A Trip To Love - 5. Chapter 4

Jon's Point of View

I could not believe that I finally found my mate! I was so happy that my search was over. I eagerly sniffed the air to see what type of bear he was, only to figure out that he wasn’t a bear but a wolf.

Oh boy, mom was going to have a fit about this. I didn’t care because he was the one that was made specifically for me.

He was so handsome. He had the clearest, bluest eyes I had ever seen. They were the color of a clear blue lake. I could get lost in his eyes forever.

I waited to see what his response was going to be but I wanted to go over to him so badly. I was so nervous because I didn’t want to do something that could ruin this moment. I soon realized that he was standing up and walking towards me with an assurance that I didn’t have. As he got to the table I stood up to meet him.

“Hello, my name is Tim. What’s yours?” the young man asked in a clear, strong voice as he held his hand out to me.

“Hi Tim, I’m Jonathan, but you can call me Jon,” I replied as my voice changed part way through my response.

“Do you mind if I sit with you?” Tim asked confidently.

“Please do, I would love that,” I said as I gestured for him to join me in my booth. Even though I was still nervous, I could not pass up the opportunity to get to know my mate

“Are you from around here?” he questioned as he took a sip of his drink.

“No, I am from Spokane. What about you? You have a sort of twang in your voice,” I responded.

“I am from Virginia. I came out here looking for my mate. I never thought my mate would be a bear though.”

“Are you disappointed?”

“Not at all, I am just glad that I found you,” he replied.

Around that time the waitress brought my food, she had a look of shock on her face when she saw that Tim had moved and was sitting with me. She soon came out with his meal as well.

“How old are you?” I asked Tim as I started to eat my French fries.

“Twenty years old, what about you?” Tim asked while turning the salt and pepper shakers in his fingers. I guess he’s just as nervous as I am.

“I’m twenty-six years old and have been looking for my mate for the last ten years.”

“Did you ever think that your mate wouldn’t be a bear?”

“I only realized recently that there was a good chance that my mate was either human or a different type of shifter. Since I was eighteen, I have been travelling to different clans to see if my mate was amongst them but could never find him.”

“Were you always sure that your mate would be a guy?” asked Tim.

“Yeah, ever since I was about fourteen I knew that I wanted nothing to do with the opposite sex, much to my mom’s dismay. She still has not come to terms that I am gay. What about you?”

“I knew in high school that my mate would be a guy and thankfully my dad has been supportive of that fact. While I was home this last time, my friends suggested that maybe my mate was not a werewolf. Do you think that us being different species is going to cause problems with your family?” he questioned after taking another drink.

“I don’t think that my brothers will have a problem with it, not sure about my dad but I know that my mom will be livid. As much as I love my family, I will not let them interfere with my life and being with my mate.”

“How many brothers do you have?”

“I have three of them, two are eighteen, and one is sixteen, no sisters. Do you have any siblings?”

“Technically I have one sister but she died during childbirth, along with my mom. It has just been dad and I since I was fourteen.”

“My mom has wanted me to settle down with a female werebear so that I could have cubs. Why can’t she be happy that she will have grandbabies from my brothers? Besides, we could always use a surrogate or even adopt. That is if you wanted to.”

“I think adopting or using a surrogate would be a great idea, when the time is right. Does this mean that you accept me as your mate?” he asked before taking a bite of his burger.

“Of course I accept you as my mate, I have been looking for you for so long. I feel as if I have known you for a lot longer than an hour. Where are you staying while you are in town?” I asked as I reached across the table and took his hand in mine.

“I was actually on my way to the Pacific Northwest Pack to see if my mate was there,” Tim replied.

“Ok, that’s funny, because I am staying there to see if maybe my mate was a member of that pack. I have pretty much exhausted looking through all of the clans so I was going to try other shifters,” I responded with a chuckle.

“That is funny, we were both going to stay with the same pack to try and find our mates. I wonder what Alpha Remington is going to say about this?” Tim questioned with a chuckle.

“I think he will find it funny as well. He and his mate seem welcoming, I mean after all they welcomed a bear inside of their pack.”

We finished our dinners and just sat there and talked, getting to know each other better. I still couldn’t believe that this gorgeous man was mine for eternity. He looked even better than he had in my dreams.

“Do you want to follow me back to the pack lands? Then we can get you settled into your room. Maybe we can go for a run tomorrow, if you want to.”

“A run sounds good. I need to call my dad when we get to the pack house to let him know that I made it safely and to let him know about you. Would you like to talk to him on Skype with me?”

“I would be honored to, I need to let my family know as well. Maybe after we Skype your dad we can Skype my family. I am so glad that I found you, I have felt like there was a part of me missing for as far back as I can remember.”

“Sounds like a plan, you ready to head out then?” asked Tim.

