NOT ME

I was not prepared for the number of people that kept staring at us as we walked out of the pack house.

It seemed that news had traveled fast and everyone was already aware that I had found my mate.

Sadly, it wasn't just curious pack members that were hanging around the pack house. Some of our resident sluts were too.

I knew it was bad to call them that and my parents had told me time and again not to discriminate against them or to think ill of them, but I just couldn't help it. I knew that the reason they were hanging around the pack house was so that they could satisfy the needs of some guests.

It was normal for the leaders of the different supernatural species to have an abnormally high sex drive. It was because of nature's demand for them to procreate. I knew that Jason was probably not as inexperienced as I was, after all most Alpha wolves would have already bedded most of the females that offered themselves.

It was only natural for weaker ranked creatures to go after power, it was the reality.

Even I experienced this with the opposite sex, but unlike the men I chose to wait, that was my choice, I wanted my first time to be with my mate.

I didn't see women who didn't wait as anything less, just these sluts that hoped to manipulate whichever leader they could bed that night.

"Calm down." Jason whispered to me as he held my hand tightly. "I can sense that you are annoyed."

"Sorry, it's just those women." I tell him as I glance at them.

For some reason I was much more annoyed with them today than on any other day. It was probably due to the fact that they were eyeing my mate as if he were some prize the needed to win.

"You know what will stop them from looking?" Jason asked me as she continued to walk down the pack house's front driveway.

"What?" I asked him, eager to get their eyes off of him.

'It seems that even female alphas get overprotective.' Ares teased me in my head.

'You're jealous too. You are worse than me.' I snapped back, making my wolf laugh.

'It's fun to see you this flustered about a man.' She answered back.

I decided to ignore her as I focused my attention back at my mate.

"Your wolf is nagging you too?" He asked me with a handsome smile. I swear if looks could kill, his would have murdered me a million times over.

"Yeah." I grumbled.

"Don't worry, mine is just as annoying." He teased.

"So what were you saying?" I asked Jason. "How can we get those vultures to stop eyeing you?"

He suddenly stopped walking and made me turn to face him. I was puzzled by his actions, but I chose to ignore it, I trusted that whatever he was doing made sense.

He lifted my hand and gave me a smirk.

"They will stop if you put your claim on me right here." He told me as he ran my fingers gently over the crook of his neck, right above his collar bone.

It was a place familiar to all wolves, it was where the mate mark went.

I blushed at the thought of our mating. Since when had I become this meek and shy woman, this was not me.

Annoyed by my reaction I took my hand from his and marched off as I tried to get as far away from him as I could.

Being around him was the best feeling in the world, but it turned me to mush. It muddled my thoughts and made me act like a bashful woman, something that I was not.

I needed to get a hold of myself, I needed to be me again.

'You are the best version of yourself with our mate.' Ares whined in my head.

"Amaya, I'm sorry." Jason called out as he chased after me. "I'm sorry, love. Did I say something wrong?" He asked as I continued to march off.

I must have seemed to be acting like some sort of spoiled princess as the whole pack watched as the huge and normally intimidating Alpha chased me around, begging for my forgiveness.

"Amaya, please, let's talk." He begged.

I knew it wasn't his fault, it was mine. Something was wrong with me, I was behaving like someone I was not.

Eventually I found my way to the large white structure closest to the pack house, the training building.

"Amaya, what are you doing here?" I heard my brother ask as he stood at the top of the steps that led into the building. "Oh, hey brother in law." Merrick greeted my mate with a smile.

"I need to let off steam, I'm confused." I told Merrick as I marched into the building.

"What did you do, man?" I heard Merrick ask Jason as they followed me.

"It's not Jason's fault, it's me. I'm just not me." I told them as I walked over to a punching bag at the corner of the room.

"Amaya, please talk to me, you aren't making any sense." Jason said as he grabbed my arm.

"I- I-. . ." I stuttered as I tried to form a coherent sentence that they would understand.

'Breath, Amaya.' I heard my wolf say in my head. 'Deep breaths. Tell our mate.'

I closed my eyes and took my wolf's advice.

Soon I was once more calm and in control of my emotions. My once clouded thoughts were straight once more as I realized that Jason had pulled me to his chest.

"Amaya, please talk to me." Jason begged as he sensed my movement.

"I'm sorry." I told him. "I was just afraid."

"Afraid of what?" Merrick asked as he stood behind Jason. "You are rarely scared, Amaya."

"I was afraid of who I was becoming around Jason." I explained to my brother.

"I doubt a single man can change you, sister." Merrick told me as he looked me in the eyes. I knew he was right, I wouldn't change that easily but I could feel it. I could feel myself acting like a love sick puppy in his presence jealous of every woman that gave him a glance.

"I was becoming jealous and mushy all over." I groaned as I heard myself say the words out loud. "That's not me."

Jason suddenly laughed when he heard what I had to say.

"Is that all, love?" He asked as he shook his head. "Don't you think I feel the same? It's the mate bond, it's the pull. Once we are fully mated things will go back to normal, but for now, it demands that we act on it."

"Tonight." I promised with a nod.

"Tonight." He replied. "But for now, why don't you show me how kick ass my mate is?" Jason said with a grin as he pulled me towards a lighter punching bag.

"I think you are underestimating my sister." Merrick said as he dragged us over to the sparring area.