13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Corey

Sleep had eluded me after I had woken up in Zane's arms and had to leave to return to my home. If I wasn't there in the morning, that would raise questions with my brother. I hated to leave Zane, my bear hating it even more, but until I dealt with my brother, it was the only option.

If Ayden noticed that I was arriving home late, he didn't say anything, which was good. It wasn't his business. Or maybe it was, given he was bringing someone here in the hopes I mated him. Leave it to me to make my life such a mess in so few days.

I laid in my bed, tossing and turning until the early hours of the morning when I finally passed out… which of course meant that it was late in the day when I woke up. I flew out of bed, showered, and got myself dressed. I needed to speak with Aydan before the other den arrived. We had to find a way to make the other alpha understand that I wasn't available and that it wasn't personal and that an alliance with this den was still an amazing idea.

I should've given up on sleeping early this morning instead of allowing the day to be sucked away. Past Corey had been foolish. And now? Now there was hardly any time before the alpha showed up.

Surely they'd understand that nothing could come between fated mates. It wasn't an unreasonable request. Any good alpha would insist on not separating fated mates, right? And my brother said he was good.

I raced across the lawn to Aydan's house. While he wasn't there, there were other pack members preparing a meal for the arriving den. The house was filled with den members scurrying about to make the place shine. Based on the smells, whatever they were making was going to be delicious.

"Have you seen Aydan?" I asked.

They shook their heads. "He might be at the diner. I know that's where he planned to greet the visitors. They should be arriving any moment."

Great. Time was running even shorter than I realized.

"Really?"

They nodded.

Fuck. Why was everyone such early birds! Weren't bears known for their hibernation?

"They let him know early this morning that they were on their way," he continued.

"Fuck, I thought I had more time." Or at least wished that I had.

I needed to get there and talk to him before they arrived. This wasn't the kind of news to learn in front of everyone and for sure not in front of the person he had sort of arranged for me to mate. What a freaking clusterfuck this was turning out to be.

Not wanting to waste even a second, I didn't take the time to get into my car. Instead, I jogged down the sidewalk to the main street, picking up speed with each step.

It was busier than I'd seen it before. There were cars and people everywhere just milling about. Everyone wanted to put on a good face for the visiting den. It was sweet while at the same time adding an even greater sense of urgency to me finding my brother.

I slowed down, to not draw too much attention to myself. Most den members I recognized, and they waved and said hello as I raced through the street. The crowd got thicker as I got to the diner. I didn't recognize everyone now, and a new scent was in the air. The other den was here. I was too late.

"Fuck," I grumbled.

"Oh, there he is now. Corey, come meet them." I caught sight of my brother through the crowd. His eyes narrowed at my attire, he probably expected me to put on something more formal rather than the black joggers and blue t-shirt I had grabbed. It was the best I could do at the time, and really, it wasn't like the entire town was in their finest clothing.

I stiffened.

My face had to show the shock that I felt reveling through me. Panic built in my chest. Aydan was waving at me to come forward, as if that wasn't going to be extremely difficult.

Next to him stood an alpha and three younger omegas. They scented similar to one another, so they were probably siblings. Next to my brother, on the other side, was Zane. He stepped toward me as if he was going to say something, do something. But there were too many people here. We couldn't.

The visiting alpha stepped forward and extended his hand. His smile was kind, and if I wasn't already taken, I'd have considered him quite handsome. Now I only had eyes for Zane. He'd ruined all other alphas for me. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Corey. I look forward to our mating."

To him this was a done deal. We were getting mated and that was that. And the worst part? He seemed genuinely happy about it, as if this was the best of news. And what was I going to do? Squash it.

A growl escaped Zane's lips. It sounded exactly like a bear who'd had his family threatened. And I suppose that in a way that was exactly what this was, even if the alpha had no idea what he was doing.

"Zane," I said, hoping to stop him from erupting in this crowd. Bloodshed on Main Street wasn't the way to form alliances, that was for sure.

"What the hell, Zane?" Aydan stepped between me and Zane. Big mistake.

Never step between an alpha bear and his omega. Zane's eyes were taken over by those of his beast, a deep rumbling in his chest warned off all others. He was ready for a fight. A fight that didn't need to happen.

"Do you have a problem, Beta Zane?" Aydan said. His voice was full-on Alpha now. He would not tolerate insubordination at this moment. To do so would make him look weak to the other den.

Zane didn't take his eyes off me. His body rippled and trembled as he fought back his shift. My brother might've been Alpha, but Zane wasn't going to bow to anyone when he thought I was being threatened.

"Zane, stay calm, please," I said.

"What is the meaning of this?" the visiting alpha asked. He pushed his brothers behind him, and the crowd all stepped back. It was just Aydan and Zane, the center of everyone's attention.

The poor alpha was thrown in the middle of this, and his only crimes were being lonely and hoping to strengthen his den.

"That's what I would like to know," Aydan said. "My apologies to you all. It appears that my Beta needs to take a break." He went to touch Zane, to push him farther away from me. Even as this played out, my brother had no idea what was happening before his eyes. He was going to soon find out.

"You can't do that," I said. "Zane's reaction is totally natural. He's not meaning any disrespect, Aydan. It's just—" I turned to the visiting alpha. I really ought to have learned the name of the man I had been intended to mate with. "I apologize, alpha. I had every intention of coming here to my brother's den and helping him to form alliances. We know how important that is. However, when I arrived, I found that my fated mate was here."

I went to Zane's side and put my hand on his arm. He instantly calmed and so did I. "Zane is my mate, Aydan. I cannot mate with anyone else."

The other alpha's eyes darkened. "Are these the sorts of promises I can expect from your den, Alpha Aydan?"

"He didn't know." My words came out in but a whisper and everyone ignore them… ignored me.

The last thing I'd wanted to do was do this out in the open for everyone. It wasn't meant to embarrass the visiting alpha or my brother, but leave it to me to manage to do both of those things.

"Perhaps we should speak someplace more private," Aydan suggested, his face a calm facade, his beast closer to the surface than normal.

"Yes, perhaps," the alpha agreed.

I wasn't sure things could get any worse, but given the way things were going today, the chances were, they would.