CHAPTER SIX

Lucas narrows his eyes, “Calm down.”

But I am calm, the numb silence inside of me like a still lake, “You were with Hunter. Why? You didn’t bring him-?”

“No!” He growls, darting forward till he’s in my face. “Of course not! I had to go and give him an update.”

My mouth is dry, “What did you say to him? Did you tell him I was -?”

“No,” Lucas narrows his eyes. “I asked him what you did and he said you tried to harm a packmate, his intended.”

“His intended?” I feel dizzy at his words. “Who is – He has another mate?”

Lucas studies me, “He’s announced an intended mate. She has yet to shift.”

Valerie.

The realization makes me want to throw up and when I reel, Lucas grabs me by the waist, steadying me, “What’s-?”

“Hunter decided on an another mate?” The grief is suffocating.

“Why do you care?” Lucas’s eyes turn to slits.

I meet his gaze, “Because he was my betrothed. She poisoned me, Valerie.”

“You were the Alpha pup’s intended?” Lucas looks taken aback.

I push away from him, disbelievingly, “How do you not know this? You’re part of the pack!”

“I’m not,” Lucas spits out, looking irritated for some reason. “I’m only partly attached to the pack. I’m not involved in any of the pack politics.”

I’m stunned into silence because it occurs to me that I’ve never truly seen Lucas at any of the pack events.

“So you didn’t know I was Lucas’s intended mate?” I ask in a small voice.

“No,” He growls. “For how long?!”

“Since I was five,” I swallow. “Our parents agreed to it and we loved – I mean I thought he loved me too. But from what you told me, he planned to –“

My head is filling with so many thoughts that I close my eyes trying to focus on one.

Lucas seems to realize this because he picks me up suddenly, bridal style and jumps down the treehouse so quickly that I let out a short scream.

“Where are you taking me?!” I cling n to his neck as he runs bare feet across the forest floor.

He doesn’t answer and minutes later we burst into a clearing which has a bubbling brook a few feet away from us. It’s a beautiful place and when I get to my feet, I look around in amazement.

“What is this place?”

“It’s a hidden spot that nobody knows about,” Lucas says from behind me. “I didn’t tell Hunter you were alive but he wanted to know. His intended, who was with him, was more eager than him. She was a frail little thing but I didn’t like her.”

I walk over to the water’s edge and sit down, my voice quiet, “So what did you say?”

“I asked him what your crime was and he said that you tried to murder his intended.”

I let out a shuddering breath before finally revealing the truth, “I was his intended. And that girl was Valerie. Hunter kicked me out of the pack and broke our engagement because I can’t shift.”

I look over my shoulder at him, “I was poisoned with wolfsbane. I can’t shift. I didn’t shift during my Luna. You got stuck with a broken wolf, Lucas.”

Lucas stares at me, “Who poisoned you?”

My lips curve in a humorless smile, “The same girl who took my spot from beside Hunter.”

I see him approaching me and the he sits down next to me, cross-legged, watching me, “You’re not broken. You’re my mate. And this is for life.”

There’s a steady acceptance in his voice and my eyes burn with unshed tears, “Are you sure? I won’t blame you for wanting to walk away from me. I promise.”

Lucas frowns, “I don’t know what kind of damage Hunter and that little bitch has done to you but I’m not them. And I will never leave your side. As the days pass, this bond will become deeper.”

“B-But doesn’t it bother you that I was in love with another-“

“No, it doesn’t,” Lucas scoffs. “I think I’m going to be jealous of that Alpha pup. We’re true mates. That means we were always meant for each other. If we had managed to avoid the bond, it would be a different story. But now that you’re mine, I’m not letting you go.”

“What about – I can’t shift,” I murmur, my heart racing at the possessiveness in his voice.

“We’ll find a cure,” He promises, tightly.

I rub my eyes, “What about my family? I miss them. I miss my dad. Will I never see them again?”

“We’ll fix everything but you have to be strong, Sarah. You no longer have the protection of a pack.”

He’s right. I wipe my eyes fiercely. I have to be strong. I have to survive.

“I’ll be strong,” I say, tightly.

“Good,” Lucas nods in satisfaction. “There are still a lot of questions but we’ll figure everything out. But you have to keep in mind that you survived and you’re going to keep on surviving.”

He’s right.

“Let’s walk back,” He stands up, offering me his hand.

I get to my feet and my cheeks feel hot when he yanks me up so abruptly that I stumble into his hard chest.

He looks down at me, an amused glint in his golden eyes, “You okay?”

I’m quick to step back, hating my reaction to his presence.

My physical attraction to Lucas is intense.

“Yeah.”

The walk does me some good and as I walk through the forest, the fresh air and the interaction with nature soothes my bruised soul.

But it’s as we’re walking that I hear a voice that my soul had been aching for and my head whips to the side.

Lucas is snarling, his teeth bared in warning as he attempts to push me back but I dart out from under his arm, screaming and running towards the older man who is rushing towards me.

“Dad!”