Mates: Werewolf Short Stories

The Human Mate: Chapter 4

Elara POV.

I didn’t realise how badly my hands were shaking until I dropped my keys for the third time. The walk home from the forest felt unreal, like I’d stepped out of one life and back into another that no longer fit quite right. Streetlights glowed too bright. Cars sounded too loud. Every ordinary thing felt foreign against the weight pressing beneath my ribs.

I locked my apartment door behind me and leaned my forehead against the wood, breathing hard. Quiet. No howls. No eyes in the dark. No towering man with green eyes that burned through me like he’d been waiting his whole life to see me.

And yet… he was still there. Not his voice. Not words. Just a steady presence at the back of my awareness, distant but real. I showered. I made tea. I sat on the couch and stared at nothing until the sky outside my window lightened toward dawn. When sleep finally came, it was shallow and crowded with visions of fur, forest shadows and a sense of being watched.

A few hours later, life insisted on continuing. I got up groggily and forced myself to get dressed and went to work. The library smelled the same. Paper and dust and old wood. Familiar. The hum of quiet conversations wrapped around me like a blanket I hadn’t realised I’d been craving. I shelved books. I answered questions. I smiled when required while my mind kept going back to last night.

No one could see the way my chest tightened whenever a sudden sound startled me. Or how my attention snagged on every tall man with dark hair. Or how, sometimes, in the middle of absolute stillness, I felt a calm settle over me that didn’t belong to this place.

Days passed. Three of them. The ache never returned. Not the painful one. Instead, there was a constant warmth in my chest. At night, I dreamed of green eyes in the dark and woke up strangely aroused with the strange certainty that I wasn’t alone. It was frustrating and I was starting to wonder if I didn’t perhaps imagine the whole thing.

On the fourth evening, I came home later than usual. The sun had already slipped below the rooftops, shadows pooling in the hallway as I climbed the stairs to my apartment.

That was when I felt it. The pull from before. My steps slowed. My pulse quickened. Every instinct I had went utterly still, like the moment before a storm breaks. The door was locked when I left it. I was certain of it. And yet… It felt like something was waiting on the other side for me.

I unlocked the door with deliberate slowness and stepped inside. It was dark inside as the light was off, which I expected for coming home so late but there was someone here. Through the street light from outside, I saw him. He stood near my kitchen counter, broad shoulders filling the narrow space like he’d always belonged there. The shadows clung to him, dark hair ruffled. Thorne.

I sucked in a breath that trembled all the way to my bones. “You’re here.” I whispered, even as relief washed through me so strong my knees nearly gave out.

“I said I would come.” he said quietly. The sound of his voice, real, close, sent a shiver through me. I really didn’t imagine him. I closed the door behind me, my fingers curling against the wood like I needed the anchor.

“How did you…” I stopped, shaking my head. “Actually… never mind.” I said as I looked at him. His gaze softened, just slightly. “You’re safe.” he said instead. “I needed to see it for myself.” He continued and something in my chest eased at the words. “You said you’d come find me.” I murmured. “And I always keep my promises.” He said and I felt my heart race.

Silence settled between us, thick with everything we hadn’t said. I set my bag down slowly, suddenly aware of how small my apartment felt with him in it. He seemed so out of place and yet I couldn’t imagine him not being here.

“You scared me.” I admitted finally. “When you left.” I spoke softly. His jaw tightened. “I know.” He simply said. “And whatever this is.” I continued, pressing a hand to my chest. “It hasn’t gone away.” I continued. “I wouldn’t expect it to.” he said.

I looked at him then, really looked, and saw the exhaustion etched into his features, the restraint in every line of his body. Whatever was within him, sat just beneath his skin, quieter than before but no less powerful.

“You need to explain.” I said softly. “All of it. No half-truths.” I stepped closer. I felt drawn to him… just like the other night when I went for a walk. He studied me for a long moment, then nodded once. “All right.”

