The Human Mate

Chapter 6

LOGAN

Our first date went perfectly, which ended with me kissing her.

I had trouble holding Max, my wolf, back. I had to control him. He wanted nothing more than to devour her against that door and take her right there and then to mark and mate with her. It took everything in me to keep him at bay.

But that was our first kiss, and oh my goddess, it was amazing.

Max and I had to break away; her arousal was intense. It was affecting us in every way, including my c**k.

Leaving her there and without looking back was the only way I could control Max. If I looked back, everyone would hear her being pinned against that door.

After I left, I started planning our second date by arranging a picnic for us in the forest, and then we could wander around the lake. I was aiming to get to know her more. I had to ask for help, and who better than my grandmother? I remember telling my grandmother about taking Riley on a second the next day. She was excited and even eager to know what had happened the night before on our first date. She helped by making the food and even came to the pack house to make it since she didn't want Riley to get wind of what was happening.

Once I informed my grandmother about the situation, I had to plan accordingly because I had some paperwork to complete. I juggled things around and split my day so I could see Riley.

The last thing on the agenda was to inform the pack members about what was happening. Before my date, I mind-linked the entire pack so that no one was to shift into wolf form since I didn't want to scare Riley. I even explained who she was to me, which resulted in congratulations being chanted through the mind link.

That night, I was on a high and even had trouble sleeping, which led to a late-night run for Max. It was the only thing I could think of to calm us down, and it worked. When we got back, we were ready for bed.

The next day went according to plan. I delegated some work out when it came close to leaving for my date with Riley.

When the date arrived and all the work I had to do was done, I went to get Riley. I picked her up from the bookstore. She looked stunning again, wearing a blue dress.

We left and walked through the forest to the place I chose for us to have our picnic. I had someone set it up while I was doing my alpha duties.

We ate and spoke a little. I watched Riley take in all the scenery. She was stunning. After our picnic, we packed everything and walked around the lake, which wasn't too far from where we ate. Our walk around the lake ended up moving toward the town.

I glanced around and spotted pack members staring at us, some nodding and even smiling.

While walking around, we got to know each other more. I told her things about me, things that only Mark, my Beta, and my grandmother knew. I brought up about my parents and what happened to them. I left out being killed by rogues since she wouldn't know what I was on about. But I told her they were killed by animals when they were camping in the forest.

My parents passed away when I was seventeen. I was heartbroken, but I knew I had to take over the pack with the help of my grandmother. I lost both parents in one night, while she lost her only son. We both helped each other through the grief and took steps to make our pack safe again.

We held meetings as a pack about what we wanted to do, and we all agreed that we should move from where we were living and find a new territory to live in. Finding this place we now call home didn't take too long. We love it here, even though we often miss the other place. We know we did the right thing when leaving. It was too painful for most people to be back there.

That rogue attack took my parents and most of the pack. We were once a pack of hundreds, but now we are a small pack.

After telling her about my parents and even moving away to start fresh here in the town, I knew I had to let her talk. I wanted to know more about her. I didn't want to tell her much more since I had plenty of time to discuss all that later. I could tell she listened as I talked. I felt at ease with her. I could have spilled my guts to her, but I stayed calm and only spoke about the relevant bits.

Max stayed close by the entire time we were together, but he never revealed himself in front of her. I knew she saw his eyes on our first night, which resulted in me scolding him.

After I spoke about my family, I asked her about her family and why she traveled a lot. Riley said nothing but walked to a nearby bench and sat. I sat next to her while she stared ahead. I could remember everything she had told me, and her answer was painful.

"I was an only child, and my parents were never around," she said quietly, which made my heart clench.

What parents would do such a thing?

I never spoke. I let her carry on. It seemed it would be a conversation where she would need to compose herself.

"One day, they packed my bags and placed me in foster care when I was five," she said, sighing. I could feel the pain and shame in her voice. Saying nothing, I placed my hand in hers, which made her look down and then at me. Tears were coating her eyes, but before I could wipe them away, Riley looked away and spoke again.

"There was no letter, no explanation, nothing. I ended up in fifteen foster homes from then on. Most were nice, but some were hard to live in as they always had too many kids."

There was a moment of silence as she collected herself. I could feel the pain coming off her, and I wish I had been there to take it all away. But she breathed and continued, "When I turned eighteen and saved up from a job I had. I left and did a few months later."

Riley looked at me and gave me a weary smile.

"I did that all the time. I would work for a few months and split if I disliked it. I never moved or even chose where to live, so I decided when I was seventeen, when I first got a job, to save and leave when I could. That's what I did."

There was something in her voice when she said that. My heart went out to her in those moments she told me. I guess, being in so many homes, she would want to find somewhere she could call home, and I was praying it was here with me. I wanted to make this place her home, and I promised Max and me we would do anything to make that happen.

"What about your parents?" I asked, which made her tense at the question.

"Did you want to locate them?"

Riley stared at me momentarily but turned her head to look away. "I located them," she muttered, which made me stare at her. Judging from how she acted, it wasn't a story she wanted to tell me, but she looked back at me. "I found out why they left me. They thought I would be better off without them, and they were right."

Riley stared at me while a lone tear escaped before she continued. I watched her wipe it away with the back of her hand. I gave her hand a gentle squeeze for reassurance. "They went their separate ways after placing me in care. My bio mum remarried and had a new family. She told me she didn't want anything to do with me since I was older now and better off for it."

Why would a mother act like that toward their own child? She may be older, but she was still her child. I wanted nothing more than to find the woman who said that and make her pay.

Max agreed with me but stayed quiet when she spoke about her father. That story was even worse.

"As for my bio father," she said, wiping another stray tear away. "I learned he had a terrible life and even took drugs. He passed away a few years back."

The heartbreak that she was showing tore through me. This wasn't what I wanted for a second date, my mate reliving her worst days.

I pulled her toward me and held her in my arms while she stayed quiet. We stayed like that until she moved up and looked at me with a small smile.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ruin the date."

Moving closer to her, I pressed a kiss to her head. "You ruined nothing. I wanted to know about your life."

I placed my hand under her chin, keeping her in place. "Thank you for telling me," I said, giving her a small smile. Shall I take you home?"

Knowing this may be enough for her for one night, I didn't want it to end. I wanted to see her again. Riley agreed to go home. We walked back, still holding hands, but silently, till we went back into the bookstore and headed to her room.

We stopped at her door. Saying nothing, I leaned in and kissed her again.

Pressing my forehead to hers, I smiled.

"We will have another date soon," I said, kissing her head.

"You still want to see me?" she asked, making me move slightly to look at her.

"Of course."

I smiled. "I will let you know when our third date will be when I come in next to see Margret. I have work, but I can arrange something soon."

Riley nodded and let herself into her room. I waited till she closed the door before I left.

When I left, I had an enormous erection. No cold shower was going to cover it. It resulted in me playing for an hour in the shower with Max, sending images of what we wanted to do with her.

A third date would be on the cards, but it wouldn't be for a few days. I didn't lie to her when I said I had to work. Being alpha was hard, and I needed to do a lot in keeping us all safe. I also knew this date was too much for her, especially with everything she laid out for me. This one was too much for her and not only that I had pack business to contend with.

After everything I heard, all I wanted to do was protect Riley and be her family. This soft alpha was falling for his mate, and I hoped she was falling for me, too.