IF YOU CHEAT ON ME

4 FEBRUARY, THURSDAY, EVENING

The first part of the car ride home was quiet. Ki drove up front while Bell and I sat behind. He was still holding my hand.

Mate was here. In the car. With me. What a special feeling. Happy.

"Oh yeah!" I took off the bangle and gave it to Bell, "This belongs to you."

Bell let go of my hand to receive the bangle and put it on. Our bangles still came off and on easily since Mate was just dream travelling. He wasn't really here. It was just a dream. Just a stupid dream.

Suddenly, I remembered Henry squeezing Charbear's waist. "Just some stupid dreams." He has said of his mate. Was I being happy for nothing?

I remembered Charbear kissing Henry. He did seem surprised by the kiss, but he hadn't turned it away in the slightest. And wasn't Henry dating Abigail? No? Yes? I don't know!

I wondered if I was just a stupid dream to Bell too. I wondered if girls would kiss him on his handsome face and if he would let them.

"What is it now, Princess?" Bell asked.

"Nothing." I answered.

"Your hair says otherwise." Bell smiled briefly and then proceeded to soothe the flaring locks down again.

"If you ever cheat on me, you need to tell me." I blurted out, "Because I'll be damn to be the only person in the world who didn't know about it."

Bell blinked, and then he growled, "That won't happen."

"Because if I ever find out on my own, I'll kill you." Wait no, I won't. I can't kill my own mate, I decided, "Someone will die anyway. And you'd be like dead to me."

"Princess, where the hell is this coming from?" Bell was angry now.

"It's because I'm just a stupid dream, and I'll just be a stupid dream until you return in Spring." I said.

"Ah... about that, Princess, I won't be coming back in Spring." Bell's voice was low.

"But the inauguration!" I tried to argue.

Bell cut me off, "My army would be here for it. I will also dream travel here for the ceremony."

"But why?" Was that my voice? That miserable pathetic pleading voice?

Bell pressed his mouth in a straight line and looked away from me, "It might be better if we don't meet yet."

Because you are with someone else?

The accusation had slipped into the mindlink rather suddenly.

No.

His answer was curt, even over the mindlink. Cutting off the steely anger behind it. Mate was seriously pissed. Maybe I should've just left it as that, but I couldn't.

Then why?

At this point, I had already braced myself to be hurt by whatever Mate was about to say. He didn't answer immediately, and when he did, the words felt torn out from him.

He obviously hadn't want to talk about it, but what? Did he think he could just say he wasn't coming and I would nod and submit?

You're not making this any easier, Princess.

Just tell me why.

Princess, you're still a minor. You're still a child.

His eyes flicked, just a second down from my face, but he caught himself and met my eyes again.

I felt my eyes widen at the realisation. Boob cake! Was he looking at my boobs? Or the lack of it. I remembered my friends comments earlier today. Did he think I needed it too?

I had never given much thought to my boobs (or lack thereof). But today it really hit me hard in the face.

It wasn't that I wanted huge ones or anything embaressing like that. I mean... Dammit. I just hated not being enough.

I felt my eyes burn with hot tears, but I didn't let them fall. This was Mate's fault. When my friends said it, it was funny. Not that he said anything, but I'm sure he was thinking it.

Dammit. Why was I so damn weak when it came to him?

Mate growled, "Look, I promised your parents, I would wait till you're 18. No... It's not just for your parents. It's for us. This is the right thing to do. It's for our own good, baby."

Wolfie wanted nothing else than to shift and run and go howl at the moon. Nevermind that it was still light outside.

I pulled back control because we all know how she was a wuss when it came to Mate. I wanted nothing else than to run home and get under the shower.

Looks like I'm just as weak. My mindlinks flared up indicating activity on the Beta channel. I took a peek just to look away from my lousy wussy miserable self.

Ben: Status report, ki.

Ki: En route. Goddess and Luna on board. ETA 5 minutes.

There was silence, but Ben was still linked up. I think I was discovered.

Ben: Are you okay, Sam?

At this point, I froze. Wait, I'm the alpha. I had every right to be on this channel, even though I don't use it as much as my betas...

No, that wasn't the real issue. The real issue was that I wasn't sure what I could answer honestly without bursting into tears.

I know I was weak, but arguing with your mate one minute and then bursting into tears about it to your betas straight after is just degrading. I'm the alpha, not some weak tearful girl crying in front of multiple men. I can deal with my own mate.

I sighed and released control to my wolf. This wasn't to say that I thought she would do better. But at the back of my mind, I was planning on just laughing it off and blaming my wolf at the end of the day.

And suddenly, I felt much better.

"I'm asking to meet you, not mate you." Boo spoke aloud.

Oh no. I internally panicked. I hadn't meant for Boo to show up. Where the hell the Wolfie go?

{I grew up.}

Yeah, okay. Wasn't this what I wanted? A real grown up wolf? Then why was I not feeling relieved at all?

"Do we have to do this aloud, baby?" Mate complained. He reached over to flip and switch and a dark glass wall closed Ki out. Oh, I didn't know our Merc could do that.

On the bright side, if I cried now, it would only be mate to witness it. But I didn't feel like crying anymore.

"Aloud is always better." Boo told Mate.

