Mine

Riordan

Rage flamed to life deep in my stomach. How dare they treat her like this? I suddenly wanted to break and ruin everyone who put her in this state.

I watched as she hid her face from me, her shoulders trembling before I fixed my eyes back to Eden with anger slowly spreading through my chest. “You want her?” He pointed.

I took a confident stride deeper into the courtroom. “Release her to me and we have a deal. If you don't, the peace deal is off and you know what that means,”

Canceling the deal meant signing up for a long time of never-ending attacks, frequent invasions and borders soaked in blood. He knew better than to cross me.

Murmurs attached with fear began to rise in the courtroom. Everyone knew the consequences of going against me, yet my eyes were fixed on the woman who wouldn't even dare look at me.

“What do you want her for? Why her?” The tension from Eden’s jaw released.

I tilted my head to the side. “Why her?”

He dared to question me but then the question lingered in my head. Why her?

Last night when I tossed a glance over my shoulder, ready to snap the neck of whoever dared open the restroom door, my breath locked in my throat when our eyes met.

My heart was somersaulting, wolf growling inside of me because it was her.

The first time I saw her was in the mall four years ago. I was tracking a Rogue that had betrayed me when she bumped into me, head colliding against my chest while the pocket knife that I gripped clattered to the ground.

“Sorry,” she had said, crouching to take the pocket knife.

As she lifted her head and locked eyes with me, I froze. When she pressed the knife to me and I took it from her, that single touch was enough to set my skin on fire.

I had remained frozen on the same spot, heart pounding sporadically as I watched her walk away—pushing the stroller with the baby inside.

That was when I knew she was my second chance mate, yet she didn't recognize me.

I had lost my first mate whom I still didn't know if she was dead or missing. Because of the grief of losing Sierra, I became insensitive to people’s touch and my wolf sank into silence, withdrawn and no longer speaking to me.

But that brief contact with Estelle turned my life upside down and since that time, I’ve been plotting on how to get her. Imagine my annoyance when I found out she was engaged to that dunce.

The Black Fang pack wasn't a pack that had particularly interested me. It was a small pack that could offer me little even if it were raided by my men, but because of her, I started trouble—sending spies and spreading terror of a possible attack.

The plan before was to storm the wedding, demanding for her if the BlackFang really wanted peace—not meet her in this ridiculous situation where she was being sentenced to death.

Thinking about the way I had seen her getting rough-handled as she was being dragged into the courtroom made my blood boil all over again.

Alpha Eden rose to his feet. “King Riordan, you can't just change your demands after we’ve come to a settlement already. This is my pack and this person you want to take has already been sentenced to death,”

I cut in. “Great. So, you will sacrifice the lives of the rest of your pack members just for one person?”

The fear on everyone’s faces was vivid, pressuring Eden at the same time as his brows knitted together before he blurted out. “Fine. Take Her,”

I could see the relief that washed through his Beta's face as he helped her to her feet while she avoided my gaze as he led her out of the courtroom.

I leaned against the door frame watching Estelle with interest as she packed her things into her bag. I saw the way her fingers trembled, a disgruntled groan leaving my mouth when Kaleb blocked my view of sight and pulled her to his chest.

A low growl rumbled from my throat. This closeness. I didn't like it.

She pulled away from his embrace, whispering. “Please take care of Maeve for me. She will be alone and Lara will hurt her,” I read her mouth.

Kaleb nodded. “As long as I am here. Nothing bad will happen. When the time is right, I will bring her to come see you,”

“Thank you,” She reached to grip his face and my stomach churned.

“Enough!” I snarled. “Enough with the clothes packing. I will get you another one. I don't have the patience to wait anymore,”

They pulled apart from each other like I wanted.

As we reached the car, she hugged her bag to her chest, turning to look at the packhouse with devastation in her eyes as she scanned the entire place. Most importantly, the playground at the corner— like she was hoping and praying to catch just a single glimpse of her daughter.

Then she heaved a sigh in resignation, pivoting—still not looking at me even as I opened the door and she slid in.

I rounded the car, casting a glance at my second right-hand man, Preston.

“We leave now,”

He barked. “King Riordan said we are leaving now!”

I slid into the backseat, her vanilla-lavender scent wafting through my nostrils and as the car ignited, she twisted in her seat, longing in her eyes.

My voice broke through the silence. “You will see your daughter again. But, not now,”

That was when she turned her head to me, lowering her gaze. “What do you want from me?” Her voice was harsh and direct.

“If you want a response from me, you have to look me in the eye,” I tipped her chin up. Beautiful olive green eyes met mine, and blood rushed straight into my groin.

How could she not feel the mate bond?

My grip tightened around her jaw. “You don't seem to understand that you are now my property,” My eyes dropped to those lips I wanted to have another taste of.

I could still taste her arousal in my mouth. I had sucked them clean off my hands when I left the rest-room with her in it.

“I’m no man’s property,” she rebutted.

Amusement curled the corner of my lips, grip brutal on her jaw and fuck, I loved the defiance in her eyes. I wanted to break it.

“Honey, I just traded the peace of the pack for you. I own you, own your body, your life and you are mine until I say you’re not.”