The Werewolf's Sabbat Ch. 10

"I wasn't asleep. Close, but not asleep." Janette hadn't been sleeping at all but rather she had been thinking about the things Mitch had done to her in the woods earlier that evening. She began feeling a bit nervous thinking about sleeping in the same bed with him. It would seem so awkward.

Mitch slid to the other end of the tub opposite Janette. He pulled one of her feet into his lap and began massaging it under the water. "So, what do you think of this place?" he asked before sliding a hand along her leg, gently messaging her calf.

Janette felt a rush of excitement flood into her stomach when she felt his hand kneading her lower leg. She didn't think he was meaning anything sexual by it but she couldn't help her reaction to his touch. "I absolutely love it. It's amazing. I caught a glimpse of the gardens from the balcony. I can't wait to go see them tomorrow, if you don't mind."

"I don't mind at all. In fact, I was expecting you would want to go visit the gardens. I had planned to take you there after breakfast in the morning." He slid his hand further up her leg to her lower thigh, continuing the massage. Reaching forward and gently grabbing her by the waist, he pulled her up onto his lap. "There's lots of things I want to show you."

Janette didn't resist but instead wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. He leaned in to kiss her when a thought came to her and she stopped him. "Mitch, I need you to explain something to me."

"What is it?" Mitch said with a confused look.

"What's all this talk about mating and mating ceremonies. I mean, I'm not an idiot, I know what mating is. But your sister asked me earlier when our mating ceremony was planned. What was she talking about?"

Mitch let out a long sigh and wiped a hand across his face. Why did his sister have to open her big mouth? He wanted to talk to Janette about this on his own. He gently pushed her off his lap and sat her next to him. "I was going to talk to you about all of this. I just was waiting for the right time." He sat up straighter and turned to her. "Each werewolf has a mate. I guess you could say it's a soul mate but it's really more than that. It's the one person they are destined to be with for the rest of their life."

Janette looked at Mitch with her eyebrows drawn together. "But what does that have to do with us?"

"I believe that you are my mate, Janette. You were meant for me and I was meant for you. I tried to tell you this in your apartment but your attention was focused elsewhere. It was when I shifted into a wolf for the first time, remember?" He smiled when she shook her head, still confused. "Don't you feel it? I know I feel it. We generally refer to it as the mating pull. That's how we find each other. It's as though we are magnets and can't seem to escape one another. Some try to fight it for one reason or another, but are seldom successful. I've felt this pull for you from the moment I saw you in the woods when you were ten years old."

Janette gasped in surprise. "What do you mean since I was ten? We only met each other less than a week ago."

"Janette, I own all the land that lies between this mansion and your grandmother's cottage." Mitch paused trying to think of how to explain things to her. "I was out running in the woods one day when I saw you on your horse. You were just a small girl but even then, I felt the pull. I'm not saying it was a sexual pull. It was more like a desperate need to protect you and keep you safe. I was there most every time you rode through my woods. When I wasn't able to be there, one of my betas was there watching over you. I noticed when we were at your grandma's that you still had all the gifts I left for you on that boulder. They were on a shelf in your room." Mitch laughed softly when he saw Janette's eyes grow big and she gasped.

"That was you?"

"Yes, it was," he said, kissing her on the top of her head. "I don't really know why I left all of those things. I just couldn't resist seeing the smile on your face."

"I always wondered where that stuff was coming from." Suddenly Janette felt slightly uncomfortable with what Mitch was telling her. "Wait a minute. You have been watching me since I was ten? And now I am to be with you for the rest of my life?" She watched him nod his head, his expression suddenly becoming nervous.

Janette didn't know what to think of all that he was telling her. It's not that she didn't want to be with him. In fact, if she didn't know any better she'd think she was falling for him. However, the idea that she would be basically forced to mate with someone... well, that idea definitely rubbed her the wrong way. "What if I don't want to be with you? Do I even get a choice in the matter?"

