Fated

Chapter 9: Soulmates

Xander's POV:

I was pacing back and forth at the park with Tess and Kaden close by, watching my every move. I growled in annoyance and glared in their direction.

"It's for your own good," Tess said firmly.

"He had his hands on her!" I snapped.

"They clearly knew each other, Xander," Tess said, narrowing her eyes. "You can't just attack any guy that touches her. You're lucky we were there to hold you back."

"She's mine," I growled.

"She's a human, Xander. Get a grip," Tess said, crossing her arms.

"He hurt her," I pointed out.

"Neither of them understand what happened. You can't hate him for not knowing what was happening. She doesn't even know what's happening. Besides, after we left, Gina said he was comforting her and it didn't hurt her. Means he's capable of being there for her without sexual intent so maybe that's a good thing. She does have a lot going on," Tess pointed out.

"We really need to explain the mate thing to her," Kaden said, frowning.

"Well if I could get her alone it might not be so difficult but now this idiot is following her around!" I growled.

"Xander, if you can't handle waiting for an opportunity to talk to her then you need to go home. You can't do this. These are humans we're dealing with," Tess said. "We can't be rule-breakers regarding humans, it's too risky."

I growled again, running my hand through my hair and stopping. I almost had her. On the patio. She didn't run. She even took a step towards me. It would've been perfect if that idiot hadn't stepped in.

"I'll be fine," I sighed.

"He's going to be touching her. They seem really close," Tess warned.

Touching her. Touching my mate. Fucking bastard.

"I'll be fine," I repeated, clenching my fists.

"Wow, I didn't even almost believe that," Tess said, shaking her head.

"He'll be fine," Kaden defended, walking towards me and looking at me seriously. "You'll be fine because this is your mate and if you are going to treat her like your mate, that means you respect her. Respecting her means respecting who she spends her time with and who she allows to touch her. Right?"

Dammit, Kaden.

I took a deep breath and nodded. Kaden smiled and patted me on the back before we started walking back to the club. I didn't last long inside. He was with her and touching her way too often for comfort so Tess and Kaden suggested I wait outside. Kaden suggested, Tess demanded.

So I stayed outside and clenched and unclenched my fists as Kaden and Tess linked me regular updates. I decided working might not be the worst idea since I was just standing around and checked my emails. I'd sent a message to the elders, asking questions about human/werewolf mates and was surprised to see they already answered.

The beginning didn't surprise me, instead of answering my questions it was another scolding for not showing up to the annual meeting and not getting paperwork in on time and all other kinds of bullshit. Once I got past that they did actually answer some of my questions: yes, she'll feel the bond but not as intensely as you do. Yes, she'll be connected to the pack much the same as you are once she's marked and initiated in; she won't be able to speak to them like you do but they'll recognize her call and the emotion tied to it. Yes, she'll feel the pull to complete the bond as well, you'll be drawn to each other intensely until it's at least partially completed.