Chapter 1030
“I had my suspicions that Zack might be my mate,” Petra said.
Violet was all ears. “What made you suspicious p>
“We would normally joke about crushes. Zack and Erik had their own following, and I was not a bad catch either. Zack and Erik were adamant that no guy gets close to me, but Zack would be unusually quiet when I spoke about any other guy. However, whenever I tried to probe into it, Erik would do something to distract me. At that time, I thought it was a coincidence, but now I know better p>
“So, how did you figure it out p>
Petra looked around to ensure no one overheard them. “Do you know Donovan p>
Violet frowned a bit, and it took her a moment to respond, “Donovan, the painter p>
“That one. He had a big crush on me, and he wanted to give me something special for my seventeenth birthday. It was a painting of me p>
Violet didn’t get it. “How is that related to you figuring out your mate p>
Petra smirked. “For months prior to my birthday, I was posing for him. We would meet in town for coffee, in the park, or in a meadow. However, the end painting was me under the waterfall. He drew me topless with me being waist-down in the water, so it looked like I was naked p>
Violet still didn’t see the point. Nudity for werewolves was not a big deal. “And p>
“Well, I have a birthmark on my chest. It’s on the left side, under my breast. Not many know about it because I usually hide it. I guess Donovan noticed it when I shifted. I thought it was cute that he included that detail.” Petra shook her head. “I remember going toward Donovan with my arms spread. I wanted to hug him and maybe kiss his cheek, but before we made contact, Zack’s fist was in Donovan’s face. Next thing I knew, Zack tore the painting and said that no one would get to see me like that, and I knew p>
“So, you made him jealous,” Violet summarized.
“Not on purpose. I mean, there were times when I was almost certain, but Zack would normally keep his cool, and I couldn’t figure him out. But that painting pushed him over the edge p>
“It was not the painting,” Zack grumbled from the side, and Petra’s eyes widened. She didn’t notice when he approached them.
“Are you eavesdropping?” Petra asked.
Zack cocked an eyebrow at her. “It’s not like you were whispering. I was right here. It’s your fault for not noticing me p>
“Hi, Uncle Zack,” Violet greeted Zack as he sat next to Petra and draped his arm around her shoulders.
Violet observed as Petra snuggled next to Zack, and he adjusted his position so that she fits there better. It was something only mates would do, and Violet wanted that. Boys her age were dirty, smelly, loud, and braggy. Who would want to get close to such creatures? Gross!
Violet wanted the support, companionship, and acceptance only a mate could give. Goddess knew that her life was stressful, and Violet needed someone who would anchor her and not make it more complex.
“If it’s not the painting, what was it?” Violet asked Zack. “If you don’t mind me asking p>
Zack narrowed his eyes at Petra. “You were recklessly going at Donovan. Did you think a kiss on the cheek would be enough? He wanted to claim your lips, and there was no way in hell I would allow that to happen p>
Petra nudged him. “Do you think a guy could sneak a kiss if I didn’t want it p>
“Twelve years passed, and you are still gullible. A guy would commit atrocities to get the woman he wants p>
“But that doesn’t apply to Donovan. Whatever he had for me disappeared with your punch, and a few weeks later when he found his mate p>
Zack smirked. “I was not talking about him p>
“What happened after the punching?” Violet asked. “Did you just kiss, and things worked out p>
Petra shook her head. “I was angry that he knew and didn’t tell me. I was angry that for almost a full year, he allowed me to talk about other guys while he was right there, forced to listen to his mate talk about others p>
“I wouldn’t allow it to go further than talking,” Zack said.
“But that didn’t mean you were not hurting. What if I started hating you p>
“One can’t hate their other half. No matter what I did, you would forgive me,” Zack responded with confidence.
“Is that the truth?” Violet asked.
“You should ask your mother,” Petra said. “Goddess knows how much trouble your father made before announcing Luna Talia as his fated mate p>
Zack frowned. “Don’t talk about our Alpha like he is a bad guy.” Zack and many others idolized Damon. The Dark Howlers pack and the whole werewolf society benefited greatly under Damon’s and Talia’s leadership.
Zack looked at Violet. “The truth is that we are all screwups until we find our other half. It’s like you are lost and wander from one person to another until you find the one. Yes, I was pissed when Petra spoke about others, and I was furious when she nearly hugged Donovan, but even if she went all the way, it would be fine as long as she came to me when the time was right. I regret snapping and revealing we were mates before Petra was ready p>
“What if Aunt Petra was dating Donovan?” Violet asked.
“The Moon Goddess knows what she is doing. I believe that I needed to see her talk about others so I could learn patience and could appreciate her more p>
Petra smiled at Zack and then turned to Violet. “You should know that my sister suffered greatly because her mate approached her when she was only fifteen. She was not ready, and by the time she was ready, he had moved on. Zack didn’t want to pressure me into accepting the bond before I was ready, so he waited p>
Violet thought how that was a sweet story. Zack suppressed his urges and waited patiently (which was super-uncharacteristic to werewolves) until Petra could sense their bond.
“So, how long did it take for you to sense the bond?” Violet asked Petra. “Did you wait until your eighteenth birthday?” That was a full year!
“Once we confirmed we were mates, I asked witches to perform a ritual. James had the same, and he could feel the bond when he was sixteen p>
Violet’s face lit up. “The ritual. Tell me about it p>
Petra shook her head. “I can tell you that it jump-started my side of the mate bond and…” She giggled. “I jumped on Zack, and the rest is history. For details regarding the ceremony, you should ask Cornelia or Amelia p>
“I will do that right now,” Violet said and stood up. “Thank you, Aunt Petra and Uncle Zack p>
“Are you going to visit Gamma Cornelia and Gamma James?” Zack asked Violet.
“Yes p>
Zack glanced at the area where his three kids were playing. “How about you take Molly, David, and Mia with you? Andrew, Zoe, and Jeremy could use playmates p>
“Sure,” Violet agreed. She didn’t suspect that Zack wanted to send his kids away so he could have privacy with Petra.
When Violet and the three youngsters were out of sight, Zack pushed Petra onto the soft grass.
“Zack!” Petra called while looking around nervously. She knew what he was up to. “What if someone sees us p>
“We are mates, Petra p>
“So p>
“I can feel that you want me. When you said that you jumped on me after the ceremony, you were thinking about our first time. If you wanted to hide it from me, you should suppress your joy when Violet agreed to take our kids away p>
Petra bit her lower lip guiltily. “So, now what p>
Zack grinned. “We have at least two hours. I suggest we don’t waste a single minute of it p>
His lips quickly found his mark on her neck, and he licked her there, sending a pulse of need through her body. She gripped his muscular shoulders and raised her head.
“Ahh A hearty moan escaped his lips when she sucked on her mark on his neck.
“Fuck, Petra!” He squeezed through his teeth.
She smiled slyly. “Exactly, Zack. And you have about two hours to do it p>