Chapter 1 - The Unwanted Mate
2291 Words
Sinead POV
For one hundred twenty-three years, I’d waited for the man lying in the bed in front of me, and three days after he crashed into my life, I still knew absolutely nothing about him. I couldn’t even ask questions. Following his accident, after he opened his eyes and forged our connection, he demanded absolute privacy from the EMTs, then promptly passed out again.
He remained unconscious, and I took up residence in the chair next to his bed, waiting with an anxious heart to look into those dark, brown eyes and finally meet my match.
“Sinead?”
Slowly and very reluctantly, I turned my head toward the sound of my name and met Harmony’s curious gaze. We stared at each other for a moment; then, I returned to my previous position to continue watching over my match.
“I’m not leaving,” I said abruptly, anticipating a lecture.
Natasha had already been in twice to encourage me to go home and rest. I didn’t need rest; I needed to be with my match. Like wolves, elves were comforted when close to their fated one. Whether the same was true for my match’s species, I didn’t know, but he’d suffered a serious accident. Who wouldn’t need comfort after that?
Undeterred by my attitude, Harmony came into the room, pushing Camilla and Lane in a tandem stroller and stopped next to me.
“That’s not why I’m here, Sinead. If it were Nat or Seth in that bed, I wouldn’t be able to tear myself away either. I came to see how he’s doing, how you’re holding up, and to bring you this.” Bending down, she pulled a plastic tub from the mesh basket under the stroller. “Darcy thought you might be hungry, so she made you some Irish stew.” She passed the tub over to me and fished a plastic-wrapped spoon from her pocket.
“Thank you,” I said and ducked my head, ashamed of my rudeness. “I’m sorry for snapping at you. Natasha’s been after me every day to go home. I guess it’s made me a little defensive.”
“Understandable. Natasha is just worried about you, that’s all.” She said, coming around and checking that the kids were still napping.
I nodded absently while lifting the lid off the bowl and setting it aside. “I know, but she doesn’t need to be. Isabella comes up and brings me things to eat and drink from the cafeteria. When I’m tired, I lay back in the recliner and take a nap. His presence keeps me calm and seeing that he is cared for with my own eyes soothes my fears. At home, I’d probably be more worried about how he’s doing than sleeping or eating.” I scooped a spoonful of stew into my mouth and sighed. “By all the Gods and Goddesses, that woman has a gift.”
“I’ll make sure Nattie knows that you’re looking after yourself. That should put her mind at ease,” Harmony said, gently rolling the stroller back and forth. “So, how is he doing?”
“I don’t really know. Apparently, he told the EMTs on the way here that no one was to divulge any information about him without his consent.” I informed her between bites.
Harmony c****d her head. “Wait a minute… Seth said that he opened his eyes and you two had a kind of moment of recognition.”
“We did.”
“So, he knows you’re his match and he doesn’t want you to know anything? That doesn’t make any sense.”
Suddenly restless, I set the bowl aside and rose from my chair to stretch my legs. “No, it doesn’t. Unless the reason has something to do with the men who were chasing him. Maybe he’s trying to protect me or something.”
“Maybe, he just doesn’t want a mate.”
Harmony and I spun to face the man in the bed. His eyes were open and narrowed as they watched us suspiciously.
“Uh… I think I… The kids are due to wake, so….” Harmony stumbled over her words as she rushed to the stroller and started to back out of the room. “Channel me later, Sinead,” she said, stepping into the hall.
I dipped my head in acknowledgment, watched her hurry away, then turned back to face my match. We stared at each other in silence for a long time. He was beautiful, dark, and dangerous-looking, with short black hair, three days’ worth of growth on his face, and eyes so dark brown they appeared black. A muscle in his forearm flexed as he lifted it to comb restless fingers through his hair. My eyes followed the movement, taking in the lean, mildly muscular form beneath the shapeless hospital gown. My match was better than I had imagined…and he didn’t want me.
Honestly, I couldn’t say that I was all that surprised. It was no less than I deserved. After trying to sever my best friend’s bond with his mate to forge a false one between us, being rejected by my actual match was a fitting punishment. My heart ached as I waited for him to say the words.
“Where am I?” he asked, pushing himself higher in the bed. Not the words I was expecting, but I wasn’t going to complain. Delaying the pain was perfectly fine with me.
I stepped forward and pressed the button to raise the head. “Winter Valley, Maine,” I answered.
He nodded. “Oh, good. I made it.”
“So, this was your intended destination?”
“Yes. I came for training. I have an appointment with Isabella Lawrence….” His head dropped back as he groaned. “…I had an appointment. The day of my accident.” He lifted his head and looked at me. “Any chance I’ll be able to meet with the Alpha to explain why I didn’t show up?”
I inclined my head slightly in confirmation. “I can arrange that. What’s your name?” When his eyes narrowed, I added. “She’ll want to verify that you did, indeed, have an appointment.”
After a moment longer, he said, “Colt. Colton Nagy.”
I channeled Natasha.
Natasha?
Hey, Sinead! How is our guest?
He’s awake and asking to speak with you.
Oh? What about? Asylum?
No. It seems he was coming to Winter Valley, as we suspected. He was coming to join training. He had an appointment with Izzy that day, and well…obviously, he missed it.
Obviously.
His name is Colton Nagy if you want to verify.
