Chapter 2: Chapter 2 : Mate
*Morgan*
“Who are you!?” I scream at the shirtless man in my sitting room. I don’t want him to answer, but I raise my hand to cast an offensive spell I’ve seen in my book before.
Unfortunately, I must do the spell wrong because the flower pot to the left of the man shatters instead. One of the shards of the flower pot doesn't even injure him, but lamely falls to the floor. That spell should have thrown him across the room. Damn it! I should have paid more attention to the spells rather than the healing potions.
The shifter gives the broken flower plant on the floor a look and raises one eyebrow.
“You’re not a very good witch, are you?” he asks me. I gasp at his rudeness and look for my bread knife in the kitchen. “Woah, woah, woah. Hold up. Sorry, uh, that was sort of rude of me,” the man says while I continue to look for a weapon to use against him.
“What are you doing trespassing in my home?!” I ask, turning around to face him.
“First things first, my name's Shane.” He points to my wooden kitchen table. “Can I please talk to you?”
I cross my arms and finally take a moment to study him. He’s tall, and has blonde-hair and teal eyes. Shane’s lean but very muscular and has an eight-pack of abs. I would consider him attractive if he wasn’t an uninvited guest in my home in the middle of the night.
“Why don’t you have a shirt on?” I press.
He snorts at my question. “Out of all the things you could have asked, that’s your question, Morgan?”
I freeze at the sound of my name. “How do you know my name?”
“Please, can we just sit down and talk?” the intruder asks with his hands up in a non-threatening gesture.
I consider him again. I don’t want to talk to him, but he would definitely overpower me if it came down to a fight, and he hasn't tried to hurt me. Yet. I make eye contact with him as I grab the knife and have a steady hold on it, taking a seat at my kitchen table. I gesture for him to sit on the wooden chair across from me. He does with a playful grin.
“What? You aren’t going to offer me tea?” he asks in a teasing tone. I’m about to retort when he holds up his hands again. “I’m just kidding with you, Morgan.”
I give him a dirty look.
“Why are you here” I ask him bluntly. The faster he says what he came here for, the quicker he will leave.
“Well, sweetheart, uh, I’m not sure how to say this, but…” Shane trails off. His beautiful eyes won’t look into my brown ones, but I wait for him to spit it out. “You’re my mate,” he admits at last.
“Excuse me?” I frown. I have no idea what to say to this man. “What do you mean, I’m ‘your mate’?” I just met you when you broke into my cottage.”
“You know how most supernatural creatures all have a mate, right? Like it’s somehow programmed into us at birth, and when the one who is meant for us is close, we can somehow sense it…” Shane trails off when he notices my blank stare.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“What do you mean? Didn’t your witch community or coven, or wherever you grew up, teach you about this?” he asks me, and I decide to ignore the disbelief in his tone.
“No, not that it’s any of your business, but I was raised among humans and was taught their customs. All my life, I’ve blended into their world, where people only married when they loved one another or if their parents arranged it.”
My cheeks heat embarrassingly when I speak about love in front of this attractive man, but I can only hope he doesn't notice it.
“Wow, I can’t believe my mate knows nothing about the supernatural world. Having a destined mate is such a basic thing too,” Shane says simply.
This angers me. First, this shifter breaks into my home. Then, he has the nerve to insult me for not knowing enough of the supernatural world. I don’t know what comes over me, but I want to shout at this man. Usually, I’m a pacifist and always bite my tongue, but something about Shane makes me want to curse him out. He makes me want to learn a spell that makes him unable to speak.
“How dare you?!” I yell. “My mother did her best! Every day we had to live in fear of humans discovering us for what we are. She didn’t focus on trivial things like love or mates. Oh, and stop calling me your mate. I’m not your mate just because you say I am! Don’t I have a choice in the matter?! How do I know you’re not just lying?!”
Shane studies me calmly and has one of his massive hands under his chin. I’m breathing heavily and gripping the knife in my hand. We stare at each other, and he looks down at my chest. I’m wearing my nightgown and no undergarments. My nipples are hard, and I’m sure they are showing through. My stomach tightens as he stares at my chest.
No! Why is my body reacting this way to a crazy shifter who broke into my home? Shane looks into my eyes again, and I feel a strong connection that almost knocks me out of my chair. Oh my. I’ve never felt anything like that before.