Mitch's heart sank in his chest. He didn't know what he would do if Janette refused him. He averted his eyes from hers and removed his arm from around her shoulders. "Janette, I would never force you to do anything that you don't want to do. It's your life." He stood and stepped out of the tub and wrapped a towel around his waist. He took a deep breath and plastered a fake smile across his face before turning to her. "I want nothing more than for you to be happy. If you aren't feeling what I'm feeling then I understand. I would never push you into anything." He leaned over and kissed the top of her head before turning and leaving the room.

Janette just sat there not sure how to feel. It was obvious from the look in Mitch's eyes that she had hurt him deeply. That knowledge ripped at her heart. What was he expecting from her? She had already been through so much and then he laid this on her.

She shook her head and swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat before pulling the plug in the tub and stepping out. She wrapped a towel around herself and walked into the bedroom intent on talking to Mitch and explaining the way she was feeling but he wasn't there. He had left. She walked to the closet and picked out a pair of jeans and a pastel pink knit top that Mariah had brought up for her. After dressing, she ran a brush through her hair and slipped on her shoes. She had to find Mitch and talk things out with him. She didn't want him to think her answer was no, she just needed more time to get use to the idea.

*

Mitch walked out the back door of the mansion wearing a pair of jeans and a white button down shirt. The damp grass felt cold on his bare feet but he didn't care. He needed time alone to think. He walked swiftly to the gardens and sat on a bench that had been carved out of a large log. There were solar lamps scattered strategically throughout the garden casting light on all the different plots of plants and flowers, along with a small pond in the center filled with goldfish.

Mitch sat there for a good twenty minutes trying to think of his next move. For some reason he felt sure that Janette wouldn't be willing to mate with him and the idea scared him. He wanted nothing more than to spend his life with her at his side but if she said no, he would have no choice but to let her go. He was more than willing to do that. He hadn't been lying when he told her that he wanted nothing more than for her to be happy. Every time she smiled it made his heart soar. And her laugh... her laugh was like music to his ears.

He closed his eyes and breathed in the night air in a deep swift breath. When he caught Janette's scent on the air his body stiffened. Okay, here we go, he thought to himself. He turned to see her walking down the path towards him. She looked beautiful as ever and smelled even better. He stood and walked over to her. "Janette, I'm sorry about all of this. I can take you back to your grandma's if you want but even if you leave I don't want you to go back home. I still don't think it's safe for you to be there."

Janette put her finger to Mitch's lips, silencing him. "Don't ever do that to me again." she said sternly.

"Do what?"

"Walk away from me thinking you know what I'm feeling when you really don't." She took her finger from his mouth and looked deep into his eyes. "This 'mating pull'... you don't think I've been feeling it? I haven't been able to get you off my mind since I ran into you in the grocery store. When I said what I said in the bath, I didn't mean that I won't mate with you. I was just asking questions." Janette felt her frustration rising.

"This is all new to me, Mitch. You have to give me time. You have to answer my questions. I don't know anything about wolves, mating, or pack life. Cut me a little slack, will you?" She took his hands in hers and stepped closer to him. She caught a whiff of his scent in front of her and felt her knees go slightly week. "I want to be with you, Mitch. But you have to understand where I'm coming from. I know nothing about mating ceremonies or anything like that. Hell, I didn't even know that werewolves existed until a few days ago. Do you understand?"

Mitch smiled down at her and let out a sigh of relief. "I'm sorry sweetheart. I wasn't thinking clearly." He pulled her into his arms and held her close. "For a moment there I thought you were going to leave me. I can't begin to describe how that made me feel. If anyone has the power to bring a man to his knees, it's you. Do you know that?" He laughed down at her and hugged her even tighter.

Janette took Mitch's hand and led him back to sit on the bench next to her. "Okay, so this mating ceremony. What does it consist of?"

"Well, generally it's done in front of the whole pack. There's a spot in the woods further away from the gardens that is reserved for ceremonies and celebrations." Mitch shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "You mate with someone during sex. We would have sex and then when I feel your orgasm near I would bite you right about here." He pointed to the side of her neck near her shoulder.

"Wait a minute. Are you saying I would have to have sex with you in front of the whole pack?" She watched him nod his head. "I'm sorry, Mitch, but I just can't do that. I'm not that type of person."

