Triad Mates: Of Wolves & Dragons

Chapter Nine

(Author- I only uploaded 2 chapters this week because this chapter is equivalent to two chapters because of how long it is)

-Noah's POV-

-11 years ago-

"But why do we have to leave?" I ask my mother.

"Because we must. Alpha Korbyn is a good man and he will take care of us." She explained.

"Good? But uncle said he was the devil."

Mom kneels down to my level, holding my shoulders. "No more talk like that. This is our best chance, Noah."

"Is it because of what we are?" I ask.

"Yes. But with Alpha Korbyn, we'll be safe."

"But... what about daddy?"

She looks at me with sadness in her eyes. "Noah...Gregory... your father is not coming back. He is gone. He... he is with the moon goddess now."

"Then... he is in a good place... right?" I ask.

She nods.

"Okay, so he will always be with us." I give her a big smile.

"Good, sweet boy. Now help me pack. Let's go to our new home."

-Current day-

What the hell is wrong with me?!

I sprint down the stairs trying to get her out of my mind.

I can't believe I lost myself like that. I would have taken her completely, a girl that is not even my mate and I just met yesterday.

And I wanted to. At that moment, I wanted to mark her.

But why? How? I know she is not my mate. I'm twenty, I would have known if she was my mate right when I met her.

I have to admit, I did feel something when I first saw her but... she can't be my mate because it would have been uncontrollable for me if she was. I would have tried to mark her the moment we met. But I didn't. Yet her scent is amazing but it feels like it is missing something.

Then, there is also the fact that I can't stop thinking about her. My thoughts have been completely consumed by her ever since I first laid eyes on her on that rainy night. The shock of suddenly finding a girl in the middle of the woods made my wolf side completly come out. I know I scared her.

I head outside of the pack house and head into the woods. I need to let out some stress and frustration. Mostly the s****l kind of frustration because even though I stopped myself, I still want her. I still want to turn around, barge into her room, and take her whether she wants me or not and I am not that kind of man.

I walk into the forest and take out in a run.

Per Alpha Korbyn's instructions, I am not ever allowed to shift unless the situation completely demands it. Only those who are loyal to Korbyn know what my mother and I really are. So running around freely and letting my wolf out is not something I can really do which is even more frustrating when you are trying to let out some of the frustration. And in my case, my frustrations run deep. I don't just have to hide what I am, who I am... I also am being forced to do something I don't want to do which is the reason why I was running far away from this place and now I have to add on top of it all this s****l want for this new girl.

I stop at the edge of a tree taking deep breaths, I look down at my crotch and see that I am still hard as a rock.

"Fuck..." I whisper, closing my eyes.

I spend the next thirty minutes running, trying to get some release.

When I am back at the pack house feeling just a bit more at ease, Thomas—the beta—stops me.

"Son, the Alpha wants you in his office." He says.

He has always called me son and has always been kind to me. I don't get much kindness from Korbyn. The man's heart is frozen and I am sure that the only reason he is helping Harley is that he believes he can gain something from it all.

I arrive at Alpha Korbyn's office and find Harley there too. My southern little soldier suddenly thinks he is being called to arms and starts rising in attention.

Well f**k.

I fix my pants as I walk in and immediately put my hands in front of me, covering myself.

The way this girl has an effect on me is taking me by surprise. This has never happened with anyone else. Not like this.

The minute she sees me, her cheeks flair and she looks away. Which makes everything much worse for me because I really like that reaction.

"I decided that Miss Harley here will accompany you tomorrow. She will be enrolling in the Will O' Whisp Academy." Korbyn says.

"I will what!?" Harley asks shocked and confused.

"You will be going to the Will O' Whisp Academy. You will enroll there."

"Enroll? Why?"

"I told you, because of rogues. We've spotted some circling around our borders. We can't be a hundred percent sure that they are the ones that attacked your pack but I am not willing to risk it." He looks at me. "She needs to be far away from here but still under... our protection."

I have a feeling that protection is not what he wanted to say or actually meant.

I nod. I never argue or question him.

"But what about my family? I can't just leave." Harley complains.

I can tell that Korbyn is getting frustrated. He dislikes it when people question him or refuse him. So it is surprising to see him trying to remain calm and I am sure that it's because he doesn't want Harly to see him as the enemy. He wants something from her. Having her in our pack results in our pack being one of the strongest. He's always had an obsession with power.

