James cleared his throat before saying, "I can't feel my mate because… I am not of age yet."
Cornelia looked at James from top to bottom. What did he mean by, not of age yet? "You seem fully grown."
James puffed his chest proudly. Yes, he was tall and muscular for his age, but he still had years to grow and there was also the point… "We can feel it after our eighteenth birthday. Well, some can feel it earlier, but not two years earlier. I am just sixteen years old." He wished that he was older so that he can confirm if the beauty in front of him was his mate. Then he would whisk her away and have sex with her, forever.
"Oh…", a sound of understanding escaped Cornelia's lips. "Well, then… James. I guess I will see you in two years."
James' jaw fell open slack as he stared blankly at Cornelia's retreating back, and it was a beautiful back, just like the rest of her.
James nearly fell when Petra nudged him.
"Are you nuts? If she is your mate, you can't let her go.", Petra hissed.
"But, I don't feel it.", James said.
"Really? Are you saving yourself for your mate?", Erik asked, and James pressed his lips into a line.
It was too late for James to save himself because he already experienced sex with more than one woman. But if he says that, his friends will probably see it as bragging, and not think how sick was for women to throw themselves at a thirteen years-old boy only because his father was an Alpha. Most of the females were in their late teens, but some were much older, and then there were a few girls his age. At first, it was just kissing and fondling, but in time things progressed and who would say no to a free meal?
Eventually, James realized that those women didn't care about him at all, and some of them were coming onto him only because their family pressured them, and James got disgusted by the whole thing. He didn't want to become like his father, a lecherous man who disrespected his chosen mate by sleeping around, so James decided to focus on training and studying, and concealing the fact that he didn't have an Alpha aura.
"Aren't you attracted to her?" It was Petra who asked, making James think about the beauty with chocolate-colored skin and those breasts that would perfectly fill his palms.
James blushed a little. Was he that transparent?
"It seems she thinks you are mates.", Erik said. "Will you be OK if she ends up with another man?"
James' jaw tightened. What other man!? His insides jolted when he realized that he was possessive. This never happened before. "It doesn't make sense. She is not one of us. How can a human recognize a mate?"
"First, she is hot. Second, she was into you. And third, she is not human.", Zack said. "Didn't you see that we didn't move? It was her doing. With a wave of a finger, like magic."
"Is she a fairy?", James asked.
"Whatever she is, it's not human.", Erik responded while scratching the back of his neck. "To be honest, I would give my left testicle for such a beauty to throw herself at me."
Petra made a face at Erik. "Gross." And then she turned to James. "I am watching you for the last few days, so I have an impression that you are not easy to sway. We went skinny dipping tonight and you didn't even blink at any of the girls that were trying to seduce you, yet this one fully clothed made you flustered. And when she removed her top you gaped like you never saw a woman in your life."
James touched his nose. "She is beautiful, but…"
Petra rolled her eyes. "But, what? You are attracted to her, and it's obvious that it's mutual. Go after her. What's the worst that can happen? Just don't be hasty in marking her. Or are you thinking that you are too young? Recent studies show that humans in Iceland and Germany have sex for the first time at fifteen years old, and you are older than that. And not human."
James frowned. Why did Petra know information related to the sexual habits of people from Iceland and Germany? But Petra was right. As much as James saw attractive females, none of them made his heart race or his wolf stir like the dark-skinned beauty that just left.
Cornelia held her shoes in one hand and her t-shirt in another, and she stood in the grass in front of the packhouse while looking up at the starry sky.
This was her first evening in the human realm, and she wasted it on chasing ghosts. But it was not a complete waste. She saw people walking on the streets and eating in restaurants, and then she saw them dancing in front of the bonfire and going swimming after discarding their clothes.
Now that she was on her own, Cornelia realized that her heart was heavy because she really missed her sisters at home. Maybe she should go back and forget about this exploring the other realms nonsense.
Cornelia saw Yasmin with Axel happy and full of smiles, and she wanted that connection. She jumped on a chance of going with Talia and maybe finding her soulmate, but now she wondered if she was hasty.
She recalled what she did since coming to the human realm. Cornelia met an interesting man tending to plants, but then she got tackled by a jealous she-wolf (aka Mindy), and since then she was mostly stuck in a room. She thought that going out in the evening to explore will help her embrace this new realm, but at the end of the day, she didn't belong here, and she was lonely.
Cornelia decided to talk to Talia in the morning and see if she can return to the Midnight Guardians pack. With Yasmin there, she might feel better, and if that doesn't work, Cornelia will just go home. There were plenty of other witches eager to explore what was on the other side of the portal.
Cornelia felt a prickling sensation on her bare back, like someone was touching her there, along her spine, and she whipped her head to see a person walking toward her. James.
"Did you forget something?", she asked before he could get too close.
She was not in the mood for a chit-chat.
The desire to get closer to him was there again, and this time she didn't want it. She wanted to go home.
James cleared his throat and thought how this conversation would be easier if she put that t-shirt back on instead of holding it in her hand, but at the same time, he didn't want her to cover up.
Of course, Cornelia noticed that his eyes gravitated toward her breasts. She had no problems staying like that, but his behavior irked her.
She folded her arms under her breasts, giving them a push up. "Hey! My eyes are up here."
