Xander POV
She’s exhausted already, my wolf might want to keep going all night, but there’s no way her wolf can handle it. So I stay here, with her on my lap, and wait for the knot to go. Once it has, I’ll carry her inside and let her sleep.
Everything inside of me is twisted. I hate that I doubted her without the evidence. I hate that I thought she lied. I’m her mate, and I made her feel like she was nothing.
She’s everything. The more she’s here, with me, the more my wolf gets pulled in, which means I do. Closing my eyes, I focus on her. I can sense her feelings. She’s calm, but there’s something deeper under the surface.
It’s hard to feel it, the bond may have strengthened, but for me, it won’t be easy. I’ve had a mate before, so this isn’t going to be instant. In a few more days, I should be able to sense her feelings.
Over an hour passes as she sleeps in my arms before my knot goes, and I finally move. I don’t bother dressing. I keep her against me, hiding her body. As I walk, I go through a door that only I use, and I slip through the house and go to my room.
She was never meant to sleep here, but she has, this will be the second time now. I don’t care, though. I like having her sleep beside me. My wolf likes it; actually, my wolf needs it. He’s not been the same since Eva. Serafine somehow healed him, and he feels stronger now than he has ever.
I don’t want to move, but I wasn’t supposed to leave that early. I should go check on things, but not yet. I hold her as she sleeps, giving my wolf time with her. The bond is still thrumming between us.
Jacob is someone I need to speak with. He shouldn’t have gone near her. He didn’t just go near her; he leaned into her in a way that ensured his scent covered her. It’s wrong, and disgusting.
My fingers stroke along her spine, and I’m unsure of what happens. One minute, I’m holding her, thinking about what needs to be done, and then I’m asleep.
When I wake, she’s still in bed with me. I kiss her gently, and she wakes and smiles.
“I apologise, the way I behaved with you purely because of who your father is, was wrong. You hadn’t done anything that made you guilty.”
She nods and looks around. “What happens now?”
I want to say I accept her as my Luna, but that isn’t possible yet. I still have questions and doubts. I also need to figure out the plan for her father and her pack. She doesn’t know the plan yet, and I’m not sure how she will react when she finds out I plan to kill her father.
She also can’t know about the past yet. There’s still a lot that could go wrong, and while I want to believe she’s innocent, l‘ m not sure if she is.
“We continue as we are and will decide the way forward in a few weeks. I’m going to shower; you go to your room, get cleaned up, and dressed.” I hold out the robe, and she takes it. She looks hurt by my response, and my wolf attacks me for it. “Look, we know nothing of each other. We’re mates and fated together, sure, but that doesn’t mean it’s best to rush.”
She nods and places the robe on.
“I’m not saying you will never be accepted as my Luna, I’m simply saying, we need time.”
Kissing her cheek, I walk to the bathroom, shower, and get ready. When I step out into the main room, Garrick and Killian are waiting. I guess I don’t get to eat breakfast alone with Serafine.
I notice the Betas behind them. “Finally, you were late. Let’s discuss your travels.”
Sitting, I wait, but they hesitate. Something went wrong. “What happened? Is that why you’re late?” I stand up quickly, and Killian steps toward me.
“They spoke to many, and a lot of packs are happy to continue business with this pack without knowing the Alpha. However, they passed by the pack close to Gideon’s, while there they heard rumours.”
Rumors are nothing, I need proof. “Is there evidence these rumors weren’t purely to cause tension?”
“Gideon has mentioned he has sold his daughter for information.”
I nod. “I knew he would want something from it, so I guess we wait for him to search me out and ask for information.” He won’t get it.
“No, from you. Apparently, he offered his daughter freedom in exchange the her feeding information back to him.”
Successfully unlocked!
That’s a lie. My head shakes. It’s not me, thoug., it’s my woll There’s no evidence,” I snarl.
“Gideon knows of the Hollowfang Ravens. Everyone knows we acquire them.”
My body goes cold. “She’s not spoken to anyone from her pack! She can’t have possibly told them.” As the words escape, I know they aren’t lying, but my wolf right now is driving me.
1/2
Unexpected
Forcing him back, I push him down so I’m back in control.
“The word is that Serafine is able to give him information, he knows about the Hollowfang Ravens, and he knows you’re not a rogue, he knows now you’re the Alpha of this pack.”
Then I will find out how. “How else can she communicate with them? She’s not been near a phone or anything. I’m not dismissing it as a fact, but we need to know how she did this to prevent it from happening again.”
I had just begun to trust her and believe she didn’t come here with a plan. What if she did, though? What if she was locked up, abused and everything, and her way to freedom was to agree to turn on me?
Despite my recent attempts to be nice, she still went and told him things. She found out about the Hollowfang Ravens after I gave in and stopped accusing her, so my trying to be nice to her didn’t change her plan.
群
