Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

ELEANOR

I ’d made a mistake.

Goosebumps broke out across my skin as the trance I’d been in from the moment Alexander marked me finally dissipated, and the realization that I was mated to Alexander Hawthorne hit me hard.

What…what just happened?

I came to a complete stop in the hallway—or at least I would have, if Alexander’s hand wasn’t on mine, pulling me along and forcing me to match his pace.

“What the hell was that?” I demanded.

Alexander kept walking without as much as a backward glance.

“Alexander?” I asked, trying to yank my hand out of his. I couldn’t, not without spraining my wrist.

I tried and failed to stop myself from moving, my feet tripping over themselves as Alexander continued to tug me along with seemingly no effort.

“You can’t just do something like that and then ignore me!” I growled, my annoyance growing.

But we were already in front of my room, where Elena was waiting, her face pinched with worry.

Alexander didn’t hesitate before pushing me into her arms, his words clipped and indifferent.

“Look after her until I return.”

Then those cold blue eyes shifted to me, a silent warning in them.

“Don’t even think about leaving.”

My lips parted in righteous indignation, but before I could protest, Alexander was gone.

I didn’t know if I spent hours or minutes sitting in that room with Elena, my thoughts spiraling out of control. The only information she had was that Alexander had ordered her to wait here for us before he’d marked me.

I needed to know exactly what was going on.

Why had Alexander marked me? Was the alliance still on? What was Father going to do about this new turn of events?Would he hurt Elena?

I stood up from the bed, and Elena straightened.

“Eleanor,” she said nervously. “Alexander might still be resolving the issue of your…unexpected mating with your father and Dylan. Maybe you should wait for him to come back.”

Elena had a point, but if I stayed in this room one moment longer, I would lose my damn mind.

“I can’t, Elena.” I shook my head. “I refuse to sit in this room while some men decide my future.”

Elena let out a long-suffering sigh.

“Fine, but please be careful,” she said, her kind eyes full of worry. “Especially with your father.”

My heart clenched. I didn’t want to think about what Father would do to me if Dylan decided to call off the alliance.

“I’ll be fine, Elena. I promise.”

But as I left the room, I knew that was a lie.

I wasn’t sure I was ever going to be fine again—not after getting mated to Alexander, a wolf who made me feel the opposite of fine .

At the thought of him, his mark on me tingled, sending thrills down my spine. Lara preened in my head.

I suppressed my wolf, fighting back a growl of annoyance.

I hated this. I hated that I was now irrevocably bound to Alexander and he?—

I stopped dead in my tracks as the last person I expected to see appeared right in front of me.

“Dylan,” I breathed.

Dylan stared at me, his red-rimmed hazel eyes full of anger. His hair hung limp, free from its earlier ponytail.

He took a threatening step toward me, a snarl ripping from his throat.

“Did you really do it?” he bit out. “Answer me.”

The audacity of this man.

“Don’t you dare take that tone with me,” I snapped, squaring off with him. “Don’t act like you’re entitled to be angry at me after you betrayed me.”

Dylan sucked in a deep breath, those hazel eyes flashing with so much pain that, for a moment, I was taken aback.

“So you slept with my brother to get even with me?”

I didn’t respond. I found that I couldn’t.

Maybe it was because, in hindsight, I realized I wasn’t proud of my decision to be with Alexander.

By trying to break up my engagement and get back at Dylan, I’d stooped just as low as he had. I should’ve found another way, instead of being blinded by anger and pain.

“For your sake, I broke things off with Micah.” Dylan’s voice was softer, his words sounding broken. “Despite the fact that I started seeing her before our engagement, the moment things got serious between us, I ended it with her.”

What?

A sudden chill swept through me. Dylan and I got engaged four years ago, shortly after I turned eighteen.

He’d been with Micah that far back? How many lies would I uncover about the person I’d thought was my best friend?

“My actions last night can’t be justified,” Dylan said, his gaze turning slightly inward as his hands formed fists at his sides.

“I was tense, so I took a bit of Daze, and when Micah came over…I made a mistake. Many mistakes.”

Due to shifters’ high metabolisms, there weren’t many substances that could affect us, but Daze was one of them. I’d never taken it before, but I’d heard the high it induced was legendary and, in high enough doses, could even stop a shifter’s heart.

It was strictly regulated, but with enough money, anything could be acquired…and the Hawthornes had a lot of money.

