The Mating Rules

I’m not sure how I survived but Caden dropped me back at my room two hours later, pressing a deep, all consuming k**s on my lips before walking away, leaving me clinging to the door knob to keep me upright.

The next afternoon a letter is pushed under my door whilst I’m at work and I find it as I walk into the room to shower after an exhausting day.

Lifting the crisp white envelope to my nose, I can just catch the faint scent of milk chocolate, Hadley.

Opening it eagerly, I find a single sheet of paper with spidery penmanship,

Dear Jamie-Lee

Would you like to accompany me on an evening outing?

Yours

Hadley

I giggle at the stiff letter, much like the man who wrote it, opening the mind link I reach for him, feeling him connect to me.

‘Thank you for the letter’ I say, grinning, ‘I’d love to go out with you. Where are we going?’

I can feel Hadley’s relief through the bond and I’m a little sad that even after our talk, he still seems unsure that I’ll actually spend time with him. ‘That’s a secret, but if you could be ready in an hour, I will come and collect you.’

‘OK’ I agree immediately, already excited, ‘what should I wear?’

‘Anything you wear will be beautiful’ Hadley replies, ‘just make sure it’s warm.’

Cutting the link, I hurry into the shower, washing quickly as I wonder where Hadley is taking me that needs warm clothes.

Rummaging through my wardrobe, I dig out some jeans, a thick jumper and my coat. Dressing, I glance over my shoe choices, before grabbing some faux fur lined boots and pulling them on.

A knock at the door, has me already smiling as I pull it open to find the warrior smiling down at me, one arm leaning on the door frame. I take him in, noticing he’s also wrapped up warm, though the sneakers on his feet confuse me.

‘Ready?’ he asks as I nod, stepping out and shutting the door before slipping my hand into his. One thing I’ve learned over the last few days is that Hadley isn’t one for taking what he wants, he’ll wait for me to take the lead.

Fingers tightening around my own, has me leaning into him as we make our way downstairs and out of the front door toward his truck.

I climb in immediately, breathing in the scent of polish and something that is inherently Hadley.

‘So where are we going?’ I ask excitedly, making the warrior chuckle.

‘You don’t really understand the concept of a surprise do you’ he teased.

‘I just want to make sure I dressed warmly enough’ I reply, blushing.

Following the road out of our pack, Hadley sings along to the radio as we drive, his low gravelly voice melding with the singer’s floating out of the speakers.

‘You have a lovely voice’ I comment after the second song ends and the DJ starts talking.

The warrior shuffles in embarrassment, ‘my mum used to sing all the time’ he replied softly, a small sad smile grazing his lips.

‘Did she teach you?’ I ask, curious about the two wolves that took this huge man into their home.

Hadley nods, ‘she could play the piano too. We would sit together on the stool, singing as we played. She’d do the high parts and I’d do the low parts. Dad used to call her his nightingale.’

I smile at the description, ‘she sounds special’ I murmur.

The quiet man beside me nods, ‘she was’ he agreed, ‘her and dad, they never ever made me feel like anything other than I was their son. I think if I hadn’t looked so different to them, they probably never would have told me that I was a foundling.’

I nod, ‘yeah, I suppose it was futile to try and pretend’ I agreed, remembering the friendly black woman I’d sometimes see in another training group when I was working with my dad. Her husband, a tall, muscular man who had worked with the border control had always been formidable to me as a child, rarely speaking, but when he did, his deep voice scared me a little.

Hadley was smiling sadly beside me, ‘when I was seven, I asked my mum why my skin was white and not black like hers and dad’s. I thought maybe something had happened to me, everyone else whose parents were black also had black skin.

Some human kids had teased me at school, saying my mum must have cheated or something to make me. I got into a fight and the school called her up and came and got me. She took me home and sat me down, telling me that the reason we had different coloured skin was because I was special. She said that the Goddess had blessed her with me. That’s when she explained I was a foundling but she said to never think I was unwanted. She said when she couldn’t have a pup, she prayed to the Goddess every night to give her a baby to love and the Goddess answered her prayers, placing me just outside the border so I could be found and brought to her. She may not have given birth to me but she was my mum, another she wolf just carried me for her and then left me so I could be raised by my real family.’

