The Mating Rules

Lauren’s POV

I’m sat at my mother’s kitchen table, a huge chocolate cake in front of me with sparklers and a twenty-one, candle stuck in the top. Everyone around me is singing happy birthday loudly and off key, but I’m not in the celebrating mood at all. The chair beside me is empty, Tyler nowhere to be seen, I waited until the last minute, thinking he’d come back and we’d make up before coming over to my parent’s house, but he never showed.

I swallow down the lump in my throat when unwanted thoughts start creeping into my mind, of him and Ellie, tangled together in his bed, to absorbed in each other for my best friend to remember my birthday dinner.

‘Blow the candle out Lauren’ my mother calls out excitedly, ‘make a wish!’

I close my eyes, wondering what to wish for, ‘I wish Tyler were here’ I finally whisper before huffing out a breath, extinguishing the flame as everyone cheers around me.

As I open my eyes again, my mother is already whisking the cake out from in front of me, carrying it over to the kitchen unit to cut it up along with the Apple pie that’s been cooling on the side. I avoid looking at the peach cobbler that is still sitting on top of the stove, just another reminder that my best friend blew off my birthday for a booty call.

A plate is placed in front of me with a huge slice of chocolate cake on top, along with a fork. Giving my mother a grateful smile, I cut into the chocolatey goodness and lift it to my lips. Just as I’m pulling the fork back out, the door to my parent’s house bursts open and Tyler rushes in, looking dishevelled.

‘Sorry! Sorry!’ He gasps, walking over to my father to shake his hand before heading to my mother and placing a k**s on her cheek. ‘We had a multiple Rogue sighting on the south west border, the Alpha sent out a team just in case they were thinking of trying to breach the territory.

Mum pats his cheek before directing him to the chair next to mine and moving back to the stove to cut him a ridiculous sized slice of cobbler. As she places it in front of him, Tyler does a happy dance in his seat, his eyes moving to my mother as he grabs her hand.

‘Please Mrs Sparks, leave your Mate and marry me!’ he g****s, making my mother giggle.

‘Not a chance son’ my father growls, reaching for his Mate and tugging her into his lap, pressing a k**s to her temple, ‘this one is mine, get your a*s out into the forest at Claiming and find your own Mate.’

Tyler presses his hand to his chest, pouting, ‘denied’ he sighs dramatically before picking up his fork and attacking the cobbler with some obscene noises of enjoyment.

I wonder if he makes those noises when he enjoys other things . . .

I blink, straightening up, what the heck? Where did that come from? Tyler’s s*x noises are not something that concerns me!

I quickly duck my head, trying to hide the heat in my cheeks as I shovel cake into my mouth, doing everything I can to avoid talking to or looking at anyone.

After cake, my mother hands me a carefully wrapped gift, almost bouncing in her seat as I slowly pull the bow undone and peel away the paper.

Removing a box from the wrapping, I pull off the lid to reveal a key nestled inside with a keyring attached that has my name on.

Pulling it out I hold it up, looking from my mother’s excited face to my father in confusion, ‘what is this?’ I ask.

‘We bought you a car!’ My mother squeals, jumping up to grab my hand and pull me to my feet. Dragging me to the front door, my father and Tyler behind us, the older woman throws open the door and hustles me outside to their garage. Flicking on the light, mum steps back as I stare at the cute little beetle in shock. It’s bright red with white flowers painted across the bonnet, at least ten years old but looks well cared for.

‘We couldn’t afford something top of the range’ mum murmurs beside me, suddenly nervous as I stand there, silently. ‘I know your brother has that swanky truck because he’s the Beta, and Jamie-Lee got that sports car from Caden and Hadley. Bailee and Philip both have really nice cars too, we wanted you to have something to get you around . . ‘

I turn around and throw my arms around my mother, squeezing her tightly, ‘’it’s amazing!’ I gush, releasing her and tackling my father, ‘I love it!’

I hurry over to the car, running my fingers along the paintwork as my father talks behind me. ‘She’s an old girl pumpkin so don’t be tearing around the territory in her, Isaac and I checked her over, made sure she’s sound.’

I glance back at the old Beta over my shoulder, grinning widely, ‘I’ll take really good care of her, I promise’ I reply before holding up my hand and waving the keys. ‘Can I take her out? Please please please?’ I ask, giving my best puppy dog look that I know my dad can’t say no too.

‘Well . . . ‘ dad wavers immediately.

‘Sure you can sweetie’ mum cuts across him, ‘why don’t you and Tyler go for a ride and then you can park the car in the garage by the pack house.’

Squealing, I jump up and down before hugging both parents again and rushing to the drivers side.

‘Go on Tyler’ my mum urges the warrior who has been standing quietly to the side, ‘I know you want to go wherever out Lauren is going, you always have’ she teases.

I raise my head, looking over at Tyler who has a faint pink blush to his cheeks, staring at the floor uncomfortably.

‘Go on Son’ my father urges, ‘I’ll feel much happier if you are in the car with her the first time she drives it, you know how impulsive she can be.’

I gape at my father as he laughs loudly, ‘I am not impulsive!’ I growl, ‘I’m very responsible!’

