Animal Instinct

I pop my knuckles as I straighten out my clothes. I have an interview today with Safeway. The drive to Pleasanton is slightly farther than I had hoped, but this is a good position as the executive assistant to the head of the Public Affairs Department. Steadying my nerves, I go in to the large concrete building. My wolf wakes up as soon as I step inside. Something about this place is setting her on edge. Trying to keep the frown off my face, I approach the receptionist’s desk.

“Hello, my name is Gracelyn King. I have an interview with Mitchel Frasier today at two.” I do my best to smile at the woman. My strained smile is reflected back to me as she directs me to take the elevator up to floor five and go right to get to Mr. Frasier’s office. I give her a polite farewell as I go to the elevator.

Once by myself, I let my wolf senses come out. I’m extremely grateful that Mr. Fuller has been putting me through such extensive training. While my wolf and I haven’t found perfect balance, we’ve nearly accomplished it. A week ago, I couldn’t call on parts of my wolf. It was either all or nothing. I explore the building subtly. Whatever has my wolf on edge isn’t human. It’s a were-scent, but it’s not wolf. It’s something I’ve never smelled before. Popping my knuckles, I contemplate calling Mr. Fuller or Alec. Until now, I hadn’t considered the possibility of there being weres other than wolves. The elevator stops and the doors open before I get my phone from my purse. I once again straighten my clothes before taking the directions the receptionist gave me.

I reach out to my wolf, seeking comfort and confidence as I come to Mr. Frasier’s office door. She wraps herself around me, making me smile. Renewed, I knock on the door.

“Come in.” The gruff voice behind the wooden door emanates dominance. Instead of cowering, my wolf comes closer to the surface. I pet her, before entering the office. All that I gather of the interior of the office is the soft cream carpet and pale green walls. My attention is quickly drawn to Mr. Frasier. From the way his arms seem to spread from the chair and his long torso, I can tell that he is tall and wiry. His forest green suit jacket fits him well, slightly exhibiting the lean muscles beneath. His eyes are a golden hazel which is offset by his ebony hair. Those eyes hold a hint of surprise as I stop behind the chair across the desk from him. That surprise is quickly covered by a flare in his dominance. I don’t push back with my own dominance flare, but I don’t submit to him either. He’s not pack and he isn’t Adam—not that I’ve fully submitted to Adam. He can’t be much older than me—probably around twenty-five. Outwardly, I keep a polite smile on my face. My wolf wants to come out and show him who is truly more dominate, but I know that now is not the time for that.

“What are you?” I can’t keep the shock off my face at that. There’s no point in playing games with each other as it’s obvious we know that the other isn’t human. But I didn’t expect him to be so blatant.

“You cannot honestly expect me to answer that when I know nothing of you.”

He sits back in his chair. “You cannot expect me to hire you when I know nothing of you.”

“That’s what this interview is for,” I grin. “Perhaps we should start with less…risky questions?" Grunting, he waves me into the chair across from him. I sit on the edge of the seat because my wolf won’t allow me to relax any more than that. I watch as he rifles through the folders on his desk and it’s clear that he is in need of an assistant. His desk if completely covered in clutter. As he shuffles things around, obviously looking for my resume, sticky notes transfer from one folder to another. Even worse, he’s not actually picking anything up. He’s simply moving things around.

“Mr. Frasier...may I?” I motion to his desk. Visibly frustrated, he moves away from his desk, gesturing for me to take over. I smile at him before I start organizing everything. I quickly shuffle through all the lose papers, reading just enough information to get them into the right categories on his green, four-tiered desk tray. I get all the sticky notes together, separating those out as well and pinning them to the cork board on the wall closest to his desk. Finally, I organize all the folders cluttering his desk, dividing them into piles by color and moving them into the filing cabinets. Through this process, I found my resume which I leave in the center of his now clean desk. Satisfied, I move back to the other side of the desk and sit down. Mr. Frasier stares at his desk with a slight frown on his face. I clear my throat to get his attention.

“Well…”

“Shall we start this interview?” I ask as I shift in my seat slightly. My wolf still won’t allow me to relax, but she has calmed a little. I was in close proximity to him as I cleaned his desk and nothing happened. Now she’s just curious about him.

