The Elf's Royal Match (Book 4 The Wolves of Winter Valley)

Chapter 2 - Correcting A Grievous Wrong

Natasha POV

Isabella’s scan took less than five minutes, but the argument that followed lasted long enough to make our guest’s gaze sweep the room nervously as if searching for an escape. Izzy was furious after Colton confirmed that the information he wished to keep confidential was a significant part of why he didn’t want a mate. Knowing her friend was being rejected over something we considered trivial enraged her and sent her storming toward the exit, bent on telling Sinead. For the first time since Diego Avila’s death, I had to use my Alpha tone to force her silence on the matter. I hated it. As did she, but my dear sister would not listen to reason when she was well and truly pissed. Our friend was hurting. She wanted to help her. It wasn’t her place. The information she’d obtained during her scan was private and—whether we agreed or not—Colton’s alone to decide when or if to share.

After Izzy stormed out of the room, I folded myself into the chair next to his bed and studied him. “Don’t worry, Mr. Nagy, she’ll keep your secret. She has no choice. I’ve compelled her to remain silent.”

The man, at least, had the decency to look chagrined. “I’m sorry, Alpha Quincy-Raymond. It was not my intention for you to come to odds with your sister over me. I hope you can understand my position.”

He was genuinely remorseful over my exchange with Isabella, and I couldn’t help but soften toward him. I was no less angered by the information uncovered, but as Alpha, I had to keep my feelings to myself. No matter how outraged I was on Sinead’s behalf, I had to act diplomatically. However, that didn’t mean that I couldn’t do my best to help Colton see the error in his judgment.

“I do understand. More than you realize and that is why I’m honoring your request. Your secret is safe. Now, I’d like to ask a favor of you in return,” I said, folding my arms over my chest and silently daring him to refuse.

“If it can be granted, it will be,” he answered cautiously with suspicion in his eyes.

“I would like you to wait a week or two before you formally reject Sinead. Give her some time to accept your decision before you inflict that final blow. She deserves a little mercy,” I said, then wondered if I’d alluded to too much with that last statement.

Colton inclined his head in agreement. “You have my word. It was never my intention to hurt Sinead, Alpha. I hope you believe that.”

I saw a flicker of grief a moment before he averted his gaze. Could it be that he actually did want his mate? Was this all a charade to cover a fear of rejection? While I considered him, I thought about asking but quickly scrapped the idea. Even if that were the case, he’d never admit it.

“Unfortunately, you aren’t always able to avoid it. My relationships with my wife and husband are prime examples.”

“Wife and husband?” Colton’s head whipped around. His eyebrows deeply furrowed in confusion.

I smiled softly to let him know his shock did not offend me. “Yes. I have both a wife and husband. Seth, Harmony, and I are all three married to each other. We are what is considered a throuple or a triad.” Colt shifted his eyes to the hands twisting together in his lap while listening. “It hasn’t been easy. We’ve hurt each other multiple times without intention, but we’ve also made up for it. Pain is inevitable, but it’s not always fatal to the relationship. Wounds can be healed with the proper care.” With that last cryptic statement, I pushed to my feet and reached out my hand. “Welcome to Winter Valley, Mr. Nagy.”

Colton shook it, offered his thanks, and I took my leave. I had no intention of actively trying to convince the man that rejecting Sinead was a mistake. The idea was to subtly point things out and hope that he came to the realization himself, but the sadness in his eyes encouraged me to, at least, give him a nudge in the right direction. He didn’t want to reject his mate. It was obvious. Initially, I had believed that his secret had made the prospect of intimacy with another repugnant. It now appeared that it was simply a deep-rooted fear that he and his past would put off his mate. It wouldn’t. I knew that, but he didn’t. His history had evidently taught him to expect the worst, and it was going to take some time for him to realize that The Winter Valley Pack was unlike any other in the country. I had my work cut out for me if I intended to right this wrong before it became unfixable.

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I was supposed to be preparing for my video conference with the board of directors of Winter Valley LLC and our legal team to discuss resuming our expansion plan. Instead, I was worrying over Sinead’s predicament.

