Alex's Mom

Chloe's POV

I want to smack myself for letting my mouth get ahead of me, the question meant to be inward, debating whether or not I was even ready to bring the subject up, much less be so up front about it.

A fierce blush makes it way up my neck and to my cheeks, but I don't falter even as Beta Alex turns to me in shock, though the relief that flashes through his eyes is hard to miss as well. I could imagine it must be hard to have a Nightly as a soulmate. You grow up being fed these fairytales about a happily ever after and finding the one only to meet one of the few that have woken up and realized what a sham it all is.

A part of me feels bad for Alex, and honestly it's that part of me that's keeping me here in this unfamiliar house that seems to spark something within me.

I know what it's like to have your dreams crushed and everything taken from you in one fell swoop. And from what I've heard, Alex has gone through his fair share of that. If there's a way that I can help ease the pain and both of us come out of this happy, then that's all I can ask for.

I almost want to snort to myself.

Thomas and Chan will be proud.

Only if I don't mention the other part of me that wants to book the first boat to the Alarian Archipelago. The larger islands, including the capital, Alaria,  are pretty busy and packed, but the smaller more remote islands would be perfect for someone like me to disappear to for the next hundred years or so, until my problems have moved one.

Maybe Thomas will have found his own anchor by then.

But the thought, while alluring, is only a joke, a pipe dream at most. I owe Chandler too much to just turn my back on him, and I believe in our cause too much to just turn my back and walk away.

Since I can't run away, I have no choice but to accept the cards I was given and to try not to hurt anyone or go insane in the process.

Sounds simple enough.

Ha.

If only.

I find myself unable to stop scanning the pictures around the room as Alex goes to answer me, both of us just a little on edge, every part of me on high alert.

Though I can't tell if that's because of the intensity of the situation, or the sexual tension that's been rising in the air since I got here. I try to ignore it, but I can't help the heat that crawls up the inside of my leg and pools in my stomach as he looks at me with those sensual brown eyes.

"I do have a wolf. I'm surprised you asked, though you seeened more surprised than me." He gathers with a chuckle, making my cheeks heat again, realizing I wasn't as discreet as I would like to think.

"What's his name? Or is it a she? I have no idea how that works." I realize outloud, frowning as I consider the possibility of having an opposite sex wolf inside of you at all time. Must be trippy. Alex's laugh cuts through my thoughts, the sound of it deep and healing, enrapturing me with the sound.

What the hell is happening to me?

Did someone cast a spell on me without me realizing?

Because no fucking way there's ever been any credit to those bullshit stories about not having a choice. No way in hell my soul fell in love with some ass I don't even know.

A sweet, sexy ass, but an ass nonetheless. A stranger at that.

Though that's becoming less and less the case the more we talk, but I find myself unable to stop or run away, finding myself more at peace than I have in a while. Deep down a part of me is screaming that this is weird and wrong and all just some bullshit Divine Children spit out to make them send feel more special over the fact that someone tried to pair us up like match maker dolls instead of literal people with love and intentions and lives.

No one should have the power to take that choice away.

And yet here I am, relishing the very choice made for me, unable to walk away and stand true to my own damn principles. I try to ignore the shame that burns through me as we continue to talk. "Well, it's rare for you to get a wolf that isn't similar to you in most core ways and aspects. Less than ten percent of wolves have a wolf with a different temperament and less than five percent of wolves have a wolf with a different gender. It would be cool to meet a wolf like that, but my best friend, James is a rare wolf. His wolf has a more sassy and flamboyant way to him than James does. Same with his partner. It's always been ironic to me that they've found each other. But Tobias and I are just normal two peas in a pod." He answers with a faint smile, though I can't help but notice the way his eyes go all soft when he talks about his friend and their lover, telling me that they must be important people in his life.

If I remember correctly, James is the name of the Alpha, and since Alex is the Beta, it would make sense for that to be who he's talking about.

He did mention before that a boy named James was who helped him through his parents passing, helping me fill in the blanks to Alex's life piece by piece. Maybe it's my years trained as a spy for Chan, getting every piece of information I can, looking for a motive, but I find myself analyzing Alex in the same manner despite myself. Though I find it more difficult than I would have thought to find some kind of hidden motive.

Before I can respond, Alex asks me a question I certainly wasn't ready to hear, and yet despite myself I answer anyway.

"Would you like to meet Tobias?" He asks, shocking the hell out of me, but at the same time, warmth and acceptance wash over me, joy fluttering through my chest that he would even ask such a question before the bitter reality comes back and I only feel more pissed at myself.

One could say I'm not one for relinquishing control and I really don't like the idea of not being able to choose who's in my life and what I'm willing to endure.

But I need to feed and it's not fair to Alex. So right now, I'm out of options.

"If I must." I say with a smile and a tense smile, Alex thankfully taking it as a sly joke, though I can tell he's nervous as well. His eyes appear a normal brown at first glance, but when you peer a little longer, you'll start to notice the notes of green and gold and grey that fleck within, creating a cornucopia of colors that stir something deep in my chest.

"Fine by me. You'll realize how great I am, once you see how annoying Toby is." He says with a wink, and I can't help but swoon inwardly at the adorable nickname Alex has given to his wolf despite myself.

He closes his eyes and I watch, curiously, waiting for some sort of outward transformation or change, though the only change that does come is his demeanor, gone with the insecure eggshell walking Alex, replaced with one filled with confidence and charm, the famed Tobias. Amusing if nothing else. After a moment, eyes are reopened and I notice another difference about the man sitting in front of me, eyes full of wonder and color replaced by a beautifully deep black that takes in every inch of my face as I study his. Though it's hard to place what, there's definitely a difference, the thought confirmed when he goes to speak, the voice slightly deeper and warmer than Alex's.

