The Designated Mate novel Chapter 12

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"Alright I'll start wiping down the walls and baseboards to get the dust and gunk removed and you work on mopping the kitchen floor, deal?" I asked while setting down the fifty different shopping bags I was struggling to carry in.

"Deal." Grace agreed before setting out my new trash can and unpacking the mop and bucket we'd purchased.

"So, where to begin..." She trailed off while filling her bucket with warm water and adding some Mr. Clean solution to it. "Well, I guess it all starts with meeting someone you like being around and feel like you have a good connection with. For me and Jason, it was the fact that he didn't get annoyed with me whenever I would talk his ear off." She said before we both laughed. "How fast things move really depends of both people, but, for Jason and I, we moved pretty slow because - as I said before - he's a pretty quiet guy. After you get to know each other, you'll go on a few dates as love interests. This is usually when most couples begin discussing important common things that are vital to any relationship; such as pack politics, how many kids you want, the works.

"After a few dates is when we wait for the male to ask us on a run. As you know, most female wolves are pretty submissive and docile in nature, which is why the guy usually has to ask first. It has happened before that a female has asked first, but it's not very common. It's just how nature works." She explained.

"So what's the importance of this run? What do you do on it?" I asked, more than a little intrigued.

"The run is a make or break stage. Everything leading up to the run is just acquainting the skin side of you to see if your compatible with your possible mate personality wise, but even if you think you're in love with that person, the run could bring the mating to a halt. When you go on your run, you shift into your fur side. You allow both your wolves to assess one another. Within minutes, you will know if you two were one of your fated matches - meaning one of the few people you were destined to be with. It's not exactly set in stone, but through history and research it's been said that each wolf has about five or six possible matches throughout the entire werewolf population, sometimes more if you're lucky." She finished. I stopped wiping the wall and gave her my full attention.

"So what happens if you get to the run and you aren't compatible?" I asked.

"You cut your losses and move on. That's why most people in our generation don't court for very long and prefer to get straight to the run. Sadly, most guys see it as a waste of time if someone isn't their mate. Other times, girls will refuse the run and put it off for as long as they can, as they're afraid to find out someone they've fallen in love with won't be a possible soulmate." She said sadly.

"Everything about you turns me into a man with no self-control," He rasped out against the shell of my ear. I could hear the heavy strain in his voice, causing a wetness to form between my thighs.

Poppy's POV

About four hours and some long, deep talks about life, love, and everything in between later, Grace and I got pretty much every surface of the house scrubbed clean. There wasn't a spec of dust anywhere in sight and the entire house had a fresh pine scent to it. I was glad that I got all the walls cleaned, as they were now ready to start being painted. The couple that lived here before must've hated light colors, because all the walls were painted a different hue of dark brown.

"Alright, girl. I'm exhausted, starving, and we only have about an hour before the dinner preluding your induction ceremony starts. Let's get a move on," Grace asserted. I nodded in agreement before cracking my cricked neck and muscles.