5. Marie
5
MARIE
D riving the winding road to Graham’s territory, I breathe in my mate’s scent to calm my racing heart.
Graham agreed to meet me at the border once Jonathan wasn’t there, just as I expected.
“This is the right thing to do,” I tell myself. “You’re fated mates. He can’t argue with that. There’s no denying destiny.”
Yet as I pull up to the bridge and spot Graham standing there, arms folded across his broad chest and dark shadows across what I once thought were devastatingly handsome features, I have a feeling this won’t go as smoothly as I hope.
“Graham,” I say politely, climbing out from behind the wheel and approaching the tall alpha. He’s big and intimidating, and for the first time, I see why people are scared of him. Before now, he always smiled at me, made me feel welcome and at ease. Not today. And the cold look on his face is more unnerving than if he were screaming and ranting.
“Marie.”
That’s it. He just stares down at me as I move closer, being careful not to break my promise to my mate and stick to my side of the bridge.
“I presume you heard about Jonathan being my fated mate. I’m sorry things didn’t work out, Graham, but you know…” I wave my hand through the air, meaning that he knows about the mystical way these things are decided.
Graham’s lips twist in a sneering smirk. “I don’t, I’m afraid. You’ll have to enlighten me.”
Knowing he’d make this hard, I force down the flicker of annoyance that flares within me. He’s just being petty. Let him have his moment.
“It’s fate, Graham. And I’m happy. I think the moon goddess has chosen well for me. I’m sure your own mate, when you find her, will make you equally happy.”
Looking unconvinced, Graham casts his gaze out over the side of the bridge to the churning water below. “You’ve made me look like a fool.”
Stunned, I take a step back as he advances.
“I haven’t done any such thing. Every wolf knows there’s no denying the mate bond. Nobody thinks it’s got anything to do with you as a person. It’s out of our hands.”
Graham scoffs. “For you, maybe. Because you clearly have no self-control.” When he looks at me once more, there’s no warmth there, and I struggle to find a glimpse of the man I thought I knew behind those dead eyes. Maybe it was all an act. Maybe he liked me more than I realised, and this is a defence mechanism.
Either way, I’m not listening to him talk down about my mating bond.
“It’s not about self-control. It’s about knowing the second that you meet that you’ve found the other half of your soul.” Sighing when he stares back, eyes narrowed, I resign myself to the fact that he doesn’t want to understand, to accept that this is nothing personal. He wants to be angry and feel wronged, and nothing I can do or say will convince him otherwise.
“But I am sorry. I appreciate that this blindsided you, so I wanted to come here to apologize before I officially mate Jonathan.”
Graham's eyes land on my neck, and he smiles smugly when he sees no mark on my skin.
“A proper alpha wouldn’t have given you a choice. You’d be wearing a mark right now whether you wanted it or not, and you certainly wouldn’t be out here alone with another man.”
His mocking tone grates on my last nerve, and I take a slow breath to calm my rising temper.
“Or maybe, Jonathan knows that I’d never do anything to hurt him, and that I’ll be his soon enough.”
Graham tilts his head, letting out an exaggerated sigh, before beginning to chuckle. I don't know what's so funny about this. He insulted me and my mate. And he’s refusing to accept my apology, one that I don’t even really owe him in the first place.
“Screw this. If you can’t act like a grown up, I’m leaving. I don’t know why I even bothered in the first place. Everyone warned me you were unhinged, but I wanted to believe you were just misunderstood. Now, I see what they meant.”
There’s no more laughter. Graham narrows his eyes and steps toward me, and I take two steps back. He’s in Grey Ridge territory now. He needs to go back behind the border, but instead, he strides quickly after me, grabbing my arm painfully when I turn to run.
From the shadowy trees, three men approach, boxing me in and blocking my way back to my vehicle.
“You should have listened to them, Marie. But the fact that you didn’t proves what I know to be true.”
Icy fear slithers down my spine as I twist in his grasp and turn to face him.
He looms over me, lips pulled back to bare gritted teeth.
“What’s that?” I’m afraid to ask, but I have to know just how much trouble I’m in here.
The men behind me continue to close in until they’re no more than a foot away, ready to catch me if I try to bolt for Jonathan’s truck.
“That the fates have got this one wrong. And that you’re really meant to be mine. Forever.” He tugs on my arm, dragging me across the rickety wooden bridge toward his pack’s land.
Digging my heels in, I make it as difficult as I can, twisting and yanking my arm away from his grip.
But he’s a soon-to-be-alpha, amped up on adrenaline and anger. He’s too strong for me to fight off.
“You know this isn’t right, Graham. We’re not fated mates.”
He shrugs, looking unconcerned about the semantics.
“Maybe not chosen by the moon goddess. But when I mark you as mine, it’ll be as good as.”
My mind immediately turns to Jonathan.
If he marks me, Jonathan will feel it. And he’ll think I’ve left him. Our bond will never be complete.
“You’re not marking me, Graham. This is ridiculous. I get that you’re pissed off but think for a minute.”
My pleas fall on deaf ears, and he growls, tightening his hold on my arms as he roughly drags me along, his men following us impassively, not caring one bit about my plight.
“You won’t think it’s ridiculous when my teeth are buried in your neck. And once that bond kicks in, and your pathetic mate knows he’s lost you, you’re never going to try to leave me again.”
He’s gone into full-on psycho villain mode, and I’m immediately beginning to doubt convincing Jonathan to let me come alone.