8. The Plan that Faltered

Chapter 8

The Plan that Faltered

THORIN

It had been a week since Nika returned to my pack. She had not bothered to venture beyond my suite in the pack house. The only person who visited her regularly was her friend from Mirage Island, Janella. I had a feeling they both needed one another. Something happened between my cousin Viktor and Janella, though no one would come clean about what it was.

If I had to guess, she was his mate, but then again, he refused to hang around the pack long enough for me to find out. Eventually, I would have to give him an Alpha summons to explain himself. In the meantime, I’d been inundated with the investigations brought about by everything that happened when Nika was kidnapped.

Not only were the former Alpha and Luna of Aiden’s pack being investigated by the council, but my own pack had an investigation underway about Miriam, my former/alleged moon-blessed mate who disappeared, and my father’s death. Everything was connected somehow and I believe the gods paired Nika and me together as second-chance moon-blessed mates due to this entire situation.

Beyond the investigations, I still had to plan for a formal claiming ceremony for my Luna and me. That was hard to do because the only other individual who went to see my mate was my wolf. Every night he went to her and every morning, I woke in her bed and saw my way out. Some mornings it was as a wolf, others it was as a man. I didn’t think Nika was aware of it though. She always appeared to be asleep when we came and went.

I’d thought everything through. Two more weeks should be enough for Nika to pull out of whatever she was going through. It sounded callous, but we were meant to be the leaders of the pack, and that didn’t leave a lot of time for us to hold up in our rooms feeling sorry for our circumstances.

“I sound like an asshole,” I spoke aloud, thinking I was alone, but then laughter came from the door. My Beta stood there and attempted to wrap his lips around his teeth to hold his laughter at bay, but he failed miserably.

“Sorry, Alpha.” His apology lacked any semblance of being genuine. “I came to tell you that the council would like to meet with you in regards to your part in the demise of former Alpha Aiden Thornwin.”

“When?”

“At your earliest convenience. They are knee-deep in the investigation of his parents at the moment and advised that they might not be available for the next month, but that if you found the time to speak to them before then, they would make time for you.”

“I want to be kept abreast of that situation,” I informed Warren.

“I thought as much and the council agreed that both you and your future Luna should also be kept informed, since the former Alpha and Luna’s decision to abandon their pack and pups affected you both to such an extent.”

I nodded and Warren turned to leave, but hesitated in the door. “I’m not sure why you think you sound like an asshole, but you know that I’m here for you - even if you need a sounding board and someone to tell you if you truly are an asshole or if you’re just playing one in your own mind.” My best friend couldn’t quite hide his amusement.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. I need you to take a message to Nika.”

His brows rose and he stepped back into my office fully before he shut the door. “I’m to pass your future Luna a message from you?”

I nodded my head and then came out with it. “Tell her that she needs to be ready for a formal mating ceremony two weeks from today. The pack needs to know that we are on the same page and looking out for their well being. They also need to know that their Luna is alive and well, something many have begun to speculate, since she won’t leave my suite.”

Warren took in a deep breath and let it out before he addressed me. “I think this is something she needs to hear directly from you.”

“I have other pressing issues.” It was bullshit. While I did have other pressing issues, my future Luna should be at the top of the list. It was probably crazy that I wanted her to submit to the claiming ceremony even as I wasn’t able to face her after what I’d done. I truly was an asshole.

Warren didn’t bother to argue with me, though his eyes spoke volumes before he turned away and walked out of my office. It was unfair to put him in the middle of me and my luna. I wasn’t ready to handle her rejection in person, and that was something I feared was in my near future.

Two Hours Later

Warren knocked on my office door as he simultaneously entered my space. I glanced up from the report about my father’s death and noted my Beta’s grim countenance.

“Is something wrong with Nika?” I stood immediately, as if to go to her.

Warren shook his head. “No, not in the way you think. She sent me back with a message of her own.” My friend glanced down at the floor in front of his feet but failed to deliver a message.

“What is it?” I snapped at him. He slowly brought his eyes up to meet mine and what I saw there made me worry. He was amused and I dare say delighted by the message she sent him to deliver.

“When you are Alpha enough to see me in person, and request a claiming, then I will answer you in kind. Until then, we cannot be fully mated.”

I growled and turned my back on my very smug second in command. “You found enjoyment in that?”

“I find that I quite like our little Luna and her answer gives me hope for the future of our pack.”

That caught my attention. “What do you mean?”

“She refuses to be disrespected, even by you.”

“I meant no disrespect toward her.”

Warren shrugged his shoulders. “If I were in her shoes and my own mate didn’t have the time or presence of mind to deliver a message about our mating directly to me, I would also refuse them. It’s time to put aside your worries and go apologize to your mate.”

“I already offered my apologies.”

“You did that when she wasn’t yet conscious, if I recall.”

I huffed and turned my back on Warren once more. “What if I go and she denies me?”

