Page 45 of Alpha's Choice
“I haven’t had dinner yet.”
“One taste of this pie and you won’t care. The Omega that works for the Parkers made it. I grabbed it for you before everyone else descended on it.”
I took a bite, moaning with pleasure. Apple and spices exploded on my tongue. “Oh, my god. Joan is a genius.”
Kylie took a bite of her own piece. “She is. Her desserts go fast at pack events. And she refuses to share her recipes.”
Mike and Tracy joined us. He started grumbling as soon as he saw the pie in my hands. “I was too late to get any this time.”
I considered my pie for a moment. “The nice thing to do would probably be to offer you some, but…it’s too good. All mine.” I took a big bite and Tracy and Kylie laughed at his miserable expression.
I noticed Louisa waving me over to where she stood with a small group. “I’d better go. Louisa’s looking for me.”
I reached the group, which included two men in their early thirties and three women around Louisa’s age. They all smiled in welcome as Louisa introduced me.
“Emma, these are human mates in the pack. They all said they’d be willing to share their experiences and answer any questions you have.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it a lot.”
Louisa excused herself and a woman with graying brown hair and warm brown eyes held out her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Luna Emma. I’m Mabel. I was the first of us to be mated into the pack. There were no other human mates to help me, so I’m glad to help make your way a little easier.”
“Did you find it hard to accept the idea of mates?”
“Frank pursued me for weeks before I agreed to even go on a date with him. When he got approval to tell me about werewolves and the whole mate business, I thought he was crazy. Told him my daddy had a gun and to stay away from me.”
She shook her head. “Then he transformed into a wolf right in front of me. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I fainted straight away. When I came to, he had to transform again because I thought it was a dream.”
Mabel’s smile spoke of sweet memories. “After that, things moved fast. I couldn’t deny our connection and I figured if werewolves were real, why not a Moon Goddess who played matchmaker?”
I had to ask. “Do you ever feel things are uneven between you? With the strength of the connection?”
“Not since he marked me.” Mabel showed off her faint mark with pride. “Once he did that, I caught right up in feeling it.”
“I can explain the biology behind that if you’d like.” A blond man raised his hand. “I was a medical student when I met my mate, and I learned exactly what happens before I let her near my neck.”
“Mark’s the group skeptic,” Mabel said. “He doesn’t just ask questions when something new comes up, he goes and researches it.”
“Maybe a for dummies version? I’m limited to high school science.”
“To keep it simple, something in the saliva from the marking bite transfers into the bloodstream. It affects the brain by building new pathways. These new pathways mimic the pathways in a werewolf’s brain. As a result, we get part of the benefits of having a wolf without getting an actual wolf.”
“So you feel the bond the way they do?”
“Yes. The marking and mating also increases and solidifies the depth of the bond. Through the exchange of bodily fluids, of course. The longer version is fascinating if you ever want to hear it.”
Mabel was shaking her head, eyes wide, as were several others in the group. “Don’t do it. He’ll spend hours alone on the science you need to know to understand the longer version.”
The others laughed, and I joined in. It was nice to talk to others who had dealt with reservations about the mate bond. “Changing the brain pathways sounds a little scary to me.”
“Your pre-existing pathways remain. It just creates more. Things like your instincts and reflexes will be quicker and more accurate.”
“Why didn’t anyone tell me this earlier? I didn’t realize marking had such a big impact.”
“Wolves don’t think about it, because it doesn’t impact them in the same way. They just have the increased bond to contend with.”
I thought hard before voicing my next question, knowing it might sour the mood. “Have any of you ever regretted your choice?”
“Of course.” Mabel didn’t hesitate. “The mate bond isn’t a magic relationship fix. You still have to work at it. And sometimes when you fight, you’ll wonder if it was worth it. But I remind myself the bond is there because Frank and I have the potential to be extraordinary together.”
