The Lycan King's Mate

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

In the morning Seraphina woke up to find herself alone in their bed. There was dent in the pillow beside her, the covers ruffled aside confirming the previous night hadn’t been just a dream. She and Colton were mated despite the fact that there was no love between them.

If Only it had been Kroner, they would have made a blood-bond, biting each other’s necks to mark the fact that they belonged together, forever. It would have created a mental connection that would grow throughout their lifetime.

Colton had made no move to do this and while she was relieved not to bear his mark, she also was somehow saddened by that fact. She would have liked the feeling of bearing and being connected to Colton somehow.

With a soft sigh looked around. Finding no sign of Colton, she listened carefully, wondering if he was close, All was silent.

At least she didn’t have to face him right now, though in some ways getting that first greeting over with might have been nice. Rolling out of bed she made her way to the bathroom, her feet silent on the soft ground.

The night before she’d been too tensed to take in her surroundings, but now she looked around with great interest. She rarely visited the cabins but knew her father had recently had them renovated. The decor was natural wood and homely furnishings with just two colours found in the designs and cushions; it was simple and pleasantly welcoming.

The bathroom, though small, contained all the needed amenities and She made use of them as she dressed in pants and a crop top. She wasn’t sure How the day would turn out and was thinking about it when the door opened and Colton entered the room.

“Rise and Shine, Sera. I heard you in the shower when I came in, so I made some breakfast for us.”

“Oh. Thank you.”She glanced at him, then looked away feeling strange in his presence. He extended his arm, ushering her into the kitchen. The table was set, bread and eggs and waiting patiently.“I wasn’t sure what you would like to eat, but this is what I could come up with. I hope it’s suitable enough.”

“You cooked this?”She looked at him in awe. Her father had never ever set foot in the kitchen, he had always been too busy with his work as Alpha to do that.

“I am capable of fending for myself dear, you know.” He chuckled at her expression and helped her into a chair. “And, I can’t have you malnourished, People may think I don’t know how to take care of you.” His final remark was accompanied by a kiss on her cheek and a casual caress and She froze at the unexpected gesture, but Colton sat down opposite her as if nothing had happened and began serving them both.

“We’ll need to take a few days to get used to each other, to become acquainted with various likes and dislikes. Is that cool with you?”He paused in the middle of scooping up some egg and looked at her enquiringly. “Um... Yes.” “Good. Then let's start shall we?. Do you like to read? Watch movies?”

The meal progressed with Colton asking her questions and her supplying answers. When she didn’t question him in return, he would fill in his own preferences. She had to admire him for the effort he was making towards their alliance. He was friendly and polite, showing an interest in her.

After a while, she began to relax and found herself getting interested in their conversation. Colton smiled at her, obviously pleased that she was making an effort. “Our territories adjoin to the east, and with our packs under an alliance, we technically have miles and miles of forest to roam in now,”he explained, leaning back and sipping his coffee.

“Personally, I would love a good run over rugged terrain. How about you? When I first saw you, it was apparent that you’d just come in from exercising.” He asked his brows quivering upwards

“Yes, I’d been out with...a friend.”The smile she had on her face faded at the memory. If only she’d known it was to be the last time she would ever be together with Kroner, she would have savoured the moment even more.

“And this...friend…would he be the young man who was staring daggers at me yesterday? Tall with grey hair, and about his mid twenties?” She hesitated but realized Colton could find out from anyone in her pack. Her relationship with Bryan had been no secret. “Yes. Kroner….his name is Kroner, You see…He’d hoped to speak to my father about being my...mate.”

She looked away, her eyes tearing up“And you?”Colton prodded strangely.“How did you feel about that?” Staring at her hands, she whispered her answer knowing he could still hear her.“I... I was hoping for the same thing too.”

“Hmmmm.”He was silent and then sighed heavily.“I’m totally not surprised. You’re gorgeous and it would be strange if no one in your pack had chosen you.”He said silently. “You see, Sera, sometimes our lives have moments of disappointments or so to put it. It’s difficult at the time, but we have to move on.”He reached across the table and put a finger under her chin, forcing her to look up to him.

