Chapter 22 Spite and Fury
1784words
The morning had felt like a chaotic blur—the entire pack house was frantically obsessing over tomorrow's coronation. I wished I shared the same pride that filled my pack, but truthfully, all I could think about was my tempting little mate. I replayed the feeling of waking up next to her and the scent that lingered in the room, her fragrance mixed with mine. I had made arrangements with a few wolves in preparation for our date that night, certain it would be nothing short of perfect. I was determined to show her who I truly was and that there was more to me than just good looks and a ruthless personality. I would never stop proving my worth to her. Secretly, I hoped she would ask me to spend the night with her again; my wolf was ravaging inside me—he missed his mate, our mate.
A terrified, young she-wolf who had overseen the coronation plans entered my office. "A-Alpha, I'm sorry to interrupt you, but the tablecloths for the reception have been miscalculated. We are 102 red tablecloths short. The Luna has instructed that all wolves with sewing machines must lend a hand until they are complete. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have made such an error." Red was the official color of Midnight Moon Pack's crest; some told tales that it symbolized the bloodshed I caused.
I looked up and struggled to hold in my laughter. "OH MY MOON GODDESS—no red tablecloths?!" I wasn't sure if she sensed my sarcasm, as a look of total shock took over her face. The shock led me to notice what looked like red fingerprints on her right cheek. I stood up, walked around my new mahogany desk, and touched the side of her face. She trembled in fear as I approached her and my scowl deepened.
"Who did this to you?" I demanded, my voice bitter. She immediately dropped her eyes to the floor and whispered, "The Luna, sir. I deserved it for my miscalculation."
I took a deep breath and gathered my thoughts. "First, she is not your Luna yet and should not be referred to as such. Secondly, I apologize for the unnecessary use of force. You have done a great job overseeing tomorrow's festivities, and I'm sure this won't be your last event. They're tablecloths—any color is fine, and I know you'll make it all work."
The young wolf who was trembling let a tear slip from her eye. "Thank you for your kind words, Alpha. I'll be sure to make you proud." I could see that a burden had been lifted from her shoulders as she turned and scurried through the black doorway. I shook my head in disbelief as I sat back at my desk and melted into the chair. Beverly had to be dealt with; her behavior was making me nervous with how she was treating the wolves in the pack. I wondered if I had gone soft as a leader, or if maybe my methods before I met Adeline had been harsh. I dedicated my life to protecting my wolves—I wanted them to appreciate me, not fear me. The fear was reserved for wolves of other packs.
My wolf was still anxious from not being with our mate, especially since it was still early in the mating process. I decided to go for a run along the pack border to ease him. We had guards stationed at the borders at all times, but I always made sure to do at least one run daily to show my wolves that I too would pull my weight, regardless of my rank. It was an act Beverly thought was ridiculous—no other Alphas ever bothered to personally patrol their borders.
Before my run, I decided to check on my little wolf. I wondered if she had gotten up and found the dining hall. I felt like a jerk when I realized I should have thought ahead and had breakfast delivered to her room. My footsteps creaked on the wooden floor as I caught a whiff that made my wolf go wild. I followed that scent, knowing it belonged to my mate, and through endless twists and turns in the packhouse, I smiled, knowing she must have gotten lost. As the scent grew stronger, I heard the clicking and clattering of someone searching for something. Jackpot—there she was, looking so irresistible in a short black sweater and tightly hugging jeans.
My wolf was howling to grab her right there and take her back to her room, begging to rip the clothes off her tender body and ravage her over and over until she was begging us to stop. I grabbed the skin of her bare waist from behind, which made my black jeans tighten, and I felt her melt into me. Sparks coursed through me at our touch. I was certain she felt the mating bond too as she turned to look at her mate for the first time. I wasn't expecting her to be thrilled that I was her mate, but the look of disappointment on her face still hurt.
She taunted me, saying she wouldn't submit to me since I wasn't her Alpha yet, but the wetness between her legs told me differently. I gave her a light stroke and reminded her about dinner later that night.
