BK 5 - Chapter 23 - Acceptance
Emma couldn't believe Asher was willing to accept her and everything about being a shifter without knowing what it all meant. She held onto him, loving how she felt wrapped in his arms. She pulled away so she could sign.
"This weekend, I'm leaving for winter break to stay with my family in Granite Bay. Can you come with me?" Emma asked him. Asher looked at her in shock.
"You want me to meet your family? Are you sure I won't be intruding? What if they don't want me there?" He started panicking. He saw how big her family was in the picture. That's a lot of people to ridicule him. Asher started breathing hard and felt dizzy. Emma helped him into the chair and knelt in front of him so he could see her hands.
"Yes, I want you to meet my family. We have plenty of room, and they would love to have you there. You won't find anyone nicer than the people in my family. Watch." Emma pulled out her phone and called her mom using the app she had that would allow the spoken words to be read. She held her phone up so Asher could read what she and her mother said.
"Hello?" Kiersten answered.
"Mom, it's Emma. Guess what?" She asked with a smile.
"What?" Kiersten asked.
"I met my mate. His name is Asher, he's human, and he's incredible." Emma looked up at Asher; he had started to relax a little.
"That's wonderful, honey. I'm so happy for you. Has he accepted you? How did he take finding out about you being a grizzly?" Kiersten was excited for her daughter. She couldn't wait to meet the young man.
"Yes, he accepted me and was fine with the whole bear thing. Mom, I want to bring him with me when I come home, but he's worried no one will want him there." Asher read what Emma said and held his breath.'.
"That's ridiculous. Of course, we want him here. Is he with you? Can I talk to him?" Kiersten wanted to put his mind at ease. Asher had a mix of emotions running through him. He was happy Emma's mom was okay with him coming, but what would she say when she found out he was deaf.
"He's deaf, so I have him looking at my phone while we talk so he can see what we're saying," Emma explained.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner? Hello, Asher, it's nice to meet you. Please come with Emma to our home. Everyone will be extremely excited to meet you." Kiersten pleaded with him. She understood how intimidating it could be to suddenly be part of the enormous werelion family. However, she also knew what it felt like to be loved by that family, and it was a feeling she wouldn't give up for the world.
Asher looked at the words on the phone and felt tears burn his eyes. Was it possible that they would be okay with him being Emma's mate? He looked into her hopeful eyes and smiled as he signed.
"Tell her I'll go with you." Emma threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek. She pulled back so he could see her phone.
"He said he'll come with me. We'll see you in a couple of days. Oh, and tell Roger, haha, I found my mate first." Kiersten laughed at her daughter. She and Roger had been making bets on who would find their mate first. She knew he was going to be upset that she beat him.
"I'll tell him. We'll see you both soon. Love you, Emma, and you too, Asher."
"Love you, Mom." Emma disconnected the call and looked at Asher. She was stunned to see the tears run down his cheeks.
"What's wrong?" She signed. Asher wiped his eyes.
"I'm sorry. No one has ever said they love me. I know she only said it because I'm your mate." He signed as he looked down at his feet. He felt like a fool crying over every little thing. Asher had never had people treat him so kindly, and the emotions were overwhelming. Emma raised his face so he could see her hands.
"She said it because you're my mate, but also she knows if you've already accepted all of this that you're special. Remember, she was a human before she met my dad, and she's blind. She can only see when she's shifted into her bear. Speaking of which, I'm wondering if you'll be able to hear when you're shifted into your bear. We also mindlink. After I mark you, then you may be able to hear me and speak to me through mindlink." Asher looked from Emma's hands and into her eyes. She continued to shock him.
"Are you saying that I may be able to talk to you with my mind, and I'll be able to hear you?" His hands shook as he waited for her response.
"It's possible, yes. We won't know for sure until after I mark you." Emma saw the longing in his eyes and hoped it worked for him like it did her mom.
"Mark me." Emma shook her head.
"We just met. You need time to process this and think about how it will affect you. I don't want you to rush into something you'll regret later." Asher took her hands in his to make her stop signing.
