Eighteen: Loyalty
1548 Words
Alice's house was spotless. She hadn't even been gone that long and yet once again Justa had gone out of his way to make her home more comfortable. He must have been cooking for a while because her counter was crowded with various rich-smelling dishes.
"I wasn't expecting you to bring company," Justa noted as he studied Mark. "Is everything okay?"
"Fine," she snapped back before instantly hating herself. It wasn't Justa's fault that she'd found her mate.
He raised a brow as he studied her before shaking his head with a sigh and returning to his cooking.
She'd almost let it slip. She needed to be careful. No, she needed to be responsible. Why should she continue to string him on now that she knew the truth? "Justa."
"What?" he answered back as he continued to expand the area of food beside him.
"When the moon dips completely I'll take you back to your human settlement. Any one you want to go to, the distance doesn't matter."
"You've given up trying to hide in the midst of humans?" His eyes were dark again.
Alice shivered. She wanted nothing more than to challenge him once more when he looked at her like that.
But even just thinking about her wrapped around him made her wolf go into hysterics and needles of pain stabbed into her stomach and forced her to double over.
"Alice?" Justa was at her side in an instant. His big warm hand was on her back rubbing it in large calm circles. "What happened?"
For an answer, her wolf clawed at her insides. The pain from just mere seconds ago was nothing compared to the havoc that ran rampant through her now.
She stepped away from Justa and shivered. "Sorry, I'm fine. Just we've kept you long enough. The others in the pack will not stop you from leaving. You can live a normal life far from here."
"Cut the s**t, Alice," Justa snapped.
Mark stepped between them within the next breath and puffed out his chest. "I would watch how you talk to her. She's trying to do the right thing by you."
"No, she's running away. She'd hiding something from me and I demand to know what it is." Justa replied. "Speak, Alice."
"Why do you even care?" Alice said with a sigh. "You wanted to leave here anyway. You don't want to stay here, you don't want to be my pet. There's no point in you staying."
"What was the point of showing me off in the middle of the pack then? Was I just a toy for you these last couple of days? You could have fooled me if that was the case. You attacked your own pack over someone you just want to throw away?"
Alice wished that the cutting board was closer. As it was it was on Justa's side of the kitchen. She wanted to throw it at him. "I'm not throwing you away. My hands are tied on this. I thought we could keep you with us longer and learn from you, but that's not the best idea."
"She's got a mate now," Mark interrupted.
"Mate?" Justa echoed as he frowned. "What does that have to do with anything? Wolves have those, don't they? It's normal."
"Wait, humans share?" Mark shook his head and his hair flopped with the force. "When wolves find a mate, that's it. They don't get with anyone else. If they reject their bond it's a painful experience, it's like abandoning your wolf."
"I see," Justa said. "Then congratulations are in order, correct?"
Alice wanted to argue that but she held her tongue. She didn't want any congratulations. The pain faded as Justa kept his distance. "This wasn't my idea, and I'm not happy about it."
"Are you sure it's a mate bond?" Mark asked. "I don't think I've heard of a wolf that wasn't happy to find their mate."
Alice glared at him.
"Though I suppose it would make sense you're not. You never wanted to be tied down and I know that you don't want anything to happen to the pack."
"I know what a mate bond is," Alice replied as she looked away. "Maybe other wolves are happy to find it, but I never cared. You're right. All I care about is the pack. They've come too far to fall into the hands of someone like Jared."
"That'll never happen again. Even if anything happens to you or you have to leave, I won't let the pack return to him."
Alice couldn't help it, she chuckled. "You'd fight your father?"
"To the death," Mark replied calmly. "The health of the pack comes first. Everyone can see how it's improved since you've taken over. Your way is better, it's the way we'll continue no matter what."
"I'll finish cooking, and stay a few days more to teach Mark since he's so insistent on wanting to learn. I'll leave after that and you'll never have to worry about me bothering any of you again." Justa announced in a soft calm voice.
"Alpha!"
Alice sighed and watched as one of her followers rushed in. He didn't even bother to shift as his wide eyes met hers. "There's a giant group of wolves headed this way. Their leader claims he's your mate."
Fucking Harris.
"He is, but that doesn't mean we're going to let a pack just waltz into our territory," Alice replied. "Justa, stay here where it's safe. I'll handle this."
"You don't want to introduce me?" Justa questioned a mocking smile playing on his lips.
Alice wanted to smack the man.
Was he serious?
"I can control my wolves from killing you, I can't say the same with a pack I know nothing about. And the fact that he went against my orders and brought them here anyway does not bode well."
Jared's howl pierced their little bubble and Alice glared more. Why was she not surprised that piece of s**t was baying out a new allegiance?
"I hate my father," Mark sighed. "Let's go, Alpha."
"No," Alice replied. "I want you to stay here with Justa and protect him. Who knows what these wolves are planning. I don't trust them, I only trust you."
Mark didn't question her, he just nodded. "As you command."
"Justa, you'll be safe with Mark. I promise we'll talk all of this through, but I have to handle this. Please, promise me you're not going to leave this house."
"I promise," Justa replied. His eyes were distant as if staring off past her and toward the commotion happening in her pack.
Alice nodded and assured that he was safe she shifted and ran with the other members of her guard back to the center of the pack.
Jared wasn't the only one that was swearing loyalty to her mate. More than half her pack had.
"Harris," she called with a growl.
"My love!" He rushed to her side and brushed his head against hers as his tail wagged.
Her wolf was in heaven as the sweet smell yet spicy smell of cinnamon and apples surrounded her. "What are you doing here?" she stepped away from him and he lowered his head as he watched her. "This was not the deal."
"I couldn't stay away from you. My wolf wouldn't allow it. I brought part of my pack with me. They didn't believe that I'd finally found a mate."
A small gray wolf bowed down to her. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Luna."
"I am an Alpha," Alice growled at her. The large blue eyes of the female widened and she backed away from her with a whimper.
"I told you, Sucrose, Alice is an Alpha, she's not going to be my Luna," Harris whispered with his head still lowered.
Sucrose c****d her head as she glanced from one to the other. "Who is going to be Alpha of the pack? You're mates, you have to be together unless you want to suffer from the Goddess' wrath. "
"I'm going to be Luna to her pack," Harris announced with a chuckle.
The other wolves in his group looked from one to the other as they blinked at him. None of them dared to speak though.
"You're going to be our Luna?" Jared had got back to his feet during the exchange. "What nonsense is that? You're the Alpha! It's obvious you should be the one in charge. The Goddess wouldn't have sent her a mate unless she wanted Alice tamed."
Why did she let Jared live again? The man was nothing but a pain in her side.
"That's enough," Harris's tail stopped wagging and his head raised. As he approached Jared the assembly went quiet.
"I don't care if you swear loyalty to me or my pack. But you will never ever disrespect her in front of me." He motioned with his head to the fighting circle. "Will you apologize or will I get to take your life?"
Jared grumbled but lowered to the ground once more. "I'm sorry, Alpha. That was out of line."
"I didn't say apologize to me," Harris gestured to Alice again. "Her, you'll beg her for mercy, and if she refuses to forgive you, I'll use you as an example to the rest of this pack."
Harris trotted out in the center so everyone could see him. Gone was the shy wanting to please wolf she'd encountered before.
This wolf was an Alpha.
"The Alpha here is my mate, and everyone will respect her. If you refuse now is your only time to leave in peace. I'll rip apart anyone who does anything to my love."
- Writer