I reached out and gripped his hand, squeezing it in mine as he gave me a sheepish smile, ‘my mum and dad loved me something fierce, I was lucky to have them. I just miss them.’

I nod, moving closer on the bench seat, feeling his warmth even through my thick clothes. ‘They always seemed nice’ I agreed, ‘I didn’t know them well but my dad always had good things to say about your dad when they patrolled together.’

Hadley’s eyes remained on the road but the bobbing of his Adam’s apple made me think he was fighting to keep his emotions under control.

‘She would have liked you’ he stated firmly, ‘my mum, she’d have liked your no nonsense attitude.’

I giggled, ‘what do you think she’d make of this whole two mates thing?’ I asked teasingly.

Hadley barked out a laugh, ‘she’d have told me that the Goddess works her own story and has a plan, and then she’d have told me to kick Star in the nuts and run away with you.’

A peal of laughter left me at his words, and I pushed my shoulder into his as he chuckled, ‘you cannot kick the future Alpha in the nuts’ I scold playfully.

The warrior shrugged, ‘hey, you asked me what she would have said, I’m just telling you the truth’ he replied with a wink.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

We pull into the parking lot of a huge building, a neon sign above the door flashing in sequence to show an ice skater spinning. ‘We’re going ice skating?’ I squeak.

Hadley nods as he jumps out of his truck and comes around to help me down to the ground.

I grab his hand tightly in mine, swallowing down my nerves as we make our way toward the entrance and step inside. Hadley hands the woman behind the counter some bills and she gives us skates in our size, indicating to the right where the bleachers are.

‘There are lockers at the back where you can store anything you don’t want to take with you’ she calls after us, ‘just pin the key to your jacket so you don’t lose it.’

Sitting down, I slowly unlace my boots, peeking up at the few people that are happily gliding over the ice, following the oval shape of the rink.

‘It’s not too busy on a Wednesday’ Hadley murmurs beside me, ‘if you come on a Saturday you’ll be fighting for enough space to put one foot in front of the other.’

I nod, pulling my feet out of my boots and pushing them into the tight leather skates, the warrior picking up my shoes and his own before standing up easily on the blades and walking to the back of the bleachers to put them in a locker.

Returning to my side, he looks down at me still sitting on the bench, my fingers gripping the edge like a life raft.

‘Never skated before?’ he asked as I shook my head.

‘I’m not sure we were built to walk on thin bits of metal’ I reply, ‘we have four paws for a reason.’

Chuckling, Hadley holds out his hands to me, waiting until I reluctantly slide my palms into his before pulling me to my feet. My legs immediately buckle and I fall forward into my mate’s arms, gripping his coat as he laughs.

‘I’m liking this idea even more’ he breathes in my ear as he grips my elbows and helps me straighten.

‘Maybe I should just watch’ I mumble, not even sure how I’m going to get from the bench to the ice right now.

‘Don’t worry’ the warrior soothes, ‘I’m right here, I won’t let you fall, plus, having you fall into my arms over and over has its appeal.’

I try to swat at him but lose my balance and pitch backward a squeal leaving me as Hadley’s arms wrap around me again, holding me tightly.

‘I’m going to die’ I g***n, staring down at the skates with dislike, ‘death by ice skating! I really hoped for a more interesting obituary, not gonna lie’ I add with a sigh.

‘Come on,’ the warrior chuckles, walking backwards as he holds me up, me following his steps, praying to the Goddess that my ankles are still working by the end of this.

‘Is there anything at all I can offer you that would change your mind on this date?’ I offer desperately. ‘I make the best brownies ever tasted, I will make you a batch every week for the rest of your life if I can go back to that bench.’

Hadley shakes his head at me, amused, ‘trust me sweetheart’ he says encouragingly, ‘I’ll keep you safe.’

‘Not if I kill you by falling on you and cracking your head on the ice’ I mutter to myself, but allow him to lead me away from my sanctuary and toward the promise of broken bones and possibly a mild concussion if i’m lucky. Though more likely it is a few missing fingers after I fall and someone runs over my digits with these death blades.