Unmarked Mates

Chapter 18: "It takes two to tango"

Howl Packhouse above

Julius POV

The packhouse is full of people.

The annual celebration of Natasha being chosen as an Alpha is a tradition started by the late Thomas Howl, Natasha's mate. Natasha always says that she was ascendant into her Alpha position, not the traditional way and that she is right.

Basically, after the fire which killed Thomas's older brother, Thomas was about to ascend to this position, but for whatever reason, he didn't want to and felt not strong enough. An old friend of his father came to our pack to discuss the problem with him and brought his daughter Natasha. She and Thomas weren't true mates, but they were already at the age when you basically give up looking. It's customary that if werewolves don't find a true mate until they are 24, they can mate with whoever they want. And Natasha and Thomas did it; I know that for them, at least at the beginning, it was a business deal. Thomas didn't want the Alpha position and needed a strong mate to ensure peace; Natasha, who was wounded in rogue attacks when she was a young girl soon after her first shift, couldn't have children because of it, so no one was interested in mating with her. The werewolves put too much attention to having offspring of their own in general.

Thomas accepted being an Alpha, and Natasha instantly challenge him for the position, and he instantly yelled down and gave it to her. I still remember all the gasps the pack made at that time. No one saw that coming. Half of those who were planning to challenge Thomas instantly decided not to, Natasha was very famous for her fighting skills, and the other half was, well, let's say that Natasha made sure they understood their place. The same night she and Thomas mated and marked each other. And it was clever; Alpha's position was in the hands of a strong alpha wolf, and inheritance through the bloodline of Howl's family was also secured. Even though it started as a business deal, I know that they were both happy in this mating until Thomas's death.

I sit in the dining room, still admiring Danny's work; I know I'm not the only one astonished.

"It's really beautiful," I hear Alyssa's voice as she sits next to me. "I had a very good idea."

"Yes, you did!" I say, smiling, I feel a warmth inside of me; even talking about Danny gives me this feeling.

"I just wonder how he knew," she says, and I look at her, not understanding what she means.

She points in the direction of the corner of the mural, and I see a waterfall with a wolf howling near it. I guess I didn't notice before, but this is a waterfall in the woods on the edge of the territory, the place my brother, Alyssa's mate, and Natasha's mate died. I gulp; I've never taken Danny there. Maybe Brandon did. But somehow, I also know that the wolf he painted is very similar to Drake, and that wolf is in despair. It can be a coincidence, but I don't believe in coincidences. How would he know?

"How is your wolf?" Alyssa asks.

"Closer every day. I know that our connection is getting stronger. I lost hope years ago, but now I dare to hope again that he will be back with me. Do you think I'm naïve?"

"The connection between wolf and men is essential; we have a tendency to disregard our wolves' mental state. You knew the risk of rejecting Madison, and Drake was in grief because he lost her but also because of Luke and everything Madison has done. But he managed to preserve, weak and wounded but alive. I think somehow he got back his will of life, I don't know why now, but he did, so I think you are not naïve Julius. Drake is getting stronger, and you should cherish it."

She gently pats my arm, and I smile at her.

"Go and drink something; it's a day of joy," she says.

I do as she asks, I move around and talk, say jokes, and I indulge myself, or at least I try. And I try to spot Danny in the crowd. Earlier, when his mural was officially presented to the gathering, I could see how happy and, as always, beautiful he was, smiling so brightly. Brandon was holding his hand, and I really wanted this awful sensation inside me to go away, the sorrow after something I will never get, no matter how much I want it. And yet I still keep looking for him, even if anything I can ever have is only to look at him. When the fuck did it happen when I let myself to fell so much in love with him?