Last night, I hadn’t smelled anything on Dylan, so I’d been sure he wasn’t inebriated, but now…

“Once the drug wore off, I came to see you. To apologize. To beg for your forgiveness.” Dylan met my gaze once more, his eyes glimmering with tears. “I was literally out of my mind, Eleanor. What’s your excuse?”

Dylan’s intoxication last night didn’t change the fact that he’d cheated on me. Nor did it change that he’d hidden his relationship with Micah from me for years.

So what was this uncomfortable feeling growing in my chest?

“None of this matters anymore,” I bit out before turning away from him. “You’re already mated…and so am I.”

I tried moving around Dylan, but he lunged in front of me and backed me up against the wall.

“It matters to me. You chose him.” The softness in Dylan’s gaze was gone, and his words were hard and clipped. “I’ll never forgive you for this.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but the words died in my throat when the air in the hallway shifted, raising the hairs on the back of my neck.

“Get your hands off my mate.”

Dylan paused, his gaze lingering on mine before he turned to face his brother.

Alexander stood a few feet away, somehow even more forbidding than usual with that cruel set to his lips and deadly calm expression on his face.

If I thought Dylan was angry before, it had nothing on his emotions now. Dylan’s rage was so palpable I could feel it pressing against my skin.

“Stealing your brother’s mate during his bonding ceremony?” he snipped, his words oozing with venom. “Just when I thought you couldn’t stoop any lower.”

Alexander looked down at his brother, then dismissed him without deigning to give him a response.

“Come, Eleanor,” he commanded.

I wanted nothing more than to flip him the bird and walk in the opposite direction, but I felt responsible for this.

In my anger last night, I hadn’t considered how my actions would skew a relationship between two brothers that was already volatile due to the alpha title shift.

So I stepped away from Dylan and toward Alexander. Dylan didn’t try to stop us, but I knew this was far from over.

We were out of Dylan’s earshot when I noticed we weren’t heading in the direction of the house the Hawthornes had been placed in.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked, only for Alexander to ignore me once more. This time, I didn’t take it.

I pulled away from him, breaking his hold, but Alexander caught my arm again and tugged me closer to him.

So close that I could count his long dark eyelashes.

Alexander’s scent of amber and cinnamon washed over me, and Lara purred.

My mouth went dry and my senses narrowed until the only thing I was aware of was him.

“Alexander—” I said, trying to dispel the intensity of the moment, but my voice came out breathless.

Alexander’s hand settled on my waist, the contact sending shivers down my spine.

“It’s time for us to consummate our nuptials, isn’t it?” he whispered in my ear, his voice thick and heavy.

At the sound of those words, my entire body heated up and my cheeks burned.

I didn’t remember the rest of the walk. I was too distracted by Alexander constantly touching me, his fingers on my skin driving me so crazy that I knew if I eased my grip on Lara even a little, I’d jump him before we got to our destination.

Alexander’s hand fell from my lower back the moment we got to the room that had been set up for our mating, as per the rules of the Red Moon Pack.

I stepped in, unable to appreciate the lit candles, the rose petals on the bed, and the many romantic accents in the room.

No, all my focus was on the man in front of me.

I swallowed, trying to gather my words.

“This room is meant for Dylan and his mate,”I began, but Alexander turned to face me, the expression on his face unreadable.

Then he began to unbutton his shirt.

My knees went weak as my mind unhelpfully supplied images of last night—of Alexander holding me down, touching me, tasting me.

“The room…you can’t…we can’t…” I stuttered, my composure far gone, but Alexander didn’t let me finish.

“Another room has been prepared for them.” He shrugged, then pulled off his shirt.

Lara whimpered within me, hot desire flowing straight to my core. We had to get closer to our mate. Touch him, scent him, take—no. No .

I needed to think instead of acting impulsively. I needed to figure out what this mating bond between us meant, and process what Dylan said earlier.

“Please excuse me,” I said, turning away from him and heading for the door as fast as my legs would carry me. “Father will need to speak to me about?—”

My voice cut off abruptly as I felt Alexander move behind me, his breath on my neck.

“I’ve discussed this at length with him,” Alexander said, his fingers trailing up the back of my neck. “He’s more than happy to give you away, as long as his alliance is secure.”

Of course Father had accepted our mating. He wanted me out of his pack almost as much as I wanted him out of my life.

But now, I had no more excuses. I was trapped.

Alexander swept my hair off one shoulder, baring my mark to him.

“Are you afraid, little rabbit?” he taunted, snapping me out of the haze I was in.