Mitch laughed loudly. "I didn't think you would. It's not a rule that you have to do it in front of the pack. It's just tradition. Sex is a normal thing in pack life. It's not looked down on at all. Quite often, you may come across couples having sex in the wide open during ceremonies and rituals or even just on a random day in the woods. That's just how it is. However, I understand if you are uncomfortable with it. You don't have to do it. We can be mated in the privacy of my room. Either way it's still an official mating."

Janette breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. I can't imagine doing that in front of other people."

"Many members of my pack do it the traditional way. But don't ever think badly about them for that. That is just how they were raised. It's natural for them. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, I think so." Janette suddenly had a thought come to her. "When we mate, does that mean I am a wolf too? I mean, I know it's probably going to happen. I have dreamed it. But I don't know if I am ready for that yet."

"No. There are two different bites I can give you. One is to mate with you. The other, I bite you and infect you with the wolf gene thereby turning you into a werewolf. I won't do that to you unless you are ready and fully accepting of it."

Janette lowered her eyes to the ground. "Does it hurt?"

"Does what hurt?"

"Will it hurt when you bite me?" she said nervously before looking back at him.

"I honestly don't know. I wouldn't think it would be too bad. Janette, I wouldn't do anything to hurt you. You mean too much to me." Mitch slid his arm around her shoulder and pulled her to rest her head against his chest. "We don't have to do it right away. I know you feel scared and I understand. I don't expect you to jump in without thinking about it first but there's one thing I want to tell you."

Janette saw the anxious look in Mitch's eyes. "What do you want to tell me?"

Mitch held her face in his hands and looked directly into her eyes. "I want you to live here with me. Forever. You can give up your apartment in the city. Janette, I want you to be with me and I want to take care of you. I want us to take care of each other. That's all I have ever wanted." He saw the tears forming in her eyes and leaned down to kiss her lightly on the lips. "Please say yes. I need you here by my side."

Janette couldn't stop the single tear streaming down her face. She had never felt so loved before. She could see in his eyes that he was sincere and meant every word. What surprised her most was that she felt the same way. She didn't want to go back home or even to her grandmother's cottage. She wanted to stay here. With him. Where she belonged. She nodded her head and wiped a tear from her cheek. "Yes... okay."

Mitch picked her up and twirled her around in a circle, laughing. "If you only knew how happy you have just made me." he said with a big grin on his face. He swept the hair away from Janette's face and kissed her deeply. "Let's go in. You seem to be getting cold."

Janette didn't know if the goosebumps on her arms were from the cold or from the emotions spreading within her. "Okay. Let's go."

They walked hand in hand back to the mansion where Mitch led Janette back up the stairs and into his room. They both entered the room and he locked the door behind them.

Janette walked over and gazed out the balcony window towards the gardens they had just come from. They had been beautiful but she hadn't taken the time to really enjoy them. She couldn't wait until the next day when she could go out in the daytime and get a better look. She suddenly felt her stomach flip when Mitch came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. An unexpected shiver ran down her spine when he swept her hair to the side and gently began kissing her neck.

"Mitch..." she sighed and closed her eyes.

Mitch turned Janette to face him. He quickly looked her over from head to toe and leaned down to join his lips with hers. He kissed her deeply, one hand wrapped around her waist and the other on the back of her head.

When he felt her respond to him, he pulled back and regarded her with a playful grin. "I told you I would finish what we started once we reached your apartment, remember?" He pulled her body even closer to his. "Well, seeing as your apartment is kind of unavailable right now, I think my room will do, don't you?" He didn't wait for her response before leaning down and kissing her again.

Janette couldn't stop the fire being ignited in her lower abdomen. What's more is that she didn't want to stop it. She felt as though she would die if Mitch stopped what he was doing to her. She was tired of getting interrupted when things started getting romantic between them so she silently cast a shield of protective energy around them and the room they were in.

Mitch felt a sharp tingle run through his body momentarily and opened his eyes just in time to see an electric blue hue leave the room and sink into the walls. "What was that? Did you do that?" he asked her incredulously.

