Mates' Love Bites

Cindy

The door closed, leaving me alone in an unfamiliar place with only one bed leaning against the wall at the end of this barren room.

It stared at me with bland, black sheets. My suitcase sat at the foot of the bed.

A part of me felt the need to cry, but I didn't want to. Goddess, that wouldn't change a damn thing.

I stepped further into the room as if walking on a plank. But I was already in deep waters.

When my butt hit the mattress, the exhaustion that I had been holding in crashed down all at once.

Alpha Reiss, that bastard. I will never call him Alpha. If it weren't for him and his pack, my friend wouldn't have been injured. He's the one who should have to pay for his disrespect.

Or my Alpha could have sent someone more capable to be Reiss' hostage.

Why do I have to pay the price for both of them?

And Reiss...

The way his hard, glaring eyes widened when they saw me for the first time. Then he didn't say a word all evening except when it came to ordering me around. He's so confusing. There has never been a person I haven't been able to see through.

Well, I guess I had plenty of time to figure out how his brain worked. It might be the only shot I have of returning home.

32 hours earlier

"And then she had the nerve to say it was my fault!" Mrs. Lambert exclaimed. I stood at her door, a strained smile somehow managing to remain on my face.

If I knew she hadn't left for work yet, I would have waited until later to deliver her paper.

"Can you believe that?" She brought her cat closer to her chest. It hissed at me, eyes just as evil as its mistress. "Like my sweet Diana would ever try to steal and eat fish from someone's... grimy little pond! I'm a wonderful person, I never would have raised a cat that steals! How is it my fault Diana always manages to escape?"

I can't keep smiling anymore. Cindy, quick! Find an excuse so you can end this conversation.

"Oh my, Mrs. Lambert," I said. "Maybe you should meet up for a chat so you and Mrs. Homely can get back on good terms. We're pack. We shouldn't have any bad blood between us."

Mrs. Lambert looked me up and down and rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't expect a human like you to understand. Whatever." She stepped backward with her paper in hand and shut the door in my face, but not before her stupid cat hissed at me again.

I sighed, but at the same time, I was relieved. My legs carried me from the large porch to my bike waiting outside her gate. After fixing my helmet and making sure my sack was on place, I started the engine and rode off down the sunny street.

Most days started with me staring into the faces of my neighbors each morning. Some of whom I have no problem with. Others, like Mrs. Lambert, I try my damn hardest to avoid.

Despite those little hiccups, Maple Park was just as sweet as its name. Years ago, the previous Alpha wanted to try something new and transformed our living situation into a gated community. As long as you were a part of the pack, you were granted access to a house and protection. Maple Gardens became one of the most saught after places by the outside world. But our Alpha never allowed humans to live here unless they already knew about werewolves.

To accommodate different needs, houses could go up to three floors with enough space between each of them for a little privacy. I was grateful they didn't look the same, or else my rides would be quite boring.

Most of the world didn't know that supernatural creatures existed. Those that did, knew how organised our communities were. Before the 21st century, shifters ran wild and did whatever they wanted. Hurt whoever they wanted to.

That's why the Council Of Shifters was created 85 years ago. With their new rules, and negotiation with the government, things had changed for the better.

This was the world my sister and I grew up. It's not like I was there 85 years ago to see how it all went down. I was only a junior in college who just grazed my early twenties. I loved my home more than anything. Hopefully, when I finished college and acquired my business degree, I'll be able to aid the pack in some way.

The watch on my hand told me it was 9:30 AM. Just three more areas and I would be done.

I pulled up outside of Larry's house and walked to his front door with a paper, magazines, and a heavy square box in my arms. I managed to shift it a little to ring the doorbell.

Larry's footsteps could be heard from all the way out here. "Coming!"

It wasn't long before the door swung open and Larry McCarry appeared in the frame. A bright smile spread across the older man's face. "Ah hah! Cindy! When I smelt a human I knew it could only be you!"

I flashed him a small smile of my own. Even though I know Larry meant no harm, my ego was still raw from Mrs. Lambert's insulting mention of my genetics earlier.

"Good morning, Larry! I got everything you requested."

"Oh! Where did I put my wallet?"

Larry went back inside to retrieve it. When he came back, he handed me a twenty and a ten, way more than I usually charge for deliveries. Before I could say anything, he winked. "Keep the change," he said.

I nodded with a brighter smile. "Thank you, Larry."

As he took the items out of my hands, he started talking again. "You know, I was on the phone with my brother, telling him to move in with me, then all of a sudden I picked up a scent I didn't recognize. Not close to my house, though! It was during my morning run, near the training gymnasium. I reported it immediately to Alpha Colt. Be careful out there, Little Cindy."

"Are you sure it wasn't someone's perfume?" I asked. There's no way a stranger could bypass the barrier so easily.

"No way. Way too natural to be mixed with an artificial scent. Maybe I'm wrong but you can never be too sure when those Highland bastards will come after us again."

Highland bastards. I guess that's Larry's new nickname for them.