“Yeah, let me just take care of the check,” I responded as I grabbed both of our checks and went to the register.

“You don’t have to pay for my meal,” protested Tim.

“I know I don’t have to but I would like to if that’s ok with you, that’s just how I was raised.”

“Ok, how about this? You get this one and I’ll get our next meal out. How does that sound?”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” I replied.

I followed him out to his car and pulled him into a hug.

“I’m looking forward to getting to know you better,” I said as I nuzzled into his neck.

“Me too,” replied Tim as he nuzzled my neck.

I watched him get into his car before walking over to my suburban. All of a sudden I remembered that I was going to go see a movie, so I jogged back over to Tim’s car.

When he saw me coming back over, he rolled down the window and asked, “Did you forget something?”

“Yeah, I had forgotten that I was going to go see a movie. Would you like to go or do you just want to head to the pack house?”

“Well, I am a little tired from travelling most of the day. How about we do the movie tomorrow?”

“Ok, sounds good, that will give us time to look at the paper and see what’s playing that we would want to go see.”

I reached in and placed my hand on his shoulder before turning and jogging back to my suburban.

Soon he was following me back to the pack house. My heart was bursting with joy and love. I had finally found my other half. I used my Bluetooth to call my brothers to let them know.

“Hey, Jon, it’s a little early for your weekly call, you miss us that much?” asked my brother Tyler when he answered the phone.

“Of course I miss you guys, but I was calling to let you know that I am going to Skype you guys in a few hours so make sure that you are on, ok?”

“Sure, bro, I will make sure that Alex and Kyle are in my room so that we can talk without mom butting in. Are you ok? Nothing wrong is there?”

“I am fine, no there is nothing wrong. I will tell you what’s going on when we talk on Skype later. Gotta go, talk to you later, little bro. Love ya.”

“Love you, too, be safe.”

I disconnected the call as we pulled into the driveway of the pack house. Tim pulled up next to me before getting out and popping the trunk of his car.

I walked over to see if he needed any help while he grabbed his suitcase out of the trunk. Once he closed the trunk he followed me up the front steps of the pack house.

“I called and talked to my youngest brother, Tyler, and told him that I wanted to Skype with him and the other two later this evening. I would like for you to join us so that they can start to get to know you.”

“I can’t wait to get to know them too. Let me meet with Alpha Remington and then we can Skype my dad, then your brothers,” replied Tim.

Tim left his suitcase in the entryway before going and knocking on the Alpha’s door.

“Come in,” came the gruff reply from the other side of the door.

Tim opened the door before grabbing my hand and pulling me in with him.

“Good evening, Alpha Remington. I’m Tim Collins, thank you for letting me come and visit your pack.”

“Good evening, Tim. I see you have met Jon Blumer, he’s a bear shifter that is also visiting us. By the way, you can call me Alpha Jeff while you are here,” replied Alpha Jeff before looking, seeing that our hands were clasped.

“Yeah, I met him at the diner in town, it turns out that he is my mate,” answered Tim.

“Well congratulations! I’m guessing that you won’t be needing the room that we prepared for you?” asked Alpha Jeff.

“Actually, if it’s ok with everyone, I would like to use that room until Jon and I have had a chance to really get to know each other. I’m just not the type of person that would immediately move in with someone.”

Tim turned and looked at me before saying, “Please don’t be offended, now that I have finally met you, I would like to get to know you before we finish the mating.”

I looked at Tim and could see that he was struggling with what he had just said, so I pulled him into my arms and replied, “We will take this as slow as you want to. Make no mistake that I will never reject you no matter what.”

“Jon, why don’t you show Tim to his room, he’s in the room right next door to you.”

“Sure thing Alpha Jeff.” Turning to Tim I said, “Follow me.”

Tim turned back and asked, “Alpha, is there internet that we can use? I need to Skype with my dad?”

“There is an unsecure network that you can access from your rooms or anywhere in the house.”

“Thank you, Alpha,” Tim said as we turned to leave the office.

We left the office, grabbed Tim’s suitcase, and headed upstairs. I showed him which one was my room and then directed him next door to his room.

“Let me know when you want me to join you with your talk with your dad, ok? I will let you get settled,” I said as I turned to leave the room.

“You don’t have to go anywhere, let me just get my clothes put away and my computer setup, then we can talk to my dad. I also want to send a couple of e-mails to some friends back home. Why don’t you have a seat at the desk and I should be done shortly,” Tim said with a quick kiss on the cheek.

The first thing he pulled out was his laptop, he plugged it in and turned it on to let it boot up while he was unpacking. I noticed he pulled out what looked like a tablet and set it on the nightstand next to the bed before unpacking his clothes hanging them up in the closet or putting them into the dresser.

He was soon done unpacking, as he walked over towards the desk, I couldn’t help myself and pulled him into a hug to let him know that he was cared for.

