My supreme prisoner mate

Chapter Seven

Kayden

After I left Sonja’s room, my feet moved quickly to my office. I took a deep breath as I entered while I tried to control the sea of emotions brewing through me. I slammed the office door and plopped down in the chair behind my desk. The powerful urge to wrap my arms around her was overwhelming.

In frustration, I ran my hands over my face while attempting to figure out what to do. In that moment, it didn’t matter which pack she belonged to; all I yearned for was to have her by my side. The thought of her presence, so close to me, brought a soothing calmness to Asim, and, in turn, to myself. Every nerve ending in my body screamed for me to accept her, to embrace her completely. Yet, the fear of putting her in harm’s way held me back, like an invisible barrier.

I had heard about the incredible strength of the mate bond, but actually experiencing it was on a completely different level. Every fiber of my being yearned for her presence. The moment she was near, her alluring scent of freshly baked apple pie would wrap around me, igniting a surge of unfamiliar emotions that coursed through my body and settled deep within my core. Until now, my interactions with women had always been solely physical, devoid of any real connection.

After tirelessly searching for three long years, I had almost lost hope of finding my mate. Yet, in this very moment, I found myself inexplicably captivated by someone I never believed existed. In this miraculous turn of events, my heart was now falling deeply, with the one I thought I would never find.

While I continued to rack my brain over the situation, Charles walked in and snapped me out of my thoughts. He stood at the door silently while he stared at me with his eyes squinted.

“What,” I rolled my eyes while I pretended to look at a paper on my desk.

“Are you okay,” Charles inquired.

I shook my head and sighed; the stress of the situation weighed heavily on me.

“Is it about Sonja? What happened?” Charles closed the door and sat in the chair facing the desk.

“It’s nothing,” I tried to lie.

He chuckled and shook his head. “I think I have a pretty good idea.”

Charles’ words got my attention as my eyes bore into him while I waited for him to continue.

“She’s your mate, isn’t she?”

I swallowed hard. “How…” I trailed off.

“You’ve been my best friend since we could walk. How did you think I wouldn’t know,” he asked in a low voice.

“I was going to tell you. I don’t know what to do. It doesn’t matter that she is from Sable Lake Pack, but I can’t let her get hurt either.”

“Yeah, I can see your dilemma,” Charles nodded.

I asked to change the subject temporarily and inquired, “Did Elder Smith call to say when he would arrive?” Asim hasn’t spoken to me since I told him we couldn’t accept our mate, but deep down, he knew it wasn’t true.

“Yes, he called about forty minutes ago and said that he would be here the day after tomorrow,” Charles informed. I nodded my head and forced my eyes to the files spread out on my desk.

“Maybe she could help. Having your fated mate might just be the key to dispelling the dark cloud that looms over you,” he suggested optimistically.

“I can’t burden her with this. She’s young, not even 18 yet. The truth is, I’m uncertain if she would accept me once she knew the truth.”

“So, what are you going to do,” he clasped his hands together.

I gently tapped my pen on the desk as I thought about his question. “I want my mate," I began, my voice filled with a mixture of longing and uncertainty. “But the mere thought of causing her pain, or worse, taking her life, sends a shiver down my spine.” A knot formed in my stomach, tightening with each passing second, as I laid bare my deepest fears to him.

“I can’t tell you what to do, Alpha,” his tone was serious as he continued. “All I can do is ask you to give her a chance. She doesn’t know that you two are mates yet, so you have time to figure it out. I’m still looking into some white witches for herbs and concoctions to try to help your situation.” I listened to him, but continued to stare at the papers on my desk while I pondered his words.

“Is that all,” I continued to go through the papers in front of me. The whole situation was exhausting, and I just needed to think about something else.

Charles stood up and stretched his arms above his head before he walked to leave.

“You are both dealing with some heavy s**t in your lives right now. I have a feeling that she’ll be good for you,” Charles concluded before he left my office.

“I want mate,” Asim finally chimed inside my head.

“I thought you were mad at me,” I rolled my eyes.

“Yes, I am. You don’t want to accept mate,” he whimpered.

“I want to accept her! You know what the episodes do to us. I can’t risk hurting her,” I lost my cool and snapped at him. I didn’t mean to, but I needed time to think, and his whining about Sonja did not help. He growled and retreated to the back of my mind and left me with an impossible situation to figure out.

I sat at my desk, surrounded by stacks of paperwork, determined to keep myself busy. As I sifted through the documents, my thoughts couldn’t help but wander back to Sonja. She needed a friend in the pack, someone besides me who could make her feel welcomed. With a flicker of anticipation, I mind-linked Joy, my gamma’s mate, hoping she could be that friend.

Joy’s response came swiftly, a gentle mental whisper reassuring me she would visit Sonja and ease my worries. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief wash over me, knowing that Sonja wouldn’t be alone. However, I had to keep my connection with Sonja a secret for now, withholding the fact that she was my mate.

I didn’t want anyone nosing around, trying to uncover Sonja’s pack. Once it was secure, I would share the information with my pack. Harvey and his men had escaped and the buyer could still be out there, tirelessly searching for her. I couldn’t afford for news of her whereabouts to reach them. I was determined to go to any lengths necessary to protect her.

Four suspense-filled days lay ahead, like a thick fog, separating me from the pivotal moment when Sonja would finally discover the truth: we were fated mates. Within this limited timeframe, I had to make a life-altering decision and uncover a means to break the curse that has plagued me for months. The weight of anticipation settled heavily upon my shoulders.

As the clock ticked relentlessly, the tension filling the air with an electric charge. The scent of uncertainty mingled with the faint aroma of desperation as I searched for a solution that would allow us to be together.