MY HEART

The rest of the night passed me like a blur, all I could focus on was Jason, my handsome mate.

For some reason as the night dragged on, the more I couldn't resist staring at him. I wanted him near me, I wanted to feel his skin on my body. I wanted him closer to me.

"I'm proud of you, my love." Jason whispered as he planted a gentle kiss on my temple. "You are such an amazing woman, I can't believe that the moon goddess would grant me such a perfect being as my mate."

"You're too sweet." I groaned as I felt his fingers play with mine as we held hands under the table.

Several members of our pack insisted on staging a performance, much to my dismay. Many of them I knew were looking to bed and alpha or a higher ranked being tonight.

I never understood their desire for power or to climb up the ladder.

'It's because you are an Alpha, you are born with that power.' Ares reminded me.

"How long is this performance going to take?" I grumbled in a low enough voice that only my father and Jason heard, or so I thought.

Across the hall some of the vampires laughed, I cursed at their enhanced hearing. We wolves could hear well, but not as enhanced as the vampires'.

"It's their tribute to your ceremony, you should be honored. Plus this is a tradition." My father said as he looked at me. His glance was warning enough, I had to behave.

'It's an antiquated tradition.' Ares complained.

'Hah! One of the lessons we were listening to.' I said as I shook my head.

Dance offerings were often made by unmated females to the future alpha for two reasons. One was that they had hoped that one of them was actually the future Alpha's mate. The second, should the future Alpha not find his mate, he might maybe find a woman to comfort him.

"I remember my appointment ceremony." Jason said with a chuckle. "Did you know that after the ceremony the future Alpha suddenly gets a surge in strength and certain emotions?"

As he spoke he grinned at me, it took me a while to realize what he meant, and when I did I was shocked.

"I'm sure you had a lot of ummm. . .places to relieve yourself." I scoffed.

As much as I didn't want to be, the thought of him being with another woman in the past annoyed and hurt me. I knew that male wolves rarely waited for their mates, especially alphas.

"Yeah, my hand." Jason said with a laugh, catching me off guard.

I looked at him, confused as to what he meant.

'He is teasing us, right?' I asked Ares, knowing that my wolf would be a better judge if my mate was lying or not.

'I don't think so.' Ares said as I could feel her coming forward, she was trying to get a closer look, to check on ordinary indicators of a lie.

"I'm not lying, Amaya." Jason said in a tender tone as he looked me in the eyes and lifted a hand to brush my cheek. "I swore to wait for my mate and that's what I did. I am yours and yours alone. I meant what I said."

Jason caressed my cheek with his thumb and I leaned against it.

The warmth of his hand comforted me, then it did something I didn't expect, it made me want him.

It made me want to feel that hand caress my body, feel every inch of me.

I watched as his eyes turned dark, then I felt it, a dampening sensation between my legs and a fire in my most intimate parts that I knew no one other than Jason would be able to quench.

Jason and I were lost in our own world when I heard my father clear his throat making me turn to look at him.

As I looked around I suddenly realized that my arousal could be smelt by almost every creature in the banquet hall, making me blush.

"Mates were never supposed to go this long without completing the ritual." My father said with a chuckle, embarrassing me even further.

"I would wait my entire life, sir, if it meant being with Amaya for just one second." Jason said as he stared lovingly into my eyes.

"Luckily you don't." My mom said from my father's left side where she was seated.

She smiled proudly at me and Jason.

"Why don't we call this a night so that the couple can complete the mating?" My father asked the crowd, making me want to dig a hole for myself.

'Great, now everyone knows what Jason and I will be doing tonight.' I complained to Ares.

'No, no, this is good.' She said in my head. 'Now they will all know he is ours.'

Distracted by my wolf, I yelped as I was lifted off my chair by Jason.

"Time for bed, my love." He purred into my ear as he carried me out of the hall, pressing his lips onto mine, kissing me like his life depended on it.

The world around us vanished as he made his way back up to the Alpha's floor.