Oh, he doesn’t need scanned anymore if he’s your match…
No. Scan him. He’s going to reject me, so treat him as you would any new potential warrior.
Reject you? But…why?
I don’t know. I haven’t had the chance to ask yet.
Oh, Sinead…
Don’t worry about it. Let’s just focus on getting him cleared to train.
Okay. I’ll round up Izzy and be over shortly.
Thank you. I’ll let him know.
Colt POV
My mate. This gorgeous creature standing before me was my fated one. Bless the Gods, she was perfect. She had a thick waterfall of golden hair with smooth alabaster skin and eyes the color of the summer sky, giving her an ethereal air. Her tall, willow, thin frame gave the impression of delicacy, but I could see her strength in the way she held herself and the way she moved. My mate was no fragile damsel; she was a warrior.
Sinead.
I let her name roll around in my mind. The desire to speak it aloud, to taste it on my tongue as one would a sinful dessert, was great. The urge to claim her was worse. It was much more intense than I’d imagined, and it took every ounce of energy that I possessed to quash it. No matter how badly I wanted to, I couldn’t claim her. It was too big a risk, one I simply wasn’t willing to take. Not even for the love of this beauty who had been crafted by the Gods for me alone. So, I wouldn’t claim her. I would pretend that I didn’t want her, and pray for the strength to hide just how much I actually did.
When her eyes cleared and refocused on me, I steeled myself for the performance of my life.
“Natasha and Isabella are on their way,” Sinead said and resumed her seat.
I nodded, keeping my jaw tight and expression grim. “Good. I’d hate to have come all this way for nothing.”
My mate flinched as if I’d struck her, and I instantly regretted what I had to do. “Some would say that finding your match would count as something.”
“For some, it is something. For me, it’s not. I don’t want a mate,” I said and bit down on the inside of my cheek to keep from confessing the lie.
“Why don’t you want a mate?” she asked. Her eyes stayed steady on mine in defiance but glimmered with the slightest sheen of unshed tears.
“That’s my business,” I said simply, forcing a hard edge into my voice.
Sinead straightened in the chair and tilted her chin up in challenge. “Considering I’ve been waiting for you for over a century, I think I deserve an explanation,” she said.
“What you think you deserve is no concern of mine. My reasons for not wanting a mate are personal and will remain so.” My chest burned with the pain my words elicited, and I had to fight to keep from giving away my discomfort. I couldn’t let her see my struggle. It would only serve to encourage persistence. That combined with our connection would eventually destroy my resolve.
After a long silence, she slowly pushed herself to her feet. Her eyes darkened and flashed as her face flushed with fury, but her voice remained calm. “Perhaps it is best that you reject me, I can’t imagine spending an eternity with such a callous man.” Sinead turned to go, then spun back just before reaching the door. “I can’t believe I wasted a century waiting for someone like you. What an i***t I was to think that I would be blessed with someone worthy of loving, someone who would think me worthy as well.”
The first tear escaped a second before she turned away and nearly collided with two women just stepping through the door. The first was tall with a riot of black curly hair, rebelling against a hair tie on top of her head, gray eyes, and a porcelain complexion. The other was a petite Latina, with a pixie cut and a firm set to her jaw. She rushed forward, taking my mate’s hand.
“Sinead, what happen?” she asked.
Sinead wiped a hand over her face. “It’s nothing. I’m fine.” She turned back to face me. “Alpha Natasha Quincy-Raymond may I present Colton Nagy.”
The tall woman came forward and held out her hand. “It’s a pleasure, Mr. Nagy,” she said as I shook it, then motioned for the smaller woman to come forward. “This is my sister, Isabella Lawrence. She’s going to perform a magical scan on you to determine if your intentions are honorable.”
I dipped my head in acknowledgment to the woman glowering at me, then lifted my eyes to the door where my mate stood, still watching.
Alpha Quincy-Raymond glanced back at her. “Sinead, you’re welcome to stay, this will only take a minute.”
“Thank you, Alpha, but my presence here is no longer necessary,” Sinead said, then took a deep breath and walked out.
The tension in the room grew heavier as both women returned their attention to me, and I braced myself for a dressing down that never came.
“Mr. Nagy, have you ever had a magical scan before?” Alpha Quincy-Raymond asked, stepping closer to my bed.
“I didn’t even know such a practice existed,” I admitted, shaking my head.
“Well, let me give you a quick run down on how it works. You will place your hand in Isabella’s and relax. She will reach into your mind with hers. Should she feel that you have ill intentions she will look further to determine if you are a danger to our pack. If your intentions are good, you will be added to our ranks and assigned a bunk in one of the bunk houses at the warrior compound upon your release from the hospital. If your intentions are bad, you will be escorted out of Winter Valley and your invitation will be rescinded. Do you have any questions?”
“No, questions, but I do have a request. Whatever is learned from Ms. Lawrence’s foray into my mind I wish to be kept completely confidential.”
The Alpha c****d her head. “That is an unusual request, Mr. Nagy. Exactly how confidential do you mean because I don’t generally allow secrets to be kept from me and the other ranked members of the pack.”
“I would be grateful if we could keep it just between the three of us. These are highly personal things that I’d rather not end up being used as fodder for gossip.”
“As long as it does not endanger my pack in anyway, I don’t see a problem with granting your request,” she said after a moment’s consideration.
- Writer