"It's good to finally meet you Chloe. I've been waiting for you." He tells me with a hum, and every where his eyes touch I swear I can feel a whisper of a touch against my skin though we're an entire room apart.

His gaze is so intimate, I find myself blushing just from meeting his deep onyx eyes that seem to flicker with mischief and passion.

I advert my eyes to the pictures that hand above the fireplace, a mirage of two dozen or so photos taken throughout the years. Each one is just as joy filled and family packed as the last, only affirming the fairytale like childhood that Alex admitted to having before tragedy struck. I know thousands of children who would kill for even just a day in the shoes that Alex got to proudly march in. While I don't envy his pain or the trails he's been forced through, I wish all the same that I was able to look at pictures from my childhood and hold them in such fondness and loving memory as Alex seems to.

Tobias doesn't allow my attention to waiver for long, the wolf chuckling to himself as he leans back in the recliner he rests on, all that's needed to advert my eyes to the man that makes my knees weak and blood boil. Because this interaction, these feelings are the same ones I've known were a scam, a fabricated dream we're trained to accept and claim as our own, and yet I'm unable to stop the effects they have on me. That he has on me.

"My name is Tobias, I'm Alex's wolf and all time superior. Nice to finally meet you." He tries again, and he wins, an answer flying out of me before I can even stop myself.

"You didn't even know it was me you were waiting for. Aren't you disappointed? Doesn't this seem unfair to you? You have to fall in love with whoever Celeste chose for Alex and be content with being a third wheel for your entire life. I highly doubt that's what you've been looking forward to." I snap without meaning to, but it's true. While it's nice and feels good to get lost in sweet nothings and nice words, that's exactly what they really are- nothing. Because whether it was me or some random Angel or a badass Enchanted, I have a feeling guys like this would have been happy either way, just to have been 'blessed.' It's not about me and frankly, I doubt it would be. If it was, I have no doubt I would have been Rejected already. My father as well as life have both proven to me how people truly like to deal with sex Daemons, unprovoked or not.

Anger courses through me in a flash, and I'm ready to bite the poor bastards head right off, my tail stiff as a board, ears sticking straight up on alert, as always when I get riled up. So it shocks the everlasting hell out of me when I hear Tobias laugh, his chuckle a bit more hearty and full than Alex's, his smile never wavering.

"That's not how it works, pup." He laughs and I find myself blushing over the name. It's a common nickname among wolves, especially in a teasing manner when one acts a bit slow on the uptake or takes a while to finish a simple task. The way it rolls of his lips before landing in a soft smirk, his five o'clock shadow at its fullest, I find the nickname stirring something inside of me that I had no idea existed. I immediately clamp it down and force myself to accept that I'm going crazy because of the obscurity of this entire situation and that explains why everything is fucking weird.

Yes.

No other reason.

Tobias continues to explain. "This wasn't some spur of the moment thing. Before you were born, over five hundred years ago, it was already decided, based off of our souls and who we are destined to be, who we were going to be with. Sometimes people find out before their birthdays if they've been around that person enough and can feel that spark and pull. Most people ignore it until it's confirmed. It's been you I've been waiting for all along. Sometimes I would get this feeling of loneliness. Or this feeling of joy or sorrow and I would know it was your soul calling out to us. We've been waiting for you and only you since the moment we were created. And besides, I think we both know, Mr.Warlock that there's a way for me to have my own body, and me being a third would fall on your shoulders, however I would bet you prefer two men to pleasure you to your desires instead of just one. Except you won't have to worry about jealousy. I've been waiting for you to get my own Dagaz Rune and take on my own form and start living my life as well, but the only way I want to do that is with you. You can resist. We can go your pace and play by your rules and you can play hard to get all you want. You can fight it, but you'll fall in love with me and this 'arranged marriage' before you know it, pup." He says with a wink that seems to flutter in my abdomen which is clearly a sign of anxiety, not butterflies.

Feeling flustered and a bit overwhelmed, I find myself speechless, not a state you would find me in often.

Before I can respond, there's a knock on the door, and I watch as Tobias sighs, offers a quick goodbye before closing his eyes and allowing Alex to come forward. When he does, he greats me with a smile that's warm enough to melt the coldest of heart before sighing and muttering under his breath.

"I swear to Celeste, go away." But before he can make a move or come up with some excuse, the door flies open as the Beta lets out a deep frown and melts down into his seat in defeat.

"Alex! We came to comfort you! I brought food!" I hear a voice call sweetly, a hint of worry in his tone. I raise my brow at the wolf, curious about who would feel comfortable enough to barge into his house unannounced but my question gets answered before it can get voiced. "Stop it, James, that's not for you."

I snap out of my trance, grateful for the distraction, Tobias' words bouncing around in my head as my mind struggles to reign in the emotions the man managed to unleash. It takes me a second, but I finally put two and two together as I realize who's coming down the hallway.

The infamous Alpha James and his Luna. How interesting. Between Alex and my own recon I've heard quite a bit about the pair over the past two years.

Let's see what the fuss is all about.

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Soooooo Chloe met Alex! Did the interaction go the way you though it would or were you surprised? How do you think this meeting is going to go? What do you think James and Cody will say when they learn about Alex finally meeting his Soulmate?

Thoughts?

Comments?

QOTD: Favorite side character so far?