“I suppose I should determine if you can do the other functions of the job as efficiently as you just organized my desk Ms…King.” He pauses to look over my resume. It doesn’t surprise me that he hasn’t read over it and come up with interview questions since it was lost in that mess on his desk. I wait for him to gather his thoughts, trying not to pop my knuckles in the process.
“Alright.” He leans forward in his chair, his elbows resting on the edge of his desk. “Ms. King, your resume is fairly sparse of administrative work. You’ve been employed in an ice rink, as a secretary, and most recently as a childcare provider. Why should I hire you?” He looks at me, folding his hands together on top of my resume.

“I’m disciplined, organized, efficient, and a fast learner. I also enjoy keeping my workplace upbeat and doing my part to make sure that everyone is functioning to the best of their ability.”

“Hm.” He reads over my resume again. Maybe my first assumption of him being unprepared was incorrect. I haven’t experienced it many times, but sometimes potential employers like to see how interviewees handle pressure.

Deciding to take a chance, I call him on it. “Mr. Frasier, while I understand that it is important to see how I handle pressure and stress, I think it would be more time effective to simply ask me.”

His eyes narrow slightly, “Ms. King, I’m not sure I appreciate your attitude.”

“I don’t consider it attitude so much as honesty. And that’s a fine statement for you to make after you so rudely asked me what I am.”

He sits back in his chair, eyeing me. I feel his dominance flare once again. This time stronger than before. Tired of his games, I show enough of mine for him to know I’m stronger than he is. He frowns again. With a sigh, I stand up, making sure I have my purse. “Thank you for your time Mr. Frasier, but I can see this is going nowhere.”

“Sit down Ms. King.”

I raise an eyebrow, “Why? You’ve done nothing but play dominance games with me since I’ve arrived. It’s obvious you think I’m incapable of doing this job. I have other things I can be doing than wasting my time here.”

“You fault me for that? I haven’t smelled something like you before.”

“And I’ve never met someone who isn’t like me, but I’m kind enough to withhold my questions until we are better acquainted. Although, I don’t see that happening.”

“You’re hired.” I physically take a step back, staring at him. What is with this guy? He sighs,

“Look, I need someone to fill this position and you’re the only one I’ve interviewed that hasn’t been a complete ditz. So you’re hired. You start on Monday.”

“Okay…”

He stands, “I’ll show you where your office is.” He passes me, pulling open his door and motioning for me to precede him out. Making sure I have everything, I leave his office, stopping in the hall to wait for him. He points to the door across the hall from his office. “This is your office.”

“You had to get up to show me this? You could have just pointed.”

He gives me a look, “And open the door for you to call me rude again?” He snorts, unlocking the door to my new office. I half-shrug as I go inside. The office is plain. The walls are the same pale green as Mr. Frasier’s office walls. We go back to his office and he puts together the basic information for me to fill out—tax information, employee contract, etc.

As I’m gathering my things to leave, he stops me, “So…are you going to tell me what you are?”

“Not today.”

He frowns. “Why?”

“Look Mr. Frasier, honestly, it’s none of your business. But I’ve to discuss it with the…the higher ups before I just blabbing it around. As I’m sure you have to as well. The fact that we both know the other isn’t human doesn’t change the rules.”

Mr. Frasier stands straighter, pushing his shoulders back. “I don’t have any higher ups.”

“Oh. Well I do. And I need to check with them. Hopefully, I’ll be able to tell you on Monday.” I wave before leaving. I decide to take the stairs down so that I can clear my head and figure out what I’m going to tell Mr. Fuller. My wolf was observing Mr. Frasier during the interview and while she hasn’t encountered another were, she has instincts. She thinks he’s a cat of some kind. Once she realized that we’re more dominant than him, she started paying attention to the things I couldn’t focus on.

Passing the receptionist, I smile politely once again before nearly rushing out to my car. She wasn’t human either which means he must employ his pack—is it called a pack when it’s not wolves? This begs the question of why he didn’t promote from within his office. Although his office is part of a larger corporation so maybe humans work there too. And he can’t discriminate against me because I’m not the same as he is. Federal laws and all that. Slightly more relaxed, I start my car and head to Mr. Fuller’s.

I spend the drive to my Alpha’s trying to decipher more of what my wolf picked up. I should have something to tell him. Once we’ve talked about it, I realize that I don’t have anything to tell Mr. Fuller. I do have to ask about revealing myself to my new boss. I wasn’t lying to him when I said that. And my Alpha needs to know that there are others weres so close to his territory—even if they’re not werewolves. And if I’m more dominate than their alpha—or whatever he would call himself—they won’t be too much of a problem. Parking my car in what has become my “spot,” I take a couple deep breaths before getting out.

