Chapter 147 - 146. How You Feel It

Glen noticed Eden's slight recoil on hearing his words and the alpha felt his heart tighten. Painfully.

He had spoken because he was sure of the emotions he felt through the Fated Bond when they were together. Each touch was filled with affection more intense than the moment before. Every look, every kiss made him dangle that this would be the moment when the omega would finally open up to him. With this movement, a feeling of unease was born and dispersed as quickly as a flash in the pan.

Since his feelings had bloomed, Glen was torn between the patience imposed by his promise and the impatience to live and consume his first love. Nothing in his past experiences had prepared him for the turbulence of waiting. The tiniest of gestures gave him hope as well as the slightest refusal brought him to his knees. His fists clenched and the dominant gritted his teeth to swallow the twinge of his heart.

"Glen, I…"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be overbearing. It's okay if you don't say anything tonight. I don't want you to feel pressured. Don't force your feelings…"

"Will you please shut up?" rumbled the omega.

Shocked by the sudden outburst, Glen stared at the blond with wide eyes. The younger werewolf stared back at him with an upset expression on his face. It wasn't the atmosphere the alpha wanted for their first date and he didn't know how to fix it. Thus, he just did what his omega expected of him and he stayed quiet.

"It's not what you think. I promise," Eden added in a softer tone. "It's just... It's... Frustrating." The male omega started after he calmed down and he lowered his head to the ground.

He kicked a pebble that sank straight into the nearby river. A silence settled and stretched, almost endless for the alpha who felt his heart about to give out. Glen didn't dare to disturb his mate's thoughts even though his mind was getting wild.

"I wanted to be cool and make you feel the same thrill that I felt. Even though I could guess your affection because of the bond, you still managed to expose your heart and declare your feelings and it was so…beautiful."

Eden looked up and Glen noticed that his eyes were filled with tears that he was holding back so they wouldn't fall.

"I never thought that I would have a mate who made me feel so loved. I wanted to do the same thing for you. I already told you but I've been rejected... A lot. It was to the point that many of my packmates thought that Bloodhood's future would be threatened because I'd never be able to have an alpha and…" He sneered but Glen felt the pain of those memories. "I'm thankful for your very existence. I'm thankful because not only you're my fated mate but you're a kind heart, you're brave, noble, and you're thoughtful to the point that, even in this situation, you still try to deny your feelings just for my sake. I'm thankful because you're…"

Eden sighed and motioned at the werewolf in front of him, from head to toe. "You're... you! I'm thankful because you are you and I wanted to make you feel it but I failed."

The blond shrugged, apologizing for what he thought was a failed confession, a sheepish smile on his lips. However, he had no idea the effect his words had on the alpha who felt a gentle warmth spread through him. This was the most beautiful declaration he could receive.

Again, Eden kept silent, this time it was because he had the impression of having embarrassed himself even more.

The emotion that had overwhelmed him slowly dissipated and his expression changed. He opened his mouth to speak but in a second, Glen shrank the distance between them and clapped the palm of his hand over his mouth.

"You said you wanted to surprise me?" The dominant felt his lover's head move as he nodded in response. "I'm already more than surprised and happy to hear what you just said. I think it was perfect just as it was. But if you want to try another way, go ahead. You've got our whole date to success. I'm sure you'll find something because from the very first day you never failed to find a new way to reach out to my heart. Say it when you're ready and… say it how you feel it, okay?" Another nod answered him and Glen pulled his hand away. "Then, let's go catch our dinner!"

He moved aside and dragged Eden into the tent where he took off his jacket and his sweater before putting them away in a corner. He was ready to undo the button of his jeans when he noticed his mate's gaze which was fixed on his fingers or rather on the part of his body hidden behind his fingers.

The omega waited with visible and shameless impatience for him to remove the garment that hid his lower body and that made Glen smile.

"Eden?" he said with a smile in his voice and the latter snapped out of his thoughts and noticed the smug smile of his mate. He rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, maybe I'm also thankful because you're hot like hell."

The younger werewolf then turned as if nothing had happened and started to undress. At least that was the impression he wanted to give but, looking closely, the alpha could see the red that tinged the back of his neck and the top of his ears.

The dominant couldn't help glancing down at the soft furry bed and offered a silent prayer to the Moon Goddess to put the odds in his favor.

Once all his clothes were removed, the alpha shifted to his wolf form and realized when he turned around that Eden was ready and waiting for him. The two wolves left the tent and run to the forest.

Glen didn't grow up in a pack of werewolves. Nonetheless, his hunting skills had nothing to envy the best hunters that could count a pack like Bloodhood, and this is thanks to his adoptive family who did everything to make him experience a certain closeness to nature. The only difference is that he didn't devour his prey as the original pack's werewolves did.

