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Chapter 5

"I mean, Eva, we were kissing passionately, and then, suddenly, he pushed me away without any hesitation and jumped out of the window... without even bothering to open it. Imagine!" Martin complained with a lingering frown.

"I think that he—" Eva tried to say but failed.

"And not even a text message or anything after he left me there like a sack of potatoes!" Martin interrupted her, barely noticing Eva’s exasperated expression.

It had been a week since they had started attending the new school, a week since Marco had met his 'special' mate, and, lastly, a week since this lovely mate almost killed Eva on the spot, after Martin hugged her. She wasn't even a male!

Right now, Eva and Martin were eating alone in the kitchen of the pack house, which was oddly deserted, with Martin huffing about his love life.

Gedon was strangely taking a nap, probably to avoid Martin’s moods, while Lex was visiting their ex-high school to assist with the numerous refugees from the Lord Skull pack, mostly widows with their children.

Leaving Eva stuck with needy Martin. Life was so unfair.

He used to simply list his conquests, sometimes providing too many details for Eva’s sake. But he had never grumbled about any of these dates, only critiqued what they lacked in a critical yet humorous way. Eva was sure that his new relationship with his mate was an entirely different story, stirring a whole mix of insecurities linked to genuine emotions.

"Martin!" She used her Alpha's tone, which slowed him down but didn't stop his whining.

"Oh, Eva! And he never talks to me, like there's zero communication. I ask him questions or try to start any type of conversation, and nothing!"

Now it was Eva’s turn to become speechless. "No way!"

"Yea... I just hear him saying 'mate' and 'mine.' And not even in a loving mode! He just growled them out, and only when other males or females shoot glares in my direction!" Martin explained, looking sad and hugging himself. All his vulnerabilities were emerging for the first time.

Eva smiled at how deeply in love her friend already was.

"He just needs to get used to this whole mate thing, as do you. If he is the Killing Machine everyone depicts him as, no wonder he doesn't talk!" Eva tried to calm Marco down. It worked, but only for a bit.

"What does he even do when you ask him questions? And I mean, you can always ask him why he doesn't answer! You can clearly specify how it makes you feel sad when he doesn't share anything with you." Eva intelligently suggested, finally catching the attention of her crying best friend.

"Nothing!" Martin yelled, throwing his arms in the air, as though invisible pigeons were pooing on him.

"He just stares at me, then grabs me and starts kissing me... and one thing leads to another, and... oh, you know these things, Eva!"

Martin blushed from the top of his head to his chin. It had been a week of firsts. Eva had never expected to see Martin embarrassed, especially in front of her. She well remembered (unfortunately for her) all the stories from his conquests, countless one-night stands, or his pushy admirers. Or, worse, the pictures that Martin had received on Tinder, or much worse, what he was replied!

She shook her head, not wanting to recall those memories. And now, Martin, the king of the gays, was shy about his speechless mate, who had already captured his heart.

"Aaah and the icing on the cake, Eva! Yesterday night I received a text from a guy who asked to meet me just for a quick hook-up... and uuuh." Martin clapped his big hands near Eva’s face, making her jump.

"He growled at my phone for like a whole minute and then grabbed it, and poof! Out of the window, as if it was just a used bar of soap!"

Wow.

Eva knew that mates were possessive, but she had never heard of these kinds of jealousy attacks. If the Crescent Black Beta was this jealous, she couldn't imagine how the actual Crescent Black Alpha could be...

"Earth to Eva! Yuhuu!" Martin annoyingly pulled her out of her deep thoughts.

"I didn't finish, eh! There's more!" He snapped accusingly.

"What more could there be? Oh my god!" She asked, rolling her eyes.

"Well, he wrote down the name of the guy in his stupid notepad and into his pocket." Martin gulped.

"I'm afraid he will kill the guy, Eva." Now he was whispering and looking around in fear, as if his mate would appear from the dark corner like a mischievous gremlin.

"Nah, come on. Surely he was also with many guys before meeting you!" Eva was just (partially) joking. When Martin looked heartbroken, glaring at her like a lost puppy, she had to console him.

"Do you think?" He asked her.

"I never thought you would turn into such a wuss!! Wake up, Martin!!" Eva was beginning to feel annoyed now. If having a mate could make you so miserable and anxious, she would prefer not to meet him for many years to come!

"Your mate completes you, and you will learn how to make it work in time. Just allow time for the mate bond to strengthen, my ROCKY!"

Yes, Rocky. That was Martin’s nickname, short for Rocky Balboa. Not because Martin resembled him in features or character, not at all, but because he had a huge crush on Rocky Balboa as a kid. The thought still gave Eva cramps.

When she finished mocking Martin for his crush on Rocky ~ it was at least five minutes of well-deserved laughter ~ she finally hugged her friend, making sure his broody mate wasn't nearby to kill her.

"You would never forget that, you FARMER GIRL!" He retorted with a cunning smile. She growled at that nickname.

"Bernardo wasn't a real farmer! Only because he enjoyed taking care of his garden..." Eva explained for the millionth time to her malicious friend.

She should have known it was impossible to win a verbal argument with Martin.

"I still remember your face when he came to our door with a bag full of organic carrots as a present for you, BUNNY!" Martin was continuing with those memories, laughing like a dying hyena.

Eva snorted loudly, punching her friend in the stomach and making him cough. But he still managed to continue laughing.

Damned Beta genes!

"I have to admit, he wasn't my ideal type." Eva stated, starting to smile herself. Bernardo was her ex-boyfriend when they were in their first year of high school.

Nothing too serious since Eva wasn't really into him. She had never dated many guys because everyone in her pack feared her father. After Bernardo, she had been hanging out with a couple of Beta's and Alpha's sons only, especially with the future Alpha of their neighboring pack, Crystal Wolf. Full Moon and Crystal Wolf packs had always had a peaceful and friendly relationship since their previous Beta was Eva’s grandmother.

Eva and Bernardo had been on a few dates, but since they both knew they weren't mates, things were never serious and had no feelings involved, at least from Eva’s side. True, he was a handsome and funny guy, very protective of her and incredibly sweet, perhaps too sweet. Bernardo had suggested several times that they should mate and merge their packs, thus creating a single, powerful one. But Eva was always reasoning with him, explaining that they were fated for someone else.

Lex had always teased her about Bernardo, emphasizing how girly he was. He had always imagined Eva ending up with a powerful wolf.

"The poor farmer is still scared of Alpha Gedon's shadow!" Martin exclaimed, wiping his tears from laughing too much.

"Actually, now that I think about it, I haven't seen him in a long time! He's probably in a serious relationship with his pumpkin!" And again, another fit of laughs, while Eva rolled her eyes.

When her dad had discovered her relationship with Bernardo, let's just say he didn't take it too well.

And now that Martin had mated with the Crescent Black Beta... saying that his parents were very shocked by the mark on Martin’s neck was an understatement. In fact, they had discussed for hours by themselves, after interrogating a very embarrassed Martin on how the two had met, how this Beta was, and what he did.

Her father had already convoked a meeting on neutral land with the Alpha of Crescent Black pack to discuss this new turn of events. There was hope to reach a sort of short-term treaty between the two rival packs. However, since the Crescent Black Alpha was away for some reason, the final decision was to be postponed.

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