Chapter 86
CHAPTER EIGHTY-SIX
Mikah was up before the sun. He had a restless night of sleep and finally rolled out of bed, excited to see Brandy. He headed to the back door and leaned against the wall. The sun finally made its excruciatingly slow appearance, a light blue hue covering the sky.
Mikah was shifting from side to side as the minutes slowly ticked by.
He was becoming increasingly impatient as his eyes continuously scoured over the horizon.
The sun was finally throwing its orange light into the air, bringing its warmth.
He kept his focus in front of him as he waited. She should be arriving any moment now.
Finally, he heard the sound of someone walking up the path. They looked like a dark silhouette at first in the blinding light of the sun. As they got closer, Mikah felt his shoulders drop in disappointment. It wasn’t her.
It was a man that looked to be around his age. He wasn’t as large as Mikah nor as muscular but was still toned. The man was carrying a large wooden box that was filled with various items.
“Who are you?” Mikah asked as the man approached. He looked over him with a discerning eye.
“I’m just here to make a delivery.”
“Where’s Brandy? Isn’t this her route?” Mikah asked with a raised brow.
“Oh … Brandy … umm, this will be my route from now on.” The man shifted his gaze and wet his lips nervously.
“Why? Why isn’t Brandy handling this route anymore?” Mikah watched as the man lowered the crate to the ground.
“Well, here is your delivery.” the man said and started back along the path. Suddenly he was tossed against the wall and a hand gripped his throat, lifting him against the stone behind him.
“I guess that sounded like a question. I can be clumsy with the way I word things. Let’s try again, hmm?
” Mikah began squeezing the man’s throat as he glared at him.
“Tell me about Brandy.” He watched as the man struggled against him.
Mikah smirked and applied more pressure.
“I don’t mind holding you like this until you pass out.
You aren’t stronger than me, so don’t bother trying.
You won’t be leaving unless I get answers. Where. Is. She?”
“Mikah!” Alexa yelled as she came out the back door with Ken at her side.
“Good morning. You two are up earlier than I anticipated,” Mikah said casually as he continued to hold the man up.
“Put him down, Mikah, so we can talk.” Alexa watched as Mikah eased the man down, who then coughed and rubbed his throat.
“Thank goodness! I thought I was a goner.” The man continued to cough and then his eyes widened as his feet were engulfed in a solid block of ice.
“You know who I am … right, druid?” Alexa asked, and he nodded. “Good. I believe my guardian asked you a question. We want an answer.”
“I can’t …”
“I forgot to add that my mate is the Kraken.” Alexa patted Ken’s chest as she stared at the fearful eyes in front of her.
“And my guardian is a titan. Sometimes they are so tough to control. They have horrible tempers. I don’t know what he might do to you or the other druids.
” She shook her head as she sucked in air through her teeth.
“And they aren’t even the ones you should be afraid of.
If I don’t get an answer soon ...” The ice began to climb up the man’s pants.
“I wonder how long it will last before it freezes off …”
“HER MATING CEREMONY IS TODAY!” the man cried out hysterically.
“WHAT?!” Mikah roared. He turned his head and looked around. “Where? I need to get there.”
“It probably already started. It’s at the Salt Stone Altar. You’ll never make it in time. And afterward, they get locked up for a month to make sure a child is conceived.” The man listened as Ken chuckled.
“I’ve always wanted to check off being a wedding crasher. Can’t miss this opportunity.” Ken grinned down at Mikah.
“I don’t know how I—” Mikah started, shaking his head.
“You can figure it out later,” Alexa said in a rush. “Get us there, Ken.”
“If you break up a mating ceremony, they will fight you,” the man said, and Alexa turned and smirked at him.
“They will lose,” Alexa said simply with a small shrug. She looked into Mikah’s blue eyes and nodded her head. “Thank you for being honest with yourself. Let’s hope we aren’t too late.”
Brandy sat on a stool, burying her head in her arms on the vanity. She was in a small white tent, with one attendant to help her get ready. There were two men standing guard on either side of the opening. Nothing like publicly showing she was being forced into this.
All females had to undergo an annual fertility check.
This was to show which women were in their prime for carrying offspring.
It was vital for the druids to not miss any window of opportunity.
This was when Brandy’s world was turned upside down.
When the elders demanded she take a mate, there was only one man ready to take her …
Noah. She knew now he had used his position to make sure she had no other options but him.
“I can’t do this,” Brandy whispered as she gripped the mirror in front of her so tightly her knuckles turned white. She took a deep breath and looked up at the person standing behind her. “You know this isn’t right. We’re supposed to have a choice.”
The woman looked at her with sympathetic eyes and nodded her head. “I’m so sorry, Brandy. This is wrong.”
“There has to be something you can do,” Brandy pleaded. She reached out and touched the woman’s arm. “Just distract them long enough so I can escape.”
The woman glanced at the two guards and then back at Brandy. She looked down at Brandy’s hand and then took it in hers. She gave it a gentle squeeze and nodded her head. Before either of them could say anything, the tent flap opened.
“I came to escort my mate to the altar.” Noah smiled as he stepped into the tent, dressed in his ceremonial robes.
The long sleeves and pant legs were white, broken only by the purple sash that was around his waist. This was one of the most important days of his life.
He was finally getting the mate he’d been waiting for.
“Noah.” Brandy stood up and shook her head. “I don’t want this. I can’t. Call this off. I won’t be your mate. This is wrong to be forcing this.”
Noah’s smile faded and he glanced at the woman standing beside Brandy. He sneered at her and pointed at the tent opening. “Get out!” The woman rushed past him, and he narrowed his eyes at Brandy.
“What are you doing?” He roared as he took a step forward. “Are you going against the elders?”