Mr. Fuller dropped a key to the house in my mail two days ago. I haven’t used it yet, but I take the chance to do so now. He’s had a key to my apartment since I moved into that building. I like that I’ve been given access to his home as well. He’s not just my Alpha. He’s my friend, and somewhat like a father or brother figure. Using my key, I open the door and peek inside. Through my training, my pack awareness has increased and I can feel that Mr. Fuller is in the formal dining room. I frown slightly. The only times he uses that room are business meetings and when enough of the pack is over for dinner. I feel no more of the pack than I do on a normal day which suggests that he’s in a business meeting.

I pop my knuckles and go to the kitchen, reaching for him through the pack-bond just enough so that he knows I’m in the house. Though, that was most likely unnecessary as he is my Alpha. He generally knows who is in the house. He explained it to me once—when at home, his wolf works almost independently of him, reaching out through pack-bonds and keeping account of the emotional levels of the pack. His wolf can contact anyone at any time, but filters the emotions and such of the members near them to the human side of Mr. Fuller. This way, Mr. Fuller is not overtaken by the emotional rollercoasters of all 160 of his pack members. The members that are in need get brought to his attention as their needs arise. Other than me, the pack doesn’t need cossetting and over-attention from Mr. Fuller. Most of them have families that they go to for that kind of stuff; and while I’ve been partially adopted into many of those families, my wolf prefers to get that familial attention from Mr. Fuller.

After getting a cup of water, I plop myself down at the kitchen table to wait for Mr. Fuller. I rest my forehead on the table, wrapping my arms around my head to block out the light. Job interviews in general stress me out and the surprise of finding another were has slightly exhausted me. My wolf was more alert than usual when I’m in my human form. I don’t know how Mr. Fuller maintains his energy if his wolf is constantly alert. I’ll have to ask him about that during our training session.

My wait is no more than fifteen minutes. Mr. Fuller strides into the kitchen, adjusting his tie. Seeing him in a suite confirms that he was in a business meeting. He enjoys his biker-bad-boy look far too much to change clothes for something less than professional—and even then, he’ll still don the leather jacket on occasion. I’m not sure what kind of business meetings a professional chef would partake in, but Mr. Fuller hosts a fair number of them each month. Truth be told, I don’t really care to know.

“Gracelyn.” Mr. Fuller tousles my curls affectionately as he passes to get a glass of water.
“Mr. Fuller.” He gives me a slightly exasperated look over the rim of his glass. “You were formal first, sir.” He rolls his eyes, finishing his water before joining me at the table. I wait for him to get comfortable, popping my knuckles. How do I ask him about other types of weres?

Before I can formulate a question to ask him he puts forth one of his own. “Gracie….Where were you today?”

“Home and my job interview.” I crack my knuckles again, watching him. Mr. Fuller inhales deeply. Anyone simply glancing at him wouldn’t notice the action, but I do. His eyes darken slightly for a few moments. I’ve come to recognize this as a sign of his wolf being close to the surface. I’m not afraid of him shifting because Mr. Fuller has more control than to let his wolf burst forth unrestrained. But my wolf does react, becoming more alert to our Alpha.

“You smell of panther. It’s faint, but strong enough to tell you were in their territory.” Mr. Fuller frowns slightly. Even though it’s only been a few days since he asked me to refer to him as Martin, the transformation from stoic Alpha to emotive friend was almost immediate. When it’s just us, he lets his guard down enough for me to see his emotions play out on his face. It only took me a day to adjust to this change in our relationship, but I enjoy it.

“Panther? I didn’t know there were other weres.”

He gives me a slightly condescending look. “You accepted the reality of werewolves, but didn’t ever think to question if other races existed? Gracie.” He shakes his head.

“In my defense, I’ve never encounter another…race…until today nor has anyone taken the time to teach me about all this preternatural stuff.”

Mr. Fuller looks at me, but I can see that he’s thinking something over and possibly consulting with his wolf. “I suppose this is true. We did spend much of your time in this pack focused solely on you and your growth.” I nod. “Well this oversight will be remedied shortly. Now, tell me why you have the scent of cat lingering about you.”

