6. MATE BOND

FLETCHER'S POV

"She's my mate as well," I finally conceded. My voice sounded certain, and I knew that the words I had spoken were an evident truth. I channeled all my attention to Carlos. He gestured, a soft grin showing on his face.

"I'm happy we share a mate," Carlos replied with a friendly smile.

"So am I," I chuckled.

This shared revelation meant that Carlos and I would be together, alongside the pretty damsel. It was a superb thought, realizing that I wouldn't have to be separated from my cousin. We were both joint Alphas of the Belmont pack, yet having a common mate would bring us closer to each other.

"Right now, because of that clown Logan, our mate is in harm's way. If you can run, we'd better head toward Belmont and start organizing our men for a rescue mission."

"Right. I'm all set. Let's run."

I buckled on my spurs, and Carlos did likewise. Then we began running along the street towards Belmont. I felt a sharp pain in my ankle, but I gritted my teeth and endured the torment. Getting the lady back was the main thing at this moment. With each moment, my injuries would heal more and more. I just needed to wait for them to heal completely.

After the next fifteen to thirty minutes, Carlos and I arrived at the borders of Belmont. The town we called a "safe haven" was encircled by a great wall that was impenetrable, with a broad way into the comfort of our home. It was a great sight to behold.

The town had once been a jail unit, thus the truly impeccable nature of the site. The guards at the city gate, Troy and Elmont, stood side by side, strapped with swords and a giant crossbow.

"Get everybody together. We have a very crucial assignment," I said in my Alpha voice, the tone that ruled out defiance.

The guards ran into the town, and we trailed closely behind them. The houses inside were terraced, one-story with orange tiled rooftops. They surrounded a town square with a well in the middle. Palm trees were spread around, swaying slightly in the breeze. Roughly eighty people lived here, everyone who had escaped the mutiny led by Logan.

We had no ex-convicts among us, and Carlos and I had to keep every visitor in check. There was a likelihood that someone who was a prisoner could despise the person who had kept them in the slammer, so we had chosen to prevent the chance of such a negative circumstance entering our pack by shutting our entryways to the convicts.

 Others had come to seek shelter, of course, since the island had turned into a dead zone, just as the lady we called our mate had done. We welcomed such ones after ensuring they weren't criminals or some affiliate rebel group.

However, that very thought took my mind back to the lady. Who was she? Could it be possible that she was a bad person? I was unable to picture her being a killer or a hardened criminal.

Nonetheless, she had a profound scar on her face, which implied she was somebody who had seen some battle in her life. The disfigurement didn't irritate me; regardless, the scar added character to her already ravishing face.

Carlos and I entered our home, changing as we selected from the wardrobe. When we were dressed, we went to the village square. Quite a considerable number of the members of our clan had started to gather.

I rested against the well with Carlos standing right next to me, and we waited for every single person who was present in the town to show up.

"At this point, there's no turning back," I whispered to Carlos.

"If we don't embark on this mission, we stand a chance to lose everything we've worked for…," Carlos lamented.

"Indeed, it's our sole responsibility to keep this island safe."

"Logan shouldn't be underrated, remember how he humiliated us during our failed rescue mission?" Carlos asked.

"Definitely, it's high time we step up."

I'd enlisted a few archers to join our guerrilla army. Marching towards the peninsula, we had to reach Southwest Dartmoor before dusk. Our hunters were outside, occupied with bringing game back home; however, the others, including the kids, came consistently, until the village square was filled with a population of fighters.

When I believed that everybody we were expecting was finally here, I started explaining the circumstance in a loud, booming voice.

"Carlos and I left to check who showed up on the new boat. It was a lady, and we believed she should join our pack. However, Logan wanted her as well, and we battled."

They murmured among themselves. There wasn't a single person on Dartmoor Island who didn't know who Logan was and what could befall the lady if we left her with him.

"Logan is also planning to take over the entire island, so we need to do something."

Everybody was suddenly awestruck by what I said, but I had to emphasize that we were not taking any chances.

"We'll launch a full-scale attack on Port Alvarez to get the lady back." I stared once more at the crowd and felt sad for what was about to happen.

"Everybody, get ready for battle!" Carlos yelled at the top of his lungs.

This was going to be a bad day for some; we were going to lose some men, but it didn't matter to me. It was rather a turning point in my life, and most importantly, the strange lady needed to be saved.

I'd put her on a pedestal above everyone else, since there was something about her that kept us mesmerized. What could that be?