"You'll be safe in the academy. The enemy will not suspect that you are there and we will handle the investigation of your pack here. I'll keep you informed." He tells her.

Harley opens her mouth to argue but Korbyn puts a hand up. "End of discussion. Now please leave me. Thomas, show her around the pack."

I know what that means. Keep her in your sight at all times.

Thomas nods and leads her out while I wait for my orders. He called me here for a reason and I am sure it wasn't just to inform me that Harley was enrolling in the school.

I suddenly feel a presence next to me.

Jax, a man just a few years older than me but of Alpha blood and one of the strongest assholes in the pack and loyal to Korbyn. He's a puppet, always trying to impress and prove himself but one thing I won't take away from him—even though I hate the guy—is that he is completly loyal to the pack. But we have never seen eye to eye. As a child when I first arrive at the pack, he tried to bully me and it was all under Korby's orders. Korbyn wanted to test me. Eventually, I fought back, almost killing him but it was exactly what Korbyn wanted. To see if I could be a monster, a killer. Jax got a rude awaking as to what I am, and I am just as strong as he is. The problem is that he has Korbyns ear and though I am mad at her now, Korbyn has my mother under his grimy claws too.

"Jax here will be watching you... very closely." Korbyn says to me.

"What?"

"You have shown me that you can't be relied on. I am sure that knowing what will happen to your mother if you leave again will deter you from trying but... just in case, Jax here is an incentive."

I want to argue this, but I know better. It is not that I couldn't take Korbyn, I probably could and win. But he has a whole pack backing him. I can't take a whole pack on my own.

"Well look at here... I guess I'm your babysitter now." Jax says with a smirk.

Biting my tongue, I turn to leave but Korbyn calls for me.

"Noah..." I turn to face him. "You try to run again... well... let's just say that you are not the one who will be paying for it."

My teeth clench in anger. The fury inside of me makes dark thoughts invade my mind.

I could... I could really kill him right now.

"Now get out of my sight!" He spits out.

I turn around and leave only to be met by my mother outside, in the hall.

"Noah." She tries to speak to me.

"No." I immediately say and start walking away from her.

"Noah!" She shouts after me.

I stop and turn around as fast as I can. "No! I have nothing to say to you. You've already made the decision for me. With no regard for how I felt about it or what I wanted! I have nothing for you right now other than hurtful words which I'd prefer not to say. So just leave me alone, mother."

My whole life has been controlled and decided for me. I've had no saying in it until I ran. I had finally made a decision of my own and I would have kept running if... if not for Harley. But I hold no grudge against her. Not one thing was her fault. Like me, she was tossed into her own mess.

My poor mother is a lost soul. She is so afraid of the world that she believes that being under Korbyn's protection is better. But I know better.

I leave her and as I walk away, I can see f*****g Jax following me in the distance.

"Little b***h. Probably going to get a bigger head now." I mumble and I can hear a growl coming from him. I'm sure he heard me but that is exactly what I intended.

I spend the rest of the day tending to my responsibilities around the pack house which distracts me most of the day but the constant far away presence of Jax pisses me off.

When it is almost dinner time, I clean up and head to the dining room. There are two dining rooms in the pack house. The biggest one is for the whole pack where they gather at big long tables. The small dining room is reserved for the Alpha family and guests which is where I sit now with Harley opposite of me and Korbyn and mother at the head of the table. Thomas also sits with us as he always does along with his family.

There is also much more food on the table than usual.

I do my best to not look at the little fairy sitting across from me. The actions of this morning are still very fresh in my head and I can't help but feel the effects of it whenever my eyes lay on her.

"A feast in your honor." Korbyn says to Harley, lifting a whine glass up.

She looks at him confused. "Why?"

That makes me smile. She questions everything he does or says and I like that about her. She is not just a mindless follower.

"Your family is well known. Your power. It is an honor to have you here." He sings.

I take a huge sip of my drink trying to wash down the ass-kissing he is throwing at her.

"Yeah?... even though you've been a dickhead to me?" Harly mumbles. It was not subtle.

I cough, almost spitting my drink out and my mom's eyes are about to pop out of her. No one ever speaks to him like that.

Korbyn clears his throat. I know he wasn't expecting that and he seems like he doesn't know what to say. "Yes well... I am still Alpha here and you are my ward now."

Harley's eye twitches. I can see that touches a nerve and she doesn't look too happy but I love her spunk.

