Page 15 of Quarterback Sneak
Reid is silent next to me as we walk, and I’m glad because I don’t want to talk right now. We follow my mate back to one of the dorms. A little relief fills me when I see it’s an all-girls' dorm. I stand in the shadow of a dark tree and watch as she heads inside. Using my wolf’s vision, I can see clearly as she makes her way up the stairs. After that, I lose her. My wolf growls his frustration, and I’m not sure how much of it is his and how much is mine. I stare at the building a few minutes, wishing I could see inside. I look around the sides of the building, checking security. It looks secure enough, but it’s hard to leave, knowing my mate is alone in there, unprotected. But I know I need to leave. First, some girl might get the wrong idea and call security; but more than that, I’m going to have to make a visit to my alpha. Resignation fills me as I turn to leave, but something catches my attention. Two males walk up to the front door and go inside. There's a female with them, but I barely register that. My skin bristles at the thought of males in the same building my mate sleeps in. I take a step forward, towards the building; but Reid puts a hand on my arm, stopping me. He doesn’t have to sayanything; I know what he’s thinking. It doesn’t help my irritation at all. I know he’s right. I can’t go in there. Frustration builds in my chest. I finally found my mate. It's been an exhausting week. I haven’t been able to sleep; I’ve taken to spending my nights in the woods each night. I haven’t been eating much; my wolf and I have been solely focused on trying to find our mate while also showing up for classes and putting in the work and focusing on football. But it’s been a rough week. Knowing if I don’t leave right now, I won’t be able to, I force myself to turn away from the building. There’s a pain in my chest that intensifies the further I get from my mate, but I push on. I head towards the house, completely bypassing the coffee shop. I can’t afford to be hit with her scent again. I forget the reason why we were over here anyway. When I get to the house that I share with my packmates, I waste no time heading out to the woods behind our house. I strip out of my clothes, leaving them in a pile, before shifting.You don’t have to come with me,I send to Reid, who’s right behind me.
I know.
I take off, not needing to tell Reid where we’re going; he already knows. I don’t even bother letting my dad know we’re coming. He'll know before we get close. Not only will the enforcers running the property let him know, he’ll smell us coming. I’m not surprised to see my dad standing on the porch when we get close to my childhood home. “Zane. Reid,” he says by way of greeting. “Shift and come on in. There’s a pot of coffee brewing.”
I shift back and make use of the nondescript sweats and t-shirts in the basket by the front door. Reid does the same, and we follow our alpha inside. The smell of home usually brings me comfort; but tonight, it just makes me more edgy. We follow my dad into the large kitchen. “Zane,” my mother says as I walk into the kitchen. She walks towards me and wraps her arms aroundme. My mother is a powerful she-wolf and mated to our alpha; she’s tall and strong. But she’s still my mom. I let her comfort me for a moment before she hugs Reid with the same ferocity; he’s basically another member of our family for as often as he’s been at our house over the years. She hands us each a steaming cup of coffee.
“Thanks, Mom.”
“Sit,” my father says, and Reid and I each take a chair at the high kitchen counter that we eat at sometimes. “What happened?”
My father would have felt my distress through our pack link. He feels everything. A lot of it he tunes out, but he’s tied in very closely to his family. None of us have been able to hide anything from him over the years. I meet his gaze squarely. “I found my mate tonight.”
“Zane,” my mother gasps. “That’s amazing. Where is she?”
That’s the question, isn’t it? My father, who doesn’t miss a thing, is still drilling me with that stare of his. He knows something’s off, so I don’t waste any time. “She’s human.”
I don’t miss my mom’s quiet gasp, but I keep my eyes trained on my father. He looks at Reid, who gives him a single nod, confirming my words. He crosses his arms but still doesn’t say a word. I don’t either; I can wait him out. When he wants to talk, he will. I take a sip of my coffee, not because I want any, more to give me something to do with my hands. An image of my beautiful mate flits through my mind, and I wish I’d had longer to study her. I already know she has long, dark hair that I can’t wait to run my fingers through and light-colored skin, that looks so incredibly soft. Her face isn’t harsh like some girls her age; no, it had a soft side—guarded, but soft. I would venture to guess my girl has been through some hard times, and that makes my heart ache. I push those thoughts aside, or I won’t be able to sit here. While I wait for my father, I continue perusing my mental imageof her. She’s about average height for a human girl; I would put her maybe around five foot eight. Actually, she might be just a little taller than other human girls. She’s still much shorter than my six foot three. She’s got just the right amount of curves, which she keeps completely covered if tonight is any indication of how she normally dresses. She’s pretty much perfect, and I haven’t even officially met her yet. That’s something I’ll be rectifying very soon.