Popping my knuckles, I tell him about my interview, sharing with him what my wolf told me as well as what I observed myself. He listens intently throughout my recounting, nodding a few times. When I finish, he sits back in his seat, folding his hands together in front of his face. With his eyes just peeking over his knuckles, he looks like a plotting evil genius.

“I give you leave to tell him. From what you’ve described, you’re stronger than him. Mitchel Frasier?” I nod. “I’ll get information on him.” He stands, removing the suit jacket. “Why don’t you relax until training? And change clothes.” Mr. Fuller pats my shoulder as he passes me. I can only guess that he’s going to change clothes himself.

As I stand, turning toward the door to the training facility, my phone rings.

“Hello?” I pull off my heels, maintaining my balance by leaning against the table.

“Where are you?”

“Well, hello to you too, Adam. Did you have a good flight in?”

“Gracelyn.” His voice is gruff as his dominance spikes. My wolf responds giddily. It’s only been three days since we saw him last so I try to ignore the feelings his voice arouses in me.

“Yes Adam?” I change directions, heading for one of the guest rooms. Apparently, I share a room with Marhysole. I haven’t seen it. I only know of it because Mr. Fuller mentioned it in passing. Because both of us have our own homes, he’s devoted a single room to the two of us.

“I’m not in the mood for games, Gracelyn. Where are you?”

I roll my eyes, “I’m at Mr. Fuller’s.”

“Okay.” With that, he hangs up. I give my phone an incredulous look before tossing it onto the bed of the guest room. He better tell me what crawled up his butt when he gets here, or we’re going to have a problem.

I drop my heels by the bed before searching for some clothes to change in to. During my miniature investigation of the room, I discover that Mr. Fuller has split the space evenly between me and Marhysole. We each have our own dresser—in which I find some shorts and a t-shirt to change in to—as well as an equal amount of closet space. The room is decorated in earthy and woodsy tones with stark white trim and accents.

As I change clothes, exhaustion sets in. Checking the time, I see that I have an hour until my training. I decide to take advantage of that time and nap. Even though I most likely won’t be sleeping once Adam arrives, I let myself think I’ll get some rest.

Apparently, I do get some sleep. When I open my eyes, the room is dark. My first thought is that I’ve missed training. As I start to sit up, I feel a dead weight on my waist. Confused, I look down and am greeted by the sight of Adam sleeping next to me. His Prince Charming hair falls into his face slightly as he shifts positions. I’m momentarily sidetracked by the sight of him, but the fading light in the room reminds me of why I’m getting up. Carefully, I remove his arm from my waist and fumble around for my phone. I left it on my bed when I tossed it there after Adam hung up on me. He most likely moved it when he got in bed with me. The problem now is what he did with it.

Frowning, I realize that Mr. Fuller would have woken me up if I was late for training. He may have relaxed with me, but he is still a stickler for rules and such. I look around the room, hoping for a clock to tell me the time. I don’t find that, but I do notice that the curtains are drawn. I glance at Adam before flinging the curtains open. The late afternoon sun floods in and I hear him groan. Butthead shouldn’t have hung up on me.

“Gracelyn, I shut those for a reason.” I lean against the windowsill watching him burrow further into the blankets and pillows.

“You hung up on me.”

“So? You knew I was coming here.”

I roll my eyes. “That doesn’t make what you did any less rude.”

He turns his head so he can look at me. A thick lock of hair situates itself over his right eye as a smile slowly stretches across his lips. My body and my wolf react to that smile more intensely than ever. I have to force myself to stay by the window.

“My dearest Gracelyn, I apologize profusely for my behavior. Will you forgive me for rudely ending our earlier telephone conversation?” His voice is sultry as he mockingly apologizes. I decide to play his game and approach the bed slowly and coyly. His eyes travel over my body. I cheat a little and use some of my werewolf speed to snatch a pillow from the bed and hit him with it before he can react. I retreat back to the windowsill, still clutching the pillow as he stares at me.

“Of course I accept your apology, min älskling.” He eyes light up at the use of another language and I laugh. “Don’t get too excited. I’ve forgotten most of it.”

“But you still know some. Was that Finnish?”

“Swedish.” He motions me over to him, but I stay put. “Where’s my phone Mr. Burish?” His dominance flares slightly. I’m not sure what triggered it, but I keep myself focused on finding my phone.

“Why?”

