Leighton

Chapter 3 Something Strange

Leighton

I woke in the dungeon. In fact it wasn’t the dungeon because I was clearly located above ground. Fools, I could easily escape from here.

“Your awake.” The softest voice called out from the shadows as she stepped forward.

“Your friend was worried about you.”

“And you ?” I asked. “Where you worried about me ? Mate!”

She hasn’t acknowledged the bond and I didn’t understand why.

Her placed her hand over her flat stomach. “I’m worried about the pup I carry. You are a stranger, and to me, a very dangerous one.”

She did look scared of me, and it was like a blow to the heart.

“You don’t need to fear me, I’m your mate, I was chosen for you.”

“We know that she makes mistakes, that’s why she allows us to rectify them.” She looked conflicted. “Piper says you aren’t a monster, you would raise my pup?”

“I would.”Titan would come around when he calmed down. He didn’t protest but I see him listening, observing our mate.

She looked down like she was thinking things over.

“Can I touch you?” I asked out of the blue, I wanted to feel the sparks. I had a hutch that once she felt them too she would change her mind about the rejection.

She hesitated and I held out my hand. Tentatively she placed hers on top.

Little sparks of delight danced where her finger tips touched, she jumped back in fright.

“See ?”

She touched me again but the sparks didn’t intensify, there was just a slight buzz where she rested her fingers.

“Let me out I won’t hurt you.”

I could tell she was tempted, the pull of the bond making her question herself. It drew me to her, and she didn’t move away.

She took the keys of the hook and unlocked my door. Stepping into the cell she stood before me.

I couldn’t resist running my hands up her bare arms.

“You are so beautiful.” I had dreamed for so long of what my mate might look like. There was relief that she hasn’t been blonde like Greer. I didn’t want my mate to resemble her in any way.

I pressed my lips to hers, marvelling at the taste of her, I felt her melt towards me and and soon the kiss was deepening. I slid my hands around her waist, pinning her body to mine as I committed the taste of her to memory.

Titan stirred in my mind, suddenly joining the party and my lips moved to her neck, I felt her groan when I reached her marking spot, her hands fisting my shirt. I felt Aretmis take control and my fangs elongate.

With immense self control I pulled back, panting heavily at the effort and she stared at me blinking in shock and surprise.

“My wolf, he is keen to mark you, but in your current … situation that would be …unsafe.”

It was like I poured a bucket of water over her. She stepped back.

“I wasn’t .. I need to go.” She fled from my room leaving the cage unlocked.

It took a moment to come to my senses but I shot out the door after her and straight away found myself face to face with two guards.

Looking them up and down I didn’t even need to shift to defeat these too, but before I had the chance to attack Alpha Matthew appeared with Piper on his arm.

“Here he is. Your friend was worried about you. After your nasty reaction to my witches body trap you have slept for hours.” Mathew said.” My apologies I forgot to dissemble.

You see it to allows strangers to enter my office but not leave.”

That was why I was the only one affected.

“I’m afraid you missed lunch, but please come down and I’ll have the chef make something for you.”

He was acting like nothing had happened. I was confident that Rhiannon could feel the bond now, so it was probably a good idea to buy myself more time. I was sure she would visit me again and I could broach us leaving. No one questioned how I had escaped the locked cell in my room. Its very presence at all was a red flag that something was not right about this pack

Piper appeared at my side. “Are you okay?”

I discreetly shook my head, while replying.”yes, I think I banged my head.”

We had barely sat down when a plate of food was brought out to me, I had to say it smelt delicious and having skipped lunch my stomach loudly agreed.

It tasted as delicious as looked and it didn’t take long to disappear. Matthew looked at his watch.

“How about I show you around, you can see where the attacks came from.”

I nodded, while I wanted to see my mate again I had a job to do for Jackson. Mathew instructed a guard to take us.

“What the hell is going on ? One minute you are dragged out his office unconscious then the alpha goes crazy when he see his well your mate running down the corridor before you came out and you are acting like nothing happened?”

“She is my mate, I want her.”

Piper stopped in her tracks but quickly compare herself.