What I don't understand is why she is so compliant. From what I have heard, she could easily set this whole place on fire and be done with it. But I guess then she would be running again. The enemy would know where she is.

And that is another thing I am also still confused about. How was the enemy able to take the strongest pack in the northern area? They've had to be planning this for a long time. They had to have someone feeding them information from the inside. There is no other way and now, they are probably keeping her mother sedated if they didn't kill her. I saw the weapons those men that were after Harley were carrying. They had tranquilizing darts. That combined with magic, I can see now that it would definitely work but as I said, they must have been planning this for a long time. The question now is, what is their end goal?

I look at Korbyn.

I really don't think he has any intention of investigating anything about the enemy in Harley's pack or even helping. Or maybe he does but I can see it, he sees Harley as a pawn. A valuable and powerful object that just fell on his lap... all thanks to me.

I should have kept running and just taken her with me. Figure things out as we went.

I close my eyes, regretting the decision of bringing her here.

When dinner is done, I head to my room to finally rest but this night is the worse night I've had in a while and that is saying something. I rarely ever sleep well. I was pissed at Korbyn, mother, and Jax. And then also Harley came to mind but under different circumstances.

I decide to go for a night run to get myself tired.

At the end of my run, as I am heading back to the pack house, I spot my little fairy walking in the woods. I am surprised that she is out here like this. Not something Korbyn would have allowed.

She doesn’t notice when I sneak behind her.

“What are you doing?”

“Ah!!” She screams and jumps. “Noah! Why would you do that?!”

I laugh. “It wasn’t on purpose. But if you got scared it's because you were doing something you weren't supposed to.”

She looks at me and I can see her guilty expression. I quickly realize what she was up to.

“You were leaving, weren't you?” I ask.

She nods. “My... family needs help.”

I sigh. “I know. I get it. But... think of this...do you think that if you go to them now, that would help or make it worse? Can you take the enemy and not get hurt or get someone else hurt?”

She looks down, thinking, and then looks to the side. “Shut up!” She shouts.

I am surprised at the outburst. “Uh... okay.” I say.

“Oh, not you... I was saying that to Archion... he thinks it’s a bad idea for me to try and save them now too.” She says.

“Oh... well... I agree.”

She sighs. “How am I supposed to just leave them as if I was forgetting about them?”

“You are not forgetting about them. We all just need time to figure out how to help them the right way. Just give it some time.”

“What if they don’t have time?” She cries out.

“If the enemy wanted them dead, they would be dead.” I say. “I can't be sure about this but, if what they want is the dragon, then that means they want you and to get to you they are going to keep them alive, most likely to encourage you to come to them.”

“I see.” She says.

I really want to reach down and caress her cheek. She looks so sad and... I don’t like it.

"Hey..." I lower my voice with the hope that no one will hear me. "...don't put your trust in Korbyn either."

She looks surprised that I said that.

"I don't trust him one bit." She says.

"Good. Now, will you go back to your room?"

Closing her eyes, she nods.

"Good, you really should get some sleep. I know it’s hard but just try.” I say.

With another big sigh, she nods. “Okay... good night, Noah... and thank you.”

I nod and with a huff, I continue walking behind her where I quickly head to my room the moment we part and put all thoughts of her away so that I am able to rest.

The next day, it doesn't get easier with Harley and me riding together in the same car. It won't be a long ride but it is stressful nonetheless because I really want to continue what we started yesterday. Her body... felt amazing.

We ride in a black car with a driver of our own and with black windows that separate the driver and us... complete privacy.

Korbyn insists that I travel as an Alpha should. Despite him not liking me much, he claimed me as his son when he got mated to my mother, and since he has no sons of his own, he has named me next in line to be Alpha. He's been grooming me to take over one day but he wants me to be just like him, something I can't do.

I look at her arm and ask "How is your arm?"

"Oh, still a bit tender but it is healing." She responds.

I nod. "Good."

There is silence from both of us.

"Uhm... so..." She starts to say. I can see that she is also nervous. "Okay so... please don't think I am being rude but why exactly are you going to this school? I mean, you seem to be... older than high school." She says.

"Unbelievable. So Korbyn didn't tell you anything of what is happening in that school?" I ask.

She slowly shakes her head.

I give a very, VERY long sigh. "Deaths... there have been three deaths." I tell her.

She gasps. "Deaths?!"