Warring Mates
bonus chapter

Precious little bulbs of light flittered across the starry sky, a serenade they could only wish to take part in. Instead, they had to do with the humid air that clung around them. Summers were never Lexi's favourite. The sweating, the feeling of thirst that haunted you. Even when you already drank a gallon of water. Thus the reason she and her mate were waiting for their friends at the small ponds. Too cool down their overheated bodies.

"When would the others arrive?" Lexi asked, her impatiences seeping through her body as she paced around. They were already waiting for what felt like hours. Though it couldn't have been more than a mere half an hour.

Colin moved his arm from his eyes and glanced at her, still lying leisurely onto the cool grass. "You know Leah, she's always late."

"I know that." She picked at her nails, shrugging. "But what about Mirryam and Lucius?" For them being this late...

Colin pushed himself off the ground and walked towards her. Once he was in hand reach, he grabbed her arm and tugged her to his chest, wrapping his muscular arms she loved so much around her. "They'll be here shortly."

She dropped her head against his chest, savouring the fleeting kisses he placed along her shoulder to the crook of her neck. "It's the full moon tonight," she began.

He hummed in agreement, hands traveling beneath her shirt that could hardly be called proper. It stopped just above her navel; her back almost fully bare, safe from the thin strap that held it together.

"We should have done this a different night." She hardly contained the moan when his lips found his mark on her collarbone.

"This was the only night they could." He pecked her lips. "We will still make it to the meadow before midnight."

She didn't answer. Visiting the meadow, hidden between the mountains, was a tradition she had wanted to continue. With her parents, they would always visit the lake on a full moon, and she wanted to share that experience with him.

A smile stretched across her face. She could still remember that day as clear as the snow on those mountains that bordered their territory. The excitement that rolled off him when he told her about this meadow he had found.

"I am so sorry," Mirryam wheezed as she tried to catch her breath, her hands on her knees. She had halted in front of them, the baby strands of her hair plastered to her face.

Lexi tilted her head. "Why are you so out of breath?"

Pink tainted Mirryam's cheeks, but Lucius saved her from a humiliating answer as he said, "We walked to here."

Colin raised a brow. A silent gesture he always did when he wanted an explanation.

"We wanted to keep it a secret until Leah came here," Mirryam muttered, unable to withstand the presence of her alpha—her king. Lucius squeezed her hips to ease some of that fear she still held after all those years.

Colin's face broke out into a slight smile at first. One that soon turned into a grin that showed his teeth. His hazel eyes met Lucius's dark ones. "I'm going to be an uncle."

Lexi's eyes widened as the news settled in her brain. "You're pregnant!" She flung her arms around Mirryam's small frame for a quick hug.

"How far along are you?" Colin asked, eyes glancing at Mirryam's belly.

"Not that far." Mirryam sat down on a rock. Lucius’ eyes followed her, his aura roaming freely through the air. “I think I’m about six weeks now, wich is why we decided to tell you. We didn’t want you guys to replace out by my changing scent.”

Lexi squealed again and opened her mouth to say how incredibly happy she was for them when Leah interrupted them, “I could hear you all the way at the pack. What’s going on?” Leah stretched her arms in the air, eyes darting between the four friends.

“Can I tell her?” Lexi asked, barely able to stand still. Mirryam chuckled and nodded her head. “She’s pregnant.” They all watched Leah’s face morph into that one of disbelief before excitement settled in.

“No way,” Leah breathed, fist bumping her shoulder. “You finally decided to get knocked up.” Lucius growled at her choice of words, his wolf present as his eyes darkened even further. She held up her hands as a sign she meant no harm. “Calm your tits, big wolf.”

Mirryam erupted in laughter. “I love you, Lucius, but please remember the rules we made.”

He glanced at her, arms crossed, eyes brooding. “I never agreed with them.”

Mirryam rolled her eyes, to which Lucius deepened his growl. She ignored his need to dominate her and turned to Leah as she asked, "Don’t you have some news, too?" The tone she used had left no room for an argument. Mirryam knew. "I know you've been sneaking around."

"Those damn she-wolves." Leah clenched her jaw. "They can't keep a secret to themselves even when it’s a life or death situation."

Lexi hid her laugh with her hand and took a seat next to a tree. Colin dropped next to her, placing her legs over his.

"It's not funny, Lexine."

Lexi cringed at the use of her full name, but didn't let it stop her as she said, "I think it's quite funny since this is the first time I've seen you care about your nightly adventures."

Leah evaded their stares.

"Unless it's not just a nightly adventure," Mirryam muttered apologetically.

"I'm not sure what it is." Leah walked to one of the small lakes, waving the conversations away as if it was nothing, and dipped her legs into it as she sat at the side.

“Do you suspect their might be a mate bond?" Collin asked, his voice gentle yet persuasive. Lexi knew he was trying to get her to open up, as they both knew that if Leah kept this to herself, she would turn into a shell of her former self.

"My wolf is affectionate to her, but I'm not sure." Leah leant back on her hands, enjoying the light of the full moon that cast a soft glow to her dark skin. "She's a vampire and for as far as I know, she doesn't feel the mate bond, if that's what you can call it."

"Sometimes it takes time before one is formed," Mirryam reassured her. "At least you have your beast you can lean on. For her it's guesswork."

Lexi thought about Mirryam's words. It was true. Lycans, Shifters and Daemons were lucky to have another side that told them when they met their mate. Though in some cases it still took some time for the bond to form. The Fae, Elves, and Vampires didn't have this luck. They had to perform a dangerous ceremony to form the bridge between their souls and they could die if they weren't mates.

"It's almost midnight," Collin whispered in her ear. She looked at the sky and it was indeed almost midnight.

Lexi stood from the ground and gave Mirryam one last hug, congratulating her yet again. "We will see you tomorrow." She turned to Leah at last. "Tell her how you feel. Maybe she does feel something and is scared to tell you."

Leah smiled at Lexi, returning to her insufferable self as she said with a wink, "Have fun at the meadow."

Lexi's cheeks turned a slight pink as she recalled their little lovemaking this morning. If you could call it that. Saying nothing back, she turned around to see that Colin had already shifted in his silver wolf. He laid on the ground, waiting patiently for her.

She strode over to him and scratched him behind the ear. "If you even think about jumping into the lake, I will kill you," she muttered menacingly into his ear. Last time they went to the meadow, he thought it would be fun to dive into the freezing lake. Sure, it had been warm, but swimming with clothes on wasn't her thing. Not when they didn't have an extra pair with them.

Colin's body vibrated with laughter. Is that a challenge?

She narrowed her eyes. "I mean it."

Hop on.

She entangled her fingers into his soft fur and climbed onto his back. When he was sure she was settled, he took off into a sprint. Lexi squealed as her hair flailed around, her fingers holding tighter into his fur.

Colin howled and zigzagged through the trees as if he loved the fact he could make her feel like this. To give her some kind of satisfaction, as she would never be able to shift again and feel the wind like this.