The Mating Rules

Caden’s POV

I don’t believe her, there is something wrong with my Leeway and for some reason she doesn’t want me or Hadley to know what it is.

‘We need to talk’ I snap through the link to Hadley who huffs loudly but doesn’t challenge my a*****e attitude, probably knows it’s my wolf reacting to my mate’s unhappiness.

‘Come over to mine in half hour’ he replies, ‘and bring some food from the dining hall, will you, I’m hungry and I don’t want to wait until you decide to leave to have my dinner.’

‘Fine’ I grind out, shutting the link down and heading to my bathroom for a quick shower.Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

Getting dressed, I brush my damp hair out of my eyes and huff in annoyance as I head out of my room. I’m pretty sure as the future Alpha, I’m not supposed to be picking up food for one of my warriors. I can already see Carrington’s smug look when I knock the door, a*****e.

Shoving my way into the kitchen, I sigh as one of the omegas shrieks and drops the basket of rolls she’s holding. Other members of the kitchen staff are looking at me nervously.

‘Is uh, something the matter, Alpha?’ one of the older women asks uncertainly.

I shake my head, ‘no, everything is fine’ I reply, ‘I just wanted to ask for a couple of containers, I want to take my dinner with me as I have somewhere I need to be.’

The older woman indicates to a small boy who looks ready to wet himself at my impromptu arrival and he scurries off quickly. ‘We can make you up a meal’ the older Omega offers, ‘prepare you a full picnic.’

I shake my head, ‘no honestly, it’s fine, I just need something to keep everything warm while I go to a’ I bite down on my tongue, ‘friend’s house.’

The small boy appears, holding out a bag and some plastic containers to the older woman who takes them, hurrying over to the fridge and adding some bottles of soda before bringing them over to me.

‘Thank you’ I murmur, taking the bag and giving each of them a smile. Turning around, I leave, feeling the whole room relax as the door falls shut behind me. Goddess, you’d think I was a celebrity the way they act sometimes.

Walking into the dining room I give an awkward wave to a few of the warriors who greet me from their tables and head to the self service area. Opening the containers, I scoop as much of the special fried rice as I can fit into one, a selection of each of the meats into a few of the others, chips then curry sauce into the smallest. I tuck them all into the bag along with a load of prawn crackers and head back out into the foyer, making my way to my truck.

Climbing in, I place the bag on my passenger seat and start the engine, pulling out of my space and crawling around toward Carrington’s house.

Pulling up outside, I grab the food and stride up his path, knocking loudly on the front door that is pulled open moments later by the warrior who doesn’t even greet me, just grabs the bag and walks back into the house, leaving me to follow him.

Shutting the door, I trail toward the kitchen, ‘nice to see you too a*****e’ I grumble.

‘Hi, hungry’ the werewolf grunts back, pulling out plates and setting them on the table along with some cutlery before taking a seat.

Sitting down across from him, I help take the lids off everything as he empties the bag and we scoop a bit of each onto our plates that Carrington immediately starts shovelling into his mouth.

‘I’m not going to take your plate, f*ck! Calm down’ I scowl, picking up a prawn cracker and using it as a makeshift scoop to gather up some of the rice and push it into my mouth.

Glancing up at me, Carrington scowls, ‘I haven’t eaten since this morning’ he huffs, ‘your dad had me do a double patrol today.’

Eating our food in silence, we polish off everything I brought with me and grab the sodas, heading back into the living room where I take a seat on the couch.

Sitting down in one of the armchairs, Carrington looks at me expectantly as I take a gulp of my drink. Placing the bottle down on the warrior’s coffee table, I suppress a chuckle as he immediately leans forward and slides a coaster underneath.

‘There is something up with our girl’ I start, getting right to the point.

Carrington nods, ‘I know, but if she doesn’t want to talk to us about it, we need to respect her wishes’ he replies.

I growl in annoyance, Cobalt huffing in my head, we don’t like our mate being upset and we really don’t like not being able to comfort her. Jamie-Lee and Skarla’s pain is making us both agitated and it annoys me further that the warrior across from me is so calm about it.

‘We should be there’ I grumble, ‘she needs us, I can feel it.’

Carrington raises an eyebrow at me, ‘I can feel it too’ he murmurs, ‘but Lee was very clear that she wanted to be alone. I think it’s better to give her tonight, let her sort her own mind out and then maybe she’ll talk to us of her own accord.’

Seeing me about to argue, he cuts me off, ‘Jamie-Lee is strong willed Star, she will not take kindly to us forcing her to talk when she isn’t ready, we need to give her the time she has asked for.’

