Page 23 of Cryptic Dreams
I shouldn’t be able to do that, especially if he refuses our bond and rejects it altogether. Females aren’t supposed to have a clue who their mate is until he embraces their connection, it’s just how it is, how we were designed when it comes to a male-female pairing.
I’ve always wondered how the owner of Clean Drip found her mate though, how the only other person I talk to was able to confirm that her female mate was in fact her mate. I guess maybe that’s a question for the Gods of Old really, if maybe one of them or both still felt the pull and were able to get confirmation somehow. Not that I know anything more about mating than what my parents told me, or what I’ve read in books.
Or what I was unfortunate enough to experience first hand when my cousins found each other—the way males just know, proven in a huge way when Orion met Aries and the two of them actually consummated their mating within minutes of meeting, right outside the library as a matter of fact.
Since it was two males, both of them knew immediately that they were mates, and it was horrifying when I walked out after work to meet Orion and stumbled across him bent over the book return box on the side of the building with Aries balls deep in his ass while he jerked my cousin’s dick so hard I thought he was going to pull it off.
After they finished—which wasn’t until I screamed, ran a few blocks and threw up in a trash can—they caught up to me, explained, and I was elated. Then they walked me home, ducked into the alley next to my house and changed it up so my cousin plowed Aries, thus totally mated and leaving me scarred for life.
I’m happy for them though, and I love Aries just as much as I love Orion.
But it proves that males are generally the ones to feel, accept, and initiate every aspect of mating, and I have no idea how I’m able to be so confident that Wraith is my mate.
And since I have absolutely no one to talk to about it—because there is no way in hell I’m bringing it up to Orion when my mate, who is his friend, obviously doesn’t want me—I’m just going to have to dig deeper into our history and see if it’s ever happened before. If I can’t find anything, it’ll suck, but I’ll have to live with it right along with the sting of rejection and broken dreams until I drive myself crazy with questions that have no answers.
It should at least make forever alone mildly entertaining.
My skin prickles as I continue to pace and the hair on the back of my neck stands on end, goosebumps erupting over my skin. I suck in a sharp breath as butterflies explode in my stomach and I know without looking that it means Wraith has left the club.
And he’s heading my way.
I rush toward the back alley, the one that will put buildings between us and hopefully hide the fact that I’m about to follow him.
My heart is pounding in my chest, pounding so hard, but it doesn’t scare me; instead, it excites me. It sends a thrill through my body in a way I’ve never felt before and when I peer around the back of the tattoo shop and see Wraith lumbering down the sidewalk, I fucking swoon for no damn reason.
Wow, he’s gorgeous.
And really fucking intimidating.
I almost have to run to keep up with him, his long legs eating up the pavement much quicker than mine do. I’m so glad I wore my tennis shoes tonight. The slip-ons are way better designed for stalking my mate in the shadows totally undetected because yes, Wraith is definitely my mate. I don’t know how or why I know, but I just do.
Still struggling to keep up, I follow him several blocks in the opposite direction of where I live toward Mid-City, and I’m a little surprised because I got the distinct impression he lived closer to me than that.
Must not be as psychically in tune with Wraith as I am with damn near everyone else.
Then again, I haven’t touched him so it’s not like I’m going on anything but my gut here.
My gut that drops to my toes when I look around the next corner and don’t see him anywhere.
Shit.
Shit, shit, shit.
I lost him.
Serves me right for getting so caught up in my head. And it isn’t like I had a plan, nothing beyond following him anyway. I didn’t exactly intend to show myself and declare we’re mates then demand to know why he doesn’t want me. I’m toospinelessfor something like that.
My shoulders sag as I pull my backpack off and set it on the ground with a very defeated sigh. This shouldn’t disappoint me, not really. I know exactly why Wraith wouldn’t want to be mated to someone like me, and stalking him was stupid because there was no point to it outside of confirming what I already know.
Wraith is my mate and he doesn’t want me because I’m not good enough for anyone let alone someone as magnificent as him.
Tears burn behind my eyes, my vision cloudy and blurry, but as I lift my hands and press the heels to my cheeks to try to stop myself from crying, two tight fists close around my forearms and I’m slammed into the side of the building.
“Why are you following me?” The velvet voice and sinful accent growl at me, Wraith’s breath so close it mingles with my own.
I squeeze my eyes shut tightly and turn my head, my pulse skyrocketing to critical levels, but I don’t speak. I can’t. I can’t even look at him let alone speak to him. Not now and probably not ever.
His grip on my arms tightens as he pushes me harder against the wall. “Why. Are. You. Following. Me.”