This time he stepped closer, careful, like I might spook. The pull between us responded immediately, warmth blooming through my chest until breathing felt easier. “You are human.” he said. “But you were born able to hear us. Not voices. Not thoughts. The wolf itself. What we carry. What we fight.” He spoke and what he was saying didn’t make sense but I understood in a strange way.

My throat tightened. “That makes me a… Listener.” I asked, remembering what someone called me back in the forest. “Yes.” He simply answered. “And you?” I asked. “What does it make you to me?” His eyes darkened, emotion flickering through the iron control.

“My mate.” he said. “Fated. Bound. Whether either of us was ready for this or not.” The word landed deep. Heavy. Right. “And what are you?” I asked carefully but deep down I think I knew. I do work in a library after all. “A werewolf.” He said and I saw that he watched me closely for my reaction.

I should have been terrified. Instead, I felt… steady. I knew he was speaking the truth and I couldn’t think of a reason for me to doubt his words. “That pack you talked about.” I said. “They’re afraid of me.”

“They are.” he admitted. “And of what you mean for me?” I asked but he didn’t answer. “And what do I mean for you?” I asked again, barely breathing. He didn’t answer right away. When he did, his voice was rough. Honest.

“You are the one thing that calms the wolf without breaking me.” He held my gaze. “And that makes you dangerous. To them. To me. To yourself.”

The room felt too quiet. “I - I don’t understand.” If it is true what you say I am, and I have the ability to calm you… why is that a threat?” I asked and I knew I wasn’t going to like the answer. “Because listeners die.” He said and it felt like someone just punched me in the stomach.

“Die?” I asked shakily and he nodded. “Listeners burn out their life force when they communicate with wolfs for too long.” He said and he looked pained for a moment before continuing. “When they die, the wolf has no one to control them and they go mad. They can kill anything and anyone that crosses their path. It can even destroy packs.” He said and fear ripped through my chest.

I swallowed. “So what happens now?” Thorne stepped closer, stopping just within reach. Not touching. Waiting.

“Now.” he said, “We learn what this bond does to a human who refuses to break.” He said and felt confused. If what he said was true then how was I going to survive this? I thought to myself. “But… How?” I asked and he lifted his hand to grip my chin again. My lips tingled at the reminder of our kiss a few days ago and I wanted more.

“By teaching you not to listen.” He said as he lowered his head so that he could kiss me. Warmth and tingling burst from my lips and I immediately leaned into him. The warmth of his body enveloped and and all I could think of was how much I needed him. All the nights that I woke up aroused came surging forth and I couldn’t help the moan that escaped me.

A low growl escaped his thought as I felt myself being turned and pushed against my kitchen counter. Instead of being scared, it aroused me more. Needing to feel his skin, I made my way up his chest and started to unbutton his shirt and as though he sensed my need, he ripped my blouse open. Buttons flying all over the place. But before I could finish with his shirt, I felt myself being lifted of my feet and carried to somewhere.

I didn’t care where but as soon as I felt the soft mattress beneath me, I knew I was in my bedroom. Thorne climbed on top of me, his weight deliciously pushing against my desire and I moaned out load when he started to kiss down my neck. I could feel the hardness of his arousal and I wanted to feel all of him.

It was like he understood when he momentarily pulled back just long enough to undo his pants and for me to undress myself. His lips came crashing back onto mine, enjoying the feeling of his naked body against mine. I was so aching that I wanted to beg him to fill me and when he lifted his head to look at me, I felt him… his tip pushed at my entrance as he locked his gaze on me. Silently waiting for my permission. “Please.” I begged and a throaty groan escaped loudly from my throat as he thrusted into me.

He lied still for a moment, letting me adjust to him and when he started to move, it was the most amazing feeling ever. With each thrust, I felt myself climbing higher to my peak. He didn’t slow down and that was what I wanted. I felt myself falling over as I reached my climax and I felt him too. I felt him pulse inside me as he uttered a animalistic groan before he bit down into my skin where my neck meets my shoulder. It only hurt for a moment before it went numb.

I felt complete and I knew he felt the same. There was no turning back now.