4. Chapter Two
CHAPTER TWO
MICHAEL
B efore I can say anything, Rylee is already making her way toward Xavier, ignoring the fact that he’s livid.
An angry alpha is never good. They are unpredictable, especially when their mates are in potential danger.
Xavier is fuming at this point, and I know why. There is a rogue in his house, something no one ever wants to experience. Xavier especially hates rogues. He doesn’t pay any attention to Rylee and walks straight toward Mae.
Without even thinking, I run across the kitchen and stand in front of Mae. Heart beating super fast, I wait to see what the alpha will do. Xavier freezes, dumbfounded that I would try and stop him. I can’t blame him. I shocked myself with how fast I moved in front of Mae. It’s a natural instinct to protect my mate, even if it is from my alpha.
“Get out of my way!” Xavier exclaims.
I look into his eyes and stand my ground. “Absolutely not!”
Everything in me wants to move and apologize to my alpha out of respect; however, I know that if I do, he’s going to do something to my mate.
Something I can’t allow.
Xavier’s low growl sends chills through my body. I can only imagine the fear Mae is experiencing. I look away. Looking directly into Xavier’s eyes and standing my ground is challenging him, and that is a great offense to our leader. I don’t want to challenge him because I know he will win, but I am not about to let him hurt my mate.
I have to protect her, even if I don’t know how things will turn out between us.
“Xavier! Stop this right now,” Rylee shouts, touching his chest to deter him.
He scowls at Rylee, and although his face begins to soften, Xavier is furious. I don’t know how Rylee stands up to him when he is mad. No one else would ever dare to do that for fear of getting that anger unleashed upon them.
“No, she is a rogue and needs to be placed in the dungeons where she belongs,” Xavier said. “Now, either step aside or I will move you.”
“She’s deaf, and she’s Michael’s mate, Xavier!” Rylee yells.
Xavier stares at Rylee for a couple of seconds, his brain trying to process that. He steps back, shocked, as he realizes what his mate just said. He looks at Rylee, and she nods her head, and then he looks at me.
“Is she really your mate?” Xavier questions.
I look directly into his eyes. “Yes, she is.”
I won’t lie to my alpha, even if I don’t want anyone to know she’s my mate right now. Saying it out loud is way different than thinking it in my head.
Xavier sighs and calms somewhat. He looks over at Rylee, trying to force a smile. I look away, wanting to give them some space. I turn around to look at Mae, but all I see is an empty chair.
“Where did she go?” I shout in panic.
Rylee looks at me, horrified. My eyes dart around the room, and there’s no sign of her. I feel my heart quicken. She can’t hear anything! What if someone sees her? What will they do to her? I have to find her now!
“Just call her name,” Xavier states.
“Did you not hear anything I said besides rogue and mate? I said she’s deaf, so she can’t hear anything,” Rylee says emphatically.
Xavier rubs the back of his neck with an apologetic look. “Sorry.”
Rylee rolls her eyes at Xavier before walking toward the kitchen. Rylee mad is Rylee sassy, and you don’t want to be on that side of her. I often feel bad for Xavier when she directs her displeasure toward him.
I’ve had it focused on me several times, and it was not fun.
“She couldn’t have left the house because we would’ve heard it. She has to be close. Michael just smell her out. She’s your mate,” Rylee encourages.
I take a deep breath and turn my head to identify where her scent is the strongest. I completely forgot that I have the ability to just smell where she is. I’ve already gotten used to her scent, and with our enhanced senses, it should be easy to pinpoint her.
“I found her. Stay back just in case,” Rylee advises.
Stay back? A determined growl radiates from my chest. I don’t appreciate being told to stay away from my mate. No one is going to keep me away from her.
Rylee’s demand is firm as she turns back to Mae, who is sitting on the floor against the cabinets. Rylee gently touches Mae’s hand, but she jerks back, looking at Rylee, eyes filled with fear.
Rylee signs something to Mae, and she calms down a bit, but when she looks up at me before her eyes land on Xavier, she starts to push herself up against the cupboard again, trying to get away.
Rylee tries to grab her attention and sign to her, but her eyes are locked on Xavier. Her eyes hold so much fear in them, and I wonder if she knows Xavier. Rylee turns her head, following where Mae is looking, and lands on Xavier.
“Honey, can you please leave? And take Michael with you,” Rylee asks in a calm voice.
I growl in protest. I don’t want to leave my mate here. She is unprotected and scared. I need to comfort her and help her. I feel a hand on my shoulder, and I look over.
“Come on. Your mate is in good hands. We will be in our office with the door open. Just yell, and we will come,” Xavier says.
I look at Mae, but her head is down. She’s shaking like a leaf. I take a step forward, but Xavier pulls me back. I hold the growl that wants to erupt from my chest because I know that he just wants to help me and follow Rylee’s request. I understand what she is trying to do, but I just found out that Mae is my mate and my instincts are to not leave her because it feels so wrong.
