Sealing Her Fate

This mating thing feels so right.
Now I understand Ivor and Ralph's urgent affection for their fated mate. Once you have her in your arms, you don't want to let her go. All those uncontrolled feelings running through you; adoration, lust and the desire to protect her from all the evil in the world. But then it struck me how remarkable it is that Ivor and I both found our mate within a day. For decades we talked about this, like Ralph we had a series of one-night stands. Not that we were really looking forward to their arrival, but we knew the day would come.
I had promised to be open and honest with my fated. I would allow her to choose whether to stay with me of her own will. But I hadn't counted on a human mate. That brings up other issues I have to consider. I'll have to take it slow, there are a few issues I noticed with her that need to be straightened out before I introduce her into my world. For this moment, I am going to enjoy this wonderful feeling that a mate bond offers, this is more than I could have imagined. She smells wonderful, her body feels soft and sound in my arms. My wolf Xin is so content with her.
Our kiss becomes fierce, I can barely contain myself.
The desire racing through my veins now I have never felt before. It demands fulfillment and I am very intent on it. I hear Natalie moan and sigh, so the feeling is mutual. And then I hear tapping against the window. Slowly I disengage from her, in the haze of lust, she has not heard Ivor return. As the man slides into the back seat, my mate turns red. "Lovebirds, will you please put me home so I can mind my own business," he teases. I snort scornfully, remain silent and throw him a scathing look. This man really is a troublemaker, couldn't he make another round when he saw me making out with my mate? Grinding my teeth, I start the car and we leave.
"Done?" I ask Ivor as I look in the rearview mirror.
He nods satisfied, clearly pleased with the result. "Yep. They pissed their pants when they had to look me in the eye," he chuckles contentedly. I can totally understand that; Ivor, in a raging mood is undoubtedly an unpleasant person to deal with. I drive to the villa and he gets out. After a wave, I move on. "I don't know this town anymore. Where can we quietly have a good meal? I'm starving," I ask the woman next to me. At her guidance, we go to a waterfront restaurant, the tables are on a veranda with a great view over a clear blue lake. We have plenty of privacy here, the tables are a solid distance apart.
We both place our order and when I look up, I see her staring at me.
"That's a lot," she exclaims. "Are you really planning on getting all that in?" Surprised, I stare at her at first before I realize she is talking about the amount of meat dishes I have chosen. I smile softly. "No problems doing that," I assure her. "I'm used to these portions." She gets a dreamy expression on her face. "Rain used to eat this much, too. When we had a lunch break outside the office, she always took a lot of meat dishes. And in no time, she'd finish it all with no effort". Expressionless, I look at her, again an uneasy feeling comes to me. What exactly does she want to hear from me?
I don't have to wait long.
"Eric, I want to meet Rain. I want to tell her about the man who had come looking for her. He seemed troubled and devastated when he didn't find her. He really loves her and I want her to know that he is looking out for her," she insists, grabbing my hand on the table. "If Rain knows all this, maybe she can make up her mind." I stiffened, my wolf starting to get restless now too. We are here to talk about ourselves, but all she's up to is interfere in other people's business. "Don't worry about Rain. She has made her choice. Everyone determines their own life," I hint to her briefly. She seems to want to say something more but our order has been delivered. With another warning glance at her, we begin our meal.
"Tell me more about yourself, Natalie," I coax her. "Are you from this town or did you move here to work at Conselho's?" As she does her story, I mind link Ivor. 'Be ready for a special assignment. Try to reach Alpha Esis as well and ask him to be here by tomorrow morning,' I inform the Chief Warrior. 'What's up? You sound like you're on war alert,' he chimes in right away. My tone hit his attention right away. This is our signal for extraordinary action, one we rarely perform. 'Can't the two of us handle it? Does the Alpha absolutely have to be involved?" he questions. 'Yes,' I reply briefly and close the link at once.
I turn my attention back to my mate and hear Rain's name drop several times.
"I really need to find her," I hear her say for the umpteenth time. I frown. "Do you really need to?" I ask her now, ready to execute the plan. Enthusiastically, she jumps up, ignoring my warning signs. "Yes, I would like that very much. Can you take me to her?" Slowly I nod and quickly eat the rest of my meal. "Rain is currently shopping with her friends. You can see her tomorrow morning," I indicate, staring at my plate. Full of anticipation, she grabs my hand again and squeezes it hard. "Thank you, Eric. You don't know what this means to me. Rain is a wonderful person and I am happy to be her friend," she replies eagerly.
"Sure you do," I reply again succinctly.
My mood clearly escapes her and that will cost her dearly. She is fixated on only one thing, meeting Saray. For a moment, I feel she is exploiting the bond between us to bring in the Alpha's high reward. Or maybe she considers Saray's well-being above hers. Silly soul. Then it's time to leave. I swipe my black card to settle the account, peering at my mate. No, my card doesn't impress her; perhaps the prospect of bringing in a fat sum of money of my own is more appealing.
As we sit in the car, I see her eyes still glistening with delight.
"Lead the way to your house."...