“The last thing I need is the entire pack to know that her presence is making me regret the treaty and that bullshit marriage far more than I did when I’d finally given it to it. The shit thing is, I can’t even blame my father for this mess.”
Sarah walked around the neat little desk. Its shiny unscared surface was a reminder that wolves healed and yet here we were with Kiara. She wasn’t healing or getting her wolf back. A growl of frustration escaped me. I could smell the wolf inside her, but she was so faint. Ten years and I still knew what I knew, she was meant to be mine, and I hadn’t been able to protect her. This feeling inside me? The one that had allowed me to harden my soul? I was all over again breaking like she’d died yesterday.
“Earth to Devon,” Sarah said, snapping her fingers in front of my face. “Devon. I’ve known you for years. You’re like my big brother. I hate that you are marrying for fucking politics. So, if you tell me that that female, the one in there, is your mate. I’ll probably die of shock first, but once I recover? Well, I would murder the conniving female from the other pack.”
I snorted. I’d known Sarah since we were pups. Between her and Colton they were the few that were allowed to give me shit over just about everything. Even then Sarah spent more time mending my broken bones and gashes. I was her test dummy thanks to my father’s heavy-handed idea of what it was to be alpha and a father.
“For the first time in my life I don’t know what to do. To be the alpha I must mate, but to mate against fate?” I scoffed. “There’s no point in talking to my father. He will choose politics over love any day of the week. I lost my chance of making this easy.”
I hadn’t realized that I’d been fighting with damn near anything I could get my hands on and that now included the frayed edges of the drawstring of the shorts I'd thrown on. Why had I bothered? I needed to go out and run it off. Cold showers weren’t going to work to douse the need that female was making me feel.
“Devon, promise me you won’t go through with anything until you’ve slept on it? Maybe gotten to know her?”
The muscles of my cheeks hurt as I scowled.
“I don’t need to know the bitch from that pack. Should make for a great mating when I can’t stand her. The idea of her makes my stomach churn.”
The loud sound of her hand slapping across my shoulder made me halt the anger.
“Not her, you idiot. Her. The one in the bed at the end of the hall that has you all kinds of knotted up like some lovesick pup. The last time I saw you wound up and confused and well, remotely not an ass was, hm.” She paused and tapped her lower lip with her finger.
“The night of my first shift?” I helped her out.
Her head bobbed. “Yeah. I think you’re right. That was forever ago. And the weeks that followed? Colton and I were really worried about you.”
I shuddered. I had been worried about me too, but no one needed to know that.
“I know. I know. I need to focus and figure out what to do. They will be here in a few days for all the official pack business. I have until then to solve world peace.”
Sarah snorted.
“Right, Devon. Well. When you are done fixing the world, just let me know where to bury the bodies. I will always be there for you. But, I’d really like you to be happy. A happy alpha is a much stronger alpha.”
The pain in my jaw shot up into my head. I’d been clenching my teeth from the second I’d heard Kiara name the pack that had hurt her. Cripple Creek. I needed to figure out a way to make them pay, but without starting a pack war. Yet.
* * *
“Alpha,” I said, addressing my father. “I need to lead a team south. We’ve picked up several more rogues along the way. Several seem under the impression that they are as good as dead if they remain lone-wolves and they believe none of the packs will accept them.”
My father was trying on a suit while I stood there being the dutiful alpha in training.
“Yes. Yes. Do as you see fit. You will be alpha soon enough now that you have a mate. I plan to hand over the pack. I trust you, son.”
I swallowed back the burn in my throat. I needed to address the elephant in the room. Something about the situation had not sat well with my wolf, not even when we thought our true mate was dead.
“Father. Strange thing. The female that we recovered, the one in the infirmary? As it turns out she’s the girl that disappeared. You remember the one that disappeared the night of my first shift? As you might recall, I knew then as I know now that she’s my mate.”
His arms stopped mid tug of the jacket, and his eyes met mine in the mirror.
“That would be impossible. But, also that is unfortunate timing for a second chance mate, or any mate to have shown up. Who is she? What bloodline does she come from?”
The room seemed to grow smaller as we stared at each other. His scrutiny seemed to try to overpower the anger flowing off of me. Of course he wasn’t listening, again.
“Not a second chance. The only mate I’ve ever known.”
His face darkened. “Leave us,” he said to the female helping tailor his suit. She nodded and closed the door on her way out.
“That is impossible. Your mate died in an attack. I heard the words myself.”