“Will he let you have her?”

“No, I don’t think so, not without a fight, I can’t imagine he will want to lose his heir.

I could help but let my face fall a little. I had never imaged my mate having someone else’s pup. If it has been here already that might have been easier. The thought of watching her stomach swell with something that wasn’t mine hurt more than I expected. But this was the hand I had been granted.

“Heir and luna. They call her luna already… so what are we going to do?”

“We are going to see where the rogues attacked from, gather all the information Jackson needs. Then I’m going to see my mate and hopefully we can leave this place with her.”

I refrained from adding simples because life has taught me rarely did anything go to plan.

“What is she wants to stay? Or he won’t let her leave.”

“I challenge him for her. She is my mate of course she will want to leave .”

Little seeds of doubt were starting to set in. Meeting my mate hadn’t yet quite been what I hoped for.

It didn’t take long to get what we needed the wolf sent to armed us remarkable helpful. I wanted another look in Matthew’s office, so I asked him to take us back their to meet him.

As I hoped we arrived first, Piper standing guard while I snooped around. I didn’t find anything if interest but I got a better look at the map and found that the pins correlated with the royal wolves I had been tracking. There were more than he has pins for but the locations were too accurate.

In a drawer in his desk I found a letter. Quickly reading it it didn’t make sense but Iris could pull it from my memory later.

“He is coming.” Piper linked and I took a seat, ensuring nothing was out of place. I could smell my mate as he entered the office with her. Her scent diminished slightly and his wrapped around her like cling film.

It had been obvious what they had been up to while we were away. My wolf snarled in my head and I felt Piper grab my hand and give me a squeeze of reassurance.

A low growl sounded from my mate and I dropped her hand in surprise. The shocked look on Rhiannon’s face told me she hadn’t meant to react. Interesting, her wolf clearly felt the bond more than she.

“So beta Leighton, have you concluded your investigation ?” He asked.

“We many have everything we need, but I would like to speak with my mate please, alone.”

“I’m afraid I can’t allow that, with her condition I don’t trust your wolf to control himself.”

My anger bristles that he dare insinuate that I would hurt my mate. Piper had to grab my hand again to calm me down. Rhiannon didn’t react this time. I could tell they were linking.

A frown crossed his face.

“You have two minutes and she stays.” He looks at Piper who looked horrified at the idea but nodded.

The moment he stepped out of his office I was on my feet.

“Rhiannon, I want you to come with me, you are your pup will be safe with me.” I told her quickly.

She backed away from me, shaking her head.

“I don’t want to go with you. Mathew would never let me leave and I don’t want to. I’m going to be luna, why would I give that up for a beta of a pack I’ve never heard of, so my pup can grow up to be a b*****, instead of the rightful heir.”

She paused.

“Titan can you speak with her wolf?”

“Her wolf wants us, but something is wrong, I don’t feel the same pull.”

“That’s because you are bothered about the pup. You will love it when it’s here you love pups.”

He didn’t disagree but I was aware that her scent was definitely not as strong.

I had forgotten Piper was in the room as she had tried to be quiet and give us privacy until she spoke.

“You would give up for goddess given mate just to be Luna.” She asked.

Rhiannon scowled at her, not hiding her distaste of her.

“Why would I risk my pup for him, what can he give me ? Mathew loves me, the pack loves me. If I leave with you I’m a nobody.”

I hadn’t even asked her rank, I had the thinking that she was my mate so it was irreverent. Clearly she thought differently.

Matthew came back in signalling my time was up.

“Are you ready for the rejection ceremony ?” He asked.

“I’m not rejecting my mate. If she isn’t ready to leave then we will stay a little longer.”

“I think you have outstayed your welcome already beta Leighton.”

He walked over to my mate and enveloped her in his arms.

“It’s okay, you know what to do.” He told her as Piper pulled me back, watching them both intently.

“Don’t do anything, she is scared and he is up to something.”

Rhiannon stepped forward towards me.Taking a deep breath she uttered the rods I never expects to hear in my life.

“I, reject you Beta Leighton as my fated mate.”