Chapter 15: Tears of the Unclaimed Mate

Wolfgang

Today was Aurora’s first day off. I had agreed that she could go home to spend the day with her stepmother, as long as she was back by seven.

I was sitting in my office, going through some paperwork about the pack’s hospital, when a light knock on the door got my attention.

I’d recognize that knock anywhere. It was ~her~.

Aurora.

“Come in,” I answered, then turned my attention back to my work. I felt her light footsteps as she came to stand in front of my desk.

I waited for her to speak, but when she didn’t, I finally raised my head and met those gorgeous gray eyes that I so often got lost in.

She was dressed simply, in jeans, sneakers, a black t-shirt with a punk rock logo, and a red plaid sweater.

Her jacket was pressed tight against her chest. Her heavenly scent was driving me insane.

~“What are you waiting for, you dimwit? Do it! Claim our mate,”~ Cronnos demanded in my head.

I snapped back to reality.

“Yes?” I asked, breaking the silence.

“I’m leaving now, sir,” she said softly. Her head was bowed low, her eyes fixed on the floor.

~“She’s been crying. Her eyes are swollen,”~ Cronnos said.

I realized he was right. She had been crying. Was it because of yesterday?

While I’d been in Mother’s garden, clearing out the weeds, I’d felt someone’s gaze on me, and the distinctive aroma of marshmallows and vanilla.

I’d known immediately that it was her who was standing on the balcony, watching me.

I’d fought the urge to turn and look at her, had played it cool and continued my work.

I wouldn’t deny that part of me had loved the fact that she was looking at me.

But right then, Tallulah appeared. As usual, she’d begun flirting with me, putting her hands on my chest.

This went on for a couple of minutes before I’d finally prised her off of me. When I turned to head inside, I’d looked up to her balcony to see that she was already gone.

At supper, when I’d walked into the dining room, she was already there, placing my meal on the table.

She wouldn’t meet my eyes, but I could tell something was off.

“Oh, I’m starving! What are we having for dinner tonight, Wolfie?” Tallulah had said, walking in and sitting right next to me.

“Um, maid? Where is my plate of food?” she’d growled at Aurora.

Anger had crawled through me.

Aurora had looked at me before turning her attention to Tallulah. “I’ll bring it right away, ma’am,” she’d said quickly, hurrying into the kitchen area…

“May I be excused, sir?”

Aurora’s voice brought me back to the present.

~No. I don’t want you to leave my side.~

“You may.”

~“Don’t let her go out there on her own. What if she goes roaming close to the border again?”~ Cronnos growled.

He was actually right.

“Don’t go wandering around by yourself. Especially not to the lake. I don’t need an incident report on my desk because of your carelessness,” I added, hoping she’d take the warning.

“Yes, sir.” She turned on her heels and left my office.

For the rest of the day, I had felt unsettled, thinking about Aurora and her whereabouts.

Had she gone straight to her house, or somewhere else.

Had she met anyone?

Her files hadn’t said anything about boyfriends, or any past relationship for that matter.

But what if she did have someone?

By noon, I couldn’t take it anymore.

Thankfully, Max came in and requested that I go with him into town. It was probably just to flirt with some random girl he’d met, but I decided to go with him anyway.

It gave me an excuse to see if Aurora was walking around. And if she was alone, or with someone.

“So, Rory took her first day off, huh?” Max commented as we were walking around the shopping mall.

“Rory?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Aurora…your maid?”

He said as though the nickname was obvious, but I couldn’t help being pissed that he, or any other male, had a pet name for her.

“I don’t go around socializing with my staff, Max,” I retorted, keeping a straight face.

“Oh, come on! You’ve got her set in the room right next to yours, and you claim to not socialize with staff? I call bullshit,” he shot back.

“Placing her in the room next to mine was for security reasons. Nothing more.”

~“Except for keeping her as close as possible, because she happens to be our long-lost mate and we don’t want her leaving,”~ Cronnos added in my mind.

“Bullshit,” Max said again. “If it weren’t for the fact that Aurora is a complete angel, I’d say you and her have a secret thing going on. Even Remus and Aspen think so. And Mrs. Kala told me about the roses, too.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Think whatever you want, but I don’t have time for foolish things like commitment, much less to an omega such as her. If I could choose my luna, it’d be someone worthwhile, like Tallulah.”

I turned to face him, hating the fact that I had to explain my reasoning for having Aurora at the mansion.

Especially to someone like Max, who couldn’t keep a relationship for more than a day.

“Whatever, dude.” Max shrugged, finally letting it go.

I turned a corner and suddenly bumped into someone with a small frame.

The intoxicating scent that was coming from the person made me freeze automatically on the spot.

“Oh, hey Rory! We didn’t see you there… Are you okay?” Max asked.

I looked down to see her gray eyes sparkling with unshed tears.

Shit. Had she heard me?

“Rory? You okay?”

A taller girl came to her side. I recognized her as the friend that had come to her aid the day I’d accused her of robbery.

Aurora quickly bowed her head and nodded as she wiped her eyes.

“I’m okay, Em. Forgive me, alpha…beta…”

She turned on her heel and left, her friend right behind her.

I stood there frozen, watching her small figure disappear through one of the exits. The feeling of her body against mine still tingled. It felt right.

~Damn it, get a hold of yourself, Wolfgang,~ I scolded myself.

Max patted my shoulder, breaking me out of my trance.

“I think you need to go look for her and apologize, dude,” he said with a stern look on his face.

“Apologize? For what?” I answered nonchalantly.

~“For breaking our mate’s heart again and again, you dimwit,”~ Cronnos snapped in my head.

“I don’t know. You say you two have nothing, but she seemed pretty heartbroken before she ran off. If you really have no feelings for the girl, you might as well let her know, Wolfie. Don’t make her suffer.”

With that, Max walked off, leaving me in deep thought.