Chapter 3: The Mate Bond
Xander
[Well, well, well. It looks like we finally found our fated mate, Xander!]
My wolf Zion growled within me and I felt fury boiling inside.
No, this can’t be happening.
I’d been Alpha for five years now, and I had hoped my mate would turn out to be the embodiment of beauty and grace. Strong and powerful. And now, the Moon Goddess had chosen this… this broken wolf as my eternal partner? What a cruel joke!
“Alpha?” Rebecca’s voice was small, uncertain. Her bright blue eyes were wide with shock, and I could smell her confusion mingling with hope.
This was not good.
I released her as if her skin burned, taking a step back. The sudden distance made Zion howl in protest, but I silenced him with a mental snarl.
[Don’t reject her,] Zion warned. [You know what happens when mates are rejected.]
The other pack members were staring at us. I needed to do something. Say something.
“We need to talk,” I said to Rebecca, my voice coming out harsher than intended. “Privately.”
She nodded, a tremble visible in her lower lip. “Yes, Alpha.”
“Xander,” I corrected automatically. “If you’re my…” I couldn’t even say the word. “Then you should use my name.”
A flash of hurt crossed her features before she squared her shoulders. “Yes, Xander.”
[Give her a chance,] Zion pleaded. [There must be a reason the Goddess chose her for us.]
I wasn’t convinced, but I knew one thing for certain—the Pack couldn’t know about this. Not yet. Not until I figured out what to do about this…this situation.
I gestured for Rebecca to follow me to an empty room, ignoring the curious glances from the pack members around us. I saw Clara staring at us in my peripheral vision, but I resisted the urge to look at her. Now was not the time.
Once inside my office, I closed the door with more force than necessary. Rebecca flinched at the sound, and something in my chest tightened uncomfortably.
“Alpha Xander,” she began. “I understand if you’re… disappointed.”
I turned to face her, really looking at her for the first time. She was small for a wolf, with delicate features framed by long black hair that fell in waves past her shoulders. She was pretty but not pretty enough for me to look over her flaw.
“It’s not that simple,” I said, running a hand through my hair. “An Alpha needs a strong mate. Someone who can help lead the pack, who can—”
“Fight?” she finished, a flash of defiance crossing her features. “Because my wolf is blind, you think I’m weak?”
[She has fire,] Zion commented, sounding impressed. [I like that.]
“Your disability complicates things,” I said carefully, ignoring my wolf’s approval. “The other packs would see it as a weakness. They’d challenge us more frequently, thinking we’re vulnerable.”
Rebecca’s cheeks flushed. “Raven isn’t just blind. She’s different. Special.”
“Special how?” I asked skeptically.
She hesitated.
“Well? Speak,” I ordered impatiently.
“Raven can sense things other wolves can’t. Emotions, intentions… lies.” The last word hung between us like a challenge. “She may not see with her eyes, but she sees plenty.”
[Interesting,] Zion murmured.
[I don’t believe her,] I growled at my wolf.
I watched her for a moment. There was no way I could accept her as my mate. I’d rather choose someone else to be my Luna.
I turned away from her, walking to the window that overlooked the Pack grounds.
“Even if what you say you are capable of things,” I said finally, “it doesn’t change the fact that a blind wolf is a liability.”
Rebecca looked like I had struck her physically and I could tell she was holding back tears.
“Please, let me prove myself,” Rebecca said, stepping closer. “Let me join the combat training tomorrow. Give me a chance to show you, to show everyone what Raven and I can do.”
[Say yes,] Zion urged. [Our mate deserves a chance.]
“Fine,” I relented. “You can join the training. But if you embarrass yourself or get hurt, don’t expect me to intervene.”
She nodded jerkily. “I won’t let you down.”
“This doesn’t mean I accept the mate bond,” I added coldly. “And no one can know about it. Not yet.”
The hurt that flashed across her features was brief but unmistakable. “I understand,” she said quietly.
“You’re dismissed,” I said, turning back to the window.