Tim hugged me back, wrapping his arms around me. I couldn’t believe that he was almost as tall as me. I’m six foot eleven, and he had to be six foot seven. Where I am bulky, he is trim and lean. He fit into my arms perfectly.

“Alright, let me get ahold of my dad and tell him to get on the computer,” he said as he pulled his cellphone out of his pocket.

“Hey Dad! I’m at the pack house, do you think that you could get on Skype?” I asked with the phone on speaker.

“Sure Tim. I’m guessing you met with Alpha Jeff and you’re settled into your room. Let me log into the computer and I will be with you shortly.”

“Ok, Dad, see you soon,” replied Tim.

Tim logged into his Skype account and waited for his dad to come online. I was nervous as to how his dad was going to react to me being a werebear and not a werewolf. I know that Tim had said that he would be fine with it but it’s one thing to say its ok and something else for them to actually believe it.

I heard Tim’s computer ping and knew that his dad was now online. I decided to stay off to the side until Tim was ready to introduce me to his dad.

“Hey Dad!”

“Hey son! Glad you made it safely. Now what is it that you couldn’t tell me over the phone? Is Alpha Jeff treating you well? Have you met his mate yet?” His dad fired question after question at him.

“Yes, Alpha Jeff is treating me great, no I have not met his mate yet. As for why I wanted to talk to you this way is so that I could see your face when I tell you this next bit of news.”

“Well, come on, don’t keep me in suspense.”

“Ok, Dad. You know that the whole reason for me travelling has been to find my mate. Good news is that my search is over. Dad, I would like you to meet Jon, my mate,” Tim stated as he waved for me to come around to the front of the computer.

I walked around until I could see the computer screen, I saw a man who looked to be in his early to mid-forties with dark blond hair and blue eyes.

“Hello, sir, it’s nice to meet you. I look forward to coming out and getting to know you in person.”

“Hello, Jon, where are you from?”

“I am from Spokane, Washington.”

“Have you been looking for your mate or did you just happen to come across my son?”

“To be honest, sir, I have been actively looking for my mate for the last eight years and I did just happen to run into your son. We were both visiting the Pacific Northwest Pack to look for our mates.”

“So you are about twenty-five, twenty-six years old? How do you think your parents are going to feel about your mate being a man? By the way you can call me Jasper.”

“Jasper, I am twenty-six and my parents knew that my mate would most likely be male but my mom has refused to accept it, maybe now she will.”

“So when can I expect you to be coming to visit me? Son, it seems like you have done well for yourself, just make sure that his Alpha calls ours when you come to visit.”

“Thanks dad, we’re not sure when we are going to head that way probably in about two weeks. Since we are in this area we will go and spend time with his family and I am sure that I’m not the only one who wants to spend some time by ourselves before we visit with our families,” replied Tim looking at me for confirmation before turning back to his dad.

“Are you guys going to fly or drive?”

Tim looked at me and I said, “It’s up to you, we can either drive my suburban, or we can fly. I know that I would feel more comfortable driving because of my size but I will go with whatever you decide.”

“I think we will drive the suburban that will give us more time to spend together by ourselves. I will make sure that his Clan Leader calls Alpha Jack for him to have permission to enter our territory.”

“Clan Leader? Don’t you mean Alpha?” his dad asked with a puzzled look on his face.

“No, dad I mean Clan Leader, Jon is a werebear,” Tim replied. He seemed calm while I was very anxious waiting for Jasper’s response.

“Alright, I will give Alpha Jack the heads up that he will be receiving a phone call about this. You look surprised at my response Jon.”

“Honestly, yes sir. I know that mating with a different shifter species is not unheard of and that most of the time it is frowned upon even if the two involved are true mates.”

“Well, you will never have that problem with me boys. I’m just glad that Tim has found his other half and I will do anything in my power to make it easier for the two of you. Now why don’t you guys go spend some time together and we will work out the travel arrangements in a few days when you are more certain of some of the details.”

“Ok, Dad, we will talk to you later. Love you.”

“I look forward to meeting you in person Jasper and the rest of your pack. Have a good night.”

“Good night boys, I too look forward to meeting you in person Jon, as well as getting to know your family and clan,” Jasper stated before logging off of Skype.

“Your dad seems like a nice man and I am looking forward to getting to know you and him better. I hope my family can be as accepting of us as he is.”

“I’m sure they will be fine. Are you ready to call them?”

“Well, I spoke with Tyler on the way back here and told him to have our brothers on hand when I Skype them tonight but I didn’t tell him why. Let’s head over to my room and we can talk with them,” I said before taking his hand and leading him out of his room.

While I was getting my computer set up, Tim sat off to the side out of range of the camera and was watching me get everything set up, like I had when he first started talking to his dad. Although I’m sure that Tyler has probably figured something out by now because of me calling and telling them to be on Skype tonight.

