Page 35 of The Chosen One Universe: Volume One

Sam

“So,” Sam said softly, keeping his voice low so he didn’t disturb the kids, “kind of a weird day.”

“Good, though,” Vaughn said. He sat down on the couch beside Sam and held out his hand.

Sam took it without a thought then looked up at Vaughn. “What’s going on?”

Vaughn ran his thumb over Sam’s knuckles and smiled at him. “There are a lot of perks to being part of this world, but one of the best is finding your mate.”

Sam gulped. “Okay.”

“It’s rare, these days. And most of the time it takes a miracle to find the person destined to be yours.”

“So it’s magic, huh?” Sam’s mind spun with the possibilities, trying to make sense of Vaughn’s words even though they didn’t. To his brain at least. His heart on the other hand? Yeah, it knew.

“I don’t know. I’ve heard stories of fated mates where it seems like magic. It’s big and explosive and wild. But then there are the ones where your eyes meet across the room and suddenly everything slots into place, the missing piece finally found. That’s what I felt when I looked at you last night. And this afternoon, when my wolf accepted you, I knew.”

“So we’re mates?”

“Yes, Sam. I’m yours, if you’ll have me.”

“That fast?” Sam asked. He shouldn’t accept. Shouldn’t even think about it. He had a life. His dad. His students.

“Sam.”

He looked up at Vaughn, and Vaughn’s eyes flashed that brilliant blue. It was quickly becoming Sam’s new favorite color. “Yeah?”

“Don’t think. Feel.” Vaughn turned so he was facing Sam, pulling one knee up onto the couch and resting their joined hands on it. He pressed his other hand to Sam’s chest, on top of his heart. “What do you feel, Sam?”

That was the kicker, wasn’t it? He felt like he’d come home, like he couldn’t imagine going to sleep tonight without Vaughn by his side, even though they’d never done that before. Well, the night before, but really, sleeping on a couch with Vaughn’s parents in the room while six traumatized children slept on a blow-up mattress beside them totally didn’t count.

“Stop thinking, Sam.”

“I can’t. But I’m feeling too.”

“Yeah?”

“You’re really ready to just say you’re it. You’re the one. And what if something goes wrong? What if you’re wrong?”

“What do I tell the kids, Sam?”

Everything in Sam’s brain skidded to a halt. He searched Vaughn’s perfect blue eyes for the truth he could see so clearly displayed.

“Alphas don’t lie. Alphas don’t break promises.”

Vaughn leaned closer, his lips curled into the softest smile. “That’s right. And I’m not lying to you now. I promise, Sam. I’m not wrong. I know and my wolf knows. You’re the one we’ve been waiting for all this time. And you were just on the other side of town.”

Sam leaned in the last few inches and touched their foreheads together. “This is intense.”

“I know. Don’t think this means that we are going to miss out on things. I plan on romancing the hell out of you. I’m thinking wining, dining, and red roses level of romance.”

“Yeah? And what are you planning to do with the six kids we’ve claimed while you’re executing Operation Romance Sam?”

Vaughn scowled. “I’ll…they’ll… I’ll figure something out. I have a pack full of potential babysitters and several hundred former patients who’ve said things like ‘if there’s ever anything you need, anything we can do.’ I will take them up on those offers so fast your head will spin.”

“That sounds nice.” And it did. Sam chewed on his lip nervously, closing his eyes to avoid Vaughn’s intense gaze as the last worrying thought bloomed alongside the ones of hope and possibilities. “Your wolf didn’t know before?” Sam asked, his voice shaking with a slight tremble of remembered pain. “Why didn’t you know then if you know so suddenly now?”

“I… I don’t know,” Vaughn confessed. The words seemed hard for him to choke out, as if the memory was causing him pain, too. “We could have had years together, maybe been ready for this. I… I knew there was something different about you, that I was drawn to you… I just don’t know, Sam.”