I knew I had left her breathless, and in truth, she left me feeling the same way. I needed a cold shower to cool down before running the territory lines. After an ice-cold shower that helped only a little with the temptation brewing inside me, I decided to rummage through the mountain of paperwork I had been avoiding. No matter how hard I tried to concentrate, my mind always wandered back to thoughts of Adeline. She was more than just my weakness—she was my everything.
I decided I was long overdue for my run and made my way to the door, changing into a pair of shorts along the way. Suddenly, a hand pushed me out of the way as a very annoyed Sophia stormed into my office without even looking at me and snapped, "Sit. We need to talk. Now." I had never seen Sophia so upset—she was always so cheerful.
"Soph, what's wrong? Did something happen?" I asked quickly. Thoughts of my mate clouded my mind and made me uneasy.
"What happened? My idiotic brother decided to take a fucking bitch for a chosen mate," she growled, looking like she was ready to tear me apart. "I took Adeline to the shops with me to find a dress for the coronation tomorrow, and your redheaded bimbo overheard her saying she was having dinner with you tonight. She had no problem waltzing right over and threatening that if Adeline didn't leave the pack house before she got back, she'd make sure Adeline's family would be re-ranked to Omegas. She doesn't even have the power to do that, but Adeline took her threat seriously and ran away."
My heart pounded in my chest at the realization that my mate was gone, and possessiveness overtook my wolf as I wondered where she was. Had she run away to become a lone wolf? Rogues would savage her within minutes of finding her. Rogues were packless wolves; sometimes they banded together, which made them even more dangerous. They lived by no ethics—they believed you either killed or got killed.
"Sophia, you need to calm down and listen to me carefully. Do you have any idea where she might have gone?" I slowed my voice as I asked my sister. I knew she could feel the pain throbbing in my chest.
Sophia rolled her eyes in annoyance and shook her head. "If I knew where she was, do you think I'd have come here instead of going to find her?"
With perfect timing, my Beta, Don, appeared in the doorway. "Sophia, did you tell him?" he asked.
Before Sophia could answer, I let out a growl so loud that a lamp on my desk fell to the floor and shattered into pieces. "Where. Is. She. Don?" I demanded, irritation pouring out of me.
"Alpha, we've searched the pack lands and found she's safe at her parents' home in Silver Pack. We didn't approach her, so she has no idea we went to find her," he said as quickly as possible. He was clearly nervous after my growl had echoed through the room.
I headed back to my desk, not acknowledging the broken lamp, and slammed my fist down, surprised that it didn't split in two. "Just like that—she's gone?" I threw my head back against the headrest of my chair and closed my eyes. I let out a deep sigh and said, "So much for that birthday dinner I spent the day planning. That was my one chance to show her what she meant to me before the coronation."
Sophia gave me a sad look and asked, "Jax... is it true that she's your fated mate?" I had no energy left to hide it anymore and nodded. "Who would've thought that the cursed Alpha actually had a mate, right?"
She chuckled at my remark. "I told you you weren't cursed. The Moon Goddess probably still doesn't like you, but she must have realized that to curse you is to curse me too. So, she gave me the best brother I could ever have asked for," she said, sticking her tongue out playfully.
I grinned from ear to ear at my sister's banter, glad to see her back to her lighthearted self. I saw Beta Don hesitate for a moment, as if a light bulb had just gone off in his head. "Sophia, what else did she say about Jax?"
My eyes focused on Sophia as I waited patiently for her response. A disappointed look came over my sister's face. "Well, she knows you're her mate. I could feel that she cares about you too—she hugged me when I told her I'd never seen you so crazy over anyone before," she said, and a big, silly smile spread across my face.
"But, she also doesn't think this will work because the pack has already accepted Beverly as Luna. She's also convinced that you're going to reject the mating bond, and if you don't, she plans to reject it herself. She knows there's little chance that Beverly won't challenge her to become your mate," Sophia added with sympathy.
The thought of my little wolf rejecting me caused a sharp pain deep within me. I knew that my wolf and I couldn't bear losing her—I would stop the end of the world if it would make her fall in love with me.
