ALESTER:
"Her name is Samantha."
Alester said pointedly, pulling out of his father's grip.
"She needs help. Up until a few hours ago, she thought she was human. She needs training."
He wasn't asking for permission. His dad had always been a safe harbor, even for people who didn't deserve to be helped. Samantha wouldn't be an exception.
"That means she's a rogue son. I'm not sure it's safe to keep her here. It's probably better to let her go home." His dad stated, wringing his hands.
"And what? Shift uncontrollably in front of humans!?" He couldn't believe what his father was saying.
"She doesn't even know how to shift on command!" Alester spat.
His father purposefully stopped wringing his hands and sighed.
"I'm not sure she's as innocent as you think, son. I called to let her boss know the situation and they have no record of her."
"What do you mean no record?" His eyes narrowed.
"I mean, they never hired nor heard of anyone named Samantha at their company."
Alester ignored the wave of queasiness that settled in his stomach. He found himself unable to blame the girl.
"Of course, they would say that! What wolf would own up to not doing a proper background check!" He growled.
His father was speechless, staring at him as if he had two heads.
"Where is she?" Alester demanded.
"She's been in the dining hall with Phiona..."
"I'm going back to the party." He said gruffly, stomping away.
...
"Phiona. I need to talk to Samantha." Alester commanded.
Both the girls' heads shot up in unison.
"ok." Phiona agreed with a smile.
"Alone." Alester clarified.
"But why?!" Phiona stuck her bottom lip out with a frown.
"I want to be here too. And look, we're friends now." She smiled again and linked arms with Samantha, who froze at her touch.
Samantha gave him a weary smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"Now." He demanded.
"Hmph." Phiona pouted, letting go of Samantha.
"Please let me stay. I'm sure Samantha won't mind." She batted her eyes at him, grabbing onto his arm instead.
Her smell engulfed him. It seemed like it was getting stronger. He roughly unlinked his arm from hers, making his wolf whine at not being able to show his mate his affection.
"I..." Samantha started.
"No. I'm talking to Samantha alone." He interrupted.
Phiona's lips down-turned.
"I'm your mate. I have the right to stay near you." Her voice lost its bubbliness and turned into one of defiance.
"Leave." He commanded her. Her shoulders slumped on defeat.
"Your son-of-an-alpha voice won't work on me." She glared back.
"I can take a hint. I'm not wanted here." Phiona flipped her platinum blond hair, making a fresh waft of her scent wash over him.
"But you will accept me eventually." She retorted and clacked away gracefully.
Alester's gaze followed her, unable to look away until she had left the room.
He turned towards Samantha. She was concentrating hard on her small plate of food. Her forehead wrinkled as she pushed food around.
"What?" He asked without realizing it. Sounding gruffer than he had intended.
She looked up at him in surprise. "Oh.. uh well." She stammered, scrambling to find words for her thoughts.
Alester cleared his throat.
"Er.. what were you thinking about?"
Samantha bit her lip, her cheeks flushed red as her wide doe eyes stared openly into his.
"I guess, I wondered... What does it mean to be a mate?"
"O..Oh." He stammered.
"A mate... is a wolf's fated partner, like a spouse." He answered honestly, unable to maintain eye contact.
Samantha sat in silence, chewing on her lip. She studied Alester's face before staring off into the crowd.
"How do you know when you find your mate?" She wondered out loud.
Alester paused before answering.
"Well, when you find your mate. First, it's their smell. It is stronger and more delicious than any other smell to you. Is what it says in the textbooks... but I think it means to your wolf..." Alester sat down, feeling the events of the day wear on him.
"And then you feel forced to want to be with them. Even if you don't want to." He grumbled, smoothing his hair back.
"Not all mates are like that. Most wolves want their mate and are eager to meet the person who supposedly completes them."
"And... you're not?" She glanced at him. They locked eyes for a moment before she turned her attention back to her plate.
Alester looked around before continuing.
"No. I'm not. I didn't want to meet my mate yet... maybe ever." Alester wondered if he should say this. He only knew Samantha for a few hours. Yet, he had never felt so comfortable talking to someone before.
"I especially didn't want to be mates with Phiona. But now I am." He sighed, defeated, looking at her once again. She hadn't moved. Yet her face crumpled. Her forehead wrinkled, mouth down-turned, and her eyes were moist.
He was dumbstruck. What had he said to make her react in such a way? He scrambled through his thoughts. Was it because of earlier when he left here alone in that room? Was it because he had a mate and they almost kissed? It felt like a rock had formed in his stomach.
"I'm sorry."
"Can a wolf have two mates?"
They said at the same time. Their eyes grew wide in shock.
"Er... What?" Alester blinked back the moisture in his eyes. He needed her to repeat the question.
"Wait, why are you sorry?"
"For earlier... I just left you there. I'm sorry."
"Oh... Don't worry about it. I'm fine." Samantha repositioned herself in her chair, circling her thumb over her knee.
Alester wondered if it was alright.
"What was your question? Something about mates?" He redirected the conversation.
"I just. I wondered if wolves can have two mates."
"No, there is normally only one. Or at least not at the same time." He answered.
"So some have more? Do they have to reject the first or...?" Samantha's eyebrows knit together.
"No." Alester chuckled
"It's pretty rare to have a second mate. It never happens unless their first mate dies."
"What if you have another mate, but you just can't tell because you already found one?" She glanced at Alester, waiting for his response.
"I've never heard of anything like that. I don't think it's possible." He shook his head.
"A wolf could probably mark a wolf that's not their mate, but it would probably drive them insane. Feeling their jealousy." He concluded.
"Feel their jealousy?" Samantha questioned.
"Yea. When you mark someone, you can feel the other's emotions and you form a personal link outside of the group link." He snickered
"Group link?" Samantha's head tilted to the side, eyebrows knitting together. Alester wondered if he would ever see Samantha not confused.
"A regular pack link is like a group chat. Everyone is on the server and you hear all the thoughts that everyone is thinking, but only in wolf form. With a mate's mark, you can listen to their thoughts any time you want."
"Do you have to have a pack link? It sounds like torture." Samantha shuttered.
"Alester laughed at her definition of a pack link. He was only a few days away from learning that 'torture.' When he would be officially part of the pack.
"Yup. It's all part of the package." He joked unenthusiastically.
Samantha bit her lip and stared mindlessly towards the crowds of chatting people. Her brows furrowed in contemplation.