Hel's Huntsman

16 - What did I do?

Elora

I ensured Draven was safely off pack territory and no one would follow him. However angry my family is that he rejected me, it was Draven’s choice. I mind linked Kai and gave him a quick rundown of what happened. He was stunned when I told him that neither Draven nor I felt anything when we rejected one another. There was no pain and no feeling of the bond breaking. Kai was curious about what that meant, but I couldn’t answer him because I didn’t know the answer.

I told my brother to keep everyone away from me for a little while. I need time to process what happened. I also asked Kai to make sure no one slipped up about the baby as Draven was leaving. I saw the scared look on Draven’s face when I mentioned his Wolf could have gotten me pregnant. He was afraid because he thought his husband would leave him. I never want to come between them again, but I feel it’s inevitable.

The way Draven spoke about Jayden is how I wish somebody would talk about me. Draven loved his husband so much that he would give up his mate to be with him. I know Draven said it was his Wolf who took over and used his body to mate with me, but he still essentially cheated on his husband.

I hope they can work things out and move on from what happened. It would be a shame if they parted ways because of this, though it would be understandable.

What I am worried about is my baby. I know it was wrong to keep the truth from Draven, but he doesn’t want a child with me. I hid the pregnancy from him because I didn’t want him to say he’d stay with me just because of the child. But his answer about children made the decision for me.

My child now has no father, and I don’t know what to do. I’ll be okay raising the baby by myself, but I’m scared the truth will get back to Draven, and maybe he’ll take the child from me. Okay, that wouldn’t happen. But I feel like I’m depriving my child of their father. Draven will never come here again, so I don’t have to worry about bumping into him here. But as he pointed out, we might see each other at ceremonies or balls at Knight Castle. Unless I avoid the place.

“Why would you do this to me?” I turn away from the window and look at Selene, standing there looking at me with sadness in her eyes. I called for her as soon as Draven was gone. I didn’t think she’d answer, but here she is. “What did I do to warrant this?”

“You didn’t do anything, Elora.” Selene sighs. “This wasn’t what was intended.”

“What?” I cross my arms over my chest. “You didn’t intend to give me a married gay mate who would get me pregnant and then reject me?”

Selene sighs again. “Elora,”

I shake my head. “None of this makes sense, Selene. Were you protecting me from the pain of rejection? Because neither of us felt it. There weren’t even any sparks when he touched me.”

“Because the bond between you was fabricated, Elora. It wasn’t real.”

I narrow my eyes.

‘What the hell is she talking about?’

‘I don’t know, Sable. I’m hearing this at the same time as you.’

‘Sorry.’ My Wolf mumbles.

“What are you talking about, Selene? Please explain this to me because I am beyond confused.”

Selene comes closer, and I drop my hands when she cups my cheek. She’s not my grandmother, but she’s always felt like one.

“The bond with Draven Dalgaard was not real.”

“You said that. What I want to know is what you mean.”

“Your child,” Selene smiles while touching my stomach. “Had to be born from you and a Dalgaard Supreme. This little one is important to the future. I didn’t want to give you a bond with Draven Dalgaard, but Fate had other ideas. He said it was the only way to secure the future. The bond was never meant to last, so you felt nothing when you rejected him.”

“Wait,” I pull away from Selene and clutch my stomach. “Are you saying Fate pimped me out?”

“It wasn’t like that, Elora.”

“Then what was it like!?” I scream. Maybe I shouldn’t yell, but I’m angry and frustrated!

“Elora, please calm down.”

“Calm down?”

Is she for real?

She just told me that everything with Draven was a lie! There was no mate bond; it was all made up because Fate decided he wanted me to carry some child of the future.

And she thinks I should calm down?

When Fate pimped me out like a cheap whor.e?

How am I supposed to process this?

How was any of this even fair to me?

To Draven?

To his husband?

“I know this is upsetting, Elora. If I could have stopped this, I would have. But Fate had already meddled in your life before I knew anything was happening.”