I look at him blankly. “Because I need it, you butt. Now where is it?” He pouts before waving to his bag in the corner. “Thank you.” I blow him a kiss, going to get my phone. Despite the things in his bag being dirty, they still carry a hint of his cologne. I try not to inhale too deeply, not wanting to get the musty smell of his used clothing, as I dig out my phone. Adam just watches me from his place on the bed. My alarm sounds as soon as my phone is in my hand. Shaking my head, I give Adam one last look before going down to the training room. He’ll join us soon enough. The last time I waited for him, he made me late because he was being a grouch over my outfit—an outfit he’d already approved.

When I reach the room, Mr. Fuller is sitting in the middle of the floor, legs crossed, with his eyes closed. I join him quietly. I know that he knows I’m there, but he doesn’t make any indication of this. So I wait.

“Today we’re going to work on communicating with your wolf while you maintain this form.” Mr. Fuller speaks after a good ten minutes have passed. I want him to clarify what he means by “communicating,” but I’ve learned to wait for him to explain himself rather than bombarding him with questions. I pop the knuckles on my left hand to keep myself from speaking. Before Mr. Fuller can say anything else, the door to the training room opens. The shiver that rolls through my body as I’m encompassed by a wave of unnatural dominance tells me that Adam decided to join us. I still find it slightly amusing that he doesn’t like me to be alone with Mr. Fuller. My wolf practically bounces within me as Adam flops down next to me.

“Perfect. Mr. Burish can assist you nicely for this task.” I look at Mr. Fuller. “Gracie, it is no secret how your wolf reacts to him. He can be the…topic of conversation between you. I don’t think anything else will actually hold her attention now anyway.” His eyes are lit with amusement. I make a face at him, feeling my cheeks heat slightly. “I know you can communicate with her. You’ve done if before. But I want you to focus on listening to her without going completely inward. When you master this, you will be able to listen to her while holding a conversation with another.”

I scowl at the ground. He thinks I can reach the level he’s at with his wolf. Not even Alec is at that point. He gets distracted when his wolf talks to him. Many in the rest of the pack have the same issue. They can all talk to their wolves just fine. But doing it discreetly is something none of them have mastered. I should feel proud that Mr. Fuller believes I can reach his level of concentration and ability, but truthfully, the thought scares me a little. My dominance hasn’t settled and now Mr. Fuller is pushing me farther. I’m tempted to say no. I want to find my place in the pack. No one has said it because I’m pack, but every time my dominance raises even the smallest increment, I can feel how uncomfortable it makes some of them. No one knows what to do with me really. I don’t even know what to do with myself. However, I know that trusting Mr. Fuller has gotten me this far. I’m learning more about what it means to be a werewolf and how to live in that knowledge without losing my humanity. Popping my knuckles, I realize that my only choice is to do what he asks of me. If I rebel, I’ll disappoint him. And that is now my biggest fear because he’s family.

“So….what am I doing?”

“We will start simply enough. You will seek to gain understanding of what your wolf is communicating to you. The basics of what she has to say. This I know you can do.” I nod, settling into a more comfortable position. Immediately, I’m met with the sense that my wolf has a different position she’d like us to be in. Up to this point, our communication has been through feelings and images. There are no mental words between us, although I’ve received the impression that she does in fact have a voice. Her suggestion comes to me through an image this time. I can see that she wants to be curled up next to Adam. I shift into the position she showed me. Most of my body is in his lap. He wraps his arms around me without any prompting and I smile. Mr. Fuller raises an eyebrow.

I grin sheepishly, “It’s what she wanted. She craves the physical contact.” Confusion and guilt waft off Adam and I look at him.

“Is this normal? A desire for physical touch?” He’s asking Mr. Fuller.

“Yes. It in the wolf’s nature. As much as we are human, part of us is purely animal. Physical contact is how emotions and thoughts are conveyed. A loving caress, a reprimanding nip to the ear. Communication is through contact.” Adam frowns. “Adam, our animal instinct is curbed by our human logical, linear thinking. It’s nothing to be too distraught over.”

Adam’s dominance flares as do his nostrils. I don’t understand why he is angry. But I can feel that my wolf is enjoying it. I frown, asking her why. The image she shows me is confusing as are the emotions that accompany it. The image is of two wolves entwined lying in a den. The main feeling is acceptance. I don’t know what to make of it. I ask her to make it simpler but she can’t.