Janette smiled up to him and nodded her head. "Yes. It was just a shield to keep people from interrupting us. I don't want to stop this time, Mitch."

Mitch wasn't sure what exactly Janette had done or how, but he didn't care. He would ask her about it later. At that moment he didn't care about anything but being with her in every way that he could. He kissed her again, this time quite gently. Repeating his actions from in the woods earlier that evening, he lifted her arms above her head and slowly slid her shirt up and off her, tossing it to the floor. He pulled her to him reveling in the feel of her warm skin against him.

Janette felt the kiss grow deeper and more passionate. She slid her hands up Mitch's chest and began clumsily unbuttoning his shirt in a desperate effort to get it off him. She was a bit taken aback and laughed when he moved her hands out of the way and ripped the shirt, sending buttons popping and flying everywhere. "Mitch! Your shirt!"

"I can get another. Don't you worry about it." Mitch brought his lips back to meet Janette's before sliding his hands up her bare back and unclasping her bra. He slid the flimsy material from her shoulders, down her arms and threw it to the side to lie on the floor with her shirt. He growled low in his chest and began kissing his way down her neck and across her shoulders.

Janette closed her eyes and leaned her head to the side a bit to allow Mitch better access. She gasped loudly in surprise when she felt one nipple and then the other being engulfed by Mitch's hot mouth, his tongue swirling lazily over the taut peaks.

Mitch couldn't get enough of Janette. Her taste, her touch, her scent, the way her skin felt pressed against his bare chest; it all combined together and made him almost lightheaded. It was the most euphoric experience he had ever had. He pried his attention away from her breasts and began kissing her again with an almost desperate urge. He had never felt his wolf as strongly as he did at that moment. His wolf was whimpering and begging Mitch to take their mate right then and make her theirs.

Janette felt as though she was in exquisite agony. Never had she felt as much pleasure as she was feeling at that moment, both physical and emotional. She was just about to reach out to unbutton Mitch's jeans when he lifted her up, wrapping her legs around his waist.

Mitch was nearly out of breath, practically panting. He met Janette's eyes once more. "Bed?" he asked, unable to vocalize anything else. She nodded and he didn't waste any time taking her there. He quickly walked across the room and sat her gently on the edge of the bed.

Janette began scooting backward to the middle of the mattress and watched as Mitch followed her on his hands and knees. He was moving ever so slowly towards her and the predatory look in his eyes made Janette's heart leap with a tinge of fear but also with a bit of excitement. He looked as though he would change into a wolf at any moment and begin chasing her. She was finding it hard to maintain eye contact with him. Instead, she found herself looking all around her, scoping out the nearest exit.

Mitch continued slowly crawling towards Janette like a predator stalking its prey, his eyes never leaving hers. He only had one thing on his mind and that was claiming what was his. He found himself in the middle of a power struggle between what he knew to be right and what his wolf wanted. He was thankful that Janette knew what he was but he was still worried. She didn't know all the details that came with it. However, her aroused scent was tantalizing his nose and the look of her laying there beneath him, so innocent and sweet, was making him crazy with lust.

Janette moaned softly when Mitch began ravishing her mouth again. He seemed so possessive now, as though he wanted to eat her up. She lay there beneath him, he spread her jean clad legs apart with his knees and began slowly grinding his clothed erection against her mound, making her moan louder.

Mitch couldn't take much more. He let his tongue trek slowly down Janette's neck, down to her shoulders, her breasts, and down even further to her toned stomach. He licked and inched his way down to her button fly and started unbuttoning her jeans. She protested for a moment but Mitch stopped her, holding her hands to her sides, beckoning her to let him continue. He saw the look of nervousness on her face and sat up on his knees to talk to her.

"What's wrong?" he asked breathlessly. "Do you want me to stop?"

Janette could see the pained look on Mitch's face and knew that he was using every ounce of self-control that he had in an effort to be careful and gentle with her. The nervousness suddenly left her and she wanted nothing more than for Mitch to continue.