Unforgivable

Sage felt as if he had been ambushed when he found himself alone in his office with Orion, Amaia, Peyton, Nash and Jude. Even if Aaron was with him, they were clearly not there for him. They were all staring at him, before asking Aaron to leave the room, which he refused.

“I have nothing to hide from him, anything you have to tell me you can tell me in front of him.” Sage commented.

“As you wish... What are your intentions with Mara?” Peyton asked matter-of-factly.

“You don’t mess around!” Aaron muttered.

“That’s not the style of the house.” She shot back.

“What exactly do you mean to know?” Sage asked for clarification. As an Alpha he didn’t like to be questioned like this but they were Mara’s friends so he had better get them in his side.

“She’s talking about the fact that she’s your mate even though you’re mutually rejected.” Jude clarified.

“Rejection means nothing! Mara is my mate, rejection or not, sparks between us or not.” Sage stated.

“Good!” Peyton approved.

“Then why aren’t you doing anything, man?” Nash inquired.

“Mara’s not a...classic girl. She-”

“Watch your next words.” Jude cut him off with a disapproving tone.

“She’s the right one for me, she’s perfect! By “not a classic girl”, I mean she totally throws me off. I have no idea how she feels or what I need to do to seduce her. I’m completely lost. Also, since we kissed, she’s been avoiding me completely. If you have any advice I’m willing to listen.” Sage continued.

“Wait! You guys kissed! When? The little minx didn’t tell us!” Peyton yelled, she looked towards Orion and Amaia and added, “Of course you already knew!”

“She didn’t tell me but Amaia did. If you had seen their lips you would’ve known too.” Orion defended himself.

Aaron was surprised by this comment, he didn’t see that detail. Thinking about it right now, he realized that indeed Sage’s lips were puffy and redder than usual when he came back after going after her.

“And we talked about it because I was there when they kissed.” Amaia added in defense as well.

“You saw them! Tell us about it!” Peyton demanded excitedly.

“Not exactly. Sage joined her in the shower.”

“Whoa there, naughty girl! Way to go, bro!” Peyton chimed in, tapping Sage on the shoulder.

“Yeah, but I haven’t managed to get a moment alone with her since.” Sage sighed.

“That can be easily fixed.” Jude shrugged.

“Don’t let her push you away. You have to understand that everything is new to her and she’s scared of it. Doctor dickhead killed her mother in front of her eyes, he pushed her brother away, and they’re the only two people who really loved Mara without the wrong reasons. She has us now but even with us she is distant.” Orion explained.

“He’s right, it’s only Orion, Amaia and Matteo who have made it past her walls.” Nash added.

“How did you do it?” Sage asked Orion.

“I struggled. It was really hard, especially since at first she was mad at me for saving her. But I never left her side so she finally gave in. She’s closer to me than Amaia but I’m her Gamma and I’m the one who never gives up when it comes to her. She had no choice but to accept me in the end.”

“So I have to keep persevering until she gives in. But how do I do that without pushing her too hard? With her past, I don’t want to go too far.” Sage commented.

“Give me your hand.” Amaia asked, holding out her own hand to him.

“Please!” She insisted when she saw his hesitation.

He took her outstretched hand and she shared with him one of her memories. Alphas, and some Lunas, have the ability to see and share memories through contact.

*************

Amaia and Mara are sitting on Mara’s bed in the pack house.

“Come on, Mara! I know something happened in that shower! Plus, her clothes were wet so clearly Sage joined you in that shower! And with the amount of time that shower lasted, clearly you weren’t just talking about rain and shine. I wasn’t born yesterday.”

“Right. We kissed! I said it, are you happy now?” Mara retorted, clearly annoyed, her eyes changing between her two personalities.

“No, I’m not happy. I want to know how you felt. You’ve completely shut down since then and don’t use the excuse that we had a situation to deal with. I know you well enough to know the difference. Besides, I’ve noticed how you’ve been avoiding him since then, while he’s been waiting to talk to you. Why did you shut yourself off like that? Was it so bad to kiss him? He’s a bad kisser.”

“No, he’s a good kisser! Really good, in fact!” Mara defended him bluntly.

“So what Mara?! Tell me about it, don’t keep it all to yourself!” Amaia begged her.

Mara sighed, “That was... anything but what I expected.”

“What now?” Amaia impatiently asked.

“I’ve always found physical contact disgusting, but this was anything but gross. It was so good! Perfect!” She sighed again.

“That’s good then!” Amaia observed.

Mara groaned before hiding her head in her hands.

“You know you’re allowed to feel attraction and pleasure. It’s normal and you deserve it as much as anyone.” Amaia added, placing her hand on Mara’s shoulder. She wanted to comfort her by stroking her back like she did with her son, but she knew Mara didn’t like physical contact.

“You don’t understand! I’m here for a purpose and my plans are being derailed because I’m letting my feelings get in the way. He’s a distraction I can’t afford! We just kissed and now every time I see him I think of his taste on my lips and how I want more! So much more...”

“There’s nothing wrong with that and just because you’re getting sentimentally involved with your mate doesn’t mean your plan will fail. On the contrary, it will be an additional motivation. Sage is your mate, give him a chance.”

" Mate... It’s a good thing I don’t feel the sparks or I’d be fucked. I thought I was in control of myself. What is wrong with me?!” Mara moaned.

“Mara, there’s nothing wrong with you. Give yourself a chance to find love, real love. I know you’re scared, but you owe it to yourself to try. You owe Sage a real chance. Don’t let your fear make you miss it. You knew you were going to see him again when you came back here and you’ve never looked at a man like you look at him. Stop fighting the attraction you feel for him.”

“I thought I was being discreet.” Mara grumbled.

“You are, but I know you. Give him a chance. Give yourself a chance Mara. I can promise you that you will be pleasantly surprised.” Amaia stated.

“I’ll think about it.” Mara conceded.

*************

Sage withdrew his hand, “Thank you!”

The memory had given him even more hope. She wanted him as much as he did. He had to comfort her and not let her slip away!

“Can I count on your help to be alone with Mara?” He asked - almost begged - Mara’s friends.

“Count on us!” Jude answered for all of them.

“I’ll keep you posted on my discussions with Mara, Alpha!” Sage was surprised to hear Amaia’s voice in his head.

“How?” He asked her.

“Mara is my Luna and you are her mate, so by extension you are my Alpha and I have already accepted you as such.” She replied.

“Thank you...” He replied, wondering why he couldn’t mindlink Orion. Well Orion could mindlinked him but not this other way around but maybe to do so it meant thas Orion also had accepted him as his Alpha. He could only hope.

“Orion and Mara don’t have a classic Gamma/Luna relationship. He will always be loyal to her and that is his only authority even if he had accepted you as his Alpha. Moreover his walls are always up because he’s focusing his mindlink on Mara, this is why when you tried to speak to him you came a cross barriers. Believe me I know how annoying it can be.” Amaia explained as if she had heard his silent question.

As annoying as it was to know how special was the connexion between his Mate ans Orion, he liked the fact she had someone on her side no matter what.