Children of Night and Snow

71. Mate

Our new house was far beyond anything I imagined when Az said it wasn't anything fancy. It was a modern one story building surrounded by a tall fence and an electric gate. There was a large living room with a fireplace in the centre, a very cozy couch, a few lounge chairs and a skylight above, through which the northern lights could be seen. Big brand new kitchen with dining room where all eight of us could sit together at one table. A spacious gym. And then there were rooms. Aside from Demi and Lucia, who shared a master bedroom together, we each had a room of our own. The rooms were mostly bare, with only a bed, nightstand and a closet, but each had its own small bathroom. And most importantly, the walls were built soundproof to our werewolf hearing. This meant we all had the much needed privacy now.

Once we were all done with the tour, I showered and had Demi stitch my back together. Thankfully, while the gashes were deep, there was no serious damage caused. I was going to have another scar, but once I properly slept, I would heal in no time. And sleep I did. We all did. While I myself have been in the maze for four days, it seemed the rest of the group wasn't that much faster aside from Connor, who was the only member of our group to finish the task in under two days and without encountering a serious issue. The rest of us not only faced the illusions of that place, but also combat and we all came out with some kind of an injury from a concussion or broken limbs to my torn back, we all needed a first aid kit and a proper rest.

And when I was finally ready to lay down and rest, I almost sobbed at the sight of my own bed. After almost a year in exile, I practically forgot what it was like to have that luxury. But now I had one. A four poster frame made of dark wood with purple sheets and curtains stood in the corner with a matching nightstand and a window into the snow covered garden on the right side and a built-in closet right across. I fell asleep the moment my face hit the pillow and didn't wake up until the very next day.

"She barely made it, Azazeal! She almost fucking died! You promised us she'll be fine and look at this!" Nolan was yelling at Az in the living room when I woke up the next day. I planned on going to say hello to everyone, but froze in my tracks in the hall, when I overheard the ongoing fight.

"Nolan, chill out. I promised you she'd be fine. And she is," Az replied, his demeanor as calm as ever.

"Chill out?! Are you serious?! We are lucky she is fine, but she almost wasn't! How can you be so arrogant?!" Nolan kept going.

"I'm not arrogant," Az responded, his voice giving away nothing of how he may have felt.

"Yes you are! Look at you! You don't even care! How could you possibly know she'd be fine?!" Nolan wasn't slowing down. I decided it was time to intervene before he outright attacked Az.

"N-" I started as I stepped into the living room, but didn't get a chance to finish.

"I knew because she's my mate."

I froze in my tracks and so did everyone else, Az included when he noticed me standing on the opposite side of the room. Mate. Something snapped into place inside of me, with a roar of thunder, except there were no storms in Winterlands. Mate. Azazeal was my mate. And I was his. The scent of summer rain and damp stones hit me like a shockwave and suddenly I knew exactly what or who was the source. Mate. He knew I would be fine, because I was his mate. Because even if I didn't pass the test, I would be allowed in because of the bond. The whole World went silent around me as that one word kept echoing and engraving itself in my mind, my heart and my soul.

When we were kids, we were told that the mating bond was special, that we would feel an instant connection to the person, but ultimately it was just a pull we could ignore if we chose to. We were told that not all mates are necessarily meant for each other. And that we could reject one another if we saw happiness elsewhere, but we were warned that it may not be easy, because once it snaps into place, it's as if we instantly fell in love. But none of that was the correct description of what I felt the moment it clicked in.

I looked into Azazeal's eyes, one brown and the other stormy gray, there was guilt in them, somehow I could tell now. He didn't want me to find out like this, I was supposed to get there on my own. I took in a sharp breath, his scent taking over my senses causing me to panic and relax at the same time. I felt this strange urge to run up to him, to hide in his embrace. Yet, at the same time I was terrified at the idea. This man, who now stood there mere a few steps away from me, right next to the man I spent the last few months dating, who trained me, turned me into a fighter and a killer, was my forever. He was absolutely nothing like the men I once dreamt of as a little girl. He was the exact opposite of what my parents would want from me. And I was just eighteen. While a year ago I wanted nothing else but to have a mate, now I felt like it was simply too early. Way too early.

"Nolan, wait!" I called out when I noticed he decided to leave the room. I had to stop him and explain. But what? It wasn't like I did something wrong. None of this was my fault.

"Freya, we need to talk," Az stopped me from running after Nolan by putting his arm around my waist. It was hard to ignore the butterflies that suddenly settled in my stomach and happily fluttered around at his touch.

"Not before I talk to him," I said with resolve I didn't know I had. "Azazeal please," I whispered. He didn't like it. I knew he didn't, but he let go and I ran out of the room before I could change my mind. Az' scent, the need to be near him, it was overwhelming. But I had to talk to Nolan. After everything we've been through, I couldn't just let him leave.

"Nolan, I'm so sorry," I practically sobbed, when I finally reached him. He was sitting on the bench in our new gym looking so lost my heart shattered for him. He didn't deserve this. We didn't deserve this.

"What for? It's not your fault. Or mine. Or even that bastard Azazeal's," he shook his head and kept looking down. Slowly, I walked over and sat down next to him, feeling awkward and unsure of what to do or say. And then he chuckled.

"Of course that of all the women in the World, it's my best friend's mate I would fall for," he laughed bitterly.

"I'm sorry. I'll reject him-" I started but he gave me a strange look.

"You'll do what?" he asked.

"Reject him as my mate. I don't want this to break your friendship. I don't want it to cause a rift in our family," I said and even voicing these words out loud was breaking my heart. Heart which now belonged to the man still standing in our living room. But Nolan just started to laugh.

"What kind of bullshit is that? You can't reject your mate. That's not how it works. Is that what they told you down South?" he looked genuinely amused at my little statement while I instantly felt ashamed for even suggesting it.

"Besides, even if that was a thing, you wouldn't be doing it. You were given a gift from the goddess, Freya. To decline it would be a mistake," he said.

"I don't know what to do," I whispered.

"You'll figure it out. I'll be fine," he winked at me, but there was now sadness in his eyes instead of the mischief I was used to.

***
So... a mate? Az?! Did you see it coming? If so, what was the moment you knew? If not, what are your thoughts?
-Manon