#2 When the Moon Turns Red
Chapter 16

Evie

I was staring off in space as the professor droned on and on about Native American legends and how they related to today’s society. It was basic, 101 kind of stuff that I had already experienced, observed, and read about. I was mindlessly drawing on my notepad instead of taking notes while the professor clicked through her slideshow presentation. The same slides were mirrored on my own laptop which was perched on my desk.

I hadn’t realized what I was drawing until it was finished. A pair of fierce, olive shaped eyes that had just a touch of sparkle to them when the owner of the eyes smiled. I blew the graphite shavings off the paper and admired the eyes of my so-called mate.

I was no Picasso, but I was handy with a pencil or a paint brush. Eyes were my favorite thing to draw; a window into the soul. But, as of Sunday, Noah’s eyes in particular had become my new favorite.

It was Tuesday and this was my last class. I had three classes a day Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. I gave myself Wednesdays off as a way to catch up on work or take a well deserved break. Noah texted me each morning telling me to have a good day and that he couldn’t wait to see me on Wednesday. He said he would text me details tonight about what to expect for our first official date.

He hadn’t called it a date, per say, but that’s what I was calling it. The disasters that occured at the bonfires absolutely didn’t count and I wouldn’t consider the business at the bar to be anything official. Being claimed as someone’s mate kind of made you skip the whole dating process and move right into forever. I needed things to slow down, I needed to get to know Noah and “date” him before I was ready to commit to anything else.

I was so focused on the sketch of Noah’s eyes that I didn’t hear the professor when she dismissed us. The movement and chatter of my classmates finally caught my attention. I quickly gathered up my things, dropping them into my backpack, and scurried out of the room. My rush to get home was completely unnecessary. There was nothing waiting for me there but my couch blanket and bad TV.

But, I knew that was a lie. A text from Noah was waiting for me. Everyday when I got home from campus, I sent Noah a text to let him know that I was home and safe. It was our compromise. He felt better knowing where I was and I felt better not having a four-legged babysitter. Our texts never ended there, we found some reason to keep the conversation going well into the night until he finally wished me sweet dreams and I slipped off into a blissful slumber.

I was so overcome by Noah Landry and it scared the hell out of me. I had only known this man for eleven days and I was already intoxicated by him. It was irrational and illogical and irresponsible. But, it was also undeniable. Our bodies and mind worked together like the parts of a machine; small insignificant pieces all coming together to form a working miracle.

I couldn’t ignore the feelings I had bubbling inside me anymore than I could ignore my family’s weekly phone calls, my book report that was due on Monday, or the scars that kissed my body. Every second of every day I struggled to keep my feelings under control. More than that, I struggled to keep my thoughts and urges under control, to keep me under control .

I wanted him to kiss me as surely as those scars kissed me. I wanted him to give in to the lust and desire that I saw swirling in his warm, olive-colored eyes. I wanted more than just a taste of his fingers on my bare skin. I wanted more than his eyes to undress me. I wanted him nearly as much as I knew he wanted me.

And that scared the hell out of me, too.

My legs carried me across the campus, into the shuttle, and towards my home all while my brain was distracted by my mate. Before I knew it, I was unlocking my apartment door and stumbling inside. I discarded my shoes, keys, and backpack in their designated spaces and walked into the kitchen.

Even though I knew it was unnecessary, I always waited a few minutes before texting Noah. I didn’t want it to seem like I texted him the minute I walked through the door, even though that’s exactly what I wanted to do. I needed to keep a little bit of my dignity in tack.

I grabbed a coffee mug and filled it with tap water, lifting up the reserve tank of my Keruig and filling up the machine. I unscrewed the cap on the giant mason jar that held the K-cups and plucked one out; mint tea. I popped the cup into the Keurig and pressed the power bottom, placing my coffee cup underneath the spout. I leaned against the counter, listening to the soothing sound of the machine warming up, and pulled out my phone.

Slowly, I texted Noah.

Me- I’m home.

It took less than 15 seconds for a response to come through. He, apparently, wasn’t worried about sounding desperate.

Noah- How was your day, love?

I had to admit, I was shocked the first time he called me that. I knew we shouldn’t have been in the “pet names” phase yet and we definitely weren’t in the L-word stage, well at least I wasn’t. I had the distinct feeling that Noah was already well past those stages, surging right into the “let’s get married and have babies” phase of the relationship. I needed a whole lot more human minutes than that to figure everything out.

Me- Pretty boring, to be honest.

I replied back just as my tea came gurgling out of the Keurig. I fiddled with my cup, turning off the machine and sitting down on the couch.

Noah- That’s too bad. I promise tomorrow won’t be the least bit boring ;)

I was apprehensive of the winky face, but decided to go with it.

Me- Do I get any details now???

