Chapter 3

(Damon)

My wolf was going crazy, our mate was right in front of us. “Alpha, are you okay?”

“Yes Kieran. Did anyone get hurt? Are all the men out safe?”

“Yes, Damon.” I breathed a sigh of relief, “okay, please get the spell men to tighten up the barriers again. I’m taking my mate up to my room, asking my mother to get a special healer for me, as soon as possible. Immediately if possible. Our future Luna is here.”

“W-what, Mate? She’s your mate?”

“Hurry Kieran!!”

I lifted her limp body up and raced from the barrier to my house and charged with equal fervor into my room.

Placing her down on the bed carefully, I pulled my covers over her. She was beautiful with dark skin and long lashes and her white hair felt like velvet, even unconscious. She looked like she could make men fall at her feet. My wolf was jumping for joy at this much contact with our mate, we’d waited this long and she was finally here.

“Damon, is what I hear True? Did you really find your mate?” I turned to see my mother standing nervously at the door to my room.

“Come in, mum.”

“I’m so nervous,” She said, “I’ve been praying to the goddesses for this and now that it’s finally here, I am in shock”

“I know. I can understand, I still haven’t fully processed it myself. I just want to ensure she is okay. Is the healer on her way?”

My mother sighed and nodded, “Yes, Kieran should be escorting her over as we speak.”

The room was still for some minutes until I heard the sound of my room door. It was Kieran and the healer — Juliette, was an older woman within the pack. She was a sage who had both the combining powers of a witch and a werewolf. “Great sage, Juliette has arrived.” Kieran announced her arrival before heading out of the room.

Juliette bowed her head to my mother and I, before moving further to where I sat on the bed next to my mate's unconscious body. She had a bag in her hands — which I knew undoubtedly housed her herbs. “Alpha”

“Great sage, Juliette,” I acknowledge her presence. “Thank you for coming in such short notice, she collapsed right outside the border and her body is burning up.”

“Please excuse me Alpha Damon and my lady,” she bowed her head once again, her gray eyes strained on my mate's body. “I’d like to be alone with her while I check on her health, if that’s okay?”

“Of course, I will be outside if you need anything.”

“Thank you Alpha.”

••••

It had been thirty minutes and I’d spent the better part of it pacing in front of the door after sending Kieran away and opting to stay myself. My wolf could not afford to be too far away from her so soon.

I flinched as the door opened, great sage Juliette poked her head out and beckoned me into the room with her eyes. I concurred to her command and entered my room.

On entering the room, my eyes strayed off to my mate and she was still unconscious. It got me worried. “How's she fairing, great sage?”

“She’ll be fine,” my heart and my wolf calmed down on hearing those words. “but she was exposed to the spirits that reside in the dark forest for too long so she might be out for a few days. Please make sure she is spoon fed water and soup to sustain her stomach and ensure that she is kept warm at all times. She might have a few fright dreams from being inside the dark forest so check on her so she doesn’t scare herself out of the protection of this home.”

I breathed a sigh of relief, “Thank you healer. I'll make sure to do exactly as you've said.”

“Of course Alpha,” she continued, adding, “I can also feed her herbs, I’ll be back to check on her by morning. Please make sure she is being monitored and cared for properly.”

“I understand”

“Alright Alpha, I’ll take my leave now.”

“Please send the bill to Kieran.”

“I will.”

Walking towards the bed, I was torn between laying next to her and staring at her or just getting someone else to watch her. She may be my mate but she was still just a stranger for now and she might not be comfortable with close contact just yet.

Taking a step back, I left the room and closed the door quietly. I needed to ask one of the maids to watch her while I go shower and change because I had a meeting with my men.

My house felt eerily quiet as I walked towards the spiral stairs. I had inherited the house as the Alpha right after the death of my father, with eight rooms. It had always felt too big even as a child and my mother and the maids had moved away to stay with her sister. And my sister' house was right next to mine.

Most of the time, I felt loneliness creep into me when I was only within the space of my confinement. And it only felt bearable when my men were walking around it waiting for orders or just staying over; but it seemed everyone had left to give me privacy with my mate.

Knowing Kieran though, he’d be somewhere near. As I drew close to the edge of the stair, I heard sharp whispers of people arguing in the living room, and my mother’s voice was one of them. Strange; I thought.

“It doesn’t matter if she’s a fae,” That voice definitely belonged to my mother. “She’s the mate of the Alpha, we do not question the will of the goddesses”

A loud heave shut through before a response followed, “But my lady, the other packs must not hear of this,” The voice was low and coarse— it belonged to the great sage, Juliette. “We must cover it up, lest they try to harm her. Especially with hair as white as that. You remember your highness, who else is suspected to have white hair? The fa-”

“Nobody would dare touch the mate of the Alpha and if she’s a Fae, I presume she has her own powers and will not cower easily, although. . .” mother trailed off. “Her skin? It's black, is she half of something else?”

I went down the stairs, into the living room. I peered closely from where I stood and saw two people, and just like I'd assumed — it was my mother and the healer. I decided to make my presence known, “Mother?”

She stopped talking and whipped her head around to mẹ immediately, so did great sage Juliette. “D-Damon,” she stuttered a bit. “When did you get here? And did you leave your mate all alone in the room?”

“I got here just a few seconds ago,” I gave an answer, not telling them about the fact that I both heard their conversation. “She’s alone in the room. I need to take a shower and change up so I can go have a meeting with my men. Please send a maid over to the room to keep watch over her.”

She nodded. “Of course son, go ahead, I’ll take care of everything.”

“Is there something I should know? Mother? Healer?” I asked, placing both my hands in my pocket.

Shaking visibly, they — my mother and the healer, both nodded and my mother attempted a half smile. I smiled, bent down to kiss my mother’s forehead.