A Wolf's Oath (5 page)

Sebastian hadn’t thought it possible, but the second night
without his mate was somehow worse than the first. His mind was
filled with loud howls as his wolf ranted and raved, rattling
frantically against the confines he had enforced on it as it
struggled to gain control of Sebastian's mind and direct his
actions. The day had proved to be a long one that had only served
to test his patience and with his wolf constantly demanding that he
return to their mate’s side, his usual calm had suffered, faltering
under the immense strain. Reasoning that Erica wouldn’t appreciate
a surprise night visit from her unwanted mate, he decided to stay
the night in his rooms on the estate, preparing himself for the
uphill battle that awaited him. While he had received little sleep
the night he had first met Erica, he received none this night and
the strain was beginning to become evident. His eyes were becoming
bleary and blood shot while thin white stress lines were beginning
to bracket his mouth.

Realising that sleep was a distant dream, he chose to spend
the night in a large armchair sat directly in front of one of his
room’s windows. Heavy eyelids strove to close while angry growls
from his wolf kept ensured that they never remained shut for long.
The first streaks of colour on the horizon acted as a signal and he
shot from the chair, fully clothed and determined to reach
her.
If only for the sake of my sanity,
I’ve got to convince her to accept my claim. This wolf will be the
death of me.

Find her.
It’s low growl rumbled
through his mind no less anxious than it had been at the start of
the night.

We’re going to find her right now, so just be quiet I’ve had
enough of you. Life was so simple before I met her, back then you
were quiet.
The wolf growled but otherwise
remained silent, content to allow the insult now that they were on
the path to retrieving their mate. Sebastian's feet slammed hard
against the stone floor and as he neared the entrance he sighed in
relief, glad beyond measure that there were no obstructions to his
leaving as there had been the previous day.

Escaping unhindered from the estate, he headed west, certain
that he was headed towards his mate even without using his enhanced
senses to track her. The location of all clans was directly linked
to their name with the royal clan and its estate directly in the
centre of all eight, so that no clan had to travel farther than
another to reach it. The land where the clans were found were owned
by the royal clan, who safeguarded it’s keeping and ensured that
the lands never left the ownership of their people. The homes of
all wolves within the different clans were scattered over the large
areas of land. Though the clansmen lived and worked together they
were very careful not to build too many of the common areas close
together lest they attract the attention of outsiders. Despite the
fact that the clans were not overtly hostile towards humans they
didn’t welcome them either. Too many difficult questions had arisen
in the past when human neighbours realised that while they
continued to age, those around them did not. The land was now
privately owned and all newcomers could easily be chased off
leaving the wolves alone in relative peace.

The distance to his mate’s home wasn’t far but with his wolf
roaming his mind anxiously, it seemed to take hours as he continued
to run westward, more refreshed than he had been since he had first
inhaled her delicious aroma now that he was working in unison with
his wolf rather than fighting against it.

She’s close,
his wolf pointed out as
the strong smell of fellow wolves greeted his nose informing him
that he was now firmly within the West clan’s territory. His pace
slowed as he was forced to finally do more than simply run. Lifting
his head to the breeze, he inhaled deeply sifting through the many
scents that filled the area until he located the one unique to his
mate.
Erica.
He
smiled, allowing his feet to guide him to her location. His pace
was slow as he savoured her sweet fragrance, walking unseeing
through the trees in the direction that her scent was
strongest.

A small house came into sight and as the smell of apples
intensified he knew that this was his mate’s home. He walked calmly
down the path suppressing the urge to simply run to her door, kick
it down and claim her for his own. He raised a hand to the sturdy
wood of the door preparing to knock when the sound of laughter
caught his attention. Moving slowly in the direction of the
giggling he came upon a small green clearing where his mate was
teasing two small children. Content to simply watch her for the
minute, he remained firmly hidden in the shadows far away enough
that he could see her while ensuring that she wouldn’t catch his
scent.

Hanging upside down from the branch of a tree her arms
dangled above the children’s heads as they leapt into the air
striving to catch her. Although her appearance was vastly different
from the one time he had seen her, she was still beautiful to him.
Her long hair was no longer visible, tied back messily away from
her face and he found himself longing to see the silky strands once
more. Dirt streaked her cheeks while a large shirt concealed the
curves of her body. Though he cursed the loose material of her
shirt, the jeans she wore emphasised the length of her legs and he
felt his ire recede.

The laughter continued to flow from her lips as the children
ran around the tree, climbing on top of each other as they tried to
reach her.
One day soon, she’ll laugh like
that because of me.
He smiled at the
thought. As she jumped down from her perch on the tree, his feet
began moving forward, intent on reaching her.

Erica’s laughter stopped abruptly as she saw his approach and
her heart began to race, pounding hard against her ribs.
What’s he doing here?
she
hissed, before her eyes landed on the confused expressions on her
sibling’s faces.
He would have to come now
wouldn’t he?
His face was flushed as though
he had just done a great deal of work.
Probably ran all the way here, the idiot.
His walk towards her was unhurried and his eyes wandered over
her frame, his gaze almost searing in its intensity, she could feel
her treacherous body reacting to his nearness. Her mouth felt dry
and she licked her lips, her disloyal body preparing her to receive
his touch.

Want,
her wolf whined and she groaned
at it hearing its voice.
Want him. Take
him, we belong with him.