“Why Draven? Why choose a man who was already happily married? Did Fate not care that he could have ruined three lives?”

Who gave Fate the right to mess with my life like this?

Now, I’m pregnant by a man I doubt will want anything to do with our child. Of course, I will tell Draven about the baby. I was worried before, but Draven has the right to know. It can only be his choice to be a part of our child’s life or not. But I must give him that chance.

I know which pack Draven belongs to, so I’ll send a message asking to see him. I won’t tell him about the baby in a letter; that wouldn’t be right. I only hope Draven will return so we can talk about what to do next.

If I do ever find my mate, what will they think of me?

Will they be angry that I didn’t wait for them?

I pray they understand when I tell them the truth. I was fooled into believing another man was my mate, and I did what was natural for our kind. I hope whoever my mate turns out to be loves me enough to understand.

“Because,” Selene sighs. “Draven was the only one who could father your child. His powers, combined with yours, will make your child unstoppable. I don’t know Fate’s full motives, Elora. The man says nothing he doesn’t want others to know. But I am so sorry I couldn’t stop this from happening.”

“What good does that do me now?” I close my eyes momentarily and breathe deeply.

“This baby is yours, Elora. You don’t need Draven to help raise this child. You have a huge family…”

“No,” I shake my head and scoff. “There is no way I am shutting Draven out of our child’s life if he wishes to be in it. What the hell do you take me for?”

“Then why didn’t you tell him while he was here?”

I narrow my eyes and grit my teeth. “Because I didn’t. I don’t need to explain myself, Selene. My baby is my concern. I'll be fine alone if Draven wants nothing to do with the baby. I know I will. But who’s gonna want me now?”

I don’t want to cry, but it’s hard not to when everything is crashing down on top of my head. The past couple of months have been so hard for me to deal with alone, but I did it because I had to. Well, I didn’t, but I was lost and afraid.

I was raised by the most wonderful man in the world. Cree Blake Senior is everything a father should be. I can’t even express how much I love that man. My dad is my hero, and I am his princess. I don’t remember one moment in my life when my dad wasn’t there. Never has he made me cry, and I remember laughing every day because of him. I want my child to have a father who loves them the way my dad loves me. Every child deserves a father who loves and cares for them.

I hope Draven will want to be part of our baby’s life, but I won’t argue with him if he chooses not to. You can’t force someone to be a parent, even if you want to, because they have to want it, too. As much as every child needs their father, some kids are better off without one.

“Elora,” Selene stands in front of me with her hand on my face. “I had a mate for you.”

“Had?”

“I heard your prayers.”

I roll my eyes. “Which ones? I’ve said that many over the past few weeks that I’ve lost count.”

Selene chuckles. “Whatever you decide to do about Draven and the baby, everyone will support you. I just want you to know that.”

I never doubted the support of my family and pack. They have never given me a reason to doubt them.

“I heard your prayer seven years ago when you asked me to make a certain someone your mate.”

My eyes widen. Oh, shi.t!

“Please, I was insane back then. I wasn’t thinking straight.”

Selene chuckles. “I think we both know that’s not true.”

“Don’t do this!” I snap and move away from her. “You can’t pacify me with a mate just because I’m angry about what happened.”

“I’m not pacifying you, Elora.”

“Yes, you are! Because if you weren’t, you would have given me a mate back then. But you didn’t, so why should I believe what you say now?”

“Because he needed to mature a little before I let you both know you were mates. You must admit he wasn’t quite grown up enough, even at twenty. But he has grown into a strong and powerful man who loves you more than anything else.”

I roll my eyes again. “Sure, he does. If he loved me, he would have told me.”

“He tried.” Selene shrugs. “Many times. But you weren’t ready to hear it.” She takes me by the shoulders. “Don’t hold onto anger, Elora. You have every right to feel hurt, but let it go. It will consume you if you don’t. There is a man out there just waiting to love you. Go to him. Talk about where you go from here, and be happy, Elora.”

