Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 30663 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 153(@200wpm)___ 123(@250wpm)___ 102(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30663 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 153(@200wpm)___ 123(@250wpm)___ 102(@300wpm)
“You know, I went through something similar,” William said, after taking a sip of his drink.
“Similar?” Joe asked.
“Your grandfather told me to leave and find out who I was. He said the only way for me to learn what it meant to lead was to go find myself. Didn’t have a clue what he was talking about.”
“You … left?”
“That I did. Not for long, and not for as long as you, but I found myself and then I found your mother, and the rest is history.”
“And when you found … Mom, did you just know?”
William looked at him. “You’re curious about mating?”
“I guess I’m curious about it all, Dad. I told you, I’m back and I’ve got no plans to leave. I’m ready to come home and stay home.” He couldn’t help but think about one of the reasons he wanted to stay home: Darcy.
He was going to see her tonight. All morning, even while working with his father, he felt his wolf close to the surface, wanting to go and see his woman. His mate.
“You’ll find your mate and when you do, you’ll know.”
“How?”
William chuckled. “The young are always so impatient. She will become your whole world. Looking at her, being with her, you will find yourself at peace just to be near her.”
“And does Mom feel the same way about you?” Joe asked.
“Yes, she does.”
He loved that there was no doubt to his father.
“What about smell?” Joe asked.
“Smell?”
“Did Mom or does Mom smell a certain way to you that is so intoxicating, you don’t know how you’re going to live without her?” He thought about how Darcy smelled to him last night, and his mouth watered for a taste. Even his wolf was getting desperate to go to her.
“Yes, your mom smells amazing all the time. Whenever she is near, even if I haven’t seen her, I can smell her, and not in a bad way either.”
Joe couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t worry, Dad, I won’t go telling Mom that you said she smells bad.”
They both laughed together.
“It’s good to have you home. It wasn’t the same without you.”
“I missed home but I’m pleased I did what I did. I’m back now.” At eighteen, he wouldn’t have been able to handle the prospect of becoming the alpha. He’d only just handled his first transition, and that had been a nightmare. Never had he experienced so much pain.
Ryan and Wade had claimed it was the best feeling in the world. To him, it had been the worst. He lied to his friends telling them it had been a piece of cake and he didn’t see what all the fuss was about, but the truth was, by the next full moon, he’d been terrified. It was one of the reasons he left. He didn’t want his friends or the pack to see him as weak.
After leaving the pack before the next full moon, he was able to begin his mission of becoming stronger. The first month away, he organized camping equipment and trekked out into the wilderness waiting for the full moon. When it came, he was full of fear, terrified of the transition.
The second one was just as bad as the first, but it wasn’t as painful. The third got easier, as did the fourth, until he no longer feared his wolf and started to look forward to the full moon.
Once he embraced his wolf, he missed home, but even though he wanted to return home, he made sure to continue his mission in learning exactly who he was.
It hadn’t been easy. The months ticked on and the loneliness seeped in.
Each month, he’d start to head home, and then he’d find himself hesitating. That hesitation always told him he wasn’t ready, so he continued his quest.
It got to the stage when he was no longer sure what he wanted to do or what he was looking for. The moment he didn’t stop and kept walking, he went home. It took seven long years, but he didn’t regret a day.
Apart from Darcy.
No one knew that when the worst of the pain was upon him, he’d think of her. He didn’t know why he would think of her.
Darcy was always in his thoughts. He would often wonder what she was doing, if she was okay. There were times he would be curious about whether she had mated, and when he called home and heard of the new people who had found mates, he’d dread hearing her name.
It all made sense to him. She was his.
He didn’t know why he didn’t think of that before he left. The truth was, at eighteen, after his first transition had gone so badly, he’d wanted to get out. He hadn’t gone to see her one final time. Joe had felt weak and useless, and he’d left, in the hope of becoming a better man for her. A better wolf. A better alpha.