Little rabbit . He’d started calling me that because I’d been so jumpy in the initial days after he’d tried to kill me, and he’d never let me live it down.

Bastard.

“You wish,” I snapped, turning to face him.

I realized my mistake almost immediately. This close to him, holding his gaze while trying to resist the pull between us was impossible.

“Good,” Alexander said, a glimmer of dark satisfaction in his ocean-blue gaze.

Cradling the back of my neck, he drew me closer, his lips dipping to his mark on me.

He hadn’t even touched my skin yet, but my throat was closing up.

“We…need to talk,” I managed to get out, my fingers twitching with the urge to touch him.

“Of course,” Alexander agreed, but he didn’t let go of me.

Pulling back slightly, his gaze steady on mine, he traced his thumb over my lips, leaving my skin tingling.

I stopped trying to remember what I had to say. Placing my hands on Alexander’s chest, I leaned in to kiss him, my eyes falling shut.

But the kiss never happened.

I felt Alexander’s finger on my lips, stopping me midway, and my eyes flew open.

“This won’t do,” Alexander said casually, taking a step away from me and picking up his shirt.

“What?” I blinked, unable to understand what was happening with my head still spinning from his touch.

Alexander shrugged on his shirt but didn’t bother buttoning it, his blue eyes cold and distant once more.

“Last night was a one-time event, Eleanor. I have no intention of touching you again.”

“Why?” I asked, only realizing how needy I sounded when Alexander lifted a mocking eyebrow.

Asshat .

Flushing, I cleared my throat and corrected myself. “I mean, why did you mark me earlier?”

Alexander didn’t answer immediately, and when he did, it was with a slight furrow between his eyebrows.

“Because you irk me,” he said finally. “You’re the only person who looks at me like that—like you aren’t scared of me.”

What ?

Alexander couldn’t have been more wrong. He thought I wasn’t scared of him?

I couldn’t even hear his name without having a visceral reaction. But growing up in this vicious pack, showing my fear was a luxury I couldn’t afford.

Alexander moved closer to me. Every step he took was precise and predatory.

He cupped my cheek almost tenderly, the slight smirk on his lips starkly contrasting the dark look in his eyes.

“But I intend to fix that. I will break you, Eleanor Ashford.”

I slapped Alexander’s hand off my face, ignoring Lara’s pained whimpers in my head.

“That’s it? You marked me because you want to break me?”

Alexander didn’t seem bothered by my outburst as he shrugged flippantly.

“It doesn’t hurt that it pissed off Dylan.”

Of course. This was Alexander Hawthorne, after all. Expecting anything other than sadistic jokes from him would be unrealistic.

But still, the thought that he’d carry out a sacred bonding ceremony with someone for the sole purpose of breaking them was…

“You’re sick,” I spat out.

Alexander inclined his head thoughtfully.

“You threw yourself at your fiancé’s brother the night before your bonding ceremony,” he sneered. “Isn’t calling me sick a bit hypocritical?”

I raised my hand to hit him, but he caught it easily. For a moment, I stared at Alexander as his hand held mine midair and his distant, cold blue eyes silently mocked me.

I realized he’d been right last night when he told me I’d regret being with him.

I regretted it already.

Alexander and I didn’t speak to each other again that night, and we maintained our silence for the entirety of the long drive to the Nightshade Pack the next day, despite us being the only two people in the vehicle.

Father hadn’t visited me before I left. With his alliance finalized, he didn’t have any reason to speak to me again. I felt torn between gratefulness at not having to see him again, and bitterness over the lack of closure.

Elena held me while I cried that morning, knowing that would be the last time I saw the woman who was the closest thing I’d ever had to a mother. Elena wouldn’t leave the Red Moon Pack with me. Unlike me, this pack was truly her home.

Now, I was completely alone.

The car pulled up in front of a residence that was too small to be the Nightshade pack house, but too large to be a private home.

Alexander didn’t even let me appreciate the view before he headed upstairs, me trailing behind him until we reached an expansive bedroom.

“Your things will be brought in,” Alexander said matter-of-factly. “Get ready for the welcome party. I’ll return to escort you shortly.”

Without waiting for my response, he walked away.

Was this what life being mated to him would be like? Alexander ordering me around, and me following his every command?

My claws dug into the soft skin of my palms with barely restrained anger. If Alexander really thought that, he had another thing coming.

I got ready for the welcome ceremony.