"I already said I was okay with everything and I want to be your mate before you told me I may be able to talk to you. I'm not asking you to mark me just because I want to be able to hear. I'm asking you to mark me because I want you and everything we talked about. I have been alone, stuck in the silence of my own mind for my entire life. I've had no one to call a friend. When I saw you across campus, I followed you to the library because I was drawn to you. You don't understand how intimidating someone like you is to someone like me. You're beautiful and way out of my league." Emma stopped his signing and rose up on her knees to look into his eyes.
She smiled and shook her head. Before Asher could react, she put her mouth on his. Neither had kissed anyone before, so it was a little clumsy at first. Emma felt his hesitancy, and she didn't know what she was doing, but she moved her mouth against his; eventually, he did the same. Asher put his arms around her, pulling Emma against him.
"Will you mark me?" Emma still wasn't sure they should do it so quickly.
*"Are you kidding me right now? The boy says he wants you, and he accepts becoming a shifter. What are you waiting for?"* Ziba mindlinked her.
*"What if he can't hear anything even though mindlink? I don't want him to regret anything."* Emma mindlinked back.
*"Trust him to know what he wants. He accepted everything even before you told him about the possibility of hearing. Look at how eager he is to be with you and be accepted for who he is."* Emma looked into Asher's eyes and saw Ziba was right. Even though it was awfully quick, if that's what he wanted, who was she to deny him?
"Okay, I'll mark you. Where are you staying? I think it would be better if we do it somewhere away from campus because tomorrow, you'll be sick as your body goes through the changes." Emma signed.
"I have an apartment off campus, but it's only one bedroom. You can take the bed, and I'll sleep on the couch." Asher replied. Emma bit her lip. He was really too cute for words.
"I have a better idea. How about we sleep together?" He looked up from her hands and into her eyes.
"Are you sure?" He signed slowly. Emma nodded.
"We don't have to do anything if you don't want to, but I'm fine if we do. We're mates, and when I mark you, it can cause us to get aroused. Shifters aren't like humans; once we've found our mates, we know we will be with them forever." Asher leaned forward and kissed her. How was he so lucky to have someone like Emma to be his?
"Okay, are you ready to go now?" He signed.
"Let me pack a few things." Emma threw her books into her bag and then packed a bag with some clothes and toiletries. When she was done, they left her dorm and walked the few blocks to his apartment. Asher stopped her before they went inside.
"I just moved in, so it's still a bit of a mess." Emma shrugged.
"I don't care as long as I get to be with you." She signed back.
Asher opened the main door and led Emma to his apartment on the second floor. She looked around at the boxes and smiled. It was a nice, cozy little apartment. She set her things on the floor and turned to him.
"Do you want to eat something before I mark you?" Emma asked.
"I'm not hungry, are you?" Asher looked into her gorgeous green eyes, and his heart swelled. How was it possible to feel so strongly about someone he'd just met?
"No." She replied. Asher took her hand and led her to the bedroom. Emma kicked her shoes off, and he did the same.
"How do we do this?" He signed.
"I will bite into your neck. It will hurt for a second but goes away quickly. Are you ready?" Asher nodded, so she pushed him backward until he sat on the side of the bed. Emma planned on doing more than sleeping in his bed; she hoped he agreed.
She straddled his lap and kissed him. Asher wrapped his arms around her. When Emma pulled away, she tilted his head to the side. He closed his eyes, and she bit into him. Asher felt a slight pain, but it was quickly replaced by a warmth that filled his body. He held her tighter, and when she pulled back, he opened his eyes.
Emma felt his erection pushing against her. She kept her eyes on his as she removed her T-shirt. Asher swallowed as he stared at her.
"Is this okay?" She signed. He nodded and laid her on the bed. Emma quickly wiggled out of her jeans and panties and waited for him to join her. Asher removed his clothes and lay next to her. He had to tell her something before they did anything. It may be too soon, but he wanted her to know how he felt. He made sure she was looking at him as he mouthed the words he wished he could scream from the rooftops.
"I love you." Emma read what he mouthed, and she felt like crying. She kissed him and then smiled as she spoke.
"I love you too."