With this date planned with a lot of thought, Glen wanted to reveal his good sides, but that was without the mischievous side of his omega who knew his intentions but didn't want to let them happen.

They had been busy tracking, sniffing the tracks left by different animals when they noticed that of a deer. The alpha took the lead and they set off in pursuit of the animal. Suddenly, Eden, who until then had been following his mate, ran away.

Seeing him go in a completely different direction, the dominant reluctantly abandoned his future prey and future dinner. He ran to catch up with his mate and asked him what was his deal but he saw the omega running back at him at full speed.

Glen barely had time to wonder what was going on when he heard the hooves of a herd of boars shaking the ground. Without waiting, he picked up the pace to run away as well.

They had a terrible time getting rid of the herd. It shouldn't have been a problem, however, the playful golden wolf purposely ran at a pace slow enough for the boars to keep their sights on.

After a few moments of running, the sound of hooves finally changed direction and died down. The alpha thought it was finally his time. He ran to Eden but his plans, once again, ended up being ruined. The male omega hadn't finished getting him into trouble.

The change of direction of an animal as stubborn as a boar should have caught the dominant's attention, but he was too focused on leaving a good impression on his mate that he didn't realize until too late why they had given up their pursuit.

Eden jumped on the trunk of a tree and shifted to take his werewolf form. He thus climbed up to the highest branches and, while Glen wondered why his nostrils picked up a smell recognizable among a thousand. A wild bear.

[You… You led us to it! You did it on purpose, right?]

He heard Eden answer him by link too with a falsely innocent tone

[I don't know what you're talking about.]

The alpha stopped abruptly, inwardly wishing that the animal would pass on its way. Unfortunately, it wasn't his lucky day.

The omega who was perched on top of a tree completely out of reach chuckled silently seeing the bad posture of his mate. He took advantage of his height to stealthily flee by jumping from tree to tree, leaving his lover to his fate.

Even though he could fight the animal, Glen didn't want to because, with the difference in power, it would be pure cruelty. Moreover, he smelled another bear in a wide perimeter. Probably a cub that the mother currently in front of him intended to protect at all costs. 

It wouldn't run away even if he threatened it. The only choice left to the alpha was to flee himself.

Without hesitation, Glen turned and started running as hard as he could. As he expected, he heard the grunting of the bear chasing after him for a few feet and, as soon as the animal saw that it was impossible to catch up with him without putting a dangerous distance between it and its cub, it gave up and turned back.

The alpha continued to run for a while to be sure he had lost the bear and then proceeded to return to the tent where he hoped to find Eden.

When he reached their camp, the sun was slowly setting behind the horizon. The omega was sitting near the fire, his nudity only hidden by a fur over his shoulders. There were several huge trout over the fire. They had been caught without a doubt while his mate was playing tag with a bear, and Glen could already smell a tantalizing aroma. Eden had also spotted and pulled out the side dishes that were in a cooler in the tent.

The alpha detoured through the tent to grab something to cover his lower body and plopped down next to the younger werewolf, a sullen look on his face. The latter side glanced at his mate to check the temperature of his mood.

The dark-haired werewolf didn't take his eyes off the fire, his lips slightly pursed in a pout, and the omega bit the inside of his cheeks to keep from laughing at his expense.

He stared at the sulking dominant's profile and the tenderness he felt completely overflowed from his heart. He squirmed to get closer and stick his body against that of the alpha who, still grumpy, pretended to not notice.

Eden's head rested on Glen's shoulder and the alpha remained impassive for a moment. Soon his will along with his bad mood wavered and he wrapped his mate in a side embrace, his arm over his shoulders. Victorious, Eden snuggled up against him. That was also a part of all the things he liked about his mate. Whatever his mood, the alpha never pushed him away and that made him feel secure.

They stayed like that for a while, listening to the sounds of the surrounding wild nature and the crackling fire cooking their meal. The atmosphere, the sky that changed color with the sunset, the moment itself, everything was perfect. So much so that the dominant forgot everything around.

Glen didn't even realize that another enticing smell had mixed with that of the food and Eden who saw that his alpha hadn't reacted, called him out.

"Glen?"

"Hmm?"

"You told me to say it how I feel it, so this way is okay, right?"

"What are you talking ab…" The pheromones exploded and became the only thing the alpha could notice.

Every one of his senses was now under the influence of the omega. Glen only saw his mate. He only smelled his pheromones. The sensations in the part of his body in contact with the blond's were sharpened, and his ears were filled with the beating of a heart throbbing as his owner waited for his answer.

"Seductive pheromones mean 'I want you', 'be my mate' and many other forms of love that I all feel towards you so... This way is okay, right?" Eden repeated, his golden eyes locked on his alpha and the latter felt his fangs lengthen and his throat go dry.

"Yeah.. Let's go inside."