I heard her soft footsteps retreat, the door opening and closing gently behind her. Only then did I let out the breath I’d been holding.
[You’re making a mistake,] Zion growled. [She’s our mate. We should be claiming her, not pushing her away.]
“She’s a liability,” I muttered. “And I have plans for this Pack that don’t include a mate with a defective wolf.”
[The Goddess chose her for a reason,] my wolf insisted.
I ignored him, my mind already racing with how to handle this situation. The training tomorrow would be the perfect opportunity to prove what I already knew. Rebecca and her blind wolf were not fit to be the Alpha’s mate.
And when that happens, I could choose the mate I wanted and deserved.
“Dominic!” I called out, and he promptly appeared at my doorstep. Dominic, my Beta, was my reliable right-hand comrade.
“Yes, Alpha?” Dominic asked, looking at me curiously.
“Find out everything you can about Rebecca Sinclair,” I ordered.
He raised an eyebrow. “The blind girl?”
“She is not blind. Her wolf is,” I said irritably.
“Same thing, is it not? With a blind wolf like that, she is nothing but a useless human,” Dominic said.
I felt a growl build in my throat as Zion pushed forward. I guess my wolf still felt protective toward her even if I didn’t accept her as my mate. “It doesn’t matter what kind of wolf she is. Just do as I say,” I barked.
Dominic immediately lowered his eyes. “My apologies, Alpha. I’ll find out everything about her background, family connections, and her… condition.”
“Good.” I turned away, dismissing him. “And Dominic? Make it discreet.”
Once alone, I paced the room. The mate bond was supposed to be sacred, a gift from the Goddess herself. But what kind of cruel joke was this? A blind wolf? It was unheard of.
[She smells like home,] Zion whispered in my mind. [Like moonlight and forest rain.]
“Shut up,” I growled aloud. But I couldn’t deny the pull I felt toward her, even now.
No, I needed to focus. I couldn’t let myself be swayed by the mate bond or by pity. My Pack needed strength at its helm, not a weakling.
The knock at my door broke my trance.
“Enter,” I called, expecting Dominic.
The door swung open to reveal Clara. Her golden hair cascaded over her shoulders in perfect waves, and her fitted dress accentuated every curve of her body. She was undeniably beautiful, the kind of woman I’d always imagined as my Luna.
“Alpha Xander,” she purred, closing the door behind her. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything important.”
[She’s not our mate,] Zion growled, but I pushed him down.
“Clara,” I acknowledged, leaning back against my desk. “What are you doing here?”
Her lips curved into a seductive smile as she sauntered toward me. “I wanted to apologize for the scene earlier,” Clara said, stopping just inches from me. “I didn’t realize you and my stepsister were having a… moment,” she said and looked at me with accusing eyes.
“We were not having a moment,” I said firmly. “I was simply concerned about her participation in tomorrow’s training.”
“Mmm,” Clara hummed, reaching out to straighten my collar, her fingers lingering against my chest. “So considerate of you. But we both know Rebecca won’t last five minutes in combat training.”
My lips twisted into a grin. When Clara threw herself at me a month ago I didn’t push her away. She was strong, beautiful, and from a respected bloodline, everything an Alpha’s mate should be.
“I’ve always admired that about you,” she whispered as she stepped even closer. “The way you care for everyone in the pack, even the… broken ones.”
Her hand slid up to my shoulder, then to the nape of my neck. “But you deserve someone who’s your equal, Xander. Someone who can stand beside you, not behind you.”
Yes, she was right.
The mate bond with Rebecca tugged at me, making my skin crawl, but I ignored it.
“Is that so?” I drawled.
“Yes,” she said, pressed her body against mine, and captured my lips in a kiss. Her mouth was warm and insistent, her body soft and yielding against mine.
Clara was not my fated mate, but it didn’t mean she couldn’t be my Luna. I thought as I pushed her against the wall and deepened the kiss.
Tomorrow, I will make sure it is the end of this mate bond with Rebecca.