I’ve never really found anyone attractive before. Although my village is small, there are many suitable men, and some had even expressed interest in me before. One of the hunters had asked me for a cup of tea, but I politely declined. Also, one of my regular customers had tried to set me up with her son, but I made excuses about why I couldn’t.
I was never really interested in being courted. I also couldn’t allow anyone that close to me for the fear of them finding out that I was a witch. I didn’t even allow myself to have that many friends in my life. Why does the first person I feel something for have to be Shane?
“You sure are an angry little witch, aren’t you?” Shane finally asks me. This pisses me off even more.
“You’re the wolf that has been scaring the villagers, aren’t you?” I don’t wait for him to answer. “And the yellow eyes I saw in the forest? That was you!”
Shane nods in confirmation. “Nothing gets by you, does it? You probably know nothing about shifters, do you? You’re probably confused why I can change when it’s not a full moon,” Shane goads me.
I clench my fists in anger. “No, you’re wrong. I’ve heard of shifters before,” I tell him with a sniff. This man continues to offend me.
Shane’s eyes widen in surprise.
“Well, there’s some good news. Should we get going then? I’ll give you some time to gather your things.”
Shane stands from the chair, and his stomach muscles distract me for a moment. Then, I finally process his words.
“What do you mean? Get going? Where? With you?” I’m babbling like the town idiot, but my mind can’t make sense of Shane’s request.
“Yes, Morgan. You’re my mate. You’ll live with me now,” Shane says this like it is apparent. He reaches over and grabs my hand. When his skin makes contact with mine, I feel heat rush throughout my entire body. Despite the fantastic feeling it causes me, I rip my hand out of his.
“No, I will not go anywhere with you. I don’t even know you! What do you expect me to do? Leave my whole life and skip into the sunset with you?!” I can feel my heart beating faster and faster in my chest. The anxiety of going with this stranger makes my hands shake.
“Come on, Morgan. Don’t you feel the connection between us? Don’t you want to be my mate?”
Shane leans down on the table and puts his head close to mine. His eyes are almost hypnotic, and I can’t help but study the muscles in his arms. Shane smells fantastic, like the woods and sweat. The scent reminds me of home.
But I won’t allow my attraction to him to sway my decision. I lead a good life here. I am happy taking care of the townspeople and using my magic for good. I am not about to throw it all away for a handsome face and lean muscles. I can’t afford to be thrust into the supernatural world when the only life I know is around humans.
“I said no, Shane. You need to get out of my cottage,” I tell him firmly.
The shifter’s eyes become dark, and his hands begin to shake. His form blurs for half a second, and I’m afraid he's about to phase into a giant wolf in my small kitchen. But he calms himself down and takes a couple of deep breaths.
“What do you mean you won’t come with me? I’m your mate.” Shane states like there’s no room for argument. Like his word is law.
“How do I know you’re even telling the truth? You could just be making this whole ‘mate’ thing up,” I argue.
“Morgan, please. A lot is riding on you coming with me. I need you to come with me.”
“Why? Why is me going with you so important?” I ask him.
He shakes his blonde head in frustration. “I can’t tell you, but… Damn it! This isn’t how this was supposed to go.”
“Well, I’m sorry I’m not what you expected. I didn’t expect you to break into my house tonight, but here we are. Alas, you need to go, Shane. I’m tired, and I will not be accompanying you anywhere.”
“What? No. Morgan, listen, please…”
As he continues to protest, I practically push him out of my cottage. I successfully get him to the door and put my hand on the doorknob, but he halts.
“Please, Morgan. You have to come with me. My future will be greatly impacted if you don’t,” Shane implores. It’s hard to say no to the pleading look in his eyes, but I somehow do.
“I’m sorry, Shane. Good luck.”
I shut the door in his face and lock it. After I double check that all my windows are locked, I sweep up the shattered flower pot. I make myself a peppermint tea with honey to help me fall back to sleep. As my water is boiling, I think over what happened. Was it all just a terrible dream? No, that actually just occurred. It was the first interaction I’ve had with another supernatural being, and it shook me to my core.
I lay down, praying that I can calm down enough to help me sleep. I’m more confused about what just happened than anything. Part of me is scared, though.
Because by the look in Shane’s eyes, I know this isn’t over, whether I want it to be or not.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone