Chapter 82: The direction of our path

I shrugged. “You said it was a no-brainer for you. I mean, you say we’re soulmates… that doesn't exactly sound like something I should pass up.”

“No... I just... humans are a little more hesitant, in my experience...”

Now, I had just a little bit of doubt. “I'm not your first soul-mate?” That bothered me. More than it should have, frankly.

“No, no,” Eron said quickly. “You're my only true mate. That's sort of what makes true mates so special, you only ever get one. If you're lucky enough to find one, that is. A couple of my cousins met their true mates recently. And one of them was on the fence about being changed. I guess I just kind of expected a little more resistance from you. I haven't even explained everything you.”

I sat down on a barstool, studying him. There was no denying the way he made my heart flutter...

and my dick hard. “I guess I do probably need to know the rest… Are you trying to change my mind?” I said it teasingly, and I could tell by his smile that he knew I was playing.

“Hardly. But I don't want you to go into this not knowing what to expect either. There's a bit more of a process before we just bite each other.” I nodded and motioned for him to continue. “Well... first of all, you’re human. In order to be true mates, I would have to turn you.”

“Turn me?” Just for a moment, I had no idea what he meant. Then, I realized he specifically said that I was human. “Do you mean, you’d turn me into a shifter? Like you?”

“That's exactly what it means. I'm afraid you would be a cat though…”

I chuckled. “I'm not that opposed to cats,” I said, partially to mollify him. I supposed that having the power to turn into an animal, even if it was a cat, would be pretty neat. Especially if I got the perfect lover out of the bargain. “What else? Is that it?”

“Well, if you agree to that, we have to get permission from the Alpha Parliament.” “The what?”

“The Alpha Parliament. They are the governing body for shifters. As you can imagine, we can't exactly be bound by every human law.”

The image of an actual cat burglar popped into my head and I stifled a giggle. No, shifters could not be bound by all human laws. Even my experience with him would have been impossible to explain. If he had somehow managed to escape, I probably would've called the police – after I had service – and told them that someone had broken into my house in the middle of a blizzard, through both of my locked doors, and then vanished again, after rifling through my bedroom. If Eron hadn’t changed into a human and simply escaped as a cat, I would have had no idea. “That makes sense,” I said out loud. Then, another thought. “There must be a lot of you then, if you have your own government.”

“Not exactly government,” Eron said. “But yes, there are more shifters than one might think.” “Okay. So, you tell them about me. And then?”

“Well, traditionally you get three days to decide whether or not turn. If you really want to... they would probably come early since you already made up your mind.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned back. Was I being a little too hasty? If people typically got three days to decide, could I really make up my mind so quickly?

“And then they come... well basically to check you out and make sure that you don't have any ulterior motives for becoming a shifter. Like revealing our locations to hunters or something.”

“If true mates are picked by fate, is that really necessary?”

He considered it. “You know, I asked that once too. The meeting itself is what is fated, and once you’re together: paradise. But sometimes there are circumstances, that can complicate things. I don't know offhand of anyone who has ever turned down a true mate... Even though fate plays a part, the human is still free to make their own choice. And sometimes they choose, say family, over their mate. Some find it hard to give up their family for someone they just met.” Eron winced. “Which is something you need to know. You won't be able to stay with your human family. Not only will you be a shifter, but we live uh…”

“It’ll be tough to leave my family.” I took advantage of his hesitation to cut into his nervous speech. My mind was made up. He looked alarmed until I laughed. “I’m kidding; I don’t have anyone. Not since my mother died.”

“Oh…”I could tell that he was torn between sympathy, but also relief that I wouldn’t change my mind about being his mate. “What would the Alpha Parliament do if I do say no?” I asked. “Not that I plan

to!”

“They’d erase our memories,” he said solemnly. “What?!”

Eron nodded. “Wait, both of us?”

He nodded again. “You wouldn’t be allowed to remember anything about shifters or me. And I

would never know I met you.”

“Why yours?” I asked. Erasing my memory made sense, as unsettling as it was.

“So, I don’t do anything stupid like hurt myself because I can’t have you. Or change you against your will. Shifters will go to extreme lengths for our true mates. And the grief of losing one, even one we technically never had, can make us do reckless things.”

I shivered at the thought.

“Not to pressure you,” he added quickly. “I only say it because it sounds like you’ve made up your mind.”