*****Edited by krisgee*****

 2011 © All Rights Reserved

Chapter 10 (Steven)


            It took every bit of restraint that I had to stay seated at that dining room table and watch my mate walk out the door.  If he dares to lay a hand on her then no one would be able to stop me from tearing his heart out.  Deep breaths I thought to myself, in and out.  I had to calm myself down so that I wouldn't do anything that I would regret in front of her family.  Once I felt like I had a good hold on my self control I looked around the table and saw that everyone’s eyes were set on me.

            There was an eerie silence surrounding us in the room and it was beginning to make me feel very uncomfortable.  Then I noticed her mom.  Her mom's eyes were glaring daggers at me and that glare made me feel like I was about ten inches tall.  This was definitely a woman not to be messed with.

            “You.” She said while standing and pointing her finger at me.  “You will take care of her.  You will love her.  You will not bond with her until after graduation and we will get along just fine.  You hurt her or even so much as cause her to shed one tear, then your ass is mine.  Are we clear?”  She said all of this with such a fierceness that would only come from a Mama protecting her baby cub.

            “Raven,” Alpha Martin warned.
    
            I watched curiously as the mother turned her fury to her husband.  She slapped her hand on the table in front of him, demanding his attention.  He flinched back and looked up at her silently.  Smart man, I thought to myself.

            “No, Will.  You listen to me.  That is my baby girl and I’ll be damned if I want to see her in her first heat before she is even out of high school.”

            Alpha Martin ran his hand through his hair in agitation before responding to his wife.  
    
            “Raven, it is our way.  I have explained all of this to you.  Don’t you remember what is was like when we first met?  The attraction, the desire.  It’s even worse for them because they are both wolves, baby,” he said while reaching for her hand.

            She narrowed her eyes on him and jerked her hand away.

            “No.  I. Don’t. Care. That is my baby girl and I will not see her hurt.”  Her fierce gaze turned back to me.

            “Are we clear?” she asked me once again. 

            This time Alpha Martin didn’t interfere and honestly, I didn’t blame him.

            I froze in place with my eyes wide open and nodded my head.  I have nothing but the utmost respect for this woman standing so strong in front of me.  Now I see where my blue eyed beauty get’s her fire from and I look forward to the day that she will carry our child, a child that I hope carries the same fire as its mother.

            “Good.  Now that’s cleared up, shall we eat?” she asked as if the whole conversation had never occurred.  Her whole demeanor had changed and she had a sincere smile on her face.  

            I looked to Alpha Martin and he just shrugged his shoulders.  I glanced over to my Mama and she had a knowing smile on her face.  My bet is that she would have done the same thing if it had been her daughter.  I glanced over at my brother and he just shook his head trying to hide his own laughter.  I let out a sigh of relief that now some of the tension in the room had finally been eased.

            Now, my thoughts drifted to my mate and her brother. I watched the door willing her to walk through it.  I was so tempted to call out for her in her mind, but I knew that I needed to give her this space to deal with her brother.   But damn, this was becoming harder and harder as the minutes slowly passed by.  

            I felt Alpha Martin place a hand on my arm bringing me out of my thoughts.  I looked up at him and his eyes flitted to my hands.  Crap.  I was so lost in my own head worrying about my mate that I hadn’t realized the beating I had given the fork I was holding.  Needless to say, it was not fit to eat with considering the shape that it was now.  

            Finally, footsteps.  I watched the door in sweet anticipation.  There she was; my blue eyed beauty.  Her eyes locked with mine and a smile instantly lit up my face.  She came to my side and took a seat.  I reached for her hand, intertwining our fingers bringing an immediate calmness over me.

            Then damn.  There he was coming in right behind her.  He stalled at the door and looked up at me.  His eyes looked red and swollen but his face showed the hardness in his resolve. 

            “Can I speak with you a moment?” he asked me.

            I hesitated for a minute until my blue eyed beauty squeezed my hand.  Then I heard her angelic voice in my head.

            “Its okay, Stevie.  Please go talk with him,” she pleaded.  

            What type of hold does this girl have on me?  I looked at her and knew at that moment that I would never be able to deny her anything.  I nodded my head and followed him outside to the front porch.  I stood there silent waiting to hear what he had to say.  He faced away from me with his hands on the porch railing looking out to the street.  I leaned against the house and crossed my hands over my chest.

            “First of all, I want to apologize for being an ass to you and my sister,” he said quietly while still looking away from me.

            Several minutes passed.  “Apology accepted,” I said simply.  I stood there to see if there was more coming when he finally turned around to face me.