“This is wrong!” Brandy said frantically as she shook her head. “We’re supposed to be able to make our own choices. Instead, they’re trying to force me … No! I won’t be your mate.”
“Yes, you will,” Noah said as he stepped forward. He reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her against him. He held her struggling body flush against his and leaned his head down. “Easy. Save this fight for when we are sealed together … Ooooffffff.”
Brandy had lifted her knee and hit him right in his family jewels. “Make sure they pack plenty of ice for that.” She pushed away from him and headed for the opening. The two men standing there immediately stopped her.
“Let me pass!”
“Sorry, Brandy. The elders have ordered us not to let you leave,” one of the guards said with a small frown.
Brandy felt fingers bite into her wrist, whipping her backward. She looked up into a set of angry brown eyes, his nostrils flaring as he glared at her.
“I am your mate,” Noah growled. “You will do as I say.”
“I am not your anything.” She tried to pull away from him, but his grip was too strong.
Noah’s upper lip pulled back in a snarl that revealed his fangs. He reached around her and grabbed the front of her dress, sending buttons flying in all directions.
“You will be mine,” he said as he reached up and cupped her breast roughly. “Or I will take you against your will.”
Brandy closed her eyes when she felt his teeth scrape against her neck, his grip on her breast tightening painfully. She jerked her head away so she could face him. Her eyes snapped open, and she looked back at him in defiance.
“You can force yourself on this body, but I will never be yours.”
He snarled at her.
“You will do as the elders command,” Noah hissed through clenched teeth.
He reached down and adjusted the top of her white gown.
He managed to find a button that hadn’t been ripped off to hold the front closed.
Then he abruptly turned, pulling her with him, and started out of the tent.
He pulled her along a stone walkway and then down a path that led to a large cliff.
The Salt Stone Altar was at the end of the path. It was a large, circular area carved into the cliff with a sizeable stone stand in the middle. There were rows of people seated to witness the event.
Noah tugged on Brandy’s wrist forcefully as she continued to struggle against him.
Brandy eyed the cliff to the side, where she could hear the ocean beating against the rocks.
If she could just manage to break free for a moment …
she just needed enough time to jump. She looked over at the people seated as she was being dragged past them.
“This is wrong. I won’t accept you. I don’t want you.
I want—” Brandy stopped abruptly, and Noah tightened his grip on her as he turned to glare at her.
She looked up at his crazy eyes, eyes that dared her to finish that sentence.
When the elders first ordered her to take a mate, she’d refused.
She wanted to talk to Mikah first. She at least wanted to know how he felt before she was forced to take a mate.
She wondered how he was doing and if everything was okay.
He said he would be back in a couple of days, but he’d never returned.
Then everything went wrong during her fertility check.
Brandy tried to talk with the elders, but they refused.
They thought they’d missed an important window of opportunity, and that they needed to try now before it was too late.
The thing was … Brandy knew there was no way she could get pregnant by Noah or anyone else. She was already pregnant.
At first, she’d planned to tell the elders she was with child, but then she noticed how crazy they were acting. They weren’t listening to her. Instead, they were forcing her to take Noah as a mate. She was afraid that if they knew, they would force her to have an abortion.
Things had changed so much among the druids. It was never like this before. Elders always treasured their females and allowed them to have their choice of men. But somewhere along the way, they became corrupt. And now a male druid with influence and power was able to buy his mate.
Brandy sighed as she looked at Noah. She couldn’t be his mate.
What would he do with her child? He would know it wasn’t his.
She didn’t expect anything from Mikah. They’d made their relationship very clear from the beginning.
It was only fair to let him know she was pregnant, though.
As the father, he would have the right to see the child if he wanted.
She wasn’t asking for anything … she didn’t dare hope for more.
Mikah’s light blue eyes captivated her. His smile made her knees weak.
Sure, he frustrated the hell out of her, but she secretly loved it.
She loved the way he was with her and how they seemed to fit together perfectly.
It was crazy, but she felt like Mikah was her person.
On a level she didn't understand, she needed him. She was stupid. Of course she would be the one to end up falling in love with the one person who didn’t want a mate.
A low growl snapped Brandy from her thoughts. She watched as Noah’s lips curled up in a snarl.
“Don’t say anything else.” Noah glared at her with a harsh look.
“You will only make this worse for yourself.” He released her wrist and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her flush against his body.
He didn’t want her to get the chance to speak to anyone.
The druids were already torn and agitated.
They didn’t need her rallying the others against them.
They needed to hurry up and get the mating ceremony over with.
In just a few more steps, they reached the altar. A druid came forward, also dressed in a white robe with a purple sash. He handed Noah a long-bladed knife that was used to bind their blood together. A blood bond that she wouldn’t be able to break or refuse, no matter how badly she wanted to.
Noah sliced his hand, allowing his blood to drip into a stone dish for the ritual. He then turned to Brandy, “Your turn.”
Brandy stared at the knife and slowly shook her head. She watched as a proud, knowing smirk spread across his lips.
“Don’t worry, my love. I’ll do it for you.” Noah reached out for her hand as she jerked it away from him. She began to move away, but a guard stepped forward and gripped her shoulders.
“NO! I DO NOT ACCEPT THIS MAN AS MY MATE!” Brandy screamed out angrily as she tried to shrug the guard off of her.
“That’s good.” A voice boomed from the side. “I don’t accept him as your mate either.”
Brandy gasped as she turned her head, looking for the familiar voice. She found his blue eyes and felt her heart begin to race.
“Who are you?” one of the elders at the front asked as he stepped forward.
Ken and Alexa stood to the side casually as they watched Mikah, who smirked and took a powerful step forward. His eyes were glued to Brandy’s as his beast yelled out clearly.
“I am her mate.”