What the actual hell was my life?
Every time Mal brushed past me for the rest of the day, it was electric. His hand on my lower back as he moved behind me. His fingers grazing mine when he handed me a book. His breath on my neck when he leaned in to ask a question.
I was hyperaware of him. Could feel him through the bond now, this warm presence in the back of my mind that I was still getting used to.
Finally, during the afternoon lull when the store was empty, I cornered him by the register.
“We need to talk,” I said.
He turned to face me fully, his expression immediately concerned. “Is something wrong, little mate?”
“No. Not wrong. I just... what happens now? With us?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, we had sex. We’re bonded. But what does that mean? What are we?”
He looked genuinely confused. “We are mates.”
“I know that. But like... are we dating? Are we together? What-”
“In wolf culture, we are married.” He said it so simply. So matter-of-factly. “The moment I claimed you and you accepted, we became bound. Mated pairs are the equivalent of your human marriages, though far more permanent.”
I blinked. “Married?”
“Yes. Why do you seem surprised? You accepted the bond. You let me claim you.”
“I thought we were just... I don’t know. Taking the next step?”
He smiled and pulled me closer. “We can discuss our home once we decide if we will stay here or move to a larger space. The apartment is adequate, but once we have pups, we will need more room. And perhaps we should expand the store. Our store is doing quite well.”
I choked on air. “Pups?! Mal. We had sex once!”
“Yes, and now you are mine. We will have many pups. Strong ones.” His eyes went soft. “I hope they have your eyes. Though your stubbornness combined with mine will make them quite the handful.”
“I’m not - we’re not -Mal.” I pressed my hands to my face. “Okay. We need to have a serious conversation about human dating culture. And also about your kingdom. Your family and responsibilities.”
“My kingdom?”
“Yes! You’re a king, Mal. Are you just going to abandon everything? Your people? For me?” The thought made my chesttight. “What if you regret it? What if you resent me for making you give up your throne?”
His expression softened. He cupped my face gently. “I will follow whatever you decide, little mate. If you wish to see Lytopia, to visit my world, I will take you there. You can see the kingdom, meet my family, and decide if that is a life you wish to live. If you choose to stay there, I will rule with you by my side. If you choose to stay in the human realm, I will find a successor worthy of the throne and move here permanently. The choice is yours.”
I stared at him. “You’d give up being king? For me?”
“I would give up everything for you. The throne. My title and world.” He pressed his forehead to mine. “You are my entire realm. Where you go, I go.”
Through the bond, I felt the absolute truth of his words. The certainty and the love.
“I - I don’t even know what to say,” I whispered.
“No need to answer right now, little mate. You can think about it.” He smiled. “Now, shall we discuss human dating culture? Because I am quite confused about why having sex does not automatically mean marriage and pups.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay. So in the human world, having sex doesn’t automatically mean marriage. It doesn’t mean we’re having kids - pups - oh god, I can’t even say it without blushing.”
“But we are mated.”
“I know! But humans don’t just jump from sex to marriage to babies. There are steps. Dating. Moving in together. Getting engaged. Then marriage. Then maybe, MAYBE, we talk about kids. In like five years. Or ten. Or never.”