Mate took pause, and then he shrugged, "What are you suggesting, baby?"

Boo smiled, "Since you've already made up your mind, I won't insist. But just remember, you are mine. If you so much as look at another female, I can and will make your life a living hell."

The car stopped. We were home. Ki knocked politely on the glass wall. Boo reached over and flipped the switch to lower it.

"We're home, goddess." Ki said.

"I know." Boo smiled at Ki who returned it with one of his gentlest smiles, the one he uses when he was being careful. So my beta recognized my wolf was on the surface too.

He opened the door for us. Mate got out and reached his hand over for me. Boo accepted it.

Mate was still brooding. He was stewing so much internal fury, it was probably bad for his blood pressure. Hahaha.

Wait, no. Why was I laughing at him?

{Because he deserves it.}

Boo easily hooked my hand into the crook of Mate's arm, "Don't worry, it's only three more years of celibacy."

Mate growled lowly. Okay, Boo, stop.

We walked passed the doorman and into the lift foyer. Ki pressed the button to call down the lift. It opened for us immediately.

"And if you play your cards right, I might just give you some sweet dreams in the meantime." Boo whispered into Bell's ears just as we passed Ki who was holding the lift door open for us.

Ki coughed discreetly.

The lift ride up was silent except for Mate's low growling. The sound pleased Boo very much.

{This is going to be a fun three years for me.} Boo decided. I think she enjoyed teasing Mate. Knowing Mate, I'd say Boo had just picked up a dangerous new hobby. My dark Boo was going to be the death of me!

We weren't going to get away with this.

As if to prove me right, Bell put his hand on the small of my back to guide me through the jaws of death aka the lift door, and then he whispered back, "Don't play with fire, baby."

We entered the house. To my surprise, neither mum or Savy were around. Just Harvey and Ben. They stood up at our entrance.

"Alpha and Luna are here." Killion announced. He sounded just a little relieved.

Bell continued in his low growly voice, "I don't care if he's an allied alpha, childhood friend, or your own beta. If any man comes too close to you, I will kill him."

Bell gave a pointed look at my betas.

"I'll be sure to only get close to men I hate then." I returned tongue in cheek.

Bell growled, "If you need anyone dead, you only need to say the word, Princess."

Suddenly I was 'princess' again.

Oh wait, I mean halt. There was a pattern here. So I was 'princess' and my wolf was 'baby'? Who knew my mate was this discerning? He might be even sharper than my betas. Then again, I supposed that was expected, since he was my soul mate.

Halt again, if Mate could tell exactly when Boo was out, why couldn't I tell when his wolf was out? I narrowed my eyes at Bell.

{Most wolves only surface to shift, or when aroused or traumatized or if the wolf's power was being utilized in human form.}

Oh. I knew that. Theoretically anyway. But then why is it that my wolf felt like she would always be on the surface (if I let her)?

Two words: Merging technique.

Back to my living room where the discussion among my Luna and Betas had moved on to Ki updating the others about our new alliance with Henry's Silver Moon Pack and then Bell bossing the betas on how he wished to proceed.

"I have to wake up for a short meeting in a bit. I'll be back after dinner." Bell said at the end.

"Yes, Luna." My betas answered in unison.

Bell reached out to me and pulled me aside. My betas suddenly disappeared into the kitchen or bedroom or wherever to get back to work.

Alone now, Bell slid his hand down a lock of my hair and kissed it. Then he let it slide between his fingers and fall away.

At this moment, all I could sense was his self control, like a huge concrete dam blocking out a flood of deep emotions from me.

He didn't speak. Then he stepped back, and I knew he was waking up. I reached out my hand towards him, and he was gone again.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

I picked up the nearest object, and flung it at the space he was in. The crystal vase bounced against the wall and the red roses and water splashed over the carpet. I picked up the empty vase, it was still in one piece. I put it back on the side table.

Then I stormed into my room, grabbed my clothes and locked myself into the shower.

I don't want to talk about it.

I turned on the shower and stood under it growling. Stupid Mate. Stupid Boo. Stupid everything. But most of all, stupid me.

Suddenly, my bangle felt warm, it glowed white and then stopped. I turned off the warm water. Maybe it was just the hot water heating up the metal.

No. Something happened.

I tried to take it off to see. OWWW!

{**********. That hurt.}

My mate bond swore in ancient lycan.

I pulled the bangle back up and looked at my wrist. It was fine. Wth was that?

{Princess...}

Eh? Mate? Mate! Haha, it's Mate in my head!

{Princess, what are you doing?}

I looked down at myself, {Showering}

{Grrr... Don't.}

{Don't shower?}

{No. Nevermind. Don't take off the bangle.}

And then Mate was gone again.

Wait, so we can mindlink, and the bangle - he has the bangle on in real life? Wait... I gave it to him in the car. He put it on. He didn't take it off and then he woke up. So he probably brought the bangle back with him and NOW HE'S WEARING IT IN REAL LIFE! The magic mating bangles that would guard us and would blacken if he were unfaithful so he must be serious about waiting. And I'm not just his mate from a stupid dream because he's really mated now!

YES!

Mine.

Haha!

I win!

Yeah. I'm an idiot. But I don't care. Happiest day of my life.