I gasped deeply, in complete shock. I never knew it was possible. Did that mean this woman in my dreams was a human too?
Hunter was just as confused and curious as me. “So how come I’m just learning about this? Shouldn’t we all know about it?” he asked my uncle in frustration.
“A big reason for the silence is that he wanted it kept a secret, and they pretended she came from a different pack from the North. After that, we had the great fire that killed many of the elders and most of the historical records perished. Tales of her existence seemed to disappear from our history and it only became a legend. Those who knew the truth kept her history from the rest of the packs because there was too much tension between them. Besides, after their first litter, she became a shifter as well.”
“So she wasn’t human after all,” Hunter whispered. He looked upset. I didn’t like where this was going. My great-uncle was beating around the bush about it.
“No, she was human. Her parents and the descendants all down her line had been human. It’s one of the interesting things about human mates. They shift after they birth their first pups.” He paused and took a drink of his coffee. “Only an Alpha can possess a human mate. He is the strongest, and it takes the most powerful Alpha to consummate the bond.”
“Why?” It was peculiar because humans were weaker than us. Why would they be our mates? Alphas are the strongest, most capable leaders of the packs.
“Because until she had borne him his first pups, she possessed no special abilities. She was extremely vulnerable, and it took a strong mate that could handle an attack on her and their unborn. Before she changed, they had no idea that she would ever grow to have the ability,” he informed us.
Fear started to course through me. My dream woman could be in danger just for being with me. Hunter was looking at me suspiciously, and I knew he could sense the tension that was rolling off me. My heart was racing and my need to shift was building. Thoughts of her hating me for not protecting her crossed my mind.
Creed tapped Hunter’s shoulder as he examined me intently. “You look lost in thought. I knew one day you’d come for these answers.”
“What do you mean?” he asked earnestly. I raised my brow at my great-uncle, too.
He knowingly smiled, then asked, “You’ve found her, haven’t you?”
“I have, but please don’t tell anyone,” Hunter pleaded. I understood his concern to protect his mate. I felt the same way. She was mine and I needed to sort this shit out.
“Hunter, I look to you as one of my own. There is no way I would tell a soul about her, but I’m afraid there will be no way to hide it. You must mark her as yours as soon as possible. The only problem is she has to agree to the pairing.”
“Is it because she’s human that I have been dreaming of her for the past six months. Dreams about mating and marking her?” The instant he said that I turned to him with my eyes bulging out. Six fucking months? I couldn’t continue living like I was. I shredded my sheets last night, so I knew I was in trouble and needed to stock up on bedding soon.
“Yes. Since she is not one of us, she doesn’t feel the pull like you do. She doesn’t crave you like you crave her, but dreaming of her for the past six months may make her more receptive to you,” Creed added, which alarmed Hunter but soothed me. She hated me. If I had a chance to make her love me, I would do anything to make it happen.
“Damn it, I have to make her want me. How am I supposed to do that? I’ve never had the urge to mate before, so I’ve never tried to charm a woman into anything.” Ha, he had no idea how lucky he had it. My mate hated me.
“Hunter, it will come naturally. You mustn’t worry. No male knows what to do with a woman before they begin the mating dance. It comes to them naturally, and the mate is meant for them so they could never not please them. You’re fated to each other.”
“But she’s different.” Doubt entered my mind as well.
“Are you afraid that you won’t feel as strongly towards her?” he asked Hunter.
He guffawed with a shake of his head. “No, if anyone feels like I do at the moment, I would grieve with them. I feel like I’m in a perpetual state of longing to be at her side. I want to please her, and I don’t even know who she is. My heart is pounding just at the thought of seeing her.”
“Your bond will be the strongest of all. It will bring resentment from others, and that’s why the Alpha is the only one to possess a human mate.” I will need to be strong for my mate when I meet her. There will never come a time where I’d let a hair on her head be harmed.