As I was preparing to say my goodbyes, he told me to wait a moment. Now, I rode over to my last assigned area with a paper bag full of chocolate cookies. Goddess bless Larry and his kind heart.

Within an hour almost every house got what they needed. I pulled up one last address from the list on my phone. Our Beta's house. The best for last.

I shot him a text to let him know that I would be there soon. A smiley face popped up in the notifications as his reply. Heat darkened my cheeks.

It wasn't the Beta himself that got my heart racing. Heavens no! He's married! But he does have a son who shared similar physical qualities.

Like a big goofy smile with dazzling green irises that took my breath away. We didn't get to see each other much over the weekend, but maybe now we could hang out for longer than a couple of minutes.

Glen lived close enough to the packhouse that he could hear the bustling of the tens of people that lived there. His place was painted a dark peach on the outside. Large glass windows stretched from the ground to the ceiling of the first floor. His family became pretty loaded from years of being granted the position of Beta. And also because the current Beta is none other than Alpha Colt's only brother.

Lush green hedges prevented me from seeing into the backward. I didn't have to wait long by the gate. A young man with platinum blonde hair waved at me front the front door. Suddenly the gate was unlocked and I walked my bike inside, leaving it at the edge of his driveway. Glen met me halfway and we hugged on the stone path. I wrapped my arms around his neck, his fair tone contrasting with mine.

"Ugh," his groan sent vibrations along my earlobe. "I need a bigger hug."

I rolled my eyes and pulled away. "Don't be weird," I said.

Glen shrugged, not seeming to mind that I broke contact. He held my left hand and bent to place a kiss on the back of it. My heart sped up. I pressed my lips together in an attempt to stop myself from smiling. Who wouldn't grin like an idiot after seeing their crush like this?

He tenderly caressed the spot his lips touched and gazed down at me with a smile.

"I wasn't," he said. "Now that, that was weird!"

I withdrew my hand like he had stung it. Glen started laughing. "You can't do that, Glen!"

"Why not? Friends kiss each other all the time." Once again, he shrugged, not seeming to understand the implications of his actions.

Honestly, it made me a little sad that he didn't see it as a big deal. Just another reminder that what I felt was completely one-sided. After turning twenty in a couple weeks, Glen won't have time for me anymore between his university lessons and his future mate. I shouldn't feel this sad. It's something everyone has to deal with. People grow up, we change and develop more into ourselves. When Glen and I were in highschool we wasted a lot of time doing dumb stuff. Now, we needed to embrace the journey that lies ahead of us. Even if that means we won't be on that journey together.

"Riiight. Well, if you do that again, I won't be helping you study for your test."

That couldn't be further from the truth. If he kissed me more I probably would take the test for him.

"I'm sorry! I was just messing around I swear!" He clasped his hands together, pleading. "Please! You took the same class last semester and I need your expertise. You're the only one I trust enough to help me with this!"

"Hm~" I tapped my chin with my finger as if I was thinking about it. But one look at his sweet puppy face and I couldn't keep up the pretense.

I sighed, folding my arms. "Fine. I hope you haven't forgotten my payment."

His eyes shined with glee. "One large milkshake is wanting for you at the poolside right now. Another is in the fridge, my lady."

Glen bowed and gestured with his arms to his house. I smiled, letting my legs carry me to the door. He walked by my side and intertwined our fingers together. A habit he developed in senior year. A habit I hope he never grows out of.

A beautiful day. Fresh cookies and milkshakes. Nothing could ruin it. Nothing can.

Reiss

My butler stood in silence, waiting for permission to talk.

I let him sweat for a bit before allowing it with a wave of my hand.

"S-sir, they have infiltrated the Maple Pack. They are currently hidden and awaiting your orders."

I looked at Carl without raising my head. After a minute of silence, I hissed through my teeth. "I don't understand why they need my go-ahead. They already know the rules. No witnesses. No harming anyone. A quick in and out. What more do they want me to say?"

The servant but his lip, but didn't dare look away from me. "I believe they said they wanted to let you know, and asked if there is anything else they should be aware of before they go about their task."

Not one thing came to mind that they haven't already been told. I swept my tongue over dry lips. "Carry it out how they want to. Stick to the rules and they'll rewarded handsomely."

"Y-yes s-sir," he stuttered. I raised my eyebrow. Why did he apply to work here if he's so scared of me? Surely, what I did to the chef days before couldn't be enough for Carl to fear for his life when he has done nothing wrong. "I-I'll go tell t-t-them right away."

Carl spun on his heel, ready to leave the office when I remembered something. "Ah, wait!"

He froze in place, hand on the door knob. "Yes, s-sir?"

"Remind them of this. No playing with fire. We don't want to get in trouble with the Councilmen for arson."

After Carl left, I could go back to reading the report my finance manager sent me. This time, with a smile. The Maple Pack should have known by now not to mess with me. Yet they still insisted on playing games like a bunch of children.

Fine. You want to play? Let's play.