13. Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Thirteen
Cade
This woman is going to be the death of me.
At least it will be interesting…
She's horribly stubborn—more than I could have anticipated. Troublesome doesn't even cover the gist of it. But still, she's exciting and even more so, intriguing.
Nyx wasn't wrong when she called me a psycho. In fact, I'd agree with no hesitation. It's one of my many traits which the pack loves to remind me about. But it's not the type of psychopathic that's blood-spilling and savage, it's the kind that loves a challenge—a mental masochist if I had to label it.
I'm quickly becoming obsessed with her.
I was waiting to see how long it would take her to break the chains downstairs. There was never any doubt in my mind—which is why I had ordered for her to be taken there. I wanted to see just how strong she is, how similar she is to the legendary tales of Ophelia. After dismissing my inner circle for the night, I waited in the dark for the first glimpse of her.
I didn't have to wait long. Even from outside the house, I heard the faint, distant sound of the door. Then, it was just a matter of following her.
I'm very familiar with the boundary line that I had Marie set. So, I let her run, waiting until the prime moment to let her know she wasn't alone. There was something about the chase that was thrilling—especially when I knew I could catch her easily. But I didn't want to…
However, it took me by surprise when she absolutely steam-rolled me. Then again, perhaps there was no shock at all.
Any expectations I had ceased to exist the moment I laid eyes on her in the cell. But at the same time, I knew that whoever my mate was, they would be someone that entwined with my personality perfectly. Mates are designed to be soulmates—not necessarily someone who is exactly like you, but the other half of two souls that compliment your existence. And as a leader, that someone would always be the person who challenges me, makes me stronger.
Even though I was eager to find my mate, I was never in any particular rush—I knew I'd find them when the time was right. But suddenly I realized one day that time might not be on our side anymore.
It wasn't until Ezra had made a comment one afternoon during a meeting that his eldest would be approaching his twenty-first birthday in a few short years. He made an off-handed comment, a joke, that knowing their luck, his mate would be from another pack—and who knows where that pack would be when the time came. At the rate that packs were evaporating into thin air, it was only a matter of time before things needed to settle or reached a breaking point.
The whole meeting got me thinking. We had a number of members who had reached the prime age of twenty-one and we're still mate-less. It was entirely possible that their mate just hadn't hit the same age yet, but alas, I felt it was my duty to ensure they met their life partner with the concerning celestial events hanging over our heads.
Sawyer and I started charting out the history of everyone's fated mates, trying to establish any patterns or existing relationships that could have indicated a pairing. And while doing it, the thought dawned on me that perhaps my Luna was not a New Moon member waiting to reach their twenty-first birthday. There had been no multi-pack connection between former alphas and their mates since the Great War, however we quickly came to the conclusion that times were changing, and we needed to take a step back and reassess our options.
When Marie pointed out the historical knowledge about our lineage, I had a gut feeling that she was right about repeating events. We had already heard a rumor that somewhere out there, a young wolf had just turned twenty-one and already had more than one mate. And when we went digging, imagine my astonishment when we found out it wasn't just any mate—but an alpha, two at that. From different packs, no less.
Another alpha had mentioned the news to me during a catch up while discussing the latest updates on vanishing packs. While I haven't been too concerned about my pack disappearing, you can never be too careful.
But if there's one thing about the hierarchy of wolves, it's that they love keeping up with appearances and news about other packs—anything that will provide strength and the upper hand when it comes to negotiations and trades. That's when I decided I needed to find out if this unique individual was my mate.
It felt like a long shot, but Ophelia's lineage had long fizzled out from the New Moon Pack. Over many years and generations, her ancestors had mated with wolves from other packs, eventually dwindling out her bloodline until only the alpha remained. But then, he suddenly passed before he could meet his mate and produce an heir. My grandfather at the time was his Beta and was voted by the pack to take his place since the alpha had no other surviving family members.
When we heard about Nyx, there was no doubt in our minds that she was a descendent of the Goddess Ophelia, and if the universe was indeed repeating history, it gave solid reason to believe that her bloodline would return to the New Moon Pack.
However, I knew it wouldn't be an easy task. With two mates already, it wasn't as simple as reaching out to the alphas to say, "I think your mate might also be mine. Could you bring her to my territory to check?" .