Another word out of you and I swear I won’t be held
responsible for my actions. I’ve told you before that you should
get used to the idea of being without a mate and I meant it. We’re
not accepting him.

“
Erica?” His voice floated to her ears and she had to resist
the temptation to savour the sound.

Tugging at the hem of her shirt, Wyatt looked at her with
questioning eyes. “Erica, who’s that?”

Her eyes flitted to Sebastian once more, remembering the
worries her siblings had had on the one night she had left them
alone.
I can’t let them know. I can’t tell
them that he wants me as a mate.
Plastering
a wide smile on her face, she hoped that Sebastian wouldn’t
contradict her. “This is Sebastian, a friend of mine.”

So I’m a friend now? I seem to have made progress in my
absence.

“
Oh,” Wyatt shrugged.

“
Is there anything to eat Erica? I’m hungry,” Dylan
whined.

“
There should be something in the fridge,” she replied, her
eyes refusing to leave Sebastian's.

“
Good I’m hungry too.” Wyatt grinned before grabbing Dylan by
the hand and running off in the direction of their small
home.

Covering the distance between them, Sebastian came to stand
directly in front of her. “Hello mate.”

Her eyes widened, turning to watch her siblings run out of
earshot. “Don’t say that!” she hissed. “I’m not your mate, I
thought I had made myself clear.”

“
And I thought that we were friends, remember?”

“
I didn’t mean that.”

This mate of mine sure likes to make things difficult doesn’t
she?
“So should I tell the children of your
change of heart?”

“
Leave them out of this. They have nothing to do with
you.”

“
They seem very important to you, who are they?”

“
Again that’s none of your business, please just
leave.”

“
No.” His tone was unyielding as his resolved hardened.
I have to have her for myself. She belongs with
me. She’s my mate.
His newly developed
possessive streak had at first concerned him but the longer he
spent in her presence the more justified he felt in having
it.
Others may try to take her from me and
I can’t allow that to happen.

“
Sebastian, please, I’ve told you once before that I have
nothing against you personally.”

“
Of course you don’t. You don’t even know me and for some
strange reason you seem very against the very idea of doing so. Why
is that Erica? Does your wolf have nothing to say on the matter?
The instinct is never wrong, we’re meant to be
together.”

“
What my wolf has to say to me isn’t your concern.”

He laughed. “Ah so it has been saying something then? All
good I hope.”

Her wolf reaffirmed its presence in her mind, screaming so
loudly that she if it had spoken the words aloud she was sure her
ears would have been severely damaged.
Want! Want! Want!

Your vocabulary seems to have taken a turn for the worse
since I met him. If that’s all you’ve got to say then be
quiet.

A moment of blessed silence passed before her wolf spoke up,
its vocabulary having apparently made a miraculous recovery.
Do I have to spell it out for you? I. Want. Him.
And don’t try to lie to me; you want him too.

I want nothing to do with him.

I know you, I’m in your head remember? There is nothing that
you can hide from me. He’s our mate. Accept it!

If you know me so well then you should understand why I don’t
want a mate.

What happened then has nothing to do with now.

There is no getting away from what happened, it affects
everything.

A warm hand against her scalp startled her out of her
thoughts, hurtling her back to reality and the problems that
accompanied it. While she and her wolf had been bickering Sebastian
had closed the gap that separated them, invading her personal space
and his rich scent now surrounded her, trying to lull her into a
sense of security. Her body reacted as the instinct dictated,
leaning towards him. Their bodies were now mere centimetres apart
and as he spoke she could practically feel his voice rumbling
through him, their chests almost meeting as they
breathed.

“
Why did you do this to your hair?” He tugged at the knot that
contained the wealth of her hair. “It looks much better when it’s
down.” Her body was frozen as his surprisingly gentle hands began
to unweave the knot that hid her hair from the sight of others. As
the strands began to tumble down her back she jolted back into
awareness, springing away from him.

“
What I do with my hair is none of your business. It is my
hair,” she snapped.

“
Everything about you concerns me Erica, you’re my mate. I only
want to care for you, love you.”

“
I’m capable of taking care of myself. I don’t need you to care
for me.”

“
I want to. You cannot even begin to understand how I feel, how
all males feel when they have not claimed a mate.”

“
No I can’t and I don’t want to either! I don’t know how many
times I have to say this to you before you get the message, but
hopefully this will be the last time. I want nothing to do with
you.”

Liar,
her wolf remarked
casually.

Shut up.

“
Eric!” The loud call of her name diverted her attention from
Sebastian and she watched as a group of four males began to
approach them.

“
Are you ok?” One of the group hollered.

“
I’m fine.” She smiled, hands instantly reaching up to retie
her hair now that people she knew had appeared.

“
We’re going to do some hunting, are you coming?” Another
called.

“
Of course I’m coming, just give me a few minutes, I have a few
things I need to do before I can leave.”
And I want to have a talk with you Isaac, there’s no need for
you to say things that worry Dylan and Wyatt.

“
Oi Eric, who is he?”

All four eyes turned to regard Sebastian and he resisted the
urge to squirm under their scrutiny, his normal nervousness
returning in the presence of the strangers.

“
Don’t worry about him, he’s nobody.” She shrugged before
seeing the small bodies of her siblings begin to approach. “Hey
guys could you just look after Dylan and Wyatt for a minute. I’ll
be right down, I just need to do one more thing up here and then we
can head out.”