Noah- So greedy, little mate.

Me- I don’t like surprises, alpha.

Noah- No kidding, that’s pretty obvious.

Me- Details…..

Noah- Fine. Be ready by 5pm and dress comfortably.

Me- You call those details???

Noah- That’s all you’re going to get.

Me- What does ‘dress comfortably’ even mean to a guy?

Noah- You don’t want me to answer that, little mate.

I pressed my phone screen against my thigh, embarrassed by the underlying meaning I knew was in his text. I could feel the hot blush creeping up my neck at our banter. He knew just how to push all the right buttons and get the desired reaction out of me.

I wasn’t someone who was confident in her looks or her abilities to be intimate. I had only slept with a handful of guys and I was in some sort of relationship with all of them. I had what one might call a very vanilla sex life.

Noah brought out a different side of me. He said things and did things that made me feel both outlandishly embarrassed and wildly admired at the same time. He made me feel bolder and more confident. He made me unafraid and eager for what was next. I might not always have the best comebacks, a deep blush usually being my go to response, but, I couldn’t lie, I enjoyed the extra attention he was giving me.

I decided to ignore him for a couple of minutes and make him sweat it out. I switched on the TV and flipped through the channels, finally deciding on HGTV. My phone dinged again. I smiled and unlocked it to read the message.

Noah- Did I upset you, love?

Me- You think too much of yourself, Alpha.

Noah- Keep calling me that and I might not be able to think about anything else.

Me- Calling you what? Alpha….

Noah- You tease me, little mate.

Me- I can’t make it too easy on you.

Noah- No one in the history of the universe will ever call you easy, Everleigh.

I could almost hear Noah chuckling in the background. That thought caused a warm feeling to spread through my body and I pressed the phone to my chest, trying to control the intense emotions I was feeling. I couldn’t explain it in a way that made any sort of sense. I suddenly had an overwhelming desire to be with Noah. I had to get my hormones under control before I saw him tomorrow.

Before I could respond, my phone started vibrating against my shirt. I pulled it away and saw Noah’s number on the screen.

“Hello?” I answered, confused.

“What’s wrong?” He asked quickly, his voice clearly panicked.

“N…Nothing?” I stammered.

“I can feel that something’s wrong, little mate, just tell me.” He sighed, frustrated. I shook my head at the phone,

“Nothing is wrong, Noah. I’m at home, on my couch, watching TV and texting you. That’s it.” I explained to him. There was a pause followed by silence.

“I felt a panic in my chest and I knew that it wasn’t my emotions that I was feeling.” He said slowly. Great. He could actually feel what he was doing to me from miles away. That’s not embarrassing at all.

“It wasn’t panic.” I mumbled,

“I was feeling….something else.”

“What were you feeling?” His voice was laced with concern.

“Something else, Noah. Just drop it.” I nearly growled. More silence.

“Everleigh.” Noah’s voice was huskier than I had ever heard it before.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Noah.”

“Wait! Everleigh…” Noah yelled, halting my idea of a quick escape from this phone call,

“Just hear me out for a second.” He said.

“What?” I mumbled.

“Okay so I know this is ridiculously uncomfortable and Molly would be a much better person to explain it, but here it goes. What you’re filling is a mate bond thing.” Noah began.

“Yeah, I figured that much out on my own, thanks.” I grumbled, willing this conversation to come to an end. Noah chuckled softly,

“Mates are drawn to each other from the beginning to accomplish one goal and that goal is even stronger with an Alpha pairing.” Noah explained. I was almost afraid to ask what that goal was.

“Okay….” I said hesitantly.

“The mate bond is pulling us together to create the next Alpha.” He said plainly. I blinked at my TV, my mouth hanging open; I nearly dropped the phone.

“Everleigh?”

“Think again, wolf boy.” I snapped.

“Ev, I don’t have any expectations or judgements here, I promise. I just want you to know that what you’re feeling is perfectly normal. No, you’re not a wolf, but you’re still strongly affected by the mate bond. You’re feeling the pull towards me the same way I feel pulled towards you. The more time we spend apart, the more unbearable it’ll be. It’s just another challenge we’ll have to overcome.” Noah replied sweetly and calmly. I cursed his irresistibly smooth and sexy voice. It only made my situation intensify.

“Evie….” Noah grumbled and I immediately started blushing again. This whole mate bond allowing him to feel my emotions thing was real inconvenient.

“Thanks for the explanation. I need to go now.” I grumbled.

“And I need a cold shower.” Noah’s voice was barely audible.

“Bye, Noah.” I ended the conversation quickly, leaving no room for arguments this time.

I started fanning myself with my phone in an attempt to lower my blood pressure. I could no longer judge Noah for his lack of control. I was as bad as a sixteen year old girl. Lord have mercy.