“Our union was of great importance to the well-being of both of our packs. It’s our duty to them to make this work, you agree?” His green eyes bore into hers, the authority of his position evident and, after a moment of reveling in it, she nodded in agreement. He was right. Duty to her pack, and duty to his, necessitated making their relationship work.

He stood and extended his hand to her. Hesitantly she reached out, placing hers in his. Warmth enveloped her hand and slowly worked its way up her arm. Smiling encouragingly, he pulled her to her feet. An hour later, Seraphina stood at the edge of the forest waiting for Colton. After cleaning up from their morning meal, he’d headed to the pack house to deal with a few pressing matters, saying he’d meet her in half an hour.

She wasn’t sure if she wanted to run with him it had been an activity that she and Kroner had enjoyed together—but knew that she needed to make their union work. Running could turn out to be one of the few things they had in common. It was another lovely fall day. The trees were painted with orange, red, and gold while the sky was a bright clear blue. Heat from the rising sun was burning off the morning mist but wisps still swirled low to the ground giving everything a faintly magical appearance. She loved this land and knew every square inch by heart. Closing her eyes, she visualized running down the twisting paths, leaping over fallen logs, splashing through streams. It really was the best place in the world and she couldn’t imagine ever being this comfortable or at peace anywhere else.

Inhaling deeply, she let the fresh, crisp air invade her lungs and energize her body. Colton was later than he had thought he’d be and she began to move around restlessly, bending to touch her toes, stretching her arms over her head then twisting side to side. She glanced towards the house. How much longer would he be there? As Alpha, she knew his time would not always be his own, but did that mean that her time must be spent waiting, doing nothing? She stared deep into the woods. The land was calling to her. Did she dare go ahead without him?

Her father had expressly forbidden any pack member to go out by themselves. The blood moon pack sometimes laid illegal leg traps and a member could be caught and killed before anyone in the pack was aware. That was how her mother had died. “Good morning to you.”A voice spoke behind her and she jumped.

Spinning around, she saw Kroner standing a few feet away. The sun was shining on his gravel grey hair, giving it a darker glow. “Kroner!”Her heart leapt with joy and she rushed over to hug him, only to stop a few feets away from her. “Kroner? What’s the matter?” You know what the problem is Seraphina.” Kroner said looking pained “No, I don’t.”She shook her head puzzled at the change in his behavior.

Kroner was usually so happy and easy going. Now he sounded bitter, a scowl marring his handsome face. “You’re mated to Colton. I can smell his scent all over you.” His words cut like a knife deep into her heart. How could he be so cruel?

“You know that wasn’t my choice! The Elders decided on the need for the union. You were at the ceremony yesterday and heard the speeches just as I did.”

Kroner looked away, his mouth tightly compressed.“I know. It’s just...”He seemed to be waging some type of internal struggle, his fists clenching and unclenching. Finally, he sighed deeply, the scowl fading away leaving sorrow in its wake.“I had hoped to be your mate.” “I know.”She took a step closer and laid her hand on his arm.“I’d hoped for the same thing too.”She took his hand in hers.

“This union was for the good of the packs, but it doesn’t mean that I’ve stopped caring for you.” He turned and looked at her, his gaze drifting softly over her features. “And I still care for you.”He reached out and stroked her cheek, his focus settling on her lips.

Silence stretched between them and she realized that he was leaning closer to her, his intention of kissing her evident. Her conscience pricked and she knew she should step away. Kroner wasn’t her mate Colton was. Before she could act, a twig snapped behind her and Kroner jumped away, pulling his hand from hers. They both turned to see Colton standing nearby, his eyes narrowing into a glare as he took in the two of them.

“Seraphina, I’m glad you found a way to keep yourself occupied while I was finishing off pack business.”There was an edge to his voice which made her skin prickle with anxiety. “I... I was just talking to Kroner,”she stammered.

His expression frightened her and she stepped back from Kroner. “So I see.”Colton shot her a brief glance, and then focused his attention on Kroner, a look of disdain on his face.

“This is the...friend...you spoke of this morning?” His voice carried a powerful resonance with each word

“Yes, this is Kroner. We’ve been friends since we were young.”