“Then at least you will get it over with and can prepare yourself and your pack for the future. If nothing else, our pack deserves to know their fate. I’m not sure if you noticed, but they’re all anxiously waiting on news and no one truly feels secure right now. Your mate hasn’t been seen since she was brought back, and rumors from the staff who have had access to her is that she does not trust the pack at all. She even refused food from the staff, claiming they might have poisoned her.”

“Why was I not made aware?”

“I think those staff members were probably frightened that you would think they had done something to warrant that reaction from Nika. The pack only knows rumors and speculation. They aren’t aware of what really happened to your mate and I think that is part of the problem. We need to address what happened, and explain what the traitors of this pack have done.”

“I didn’t want to address the pack until the investigations were concluded, but I suppose there’s no getting around that.”

“There’s also no getting around your mate. You have to speak to her directly and I’m going out on a limb to state that I think it should be sooner rather than later. She knows your wolf has shared your bed with her every night, though I don’t think she fully realizes it is truly your bed she has been sleeping in.”

I offered a quick nod and a heavy sigh. “Time to be the Alpha.”

Warren shook his head. “Time to be the man who is meant to be her mate. She needs him more than she needs the Alpha of this pack.”

“When did you become so wise?”

He gave a very unaffected shrug and smirked at me. “I’ve always been better than most.”

It was difficult not to roll my eyes at my friend. “Is she in my room?”

“She has not left your suite since you brought her back to the pack.”

“I thought as much.”

It hurt me to know that my mate didn’t feel secure enough in my pack to leave the room. Essentially she had gone from one prison to another over the majority of the past year and it pained me to think that part of that time was when she was supposed to be under my care. How could she want to see me when I had failed her so spectacularly?”

After speaking with Warren, I left my office, locked up, and headed upstairs to my rooms where my mate had locked herself away from me and the rest of the pack. Actually, only part of that was completely true. I didn’t know if she had locked herself away from me. Truthfully, if she was aware of my nightly visits, then it meant she hadn’t freaked out, or called to have me removed, so maybe there was hope.

By the time I got to the room, Janella had just come out and quietly shut the door. She seemed startled when she turned around and saw me approach.

“Janella.”

“Alpha,” she answered back.

“I would like to speak to you soon about my cousin.”

“Your cousin?” The girl played stupid for my benefit, but she knew damn well that Viktor was my kin. I gave her a knowing look. “I don’t think that’s necessary.”

“Nevertheless, I want to know what has happened between the two of you and why my cousin is never present with the pack.”

Her eyes narrowed and when she answered, her voice carried a viciousness I didn’t think she was capable of. “That is something that you will have to ask him as he has made it very clear that he has more important things to handle than some silly girl with mate dreams.” Janella stomped off and I watched her go. If my cousin had been dumb enough to reject his moon-blessed mate after everything he knew Nika and I had been through, then he had more than a talk coming to him. He had an ass whooping coming to him too.

I watched until Janella was gone from sight before I knocked on the door. “Come in,” My mate called out from the other side. I hesitated a moment and then finally pushed the door open to see Nika staring at me from the overstuffed chair that sat in front of the window. She had been looking down on the pack. I wondered if she longed to join them again, or if she now feared any interaction with them.

“Nika,” I started and then realized I had no words. Her beauty captivated me instead. It had been too long since I’d been able to take her in fully.

“That is still my name, last I checked.” Her smart ass reply should have been a roadblock thrown between us, instead it offered the comfort I needed to move closer.

“I deserved that, and so much more.” She shook her head as I took another step closer.

“You did nothing wrong.” My step faltered as she spoke. I offered her a look of disbelief but she only returned a hesitant smile. “I didn’t blame you for the attack, my kidnapping, or even what your wolf did.” Her fingers immediately traced over the jagged edges of the scar at the base of her neck. “Had you come to me sooner, you would have known that.”

“I’m sorry. There have been other things that have kept me busy too, but you’re right, the biggest was my own self loathing and fear of your reaction.”

“I didn’t trust your wolf at first.”

“At first?” I asked with as much hope in my heart as I could muster without being crushed by my own failings.

Nika nodded her head and then had to push her dark locks back behind her ear, so they wouldn’t be in her face as she addressed me. “I was scared to death the first morning I woke to find him in bed with me.”

“I’m so sorry, Nika.” She held her hand up as if to stave off my apology.

“He marched himself right out of the room and the look he gave me when he left nearly broke my heart. I know you’re sorry for what happened, but your wolf also feels remorse for what he’s done.” I didn’t have anything to add to that because I was puzzled by the fact that she was speaking about us as if we were two separate beings and we shouldn’t be. A true merging of wolf and man was more like two halves of a whole not two completely separate entities.

“Do you worry that I’ll hurt you again?”

Nika shook her head. “No, and I don’t think you meant to harm me before. I read your letter, the one you left the first day.”

I nodded. “I needed you to know what happened but didn’t think you would want to see me, so I figured the letter was the best approach.”

“From this point forward, I would ask that you speak to me directly, even if it seems like the hardest task you will ever have to undertake. I need to know that we can communicate effectively, otherwise how will we manage to run a pack together?”

