Chapter 6 He Loves Me

• Mercedes Three Years Later…
• “Clarita, I'm not feeling well. My head hurts terribly and I have cramps in my stomach”, I tell my friend who is sitting next to me in the classroom. “This has been going on since last night. This morning I took some medication and thought it would be over by now.” I clutch my stomach again as a stab of pain pulls through. I can barely contain a cry.
• Clarita looks at my miserable self.
• “Go home quickly. I'll tell the teacher that you’re feeling sick”, she exclaims, already standing to help me out of my seat. Bending slightly forward, I walk out of the classroom. When we are outside the school building, Clarita looks around. “Is Zane coming to get you today? I don't see his car anywhere," she asks with interest.
• I look at her from the corners of my eyes. 
• For a long time, I have suspected that she has a crush on my mate. Every time she mentions his name, I hear a longing undertone. At first, I thought I imagined it, but when I noticed she inquired about him almost every day, I started to pay more attention to her. Don’t get me wrong, I trust Zane completely, but I don't want a girlfriend who is ogling my mate.
• Believe me, Zane surely is a panty-dropping gorgeous hunk.
• Even though he’d said so many times that he's only mine, I still find it hard to believe. Every time I look at him, I see how irresistible he is with his long blond-brown locks and the colored tattoo on his neck. His masculine voice and confident demeanor draw all attention to him, especially from the women. Voluptuous, gorgeous women who know their stuff, not innocent young pups like me. But his eyes are always on me, following me everywhere I go.
• I've noticed women lure him, but so far, he hasn't given me any reason to worry about his fidelity. Recently I've been taking his hand in mine when we appear in public, I think my hormones are starting to kick up. I’m marking my territory, showing every she-wolf that Zane belongs to only me.
• And then I hate that time moves at a turtle pace. I already feel my canines itching, I want to mark Zane so desperately, tie him to me. But my wolf is still oppressed until I turn eighteen. And I already know that on that day, when the clock points only one second past midnight, I'll bite my fangs on that gorgeous neck of my handsome mate. Mark him as mine forever. Even now, every time he has an open shirt on, I stare at the crook of his neck where my mark will be in a few years.
• In recent years I have noticed the strange looks people throw at us, but we have consistently ignored them. A man in his twenties with an underage girl at his side is not an ordinary sight. Plus, he's the alpha of a neighboring pack at it! But my parents clarified this matter in the pack and slowly everyone is starting to accept that Zane is my fated mate.
• And so far, he is the perfect mate.
• We have made agreements in place about our dealings with others. Zane is quite possessive and jealous. His Alpha genes, he once explained.
• He understands my need to go to friends' parties and do other stuff kids my age do. But we are in a relationship and then there are limits to dealing with third parties. Thus, we agreed that no boy would touch my body and be at least one meter away from me. The same goes for the school canteen, where the boys often seek the girls' company. Zane explained that his wolf couldn't stand the scent of another man on me. He takes me to and picks me up from parties, no alcohol when he’s not around. If he is unable to attend, Jace, his beta, takes over from him.
• A strict agreement is that I do not accept anything from others. 
• Zane gave me a credit card to buy everything I needed. This includes my food in the canteen, my shopping in the mall and school fees. My mother once told me that every month, he transfers an amount into my father's account as a contribution to my care. I was surprised by that at first. When I asked him about it, he stated that now that we know we're mates, he's actually completely responsible for me. And everything he owns is mine. If I weren't a minor, I would have lived with him in the packhouse in Midnight Moon a long time ago and been his Luna.
• Well, I guess this is adult people's business, so I don't get involved. I enjoy every moment I have with my mate. Many of my friends tell me how jealous they are of me, I already know my life is well arranged. They have to wait until they are eighteen to see if the Moon Goddess hasn't mated them to the biggest ass in the pack. Every she-wolf looks forward to finding her mate, but at the same time, they are also hesitant about who that person turns out to be.
• Yes, I feel lucky to have Zane too. He is always attentive, showering me with gifts and care, never misses a moment to show me that he loves me. And when I'm in his pack, Elise always involves me in the projects she's working on. She says she'll keep up with my work until I take the position of the Luna of Midnight Moon. Actually, I now have two packs and I feel happy in both of them.
• Back to the present, I look around and indeed, Zane's car is nowhere to be seen. With difficulty, I take my phone out of my school bag and call him. He immediately comes in. “Little One, I'm on my way. Don't you have any more classes for today?” he asks me. The deal was that he would be at my parents' house this morning and pick me up from school later. There's a prom tonight where he wants to drop me off.
• "I feel miserable. My head is buzzing and my stomach cramps terribly. I can barely concentrate," I sigh. “Come and get me, please. I'm already waiting for you at the school building”, I let him know. For a second, there is silence on the other end of the line. "Yeah, I sensed something was wrong with you but couldn't put the finger on it," he admits. “I'll be there in a minute. Stay where you are, love.”
• Clarita helps me to sit on a bench. “Is Zane coming yet?” she asks expectantly. I turn to her. “Yes, my mate is coming to get me. He loves me”, I reply, looking straight at her. And of course, she blushes like a beetroot.
• Busted!..