Chapter 5
Julian must be dreaming, there was no other explanation for what was happening. He couldn't possibly have found his… mate?
He walked forward with slow steps towards the huge wolf in front of him. It was, of all things, a grey wolf, bigger than any wolf Julian had ever seen. Everything about it called to Julian.
Come to me, Mine.
A tear ran down Julian's face. He finally reached the wolf, stretched out his arm, and hesitantly touched its snout. It let out a small whine but nudged Julian closer.
The touch sent something electric pulsing through him, and instantly the fear vanished, replaced by a single word: Mate.
The wolf lowered itself down and looked expectantly at Julian.
"W…what?" Julian said. "You mean I should climb on?"
The wolf gave a small nod. Julian swallowed, then ran his hand across his mate's warm fur and walked backward a bit. Then he hoisted himself up.
He was rough and not at all graceful, but the wolf underneath him did not seem to care. The wolf turned back and began toward the pack house. A little nausea settled in Julian's stomach at the thought of going back, but he trusted his mate. It was a sudden, unfounded trust that his newly found mate, who he knew nothing about, would protect him.
When they got near the pack house, the wolf lowered again and Julian got down from its back. The wolf began to shift beside him. Anticipation and curiosity rose in Julian.
When he saw his mate, a man… well, he had guessed by the size of that wolf but…
Julian's first coherent thought after seeing his mate was:
Oh goddess, I must be mated to a god indeed.
Julian's mate was tall and well-muscled, with a solid masculine body. He had striking purple irises that Julian was immediately enraptured by, and a face that must have been personally modelled by the Goddess herself.
Then a sour feeling drained all the color before Julian's eyes. How would such a person be pleased to have him as a mate? When he used to dream about finding a mate, he had dared to forget what he was… a dirty male omega.
He immediately turned away.
"Why do you turn away from me, little mate?"
Julian's mate's voice was so good, shivers ran down his spine. Then the feeling of shame and unworthiness rose higher, threatening to overwhelm him.
Julian did not answer. What would he say? His flaws were obvious enough. His mate would see him and reject him like every other person had.
Julian let out a surprised yelp when a warm body hugged him from behind.
"Little mate." The man's baritone voice seemed to vibrate through Julian's body. "I don't know what you have been through… or how your life has been before fate finally permitted us to meet. But I want to promise you, I make you a vow, as I have found you, I will treat you as you are, my treasure. I will protect you as is within my power and beyond. So please, little one, do not run from me."
Julian was sobbing now.
No one had ever said anything so beautiful, so kind, to him before.
"B..but y..you—" Julian began. He swallowed. "I..if you knew me, how unworthy I am of th…those wo…words, you'll take them back, I know."
The man just hugged Julian tighter.
"Little mate, do not say that," he said. "I may not know your name or who you are yet, but I have looked at you and known immediately that you are the one I've waited for… the one I will cherish and love till my end."
The words were like a balm over Julian's soul, like a bandaid to keep together a soul on the very edge of breaking apart. But there was this voice, loud and derisive, in Julian's head:
He says that now, but he doesn't know you. Everyone who knows you knows that you are not worthy of anything, especially of love.
Julian tried to shove the voice away and lean into his mate's arms. He wanted to enjoy this comfort… this dream before it was ripped away and turned into a nightmare.
"My name is Julian," he murmured under his breath, barely audible.
"I'm Rafael, little mate," Rafael said.
That name echoed in Julian's head, like it was something important, something he should remember but couldn't, a piece of information floating in his head and yet out of his reach.
"You are cold," Rafael announced suddenly. "Let me take you inside."
Julian suddenly felt weak. Absentmindedly, he noted it was probably because the last time he'd eaten something was yesterday morning and it was a meager stale bread. Rafael's words did not really register in his mind as he swayed precariously in Rafael's arms.
"And you're weak now too," Rafael noted.
"Mhmm… I'm so h…hungry," Julian murmured in reply, his words slurred.
"Let me carry you, little mate," Rafael asked.
Julian mumbled incoherent nonsense. Rafael crouched and raised him in a princess carry.
"Let's get you in and well cared for," Rafael said. "And then you'll tell me every single person who hurt you… made you like this, and I will make them pay."