“You still want to be my mate?”

Her fingers again traced the mark on her neck. “We don’t have much of a choice in that any longer.”

“We do. You never marked me,” I tried to explain but she brushed it off.

“We don’t. Everyone expects it and I won’t toss your pack under the bus because a few evil people managed to push a wedge between us and forced you to claim me in the middle of a frenzy. Even if that action hadn’t been their intention, it was still a result of what they all put us through. Besides, you made me a promise, and we need to uphold that together.”

“You already had my word on that, Nika. If you decided not to take me as your mate, I would still work with you to make sure that no others are tossed aside on that island, or any other prison, based solely on their mate not wanting to follow through with the gift the gods have given them.”

“That’s a lovely sentiment,” Nika stated, but her fingers made their way up to touch the gnarly scar left behind by my overzealous wolf. “The fact is, you already left your mark on me. We’re already halfway to our full bond. The only thing we’re really waiting on is me to mark you.” When I got ready to say something to the contrary she shook her head. “You might still feel the need to mark me as well - as a man. I understand that. I’m trying to tell you that I’m still okay with that, but two weeks won’t be enough.”

“What do you mean?”

The end of December marks a year, for me, since I had the mate dreams. I want to take the time between now and then to put in the work to get to know one another better, to get on better terms with your pack, and to find out every deep, dark secret that has festered in your pack and left us open to the attack that nearly ended our tentative bond.”

“Do you remember how hard it was to wait out that initial month?”

“This is different. We aren’t going to say those words. We won’t be bound by those rules. You’ve already marked me, so I don’t think they would apply even if we attempted it. Still, it needs to happen. This isn’t something I’m asking on a whim, Thorin. So much has happened that I fear even walking out that door.” Her eyes drifted to the bedroom door and my heart hammered behind my chest. I had been right about that.

“I don’t want you to fear me or my pack.”

“I don’t fear you.”

“I will make sure that there is no one in my pack for you to fear. I agree to your terms so long as you come to work with me every day. You need to be a part of unraveling everything that led to my pack members helping Aiden get to you.”

She laughed, though there wasn’t much humor to it. “I don’t think they meant to help Aiden. Truthfully, I think he accidentally became involved and stopped them from carrying out an assassination on me.”

Nika’s thoughts on the subject made me wish I hadn’t been so hasty in taking Aiden out. Truthfully, he could have been allowed to live - at least until the council got ahold of him. Hindsight was a bitch like that though. It meant that we couldn’t ask him the important questions. Not that the answers really mattered. Either way, members of my pack set out to do harm to the woman who was meant to be their Luna and it wasn’t the first time it had happened.

I swallowed hard and gave a quick nod of my head. “From what I’ve learned, that is entirely possible.”

“How in the world did we get to this place where pack mates we’ve known our whole lives turn into something you would never expect? For me, it was Aiden who changed, but for you, I think - no, I know - there was more than one pack member involved.”

I sighed and moved to stand beside Nika. “My mind keeps wandering back to the fact that I’ve been without a mate for too long as Alpha of the pack.”

Nika shook her head emphatically. “It’s not that. The problems in your pack have to be older, Thorin. They killed your first mate before she could get to you. That tells me there is a bigger problem. Do you think maybe you’ve been a target of something more all along?”

“I’m not sure what you’re getting at.”

“Who would be Alpha of this pack if you weren’t?”

“My cousin, Vik.” Her brows raised momentarily, but my heart ticked up a few beats per minute. “Viktor,” I said again as puzzle pieces started to click into place. “He has been behaving strangely and spending a lot of time away from the pack. He refused to come to Mirage Island to look for his mate.” I glanced out the window and then met Nika’s gaze. “I believe he might be Janella’s mate, but something is keeping him from claiming her.”

Nika nodded and her eyes cast downward. “She hasn’t said it, but I believe you might be right. I also think there is another woman involved in the scenario somewhere.” My mate held her hand up over her chest as if her heart hurt and she tried to soothe the ache. “I can’t imagine what it will do to her if she faces another rejection in this life. She has already missed out on her family, having a life, and growing up in a pack.” Nika looked up at me with pleading eyes, as if there was some magical way I could make things different. “Janella is still learning the basics about life because she never had the chance to have even the silliest experiences.”

“We’ll get to the bottom of that situation too, Nika. I promise you, even if Viktor is part of the problem, we will find Janella a second chance mate who will treat her as though she were a moon-blessed.”

For the first time, since before she was taken, my mate offered me a genuine smile. “I know we have a lot to sift through, but thank you for making Janella a priority amongst it all. She deserves to have someone firmly in her corner.”

“I agree, especially since she is your strongest supporter.” I would have said second strongest, but the bond between Nika and me was too fragile to give it top billing. That was a spot Janella earned and held proudly whereas my actions left a bit to be desired.

It killed me that Nika wouldn’t be completely mine in the next two weeks, as I’d hoped. There was no way I would refuse my mate the few months she needed to be comfortable with my pack and with the idea of having me as a mate for life. She earned it.