My dad grins at me, ‘I know you are pumpkin’ he soothes, ‘just your old man having a bit of fun, now you two get going and I’ll bring up the rest of your cake and cobbler tomorrow.’

Nodding, I open the door, sliding into the seat and run my palms over the steering wheel excitedly. Beside me, the door opens, and Tyler’s huge frame folds into the passenger seat, shutting the door as he pulls on his seatbelt.

I start the engine, trying not to squeak out loud as the car purrs to life, oh my Goddess, I have a car! Putting the vehicle into drive, I slowly inch out of the space, hardly breathing until I’m outside and no longer in danger of scratching up my new baby.

Driving away from my parents’ house the fact that I’m alone in the car with Tyler crashes down on me and I suddenly feel extremely claustrophobic. I fiddle with the radio, trying to create something that will fill the unbearable silence between us as Tyler fiddles with his t-shirt.

‘It was nice of your folks to get you a car’ my best friend finally says after I’ve spent the best part of five minutes trying to tune into any radio station, seriously Goddess, I’ll take the old folks jazz station at this point!

‘Yeah, it is’ I reply, my voice coming out overly shrill, is that what I sound like? Get it together Lauren!

Clearing my throat, I try again to sound normal, ‘so, Rogues at the border? Did you see any action?’

I cringe inwardly as soon as the words come out of my mouth, why can’t I hold a damn conversation with the guy, it’s Tyler! My best friend since we were pups, the guy who held my hair when I vomited after we stole wolfsbane whiskey from his Dad’s cabinet when we were twelve. The guy who punched Robert Innes in the nose when he tried to grab my boobs in tenth grade. Tyler knows all my secrets, we have spent hours curled up in the same bed talking about everything and anything, hell, I knew when he got his first e******n, he texted me to tell me!

Tyler shrugs beside me, those huge powerful shoulders straining the material of his shirt with the movement. ‘Nah, it was just a small group passing through, had a kid with them, they weren’t after making trouble just walked a little to close to the boundary to get around a fallen tree.’

I nod, my fingernails practically digging into the steering wheel as I head around the houses of the territory, following the roads aimlessly.

‘I didn’t sleep with her’ Tyler suddenly blurts out, his eyes fixated on the darkening sky out of the passenger side window.

‘What?’ I ask, though there is only one person he can be talking about.

‘Ellie’ my best friend mutters, ‘I never slept with her, never even touched her or kissed her. She got locked out of her room last week when she took a dress to the laundry room. She was going out with one of the Elite’s and wanted to wear it or something, left her key inside and the Alpha, Luna and Gamma were in a meeting so she couldn’t get the spare. I let her use my bathroom to get changed in so she wouldn’t be late.’

I feel a tightness in my chest loosen slightly but I don’t look over at him, ‘you don’t owe me an explanation Ty’ I reply briskly, ‘I’m not your keeper.’

I can feel the air around us thicken, the warrior shifting in his seat as his hand reaches out tentatively to wrap around my fingers.

‘Ren’ he murmurs, pain lacing his voice as I slow the car to a stop, not sure I can keep us on the road when all I can concentrate on is just how good his cologne smells.

I pull the handbrake, putting the car in park before shifting so I’m facing him, studying his face as he stares back at me, a flicker of . . . something, in his eyes.

‘It’s OK Ty’ I whisper, forcing a smile, one I seem to be perfecting when it comes to this man, ‘you don’t have to feel bad about me. I’m twenty one, my first claiming is just days away, who knows? Maybe I’ll get answered, maybe you will hear your Mate that night, maybe we won’t, but one day one or both of us will have a Mate and things are going to change between us.

Your Mate isn’t going to want you running off to see me every day, especially when she . . .’ I swallow, bile suddenly rising as I will myself to continue. ‘When she has pups, she’s going to want the father of her children with her and their family. My Mate is most likely not going to be overly happy with another Male, mated or otherwise constantly hanging around his Mate.’

I suck in a deep breath, ‘whether we like it or not, we are going to move away from each other, other people are going to become more important in our lives than each other, and that’s . . that’s OK.’NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.

Tyler’s face crumples for a second before a mask falls into place covering his emotions.

‘I understand’ he replies calmly, ‘things will change and our priorities to each other will change with it.’ He turns his face to the window, the sunset lighting up his face, ‘maybe we should just start the process now, you know, to make it easier when the time comes.’

I gulp back tears that spring to my eyes, now? Like right now?

Turning back to me he shrugs, ‘I hope you find the man of your dreams Ren’ he mutters, ‘and I hope he treats you like the diamond that you are.’

Leaning toward me, he places a k**s on my forehead just like he’s done so many times before over the years, but this one is different, it isn’t a k**s of see you soon or feel better, it’s a k**s of goodbye.

‘See you around Lauren’ the warrior sighs, before unbuckling his seatbelt throwing open the door, and getting out. Leaning down, he rests an arm on the top of the car, looking at me, as if he wants to say something. Instead, he shakes his head sadly and straightens up, shutting the door and walking away into the darkness, leaving me sitting in my new car, alone as the tears I’ve been fighting finally break free and fall.