            “That is my sister,” he started and I knew another talk was coming.  I was just going to have to suck this one up for my little mate’s benefit.    He slowly began to advance on me causing me to stand up straighter while holding my position.  “She is my other half, my heart.  If you do anything to hurt her then you better run.  Run far and run fast before I can get my hands on you.  Are you feeling me, bud?” He finished with barely a hand space in between the two of us.

            I watched him intently before answering.  I couldn’t fault the boy for worrying about his sister, but I was her mate.  I would never hurt her.  I would die to protect her.  He studied me as well.  Two alpha males measuring each other up.  I held my hand out to him as a peace offering.  He glanced to my hand and then back to my face.

            “I understand,” I told him honestly.

            He watched me for a second longer before taking my hand in a firm shake.  We released each other’s hand and started back inside.  Once we were in the door, Zach turned back to me and used two fingers to point at his eyes and then pointed them back in my direction.  “I’ll be watching you,” he mouthed just before we stepped back into the dining room.

            “I wouldn’t expect anything less,” I muttered under my breath.

            I went back to my seat and reached for my blue eyed beauty’s hand.  Her voice entered my mind and I could hear a hint on concern. 

            “Is everything okay between the two of you?” she asked.

            I looked over to her brother and was satisfied that we had seemed to come to an understanding.  I squeezed her hand in reassurance and whispered back into her mind, “Yes, Princess.  We’re cool, no worries.”

            She smiled for me giving me those butterflies in my stomach that you always hear the girls talk about.   The rest of the family dinner actually turned about quite pleasant.  Alpha Martin had accepted our family into the protection of his pack.  I am still worried about the hunters from my father’s pack but I feel more at ease knowing that we were under Alpha Martins protection.  When it comes to the safety of Amy, there can never too many precautions taken.

            Mama and Bobby were the first to leave.  The Martins were very gracious and I could tell that Mama approved of my mate very much.  Zach bid his good byes and headed up stairs to work on homework.  Mrs. Martin went to clean up the dishes, leaving Alpha Martin with Amy and me.

            “I would just like to thank you for the wonderful dinner,” I said to him respectively.

            “It was my honor,” he responded.  “I know that you have already heard it from my wife, and I’m sure that Zach put his own two cents in too so all I’m going to say to you is take care of her and cherish her like nothing else in this world, and then you’ll have no problems from me.”

            “Yes sir,” I responded without a second’s hesitation.  He nodded his head in approval.

            “Would you mind it we went outside for a walk sir?” I asked Alpha Martin.

            He glanced at his watch and then looked back towards the kitchen to where Amy’s mother was.  I had a feeling that she was the one that really wore the pants in this family.

            “Fifteen minutes,” he said.  “Then Amy needs to get back and finish her homework.”

            I smiled.  “Yes sir.  I promise to have her back in fifteen minutes."

            With that being said he turned on his heel and left the room.  I held my hand out to my mate and she took it instantly with a smile on her face that melted my insides to putty.  The heat from her hand caused the blood in my veins to simmer with arousal. 

            “God, you are so gorgeous when you smile at me like that,” I told her.

            She blushed ruby red only making her that much more attractive in my eyes.  We stepped outside and started walking down the sidewalk in companionable silence.  Once we were down the street a ways she pulled us into some trees shielding us from public view. 

            She wrapped her arms around my neck letting her scent flood me.  I sat down against a tree pulling her into my lap so that I could drink her in.  I let my hands roam over her shoulders and slide down her back.  Instinct wanted me to rub my body all over her ingraining my scent into her skin.  I leaned into her so that our chests were touching and brushed a kiss softly against her lips. 

            A little sigh escaped her lips, snapping my control.  I crashed my lips more firmly into hers, licking and nipping, pulling out those sweet sounds of pleasure coming from her mouth.  My wolf howled his approval of the sounds that my little mate was making.  I held her as I pushed my tongue into her mouth, tasting and savoring her flavor.  It was so sweet and satisfying.  I could sit here for days and nibble off of the blue eyed beauty sitting comfortably in my lap. 

            Then I remembered her mother’s warning.  I had to be careful.  I promised her no bonding until after high school graduation.  That was going to be a real bitch to deal with considering our wolfish impulses.  But, I really want to live up to her parents expectations so with great restraint I lifted my lips from hers.

            “Princess, it’s almost been fifteen minutes.  I need to get you back home so your dad doesn’t get pissed at me.”

            I heard her whine of protest and chuckled.  I could definitely relate.  Separating from her was the last thing that I wanted to do right now.  I stood and started to carry her back to the house.  Just a few more moments with her in my arms gave me an insurmountable amount of joy.  Things seemed to be looking up for the both of us.  Our families seemed to be okay with the mating.  And most importantly she was willing to accept me.  I smiled down at the beautiful blue eyed beauty that I carried in my arms knowing that from this moment on, she would be the center of my universe.