do... and she is full of magic..oh."

"I see." she frowns."Did you tell mom and dad?"

"I did."

"You're still alive, so I guess they weren't too upset?" Timo asks.

"The Alpha wasn't pleased at all. He basically suggested I should reject her."

Mia covers her mouth in terror. She's all about the bond and the babies, my little sister, just like my mother.

"But you would lose some of your strength...this could mean the end of you as future Alpha." she says sadly.

"I know. And Xander knows. Well, we kind of needed mom to remind us. Anyway, it will be discussed when I am back. "

"You won't accept her before you go?" My sister frowns, and if she wouldn't know better, she would try to show her fangs at me.

"No, it would be...distracting. I need to leave now." I announce, leaving their quarters before Mia has a chance to curse me. I really must get going before I change my mind, and decide to go back to the garden, and find Ayn, and hug her and kiss her and make her mine in twenty different ways.