“Come on,” Xavier says.
I follow Xavier to his office. He sits behind his desk, and I sit in front.
“Do you want a drink?” Xavier asks.
“No, thank you,” I reply.
I don’t want Mae to smell anything on me and get scared, but at the same time, I think a drink would calm my nerves. The burn down my throat would be so welcoming. I haven’t a clue what Mae has gone through, but I don’t want to trigger anything.
“Relax. Just relax and take a deep breath,” Xavier advises, bringing me out of my thoughts.
“How can you say relax? I can’t relax when Mae is scared out of her mind. Do you know her? She was scared of you,” I raise my voice. All logic retreats from my brain as Xavier tells me what to do. My mate obviously knows him and is terrified out of her mind.
“Don’t ever raise your voice at me. I get it, she’s your mate, but I’m still your alpha and you will show me respect,” Xavier barks. “I have never seen her in my life! Maybe she’s afraid of alpha’s or big men.”
I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose. Xavier and I are almost the same build, and she doesn’t seem that scared of me. That means it has to be that she’s afraid of alpha’s. What could have made her this afraid of alpha’s?
“So, Mae is her name. Does she have a last name?” Xavier asks, wiggling his eyebrows at me.
“Mae Brooks,” I reply.
“That’s a pretty name.”
A growl rumbles from my chest unexpectedly. I know Xavier has a mate, but no other man should notice her like I do. I am her mate, and no one else.
“Hey, I have a mate who I love and adore. Mae Brooks is all yours,” Xavier says, hands up in a placating gesture. “You don’t have to worry about me or any other person in the pack. You know how sacred mates are to us.”
“Sorry, I don’t know what came over me. I just…please don’t do that again,” I say, feeling on edge.
“I know how you feel, and I know how I would feel if someone said that about Rylee. I shouldn’t have said it to you.”
I look at Xavier in appreciation. I have only known Mae for a couple of hours, and yet, she is changing me somehow. For better or worse, I don’t know. I rarely smile, and here I am grinning at my alpha.
“I hope Rylee can get some information out of her. I need to know what happened to her,” I said.
“I don’t think she will. She reminds me of Rylee in some ways, and Rylee did not open up right away. It took a while for her to trust anyone,” Xavier says.
I let out a sigh. “I don’t know how you survived. I just want to be with her right now. My instincts are riding me hard. It’s so hard not to just barge in there and pummel her with questions. I mean, not that I could.”
Every second that passes since I saw Mae huddled up against that tree, I’ve regretted not paying attention to Rylee when she was learning sign language. I didn’t think I would ever need it, and here I am, in desperate need.
“You should’ve been paying attention to those lessons Rylee was taking. They would’ve come in handy right now.”
“Don’t remind me. I’m regretting all of that right now. I’m going to have to teach myself and ask Rylee for help. I need to learn fast so I can talk with Mae.”
Xavier laughs out loud. “Good luck with that.”
I look over at the clock, and it’s already nine at night. Where has the time gone? It feels like I haven’t seen Mae for a whole day. I stand up from my chair and start to pace the room. I’m getting anxious about my mate.
What if she needs me? What if I’m not there for something important?
“Sit down and relax,” Xavier urges me.
“That’s impossible! I need to do something,” I reply. “I need to be there for her. What if she needs me?”
Walking back and forth in his office isn’t helping much. In fact, it’s probably making things worse. I hate this feeling. The feeling of being useless while your mate is somewhere else, scared.
The door opens, and I whip my head to see who it is. Rylee is standing in the doorway, exhausted. Her tired eyes meet mine, and I can sense that everything is going to be okay.
“Is she okay? Did she tell you anything? Where is she now?” I throw questions at her a mile a minute.
Rylee takes a deep breath before looking at Xavier.
“I need a drink first,” Rylee requests.
Xavier pulls out a small glass and pours some whiskey. Rylee walks over to Xavier and sits in his lap. She picks up the glass and drinks it in one go.
“She finally calmed down some,” Rylee said.
“Is she okay? What happened?” I try not to sound too desperate.
I really just need to know if she’s okay. I can feel my wolf’s emotions building, and I’m afraid I might lose control if I don’t hear anything from Rylee about Mae.
“She’s okay. Well, she is okay right now,” Rylee says with concern.
I’m finally able to sit down, and my heart begins to settle. It’s reassuring to know that she is okay for the time being. I don’t know what I would have done if she wasn’t all right. Well, if she wasn’t, I would’ve probably gone in there and tried to make things better.
Rylee looks up at me, heartbroken. I don’t understand why, but it all makes sense as she begins to speak.
“Once I got her to calm down, I helped her get ready for bed. She’s asleep right now. She didn’t tell me much, but I do know that no men are allowed around her until she gets used to people, that includes you, Michael.”