Chapter 48 - 47. Dating

When they reached the room, Glen put the key in the lock and opened the door before entering the small hallway. He spotted the switch and turned it on before turning to Eden and smiling at him. He stepped out of the way to invite him to come inside. The omega male timidly followed him inside the unfamiliar room. He took off his shoes, walking with just his socks on the floor. The place was meticulously cleaned which reassured the blonde man who strode to the bed. He stopped and stared at the perfectly spread sheets on the bedding that have no wrinkles. The place smelled clean and he didn't smell any strong scent. Nevertheless, Glen noticed the young man was strangely tense.

"If you're uncomfortable I can sleep on the couch," Glen offered after spotting the small armchair by the window.

"No! That's not it!" Eden denied, flustered and the alpha tilted his head looking at him.

He could see that something was bothering him. Eden's fingers were fidgeting while he stared at the bed, his lower lip stuck between his teeth. The dominant couldn't help but notice how adorable he was. Glen walked over to him and hugged him softly from the back, resting his head on Eden's right shoulder and turning his face to look at him. He was glad to see that the young man hadn't tensed up as he feared at first. He noticed, however, that his heart was racing.

"Tell me what's wrong, hm?"

"It's nothing. I didn't mean to bother you, it's just that I've never slept outside of my nest so I don't feel very comfortable. "

"Oh! That's right… "The Alpha pulled away and he saw the slight pout that appeared on Eden's face as he released his grip. He smiled, tenderly. "Wait, let me try something, you just need to be in a place with smells that comfort you, right?

"Hm, that's a bit of a rough summary, but it's correct."

Right after getting the confirmation he needed, the alpha let out a large dose of his pheromones. He didn't stop until the entire room was filled with his scent. When he finished, he hesitated a moment and released a smaller amount of comfort pheromones. Satisfied, he turned to Eden.

"Is it good?" He asked, but concern immediately transformed his face. "Crap! I didn't ask you, I acted without thinking. Your pheromones calm me so I thought mine must have the same effect on you, I should have asked you beforehand. "

The omega male giggled when he saw the alpha panic.

"You were right. You are my mate so your scent is the one that has the most effect on me. And ... I also really like your smell. It's softer than that of other dominants. I feel better now. Thank you."

Eden moved forward slowly and locked his alpha's chest in an embrace. He rested his chin on the dominant's chest to look at him. Glen looked down at his mate and gazed into the golden irises staring at him. He lifted his hands and ran his fingers through the soft hair. Under his caress, the younger man closed his eyes and relaxed. The alpha observed once again the detail of the face he had already memorized. He admired the long lashes that dressed the lids with a delicate, almost supernatural beauty and the curves of his upper lip that looks like a heart. The pearly pink lips hypnotized him. His gaze slid down to the neck and that area right at the base. Ever since he had accepted being Eden's mate, the dominant had been plagued by these same overwhelming urges all the time. As if all willpower was useless.

The alpha had a constant desire to be near his mate and now that he has been marked, he had only one urge: to bite the omega at the base of his neck. Not being able to mark him made the dominant irritable and uncomfortable. His nervousness was such that he couldn't keep his hands in place. Touching his omega, wrapping him in his scent was the only way he could quell his impulses and resist the urge to mark him. The young man broke eye contact and buried his face in the shirt before taking a deep breath. Seeing his gesture, Glen smiled and patted his head.

"It's been a long day, we better go to bed so as not to miss tomorrow's departure. You can go to the bathroom first, I'll pick up the things we left in the car. "

He kissed his forehead and let Eden walk away towards the bathroom door. With a silent sigh, he congratulated himself this time again for resisting and left the room. The dominant descended the stairs and passed the reception when a voice called out to him. He looked up just in time to catch a glimpse of the bag Greg had just thrown at him. He grabbed the bag that contained the things they had bought on the road.

"Thanks. "

"You welcome." The doctor joined him and they both walked in silence back to their respective rooms. Greg glanced at the werewolf next to him and frowned.

"What? Don't tell me there's already water in the gas? We left you not even twenty minutes ago. I thought the honeymoon phase would last a bit longer. "

"Are you trying to pick a fight?"

"Ok, ok. Just tell me what's bothering you. And hurry up, my man is waiting for me. "

Glen scoffed then stopped, mimicked by the doctor who leaned his back against a wall. He watched the alpha whose face showed he had something on his mind.

"There is something that bothers me and I'm not sure how to tell Eden about it. I know we're fated mate and I have this weird yet intense connection that makes me want to be around him all the time, but… I don't want our relationship to be just defined by our instincts as a werewolf and a destiny that binds us to each other without us questioning any further. "

"And what do you want then?"