As soon as I logged into my Skype account I noticed that the boys were already online and waiting for me to connect with them.

“Hey guys! How is everyone?” I asked with a wave.

“We’re all good, kind of curious as to why you’re Skyping with us already,” stated Kyle.

“Has mom realized what she did was wrong yet?”

“Nope, she still insists that you are being overly sensitive and that you need to mate with a female human or a female bear and just get it over with,” replied Tyler.

“She even had Jackie over here and apologized for your behavior the other day. She told her that you would come to your senses soon enough. They were looking at wedding catalogs and dresses. Dad tried to warn her but she wouldn’t listen to any of us,” commented Alex.

“Well, mom and Jackie are going to have a long wait because I don’t think Tim, my mate, is going to share me so easily.”

“Did you just say that your mate’s name is Tim? So you’ve met him then?” asked Tyler.

“You always were the quick one Ty. Yes, I said my mate Tim, I met him today at the diner in town.” I turned and looked at Tim before saying, “Why don’t you come say hi to my brothers.”

As I said that Tyler got up and ran away from the computer, the only thing that I could guess is that he was going to get my dad.

“Hi, guys, now which one is which?” asked Tim.

“Well the one who just ran out of the room was Tyler, I’m Alex and this is Kyle. Kyle and I are fraternal twins. It’s nice to meet you Tim.”

“It’s good to meet you guys, as well. Being an only child I am looking forward to having brothers.”

We watched Tyler come back into view with my dad right behind him.

“What’s this I hear, son? I hear congratulations are in order.”

“Hi, Dad, yes I have met my mate. This is Tim, he’s from Virginia and flew out here looking for his mate.”

“Well hello Tim, it’s nice to meet you. I can assume that you guys will be coming to visit us soon?”

“Well, sir we’re going to spend some time together, just the two of us, then we’re planning on coming to visit you guys before heading to Virginia for Jon to meet my dad,” replied Tim.

“It’s just your dad, no other family?”

“Yes, sir, it’s just the two of us, my mom died six years ago.”

When I heard this again, it made me feel for my mate. I reached over and grabbed his hand, rubbing circles over the back of his hand with my thumb.

“What kind of bear are you?” asked Tyler.

“Well, I’m not a bear, I’m a wolf,” replied my mate and I could tell that he was just as anxious about my family’s response as I was about his dad’s reaction.

“Well, Tim that doesn’t matter to me or the boys, we’re just happy that Jon has finally met you. His mother, on the other hand, may give you some problems. I will deal with her when the time comes. We’re going to go now so that you can have some time to yourselves. Good night.”

“Good night guys!” echoed my brothers.

“Good night everyone,” Tim responded with a wave.

“Talk to you guys later,” I said before closing the connection.

I looked over at Tim and saw that he had a worried look on his face.

“Don’t worry about my mom, Dad will take care of her. If she causes us any problems then we won’t visit as often as she would like. She has already seen that I will follow through when I warn her about something.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Well, I warned her that if she continues to throw female shifters at me as possible mates every time I came home I would leave and not come back until I had met my mate.”

“Ok, so I’m guessing that she did it again and it has something to do with this Jackie person that your brother mentioned?” asked Tim.

“Yeah, this last time when I went home she had Jackie come by the house to meet me. See, she had just moved to the area and Mom wanted her to meet me because Mom felt that she would make a suitable mate for me to settle down and have cubs with. Come to find out that neither Jackie nor my Mom felt that I was truly gay and that it was just a phase that I was going through. I left that night and drove this way, I had decided to check with other shifters in the area to see if maybe my mate was a shifter, just not a bear,” I responded.

“Well, I have only been searching for the last couple of years, so I sort of know what you were going through trying to find your mate. I could only hope that I would have been able to continue to look after eight years. Wolves are pack creatures and cannot live by themselves. I probably would have just lived at home with my dad. I’m just glad that I had the gut instinct to come to Washington instead of going to the Midwest like I was planning on doing,” Tim stated.

“Are you planning on going to college?”

“I am actually taking classes through an online school, my next class starts in a couple of weeks. What about you?” he asked.

“I also did my degree online while I was travelling, now I can settle down and put my degree in Business to use.”

I looked at my watch and realized that we had been talking for a while now. I knew that Tim had had a long day and must be tired when I caught him trying to cover a yawn.

“Why don’t we call it a night, I can tell that you’re tired and that you’ve had a long day. We can talk more tomorrow,” I stated while pulling him to his feet.

“Alight, you’re right I am tired and this time difference is killing me. I will see you in the morning. Goodnight,” he said as he gave me a hug before walking towards the door.

I walked him next door and made sure that he was ok before going back to my room.

“Thank you Great Spirits for bringing my true one to me,” I thought while getting ready for bed.