'I found a perfect place. Call me!'
'I know he will deliver.' I think to myself with a smile when I read the text Eric sent to me.
I move closer to where Ash is standing, staring intently at a group of jellyfish in a tank
"Babe, I need to step out briefly to make a call. Will you be okay if I leave you by yourself for a few minutes?" I ask her
"Of course, go ahead. I'll be waiting right here for you." She replies with a smile, giving me a peck on the lips.
"Alright. See you in a bit" I say before walking toward the entrance of the tunnel.
Another message from Eric comes in before I arrive at the private place where I will be able to call him. I open the message to see it's some photos of the beach house he just got. I look through the photos and immediately fall in love with the place. It's simply breathtaking.
Then I check the stats that come with the photos. I'm really impressed. The house is perfect with the kind of privacy a shifter like me loves.
I love this place and I'm getting it for my mate no matter how much it costs.
I call Eric back and he answers on the first ring
"What do you think?" He asks before I say anything.
"I love it. Get it." I also go straight to the point
"Okay, but there's a problem."
My body tensed up the moment I heard what he said.
"Then get rid of it! I don't care what the problem is. If it's money-related, then I'll pay whatever they ask for. I want this house Eric! I'm already picturing my mate in it. That's how bad I want it."
"Well, left for me, I don't really see the problem as a problem. Just that, knowing the kind of a person you are, it is a problem."
"Just tell me already! What didn't you see as a problem that you think I would see as a problem?"
"You'll have a neighbor. The houses are far apart from each other but..."
"No! No way!" I cut him off mid-sentence.
"How can you say you don't see that as a problem, Eric!? We are shifters! Humans are nosy and problematic. No way am I having one as a neighbor, even if we have our different houses. It would drive me crazy! I wouldn't be able to shift in peace! If you don't want me to commit murder in the future then better fix this problem!"
He exhales then
"This place is known as Darvin Cove. It is a small gated neighborhood within Sunny Beach town. It consists of just two villas that are built on an acre beachfront plot. Half an acre for each villa.
It's a really beautiful place, Thor and that's the best I can do in such a short time. Unless you're preparing to buy the two villas then I'm afraid there's no way around you not having a neighbor."
"Why don't you buy the other villa for yourself then?" I say out of frustration.
"No thank you. I'm not interested in being your neighbor!" He replies a little too sharply, making me laugh.
"C'mon man, don't be like that!... Okay then, I'll buy it for your mate, how about that..."
"Coming from a man who gets jealous whenever a pin is given to his mate as a gift? No, thank you!"
"Ughhh!... Can you please stop bitching about that already!..." I groan out in frustration but he just snorts derisively.
"Okay... I don't have a mate, anyway, so it's pointless. No need to talk about that anymore."
It's now I know he's pained about the money I reimbursed him and he's not going to stop hounding me about it until I properly apologize to him.
"Look, if you're pained about the money..."
"If I am pained!?..." He interrupts me and I immediately know I'm handling it the wrong way.
"Okay, I'm sorry, Eric! I shouldn't have sent the money you spent on my mate back to you. It was a silly move and I..."
"You acted like a jealous little bitch! We're brothers for crying out loud!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah... Can we move on now asshole!? I already apologized. What else do you want!" I firmly say to shut him up since I know he would go on and on about it if I don't
He chuckles softly
"Oh, yes, of course, you already apologized. And I accept your apology!" He says sweetly, kinda mocking me that he won another round but it doesn't matter. I was wrong for reimbursing him the money anyway. I shouldn't have done that. Especially when we take each other as brothers and not just friends.
"Now to business. I've already paid for my villa and..."
"Wait! You already paid for your villa!?" I ask in disbelief. "Bastard! Didn't you say you're not interested in being my neighbor!?"
He laughs
"Well, I thought about the poor humans that might end up being your neighbor if I'm not and I couldn't help but have a change of mind. I can't risk you killing anyone out of annoyance, you know..."
I start laughing before he finishes speaking. The asshole already had it in mind we would get the villas together, he just wanted me to beg, since he already knew that is exactly what I would also want.
"Fuck you, Eric!" I say and he continues to laugh
"I just love it when you apologize, man. I've texted you the account you'll pay to by the way. It's almost an hour's drive from the aquarium so you better start moving if you want to be here by five.
"Okay, I will..."
"What about dinner? Do you still want me to go ahead with that arrangement?"
"No. Don't worry about that... I intend to tell her about her parents tonight after I show her the villa so we can go see Nate tomorrow morning. I also don't wish to delay this any more than necessary. I just want to make her happy, you understand."
"Yeah. Yes, I understand..."
"Okay then. Send me the directions on how to get to the villa. We'll get dinner for the three of us on our way."
"No, that won't be necessary. We can get everything we need from around here. You guys are staying the night right?"
"That would be better, don't you think?"
"Yes, it will. I'll get everything ready by the time you arrive... See you guys later." He says
"Eric..." I quickly say before he ends the call.
"Yeah..."
"Thanks, man. Thank you for everything."
"Don't thank me. I'm doing this for her. Not you, dickhead!" He says.
"I love you, buddy," I say and can't help but chuckle at how I'm sure he would react to my love confession.
"Ewww... Fuck you!" He says and immediately ends the call.
I'm still chuckling to myself by the time I return to the tunnel. The smile I have on my face vanishes and turns to a frown when I don't see Ash where I left her.
My insides turn to mush out of fear when I look around and don't see her anywhere around. My thoughts begin to run haywire inside my mind right then...
'Didn't she promise to wait right here for me?
Yes she promised and she wouldn't have left unless she was forced to leave
No! No one can force her. She's a Lycan, remember?
Or could it be that she was kidnapped?
No, she can't be kidnapped! Isn't force synonymous with kidnapping in this situation?
God, this is her first day exploring the outside world. How could I be so stupid to have left her by herself!'
I don't need to look for her in the tunnel for me to realize she's nowhere around. I can barely smell her essence. I hurry out of the tunnel, worriedly looking around the place.
"Dammit!" I swear softly when I see the place is more crowded than when we arrived. I guess that's because it's the weekend.
I frantically look around for her as I weave around the people walking and standing everywhere. It would have been easier for me to track her among this many people if our wolves had not been put to sleep as it was required in a public place.
"Give me the link to the news post." I hear someone say to another beside me and it suddenly occurs to me.
'Yes, link! Mind link! Why didn't I think of that earlier?'
She's my mate. We can communicate through our special mind link. I'll also be able to sense her distress through the link if she is in any kind of trouble.
Again it would have been easier if our wolves weren't sleeping but since they are, I found a quiet place to calm myself so it would be easier for me to communicate with her.
'She's not in distress, thank Moon goddess!' I say to myself in relief when I can't feel or hear any kind of distress call from her.
"Ash? Babe, where are you?" I call out loudly in my mind, waiting for her to reply to me.