My heart ached for my friend. She waited so long to find her match and fought against a loneliness that drove her to nearly commit an unspeakable act, only for him to reject her. It was a cruel fate she didn’t deserve.

Trying to drag my mind back to the task at hand, I shuffled the papers on my desk until they were in neat and orderly stacks. I picked one up to review and immediately sat it back down again.

It was no use.

I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on anything else until I had a plan in place for helping Sinead win her mate. But what else could I possibly do? I’d delayed Colt’s rejection by a week and tried subtly to let him know the fears he was harboring were unfounded. There was precious little I could do without breaking my word and telling Sinead Colt’s secrets myself. At least, nothing was coming to mind.

“Are we ready for the conference?” my wife, Harmony, asked as she came into the room.

I glanced up and shook my head. “My mind is definitely not where it needs to be for this meeting.”

She came around my desk and linked her arms around my neck from behind, then placed a soft kiss on my cheek. “What’s wrong, Boo?”

“I can’t stop thinking about Sinead,” I answered, laying a hand over her crossed arms.

“Has he formally rejected her?” she inquired sadly.

“No. At least, not yet. He’s agreed to wait a little while to give Sinead time to come to terms with it.”

Harmony released me, then perched on the edge of my desk. “Wouldn’t it be kinder to get it over with?” Her eyes shone with a mixture of sadness and anger.

I lifted my gaze to hers and smiled. “Yes, it would, but then I wouldn’t have time to try to change his mind.”

Her mouth opened and closed a couple of times before her lips curved into a sly grin. “I should have figured you’d be up to something. What’s the plan?” She asked as her smile widened.

“That I haven’t figured out yet. This is a very complex situation and I have to tread carefully,” I said.

She stared at me with her head tipped to the left. “Why do I feel like I’m missing something?”

“Because you are and I can’t tell you what it is. I gave Colt my word.” I deliberately looked away from my gorgeous wife while swallowing the bitter taste of guilt and steeling myself for the explosion of temper I was sure would follow my statement. The last time I kept a secret from Harmony, it ended up hurting us both. While this wasn’t my secret, I feared that keeping it from her would have the same result.

“It’s that bad?” she asked, drawing my attention. She wasn’t angry, and I breathed a huge sigh of relief.

I shrugged. “No, it’s not bad. It’s just complicated. I’ll figure out a way to work around it.”

Rising from my desk, Harmony strolled around the room, scratching her head while contemplating the situation. “Does the match connection work the same as the mate bond?”

“As far as I know. I’ve never asked. But Colt is an animal shifter, so he experiences the mate bond just like we do,” I answered as I began to understand the ideas swirling around in her mind. “You’re thinking proximity could do the heavy lifting.”

Harmony’s smile flashed brightly. “Exactly! The pull towards one’s mate is almost impossible to resist and the euphoria it generates is addicting. If you could find a way to force them to be in each other’s company for an extended period of time, the mate bond should take care of the rest.”

I got up from my chair, crossed the room, and captured her lips in a kiss that threatened to set my office on fire. “You are a genius, my Queen. I think I know exactly what to do, now.”

“Oh?” she grinned and looped her arms around my waist.

“I think it’s time Sinead came back to work as a trainer, don’t you?” A knock on my office door silenced any response she may have had and drew us apart. “Come in,” I called out as I returned to my chair.

Preston Grant, our pack mechanic, ambled in and over to my desk. He was handsome though a bit older than me, with salt and pepper hair that hung long enough to brush the collar of his coveralls and a fit, powerfully built body. How had he not found a second chance mate? I wondered idly, watching him approach. His first mate was one of those who perished in the rogue attack along with my father and our Gamma. “I’ve finished with the motorcycle, Alpha.”

“Fantastic!” I exclaimed and pulled open the drawer in front of me, withdrawing a plain white envelope and passing it to him. “That should cover the costs.”

He passed me the keys. “Thank you, Alpha.” Stuffing the envelope inside his coveralls, Preston bowed his head, then turned to leave my office just as Seth and Adam came through the door.

I smiled at Harmony. “I guess it’s time to get to work,” I said and shifted my focus to my computer.