So, the next best plan was to bring her to me. Unfortunately, that wasn't a trouble-free task either. I knew the only way I'd get her here without an entourage was to drag her here.
I never claimed to be perfect. Sometimes, we have to improvise with unorthodox methods. I figured once she was here, we'd sort it out. If she wasn't my mate—no harm, no foul. But if she was—like she is—well, that's where the problem lies.
Any minute now I'm going to have an army of wolves storming into Silverpine Meadows, demanding my head. And sadly, time is once again not on my side. In an ideal situation, we'd have longer to get to know each other, and hash out the details together, without other alphas breathing down my neck.
Oh, well. It is what it is. I got my answer. We'll play it by ear as to what happens next.
In the meantime, Nyx needs some space to cool off. I've given her a lot to consider, and her starting to go into heat is yet another obstacle for us to overcome. Thankfully, Marie is a Goddess-send with her abilities. Along with her magic to mask things, I know she provides the females with medicinal blends to help with their discomfort. I've also sent Annabelle to befriend Nyx—perhaps having a friendly face will help ease her mind and the belief that I'm going to drag her by her hair to the cells downstairs.
I hear footsteps approaching and I can already tell it's Sawyer based on the sound. When the door pushes open, confirming what I already know, he waltzes in, a manila folder in his hand.
"Here are those documents you wanted," he says, passing them over.
"Cheers. Have you briefed the others on our new guests?"
Sawyer nods, giving me a sharp look. "Have you decided whether you want us to watch the boundary line?"
I drop the folder on the desk, leaning back in thought. "Yes—have Ezra and Matteo stand guard out of sight. They will be able to identify them, so we know it's definitely their packs and no one else. But see if Marie can hide their presence. It's likely they will be on the lookout for wolves. I'm expecting the three packs to arrive together, so I'd hate for our men to be outnumbered and attacked."
"You realize the alphas will absolutely attack without waiting," he points out.
"Well, we will need to mitigate that," I say simply. "Tell Marie we'll need her. She should be able to disarm them if they try anything—at least until I'm able to speak to them directly."
Sawyer snorts. "She's not going to like that."
I shrug. "It's either that or we attack back. I won't let them harm my family. I'm sure she doesn't want that either."
For someone who claims to hate wolves, she makes no effort to leave our town. I'm certain that has a little something to do with the fact her son is a member of our pack. Apparently, not even witches are completely immune to the charms of other supernatural beings. Though, she assures me it was a one-time deal—but nevertheless, she ended up with a child from the encounter. Even though it wasn't in her plans to be a member of a wolf pack, she believes that everything happens for a reason… even if she doesn't like it.
"Very well," Sawyer answers. "I'll have Ezra mind link you once they have a visual. Where would you like the rest of us stationed?"
I stand, rolling up the sleeves of my business shirt. "We'll greet them once they emerge from the trees. I'll have Annabelle escort Nyx over once we know they are nearby. If they see her standing with us, it might deescalate the situation."
" She's not going to like that either."
"Probably not," I smile. "But I have no doubt she'll be happy to see her mates."
Sawyer pauses at the door, giving me a look of concern. "I think the chances of her hightailing it out of here as soon as they arrive are extremely high. She doesn't appear to have warmed up to us at all."
"We didn't get enough time, no," I agree. "But we've done what we can. At least we know the truth now. I'm hopeful that perhaps I can have some kind of meaningful discussion with Alpha Lex and Alpha Maverick."
He gives me a small nod, clearly not as optimistic as I am.
In all honesty, I don't know how this will go. It could be the start of peaceful banter—they are long overdue about unrelated matters—or it could end in a bloodbath. I'm prepared for both.
"I'm going to go speak with the others," I say, walking out from behind the desk. "For the sake of being prepared, give Kyani the heads up that we may have some guests staying tonight. At least that way she doesn't rip my head off when I send a dozen guests her way."
Sawyer laughs quietly, nodding as he turns and leaves the office. I follow him out, heading to the dining room as I run through all the possible scenarios that could eventuate in my mind.
Hopefully by the time I cross paths with Nyx again, she'll be calmer and happier. The last thing we need when the alphas come barreling out of the woods is to see her punching me in the face again, complaining about being whacked over the head with a rock.