I slump back in to the couch, crossing my arms over my chest. I know he’s right, but I still don’t like it. I want to take my mate’s worries away, not be pushed aside whilst she deals with whatever is upsetting her all alone.

Carrington clears his throat, fidgeting slightly and drawing my attention as I straighten up again.

‘The full moon is coming’ he suddenly blurts out as both our gazes move toward the window as if drawn by an invisible magnet.

I nod, ‘I know’ I reply tightly, I’ve never dreaded a full moon as much as I do this one. All the other full moons before the last one, I prayed not to hear a calling. The last one I prayed for nothing but to hear it, and now I wish that we’d never have another full moon again.

‘We need to discuss it Star’ the warrior growls, ‘you know we do.’

I flick my gaze over the walls, taking in the photos of Carrington with his parents, each one he’s beaming brightly at the camera and it draws me to my own parents apartment in the pack house where there are hardly any photos of me and my dad.

‘We still have time’ I mutter, I really don’t want to do this right now. I’m worked up about Jamie-Lee, I haven’t slept properly for the last week due to the decision hanging over all of us, I’m just not ready.

‘No we don’t’ Carrington snaps, ‘we need to decide so whoever it is can reject her before she has a chance to reject us. This was your stupid idea Star, you said it was for Jamie-Lee, that’s why I agreed, are you backing out? Are you going to let her live with that guilt, because if so it should be you who bows out’ he adds angrily.

‘I’m not backing out’ I snarl back, meeting his angry gaze, ‘Leeway will not carry the guilt of rejection, I won’t let her but I don’t know how to f*cking decide OK?!’

The warrior blinks as his shoulders relax, the fight leaving him, ‘yeah, I understand that, what do we use to decide who is better for her’ he mumbles.

I drag my hand down my face in exasperation, I hadn’t really thought through HOW we’d pick, just that it needed to be us to do it.

‘What if . . ‘ Carrington starts before shaking his head, a low chuckle leaving his lips, ‘forget it, it’s stupid.’

‘What?’ I order desperately, at this minute I’ll even take a stupid idea over the big pile of nothing I’ve got.

The warrior eyes me warily, ‘I was going to suggest we list each other’s strengths, reasons why we think the other is better for Jamie-lee’ he admits finally.

Part of me wants to laugh, I mean there has been animosity between us for over half our lives, but he’s also got a point. We are the most impartial people regarding the other, we will not lie about the other’s good traits.

‘Yeah, actually, that sounds good’ I reply, getting a surprised look in return. ‘What?’ I demand defensively, ‘I don’t like you, you don’t like me, so really if we can see a good trait in the other it must be worthy of Leeway.’

‘OK, well that’s what we’ll do’ Carrington agrees slowly, ‘who should go first?’

‘You’ I say quickly, it was his idea after all.

Giving me a scathing look, the warrior nods, ‘OK, well you are the future Alpha’ he starts as he glances around, ‘do we need some paper and a pen? Write them down?’ he adds uncertainly.

‘Yeah, go get some paper’ I nod, ‘and you can’t use my position. We agreed that, my position and your past are not up for debate, this is about Jamie-Lee and what is best for her’ I add sternly.

‘Yeah, OK, yep, hang on, I’ll find a pad.’ The warrior jumps up and hurries from the room, returning a few minutes later with two pads and pens. ‘I got two in case you wanted your own, or we need to take notes or something’ he mumbles, sitting down and handing me one.

Taking it, I nod my thanks and wait for him to speak.

‘OK, reasons you are a good mate’ the werewolf mutters, ‘umm, you are . . .’ he frowns and I try not to take too much offense that he can’t think of anything. ‘You are loyal’ he suddenly says, writing it down on his pad. ‘You are completely devoted to Jamie-Lee, nothing is more important to you than her.’

I frown, ‘of course I am’ I huff, ‘every wolf is loyal to their mate, it’s how the bond works.’

Carrington shakes his head, ‘not true’ he argues, ‘wolves cheat, just not as much as humans or other species do, because our mates can feel it but we do have some that f*ck around. Plus, it’s not just that, you are loyal to the pack, the warriors, hell you are even loyal to me’ he growls. ‘You hate me, but I know without any hesitation, if we were in a fight and I was in trouble, you would jump in to save me.’ He raises his gaze to mine, ‘you are a good man Star and you are going to be a really good leader one day.’

I swallow thickly, trying not to let the other man’s words affect me, but I can see in his gaze that he means what he’s saying. He isn’t wrong either. In a fight, I would never allow my personal feelings to stop me from helping out a pack member. They are all my pack and I will jump in to save any of them that needed me, I’d give my life for each and every one if I had to.