Zena Wynn - Carol's Mate

“Now, Carol‟s twenty-three, more than old enough to experience her first taste of passion. The Creator knows, between you and Alex, she‟d never have gotten the chance at home, but I think every woman should have the opportunity. I know you were hoping she‟d remain pure until her mating. You don‟t want to see her hurt, but that‟s not realistic in this day and age, and there‟s no guarantee that she‟ll find her one. Do you really want her being overwhelmed by the first male strong enough to take her without having any kind of relationship experience of her own to know how to handle him?”

Tom grumbled something indistinct in reply but subsided.

Mona then turned to Carol. “I know we‟ve taught you to stay away from relationships with human males, but really, as a means of testing your wings, they‟re perfect. You don‟t have to worry about pregnancy or being mated against your wishes. Disease isn‟t a concern. You can learn about what it means to be a woman and a sexual being in your own right without the possessiveness of a male wolf to contend with. Just remember that while human men are fun to play with, you can‟t let yourself get too attached, and you have the added complication of having to hide what you are. Besides, we need all the females that we have. You know all about our low birthrates, so there‟s no need for me to go into it again. I‟m sure you‟d like children someday, and with so many viable males to choose from, it‟s really not a lot to ask, now is it?”

“I love him,” Carol said in a low voice.

Mona reached out and patted Carol‟s hand gently. “I‟m sure you do. That‟s what makes it all so exhilarating. That first rush of love, the challenge of something new and exciting. Eventually it will fade. You‟ll see. I know you don‟t believe me now, but I went through the same thing when I was your age. That‟s why it‟s better this happened with a human male. This way you won‟t be tempted to make a mistake—an unwanted mating—that will haunt you for the rest of your life.”

“I marked him.”

Carol kept her gaze lowered, but she could still see the stunned glance her guardians shared and feel the sudden tension in the air. Mating marks—a bite one shifter gave another, usually on the tendon that joined the neck and shoulder—were nothing to play with. Shifters were taught from early childhood to only bestow them on the mate they planned on spending the rest of their lives with. After all, mating marks in the shifter world were as sacred and binding as human wedding vows.

Only unlike in the human world, there was no divorce, no way to undo it once it was done.

Their waiter returned to the table with their orders. No one said a word as he set the sizzling plates of food before them. The tension was so thick, the waiter kept glancing from one person to the other. He rushed to finish his task, haste making him clumsy in his effort to escape before the eruption.

Not daring to look at the alpha, Carol raised beseeching eyes to Mona. “I didn‟t mean to. I know the rules. My beast…it just”—she shrugged helplessly—“it took over.”

Mona‟s expression changed from concerned outrage to something Carol couldn‟t identify. She shared another speaking glance with her mate, and the atmosphere altered. It was still charged, but…Carol tried to put a name to what she was sensing and couldn‟t.

“I think you‟d better explain,” Mona told her gently.

Carol took a deep breath and began her tale. “I noticed his scent first. He smelled so good. If he‟d been a shifter, I would have sworn he was my one. It was like everything you told me to expect, you know? But he couldn‟t be, because shifters and humans don‟t mate.” She paused to see if Mona understood. She still couldn‟t bring herself to look at her alpha.

Mona nodded encouragingly.

“I tried to stay away from him. He asked me out. I told him no, that I was busy with schoolwork. We know some of the same people and haunt some of the same places. Whenever he‟d show up, I‟d leave. If I saw him coming, I‟d change directions.

I knew a relationship between us was wrong and couldn‟t go anywhere. I thought he‟d get the hint and leave me alone.”

“But he didn‟t?” Mona asked.

“No. He said later he was as drawn to me as I was to him. Mark finally cornered me and asked me to have a cup of coffee, promising if I‟d sit and talk with him, get to know him a bit, and afterward still wasn‟t interested, he‟d leave me alone.” Carol‟s voice trailed off as she thought back to that night. It seemed so long ago, but it had only been a few weeks.

“What happened?” Mona prompted.

“We talked…for hours. It was scary nice, you know? We have so much in common, and Mark‟s really a great guy. Mature, has a great head on his shoulders, feet firmly grounded. He knows what he wants out of life and has the drive to obtain it.” Carol sighed again, this one a reflection of the regret she‟d felt after that first get-together. “He walked me to my car, and I explained again that as much as I‟d enjoyed myself, nothing had changed. I still wasn‟t interested.” She paused.

“Then he kissed me and my”—she glanced around quickly, her voice lowering as years of keeping what she was a secret automatically kicked in—“that other part of me tried to come out.”

At her words, Tom stirred for the first time. Mona‟s gaze sharpened, but she said nothing.

“I shoved him away, reminded him of his promise, and drove off.”

“But he didn‟t stay away.” This came from the alpha.

She glanced briefly at him. He wasn‟t looking at her, but off into space with a contemplative look on his face.

“Mark said he tried. That he attempted to find another woman to interest him, one that would take his mind off me, but couldn‟t. He showed up one day at my door, and…and I let him in,” she finished softly, feeling her cheeks warm at the memory of what followed.

There was another silence, this one longer. Finally Tom said, “Eat. We‟ll finish this discussion later.”

Carol‟s nostrils quivered as she tried to scent what the alpha was feeling. She didn‟t sense or hear any disapproval or anger. Whatever he was thinking, he kept to himself.

She looked at the twelve-ounce porterhouse, which had blood and juice coming out of it onto the specially designed plate the restaurant used to keep the food warm. Her loaded baked potato was just as she loved it: topped with butter, sour cream, cheese, bacon, and chives, and with steam still rising from it. The steamed broccoli was cooked to perfection. It all looked and smelled so good and, as far as Carol‟s stomach was concerned, was as appetizing as burned wood. She had to force herself to pick up her knife and fork and begin eating.

Mona started discussing the progress of the new medical clinic that was being built, of which Alex would be in charge. A government grant they‟d applied for had been approved and was being used to purchase some state-of-the-art medical equipment. In addition to federal and state funding, the local and surrounding communities were going all out to raise money to make Refuge‟s clinic the best in the area. Not only would it provide jobs, but having a facility of their own meant no more forty-five minute drives down the mountain to get to the closest hospital in emergency situations.

The clinic was scheduled to open in a few months and was where Carol had been planning on doing her internship until this situation with Mark had come up.

Now she didn‟t know what to do. She was so conflicted. The pack and her guardians had invested a great deal of money into her training—for the benefit of the pack.

Yes, she‟d earned good grades in school and received several scholarships and grants because of them, but they didn‟t cover everything. Even the town house she was living in had been purchased by the pack, specifically for her use, at the alphas‟