It wasn’t because of Alexander—it was for myself. I was going to be presented to the Nightshade Pack as Alexander’s mate instead of Dylan’s. That was sure to raise many eyebrows, and the last thing I needed was to damage my reputation any more than it already had been.

The welcome party was well underway when Alexander and I arrived.

I was still processing the receiving hall that was several times larger than the one back in the Red Moon Pack when I heard a loud squeal.

“Alex!”

Alexander’s arm fell from my waist as he caught the woman who literally jumped into his arms.

“Anastasia.” Alexander held her easily, a soft smile playing on his lips as he looked down at her. Something twisted in my chest. I’d never seen him smile like that before.

Anastasia returned his smile before she pulled back, ending the hug, her dark gray eyes latching onto me.

“This must be your mate.” She smiled as she closed the distance between us.

“You’re nothing like I expected.” Anastasia’s smile widened as she held out her hand. “I’m Anastasia. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Eleanor.”

Her words were friendly, but I detected an insincere tone in her voice.

I shook her hand, unsure of how to respond, while Lara reared within me, wanting to rip into Anastasia and stake her claim on her mate.

“Thank you,” I said instead.

Anastasia hooked her arm through Alexander’s, that sweet smile still fixed on her face.

“You wouldn’t mind if I stole your mate from you for a few seconds, right?”

She was entirely too comfortable touching Alexander, and for the first time, I didn’t see the grouchy wolf setting any boundaries.

Not that it bothered me.

She could have him, for all I cared.

“Sure.” I nodded and turned away from them to observe the rest of the party.

The band was playing, wolves talked amongst themselves, and pups ran around mischievously. There was no sign of Alpha Maximus yet.

As I took in the room, I caught sight of Dylan, who glared at me with Micah at his side. I couldn’t help but notice that they made a really cute couple, and something lurched in my chest as I looked at my former best friend.

We had to talk, but I wasn’t sure I was ready for that conversation.

Looking away from Dylan, I instinctively sought out Alexander in the hall.

He stood to the side, but he was easily noticeable with his dark looks, towering build, and the alpha aura that was obvious even this far away.

I should have looked away, but I couldn’t.

So I watched Anastasia talk to him with her hand on his chest, leaning far too close to him as she spoke. Alexander nodded as he pushed a lock of hair behind her ear in an action that felt so intimate I almost looked away.

But before I could, Alexander raised his head, his hand still on Anastasia’s shoulder as he met my gaze, those blue eyes unreadable.

I looked away then.

The entire hall suddenly fell silent, and I turned to see why.

Alpha Maximus had just walked in.

His sons obviously took after his massive build, ink-black hair now streaked with gray, and a piercing gaze that dared anyone to stand up to him.

I felt Alexander’s presence behind me before he leaned in and put his hand on my lower back, his lips at my ear.

“Father wants to see you.”

I sucked in an anxious breath before taking Alexander’s offered arm and letting him escort me to his father.

Alpha Maximus was sitting in his throne when we reached him.

Alexander bowed slightly, his tone more formal than I would have expected.

“Father, this is my mate, Eleanor Ashford.”

I stole a glance at Alpha Maximus, waiting for his negative reaction to the fact that I’d mated with Alexander, since he’d been the one to sign off on the alliance between Dylan and me.

To my surprise, he looked at Alexander with a fond expression on his face.

“I’m glad you finally decided to choose a mate.” Alpha Maximus looked at me with a small smile. “Welcome to the family, dear.”

I bowed.

“Thank you, alpha.”

I’d been so tense for nothing. It seemed like Alpha Maximus was kinder than the rumors claimed he was.

I felt a familiar presence behind me, and I stiffened as I caught Dylan’s scent.

“Father,” he said gruffly. “I introduce my mate and future luna of the Nightshade Pack, Micah Tyrell.”

Again, if Alpha Maximus was shocked by this development, he didn’t show it. In fact, he didn’t show any emotion as he spoke to Dylan.

“Well done, my son.”

What sort of strange family dynamic was this, where a father congratulated his son for stealing his brother’s bride?

Alexander seemed to be done with it, because he turned to leave without another word, his hand on my lower back still giving the false impression that we were happily mated.

We only made it a few steps before the silver blade hissed through the air, nicking Alexander’s shirt before thudding into a nearby pillar.

The band stopped playing, and it felt like the entire hall held its breath as Alexander turned to face his brother, who’d thrown the silver blade at him.

Dylan didn’t back down, a sardonic smirk on his lips.

“I challenge you to a duel, brother.”