That’s easy for her to say. She’s not the one confused by past events. Okay, I don’t regret my baby, even if I do wish I could change how my child came to be. What’s done is done, but that’s not to say I can just forget everything.

“How can I be happy when I don’t know when or if someone will meddle with my life again? I can’t live my life thinking something is going to come along and spoil everything.”

Selene shakes her head. “There will be none of that. I’ll make sure of it. The child is growing inside you; all you have to do now is love them. Raise them well, Elora, with the man who loves you by your side.”

“He’s really my mate?” I ask and swallow back the lump in my throat. I’m scared to hope.

“He is.”

“But why don’t I feel the mate bond?”

“Look upon him but once and you will. All of this will be a distant memory very soon, Elora. Happiness awaits you; I promise.”

I don’t know whether to run from the sewing room or stand here and wait. It’s too soon after Draven to even think about another mate. But Draven wasn’t actually my mate. He was a victim as much as I was in Fate’s plan.

But if it is too soon, why don’t I care?

‘Because your dream is finally a reality.’ I sense Sable smiling. ‘Go to him, Elora. Let him show you what you mean to him.’

‘But he said he didn’t love me that way.’

‘He was lying.’ She chuckles.

“Go,” Selene whispers as she disappears from my view.

There was so much I wanted to say to her. But she told me about my true mate to shut me up. She didn’t want to answer any more questions. I should be annoyed, but all I can think about is the pounding of my heart.

What am I waiting for?

I rush over to the sink and wash my face. I’ve been crying, and without looking in a mirror, I knew I looked like a mess. I untie my hair, run my fingers through it, and retie it. I then brush down my dress before rushing out of the sewing room.

“Elora? Are you okay?”

“Fine.” I wave away my mother. I didn’t mean to be rude, but I had to get to… “Rafe.” Oh, Goddess, I feel the mate bond is stronger than I felt with Draven. I do because this is real!

His head swings around as he sniffs the air. His eyes lock with mine, and he yells, “Mate!”

Gasps can be heard all around as everyone stares at us.

I nod my head at Rafe. “Mate,” I whisper back.

“Say, what now?” Devonte narrows his eyes, but Rafe doesn’t answer as he walks toward me.

“How is this possible?”

“I don’t know, Orion.” Kayson shrugs. “Selene obviously thought they’d be a better fit.”

I block out the talking as Rafe stands in front of me. His chest heaves, his eyes widen, and I can tell he’s itching to touch me.

“How?” Rafe whispers.

“It’s a long story. Selene said the mate bond with Draven was fabricated.” I give Rafe the abbreviated version of what Selene told me. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“The baby. For not waiting for you. But I thought he was my mate, and I…”

Rafe’s hand on my face stops me in my tracks. “I don’t blame you, Elora. I could strangle Fate, but I’m not angry because you’re mine.”

“You said you weren’t in love with me.”

“I lied.” He smiles.

My heart stutters as I look into his big brown eyes. “I lied, too. To you and myself because I have loved you for a long time, Rafe.”

“Yeah?” He smirks when I nod. “I have loved you since I was twelve, and you were a gorgeous seventeen-year-old woman.” I laugh, and Rafe smiles. “I know you’ve been through a lot, but we can get through anything together. I love you, Elora, I always have. I’ll love the baby as if it were my own, even if you want Draven involved. I won’t stand in your way. I accept you as my mate. Will you accept me?”

I don’t give him the chance to say anything else. I throw my arms around his neck and slam my mouth against his. Rafe groans while clasping my waist and pulling me into him. Our tongues entwine, and every cliché in the world is mine. The fairytale I dreamed about is mine. Finally!

“Damn,” Someone says from behind Rafe. “Did not see that coming.”

“Get a room!” Someone else shouts in jest.

I pull out of the kiss with a giggle. “Does that answer your question?” Rafe nods, dazed from our kiss. “I love you, Rafe. It has always been you.”

“I love you, too. I will always love you.”