Adam draws me attention by asking me a question. “Grace, why didn’t you tell me I was neglecting your wolf?”

I look at him surprised. “You’re not. She knows you enjoy her. You give her attention every time I shift around you.”

“But not when you’re…you.” His frown deepens. I stare at him for a few moments as something dawns on me.

“Mr. Fuller…”

“I can see you’re beginning to understand, Gracie.” He smiles. It’s one of his rare smiles that lights up his entire face.

I nod. All this time I’ve been treating my wolf like a separate entity who just shares my physical body with me. She’s her own person as am I. But apparently, that’s not how it should be. I think the reason so many are held back from reaching the level of intimacy with their wolves that Mr. Fuller has is because they don’t fully entwine with their animal halves. Adam picked it up quickly. When I’m me, that’s all there is. I don’t shut my wolf out, but there’s something like a chain-link fence between us. We can reach through and touch each other, but there’s only so much that can be shared through a fence. I’ve been so careful about maintain the distinction between myself and my wolf that I’ve blocked her from fully settling in.

Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes. I picture the wolf stalking through the snowy woods. I build her image in my mind slowly. But rather than turning that image outward as I would to undergo my change, I stay inwardly focused. As the wolf moves gracefully through the snow, I start to build my own image in my mind as I would when shifting from wolf to human. I watch myself wonder through the woods only slightly aware of the wondering wolf. I’m not sure how long it takes, but the two finally meet. As the mental image of me looks into the eyes of my wolf, I feel something snap inside me.

“Hello.” The voice is soft in my mind. Mentally, I sit in the snow in front of the wolf. She rests on her haunches.

“….Hi?”

There’s a note of a chuckle to the mental voice, “So timid? Come on, Gracelyn.”

“So…this is what you sound like. You sound like I’d picture my conscious to sound: sarcastic.”

The wolf’s tongue lolls out the side of her mouth and I’m left with the impression of her rolling her eyes. “Well, there’s a reason we get a long, dear one.” She edges forward to curl up on my lap. “Ah. This is nice. A tummy rub would be better….”

This time I roll my eyes as I start to scratch her stomach gently. “You know…this is weird. I’m rubbing my own stomach.”

She wiggles, making me move to a different spot on her stomach. “Idiot. But this is how it’s supposed to be. This is what it means to truly accept your werewolf nature. We’re one person Gracelyn…you know…like a mate-pair. No barriers between us.” I smile. While it is a strange experience, I can’t deny that I feel more whole. “Oh, Alpha is calling you back. Go slowly dear one. You don’t want to put the barriers back up.”

“Alright.” In my mind, I bend over, burying my face in the fur of my wolf’s neck. She smells like burning leaves, spices, and a hint of sea salt. Is that what I smell like to the pack?

“The sea salt is the pack smell dear one.” Smiling, I kiss her nose before starting to bring myself out of the trance. I go slowly, as my wolf suggested. I understand the emotion she was sharing with me before. The feeling of acceptance. I’m sure it was aimed at Adam because he figured it out so quickly, but now that I know what it feels like to fully embrace all of myself, I don’t want to lose it.

“I didn’t expect you to achieve that so quickly, Gracie. But it just shows how powerful you are.” The tone of Mr. Fuller’s voice suggests he has more to say, but that he’s practicing discretion. I want to know what it is that he isn’t saying, but I have to assume he doesn’t want to discuss it in front of Adam. “You heard her voice, I’m assuming.”

I nod. “Yeah. It was interesting. Do all wolves have a voice?”

“Yes. Though few ever hear the voice of their wolf. Most are too afraid of losing their grasp on their humanity. They don’t understand in their hearts that they are no longer simply human. We lose our humanity the moment we become werewolves. We are a new species and that is what must be embraced.”

“So I learned today.” I pull Adam’s arms tighter around me before looking up at him. “Does that freak you out? The whole ‘different species’ thing?”

He laughs, “No. You’re still human. You’re just a different kind of human. I kind of think of it like the male, female, hermaphrodite situation.”

My wolf laughs in my mind, “Our mate is very….unique.” I make a face at the word ‘mate.’ “That’s what he is Gracelyn. He’s our mate. You call him your boyfriend, but we both know he’s more than that.

Notes

For those of you who asked me. Sorry this took so long. I'm out of the habit of writing for pleasure. I hope this was enjoyable and not as crappy as I feel it is.