Despite Desire

Chapter 21: Theo

I serve the ball; it hits in the front wall just below the red line. It bounces off the wall. I run to hit the ball. I do a backhand. The ball bounces of the wall side wall and goes to the front wall. The ball bounces back towards me. I move back to have a better shoot. I do a forward hand. The ball hits the front wall. A few centimetres under the top red line. It bounces back just by the red line on the floor. I backhand the ball. I feel my body becoming fatigue from the few hours I have been playing squash against myself. Sweat slips down my face. I use my hand not holding the racket to pick my shirt up and wipe the sweat off my forehead.

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The next morning, I woke up too late to do an early morning squash session with myself. I had to rush and eat breakfast. I rushed to school on my motorbike and then the day had gone slowly when I was not rushing. After school had finished, I had rushed to the library to read about mates, just in case my father is right. Valentines' day is around the corner.

I had gone to the non-fiction part of the library. I grab a book about mate and sit on the floor to read quickly. I should be fast. I just need to skim through to know what is going on with me. I open the book; someone is moving with my peripheral vision, but I decide to ignore them.

I start skimming the first chapter of the book:

Mates for werewolves are known to be one of the strongest connections between one wolf and another. In some cases, there can be more than one mate, an example is having two mates like King Erios had, he had Josephine, she was the first mate he had met and then a few seconds later... he had met General Lucian. He is one of the most famous persons known to having two mates. Mates have been a special connection where they can communicate with another. The communication is different from others, like an Alpha communicating with the Beta, Omega, or anyone in the pack. The higher the wolf is in the pack, the stronger the dominance for the masculine wolf to protect, help and keep safe the feminine wolf. Wolves are known to get jealous- some humans will call it toxic but in the world for the wolf it is the norm. It is seen as the mate's love showing when one is jealous. Humans don't have anything like mates or prints. Understanding how the mate bond works, won't help you understand your mate but understanding your mate will strengthen your bond.

Someone coughs in the library, taking my attention away from the book. I grab the book; I leave my finger at the page I am reading and close the book. I use my finger as a bookmark. I make my way towards the sitting area.

I take a seat on the blue couch, next to a girl with gorgeous long hair. I open the book to where my finger is and carry on skimming through the book:

Mating bonds normally snap after both parties have turned 16, the Moon Goddess will then make the parties meet at the right time when both of them have put in the work to be together. Some mates are lucky because they know they are mates before they both have turned 16- this is not rare or uncommon. Work put in can be with dealing with trauma or work throw the issues holding them back from being with one another- a tulpa can help with one doing the work to help meet their mate. Tulpa is a known in human terms- psychic- and in vampire terms- Psi-vampire.

Someone slams a book shut, making everyone including me on the couches look up. I look up to see Ashley staring at Dylan. I wonder what happened between them. I take a quick look at who I am sitting next to, only to find the person I least expected- Ella. She seems to be reading a book which has a gradient of pink at the top and blue at the bottom. In the middle written in purple is where the title of the book seems to be, but she lowers the book on her lap and takes her phone out to check the time. She presses the off button and leaves her phone on the side of her thigh, close to me. She carries on reading.

I wonder what she is reading. Is it fiction or non-fictional. I wonder what has, her so trapped between the walls of paper and ink that she seems to be in a different world- she didn't even look up when Ashley slammed her book. What is making her fixate on the book. It is like she ahs lost touch with the real world, her body and her mind has taken her to another place while she reads the book.

She looks entrapped on the couch, yet free in between the pages.

I look down at the books in my hand. I rub my left eye with my left index finger. I just need to get to the part of the symptoms one will feel for a mate. I already know the information. I should wait till Ella is done with her book to invite her for the moon celebration. This could be my last chance at inviting her. I need to know her better. I want to understand what is going on. I go back to skimming the book:

Mates when meeting each other before 16 can experience a few symptoms:

· Overprotective of the person without having reason to be.

· Wanting to be in the person presence.

· Having the urge to watch them when doing their favourite activities and hobbies.

· Listening to the other for hours and hours.

I skip the rest of the list and go to the last two bullet:

· The symptoms do not apply for having a human mate or vampire mates*

· This does not include symptoms for Luna's or Alpha's with their mates*

Great, I need to get a book with symptoms for alpha's and if the mate is a human. I thought this book with be helpful, but it was a waste of my time.