"I would like to get to know him if possible and… I know my feelings for him aren't wrong, but they're not exactly mine. They are those of the wolf in me. I'd like to see if I can fall in love with him on my own. " He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. "I know it's a human way of thinking, werewolves don't ask so many questions, I should probably just listen to my gut, but…"

"What are you saying? Werewolves are certainly not human beings, but they do have a human part. You say that your wolf is already attached to Eden and you would like your human side to be too, I don't see where is the matter. Rather, it's a sign that you really want to be committed to your relationship. You are a werewolf, but you grew up with Humans. So in the future, there will be a lot of reasons for you to argue and not understand each other. Wanting to build a deep relationship and getting to know each other is a good way to prevent some of these conflicts. This is… something I never thought I would hear from a man who, not even two months ago, tried to ignore that he had a mate by sleeping with one of his sex friends. "

"Why are you digging up the past?" Glen asked, annoyed, which caused the doctor to laugh.

Greg lifted himself off the wall and patted the man in front of him on the shoulder.

"You are mates. Talk to him heartily like you just did with me. He may be young, but Eden seems to have his head on his shoulders. I'm sure he'll understand how you feel if you explain it to him. "

Without adding anything, he walked away leaving Glen in the hallway. The alpha thought about what he had just heard for a moment, then walked back to their room. When he got to the door, he realized he had forgotten the key and knocked. He heard soft noises coming closer to the entrance and, with a click, the door opened to reveal Eden's head. He relaxed as soon as he recognized his dominant's face and opened the door wide to let Glen in.

"The room is full of your pheromones so I couldn't tell if it was you."

"I brought back our things." He said in response, pointing to the inflated backpack he was carrying in his arms.

Eden smiled widely and with a brief 'thank you', grabbed the bag. He had put on a motel-supplied bathrobe and his hair was still wet after the shower. The alpha frowned and wrinkled his nose when he smelled the artificial perfume of the shower gel that masked the scent he liked so much.

Far from having noticed his mate's annoyed look, Eden had walked around the bed where he had waited comfortably installed with magazines found on a low table near the armchair. Several of them were open and the omega had a curious glow shining deep in its eyes. Glen watched as the young man placed the bag on the armchair and fished for something to wear among the clothes they had bought earlier. After putting on some underwear, the omega slid the bathrobe off his shoulders and put it on the back of the chair before tucking his head into the neck of a t-shirt. His body was covered by the fabric up to the middle of his thighs and the young werewolf, satisfied, closed it all before turning around and meeting the gaze of his mate who had not left him for a second. Suddenly, self-conscious, he narrowed his eyes.

"What's the matter?"

Glen stared at him silently and thought about the conversation he had just had. He had no idea what was going to happen to them tomorrow, and with everything they have to face at the same time, he wasn't sure he would have another moment to explain how he felt.

"There is something I want to talk to you about."

Eden flinched slightly. He could sense Glen's nervousness and he didn't know how to respond, so he just remained silent and nodded to encourage the alpha to speak. Glen motioned to show the bed and invite the omega to sit down. Docile, Eden trotted over to the bedding which sagged under his weight when he sat down cross-legged. The dominant walked over to the bed too and knelt on the floor in front of his mate before resting his head on the space formed by his crossed ankles. Eden instinctively began to stroke his alpha's hair. They remained like this for a moment in a silence that had become comfortable again.

"I know we're mates and we're supposed to behave like a pair, but I can't forget that we don't know each other. I feel my wolf is very attached to you and I guess it's because of that fated mate thing, but there's more than my werewolf side… "

Eden's hand had stopped moving. Glen could hear the omega's heart racing but didn't perceive pheromones of distress so he straightened up to face the younger man and continued.

"I don't want our relationship and bond to be just that we're tied to each other by the Moon Goddess or whatever. I want to fall in love with you on my own and I also want you to fall in love with me. Not because fate brought us together but because you couldn't help but like every part of the very charming me. " He had finished his sentence with a confident grin to which the blond man replied with a roll of his eyes and smiled.

"What do you think?"

"I think you're doing well. It's a pretty good introduction for a courting proposal. We did things out of order, but I'd also like to get to know you so it's ok. You can try to make me fall for you. "

An expression of joy had lit the face of the young man who was gazing at his mate with sparkling eyes. Seeing this, Glen wanted to tease him.

"This also applies to you." He stated and pulled away from Eden. His face wore a provocative expression.

"What do you mean?" The male omega asked with an amused tone.

"I mean that you have to make me fall for you as well."

He had barely finished his sentence when Eden grabbed his chin and lifted it to connect their gaze.

"I'm pretty sure I can make you mine anytime so, you better hurry and seduce me if you want me to claim your heart like I already claimed you."

A fire had lit in his eyes and Glen was almost bewitched by the seductive aura of the young omega. He swallowed hard and answered.

"Ok, so I guess now we're dating?"