The Alpha's Melded Mate

The One With the Tension

"Are they in there?" Abbi's words broke the trance. 

"Uh yeah." I carefully opened the cover of the book to reveal a piece of paper tucked inside. I opened it up to see elegant handwriting. 

My dearest Cynthia, 

If you have found these books, then it means you have inherited a very strong, old magic and that you are ready to embrace who you are. It brings me great regret to write this knowing I won't be there to teach you how to harness your abilities, but I have faith that these books will do you justice. They have been passed down through the Everhart family for generations, each person adding their own tips, tricks, and spells to assist the next. It brings me joy to think that the line won't end with me. 

Cynthia Everhart-Lawson, take pride in your gifts and know that no matter how they may seem now, they are not a curse. They are an extension of your being, and they are nothing to be ashamed of. Packs across the world would do anything to have someone with your talents, so if you must leave for your safety, then do so. Your mother will understand completely. 

Do what is right for you.

With all my love, 

Michael Everhart

I put the letter down and turned some of the pages, landing on a list of hundreds of different mentalist abilities. There were check marks next to certain ones, most of the marks had faded, but there was one set that was still strong. My father had  possessed and mastered at least ten different abilities. That could potentially be a place for me to start. 

"Are you going to leave?" I hadn't noticed Abbi sitting next to me. She'd read the letter. 

"Of course I'm not going to leave. I've made it this long. How could I just go now?"

Abbi smiled and chuckled and the weight I'd been feeling lifted. "So, where do we start?"

I flipped through the pages until I found the first entry. 

"I think that this is something I have to get started on my own, Abbi." I closed the book and set it on my lap. 

A tinge of disappointment before the air around me went flat. "If you need to talk about any of it, I'm here. You know that, right?"

I grabbed Abbi's hand, squeezing it. "I know. Thank you."

"I'll see you later?"

"Of course." I gave her a smile and watched her leave. 

I put the lid back on the box, and moved the box to the shelf, picking up the first book and clutching it tight. 

I went upstairs to grab a blanket and went out to the clearing where the party had been the night before. Surprisingly, everything had been cleaned up, no one would have been able to guess a bunch of teenagers had been drunken idiots just a few hours before. The only sign anyone had been there was the last of the embers in the fire pit. 

I put the blanket on the ground and sat down, laying the book in front of me. 

According to the book, the first step in getting in touch with my abilities is to get in touch with myself. The most common method? Meditation. 

I closed my eyes and tilted my head back, the late morning sun warming my face, the wind rustling the leaves in the trees, the birds chirping. I focused on those sounds rather than the thoughts of my dad and Neal that raced through my mind. 

The sounds became louder and louder until they went completely silent. The wind no longer moved around me, the birds had stopped, and the sun was no longer warm on my face. It was like when I put the shield up inside my mind to keep thoughts and emotions out. 

I felt an impact, almost as if I'd been pushed. 

"What the heck?"

I turned around to see Neal standing ten feet away, his hand reaching out where the barrier had been just moments before. 

"What are you doing here?" I stood up. 

"I was going to ask you the same thing," Neal said as he stepped closer. "There was enough of an energy signature coming from this area that it set off the warning alarms."

I covered the book with the edge of the blanket as Neal came closer. I felt nothing coming from him. Although whatever shield I'd created had fallen, the shield inside my mind had grown stronger. 

Part of me wanted to drop the shields altogether and let his thoughts inside. His stoic features gave nothing away. Had he felt anything last night? Had it all been in my mind, and I was just worrying myself for no reason?

"So, what were you doing out here, Cynthia?" He was just a couple steps away. 

His words were slow, my name rolling easily off his tongue. 

"I don't believe it's any of your business."

Neal raised an eyebrow and my breath caught in my chest. 

"I believe anything that goes on in this pack, especially anything magical, is my business."

Well, I wasn't ranting, but saying stupid things was just as bad. In this case, probably worse. 

"Did you notice anything last night?" I blurted out.

Great, right on track with my saying stupid things. 

Neal's body tensed. It was the first time anything real had come from behind his well-contained armor. 

"I noticed a bunch of young wolves having fun. What else was I supposed to notice?" The words were sharp. A dare for me to say what I really wanted to know. 

I wanted to shout my question at him. To know once in for all if he felt anything when we bumped into each other, or was I just creating this insane story in my head. But I didn't have to. 

With great caution, I began to lower the walls I'd managed to seal into place not too long before, allowing the emotions as well as the thoughts to flow freely. But there was nothing. 

Neal was the second person I had come across who was able to keep his emotions and his thoughts in check. 

So I let out a slow breath and gave into the peace I'd found within before he'd shown up. It was like invisible tethers reaching out, searching for what I wanted. I started to get feeling from him a little bit at a time before the feelings shifted into general, jumbled thoughts. I couldn't lock onto any one thought in particular, but words. Mentalist, wolf, freak. Mate.

It was like a shock to my system all over again, and the tethers recoiled, the walls snapping back into place. 

"Are you going to tell me what you're doing out here?" He snapped. 

"I like to come out here alone sometimes to read," I said, picking the book up and clutching it to my chest. "But I think it's time I get home." 

I grabbed the blanket and rushed past Neal, ensuring to keep looking forward even with the feeling of his eyes on me. 

He had felt it. We were mates. Our goddess was a sick one, and we both knew it. Creating that bond between the Alpha's son and the daughter to the pack's Mentalist, crucified by the very people he had kept safe. 

Yet I'd felt the desire to close that gap between us back there, stronger than any desire I'd ever had. And it made me feel sick to admit it. 

**************

Thank you for those who have continued to read. 

Please let me know in the comments what you think so far, and if you like it, please click that little vote star thing!

Thanks all!! <3