My father finally talks, and it’s not what I want to hear. “You’re going to have to let her go.” I stare at him as shock floods my system first, followed swiftly by anger. I shove my chair back as hot anger courses through me. “For now,” my alpha says. “Sit back down.” I don’t, and my father narrows his eyes at me. I don’t normally defy my dad, even though it’s getting easier these days. I used to not be strong enough to, but now my wolf is much stronger. I’ve never outright challenged my father because I respect him and his position too much, and I don’t know that I would win in a challenge against him. But it would be a fight; that’s for sure. My father holds my stare, and I fight my warring instincts. I finally sit down and cross my arms over my chest. “Listen carefully to what I’m about to tell you.” He takes a breath, more solemn than I’ve ever seen; and that’s saying a lot. “My great grandfather’s brother’s mate was human.” He lets the shock of that sit with us for a moment before he continues. “When he met her, he was so consumed with the mating bond that he approached her immediately, ready to bite her and claim her as his to protect and provide for. Out of fear, she ran from him and told him to leave her alone.” He stares hard at me. “She rejected him, Son. She didn’t say the words directly, but the magic in our bond knows intent.” I feel sucker-punched.
“Why have I never heard this before?” I ask, trying to find my footing.
My father’s hard eyes meet mine. “Because he killed himself after that.”
I hear my mother suck in a breath. “No,” she whispers.
My father stands up and puts a heavy hand on my shoulder. “Son, you are one of the strongest wolves I know. You have incredible, almost legendary control of your beast for your age. Now it’s time to use that control. Hear me when I say this.” His eyes meet and hold mine. “You cannot risk telling her what you are, and you cannot get close to her too fast. She could reject you unknowingly before she’s ready, and you’d lose her.” His eyes flicker with emotion, something I’m not used to seeing often. “And we’d lose you.”
I feel my hope deflate from my chest as the ramifications of what I’m dealing with here hit me full-on, right before a surge of power bursts through me. This is our mate we’re talking about; I’m not giving up on her before we’ve even had a chance. “What constitutes her rejecting me?” I ask my father. “Like what if I ask her to grab a cup of coffee, and she says no?”
"The magic of the bond senses intent. Her turning you down for something like a date or something trivial is different.” He looks over at my mom. “That’s happened enough times with mates who eventually bond. She would have to choose not to have a relationship with you; it’s much more permanent.”
I take in his words and then stand up and push my chair in as resolve fills my chest. “Okay. I’m just going to have to win her over.”
My father studies my face. “Will you be able to keep your wolf in check around her? You will have to approach her just as a human male would to a female he’s interested in. You’ll have to woo her and win her heart.”
I can’t help the smile that covers my face. “Did you just saywoo,Dad?”
He crosses his arms over his chest, not smiling. “Maybe.”
I grin. “I will woo this girl with everything I’ve got until she’s madly in love with me.” Reid snorts out a laugh, and I elbow him in the side. “What?” I ask. “I can woo her.”
Reid smirks at me. “You have zero game and absolutely no experience.”
I scowl at him. “Well yeah, I’ve been waiting for my mate. You can laugh all you want; you’re in the same boat as me.”
“Yeah, but the difference between you and me? My mate is a she-wolf,” he says with a cocky smile.
I raise my eyebrows. “You sure about that?”
The smile drops from his face. “Absolutely.”
I throw my ball cap on my head, kiss my mom, and give my dad a brief hug. “I’ve got a woman to woo, so I’ll be off.” I don’t miss the laugh from my best friend.
My mom glances worriedly over at my dad and then back to me. “Maybe you should run by us what you’re going to do.”
Reid laughs harder. “Good grief, People. Where is your confidence in me? I know how to treat a woman. She’s mymate. I'm not going to go down without a fight. She’s mine; she just doesn’t know it yet. And I know how to go after something I want.”
