Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 44411 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 222(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 148(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44411 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 222(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 148(@300wpm)
When Elias had returned from his run in the forest that day, he’d found his father and brother in this room, assembling the furniture. His mother and Suzette had come to join them. The two women had unpacked several boxes into the drawers of the dresser and added a feminine touch to things.
It looked nice, and Elias felt kind of bad that he couldn’t take credit. After all, it wasn’t his mate’s fault that this entire union wasn’t something he was looking forward to.
He kept thinking about what his father had said and how his mate had probably spent her entire life waiting with anticipation for today. He was aware that most marked girls were both nervous and excited to meet the Alpha Protector who would vow to take care of them for the rest of their lives.
Elias adjusted his tie again. He’d gotten up early this morning, before the sun, and had sat on his back deck sipping coffee for two hours. He’d watched the sun rise over the mountains in the distance alone for the last time.
He hated that he felt like he was heading to prison. This mating was, after all, a life sentence. From this day forward, he would have someone else in his space, in his home, in his life. Would she chatter all the time and ruin his silence? Maybe she would be the quiet sort, and they could coexist without bothering each other.
Elias drew in a deep breath. None of that would happen. He wasn’t ignorant. He was well-aware that as soon as he stepped into that round ceremonial room and breathed in her scent, his life would change. It was fated. It had happened to every man he knew.
Brock, Arion, and Damon were not the same men they had been before they’d claimed their mates. They’d changed. Drastically. They loved their mates more than anything in the world, and everyone knew it.
Elias would, too. It was inevitable. But he was still irrationally disgruntled about the entire concept, and scared out of his mind about how it would feel to care more about someone else than he did himself.
Because that’s what he’d witnessed with his brother and friends. After all, it was in his blood. He was an Alpha Protector. Protect was what he did, and the mark on his left wrist would bind him to this stranger in a way that was going to bring him to his knees before the sunset.
Elias was a fool. He knew it. A stubborn fool. He had no idea who his mate was. He’d never asked. He’d never sought her out. He’d been told the day she was born, but that was all he’d ever known.
Arion had watched his Little mate grow up from a great distance, his superior vision allowing him to see her when she was on the school grounds. Brock had done the same, though he’d lied about it. He had known his mate, Suzette, was Jezebel’s best friend. He’d simply kept that knowledge to himself.
Damon was another story. He hadn’t told many people, but he had inadvertently met his mate a year before the claiming ceremony. Olivia, the naughty Little, had sought him out in town and snuck up close. No one could blame her. She’d been slowly losing her eyesight, and she’d wanted to see her mate before it was gone entirely.
Elias didn’t even know his mate’s name. It was rude and insensitive that he knew nothing about her. He’d chosen to live his thirty-six years in ignorance rather than face his impending claiming.
That day was today, and he was heading into it with trepidation. He needed to get his head on straight so he didn’t hurt her feelings. It was not her fault that the two of them were fated. He was nearly twice her age and a Protector for fuck’s sake. He needed to man up and take his place in this world.
“Son?”
Elias turned around at the sound of his father calling his name. He’d come to the house to accompany him to the valley where the ceremony would take place. His mother was here also. Elias could scent her, too, but she wasn’t inside the house. She was probably waiting on the front porch.
Elias sighed. “I’m an ass.”
His father surprised him by chuckling. “No, you’re not.”
Elias frowned. “Aren’t you worried I’m going to be a dick and make you look bad?” If the roles were reversed, Elias would be concerned.
Owen shook his head. “Not in the least. It won’t happen. The moment you get near her, you will know. It will change something inside you. You’re not like your friends and your brother. You never sought her out even from a distance, so you’ve never let the seed grow in your soul, but it doesn’t matter. Maybe your way was easier for all these years. Maybe ignoring her existence kept you from fretting over her for two decades.”