Chapter 10: The Human Mate

"I think, if it is true that there are as many minds as there are heads, then there are as many kinds of love as there are hearts."

-Leo Tolstoy-

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It was the third day since Alpha Maxi had gone missing and everyone within the manor was starting to become more worried if he was truly dead. The team which was sent to search for him had also given up since there was no way he would survive for three days straight without returning there. Cordelia and Reinhart were both still heartbroken but since Esther arrival, they had managed to sort their feelings out.

“You do not need to blame yourself. What happened was not exactly your fault. So don’t torture yourself like this. It’s not helping anyone, especially yourself.” She stated calmly. Of course, for him, it was still a huge mental burden. She kept reassuring him that since they had not found his body, there was still a chance he was alive and would return, but even if he did return, how could he face his brother who was injured because of him?

That morning Esther had managed to gather everyone in the dining room to have breakfast together. The air was still sullen and there were not many words exchanged between them unlike usual. It was only Beatrix who tried to initiate any form of conversation and Esther was the only one giving a reply. Cordelia and Reinhart both were sulking in their own ways and it really ruined the atmosphere inside the room.

In the middle of their breakfast, suddenly they heard the sound of a guard entering the dining room with a bright expression on his face. They turned their attention to the man and asked him why he had lost all of his manners.

“Pardon me for being rude, but I have a great news. Alpha Maximillian has returned.” Upon hearing the news, all of them were equally as shocked and they quickly rose from their seat. They ran to the living room where Maxi was standing there putting on his shirt without aa care in the world.

Cordelia was the first to rush to his side and quickly pulled her son into a hug. She could have sworn she felt like crying at the time.

Maxi who saw it simply hugged his mother back and his eyes were watching his siblings who were approaching him with confused and delighted expression, especially Reinhart who was beyond relieved to know that his eldest brother was alive.

“Thank moon goddess, you are here. They were telling me that you are dead, but I have faith that my son is much stronger than that. Oh, are you hurt anywhere?” Cordelia tapped around his body to check if there were any wounds that needed to be tended but he softly grabbed his mother’s hand.

“Don’t worry mother, as you can see, I am perfectly fine. I was injured but have managed to heal. I am perfectly okay now.” He stated. Cordelia retreated herself and could only breathe deeply as all the tension disappeared from her body. She was so worried about losing any of her children, especially her eldest, considering he was the only one capable of ruling at the moment.    

Maxi’s attention swiftly turned to his brother, Reinhart. The word guilt was plastered all over his face. It was obvious the young man had suffered enough since his disappearance. Looked like he had not been able to sleep properly.

Maxi called him in and the young man slowly approached him, afraid of what might happen. Mentally, Reinhart was ready to accept any kinds of punishment he would give him, but much to his surprise, Maxi simply asked him to lift up his face.

“You are the alpha’s brother, why are you having your head down like that? Lift it up.” The younger brother came face to face, eye to eye with him. Their piercing blue eyes met each other and then Reinhart remembered that as long as he had the same eyes, he was also a Dravos.

“I do not blame you for what happened, in fact I am grateful because thanks to what happened, I discovered something. Now, I only wish you could learn your lessons. When in battles, never hesitate, I know you are soft at heart, but you are a werewolf, it is in our nature to destroy our enemies. In the jungle, you eat or be eaten. Those rogues do not deserve your mercy, you must kill them when you see them. If you cannot handle it, do not go hunting with us next time.”

Though he did not raise his voice, Maxi’s tone was firm and quite authoritative, it sent shiver down his spine. It was during those moments did he fully understand how superior Maxi was compared to everyone else and why he deserved the title of an alpha.

After Reinhart, his attention was directed to his older sister, Esther. It had been a while since he saw her and he was always the most relieved when he saw the woman because she was the only reliable figure in the family that he could think of.

The cold headed queen was wise and capable of doing many useful things, but above all, he truly respected her, whether it’s as a woman, a sister or as someone he could easily talk to. Speaking of perfect timing, he definitely needed to speak with her later.

“I am glad to see you here, Esther. I hope your husband has been treating you well.” He greeted her. “Oh, believe me, he does. Although there is no love between us, at least he respects me as the luna.” She stated bitterly as she remembered the man who had become her husband for political reason.

Cordelia noticed this and thought it was better if she distracted the conversation from unpleasant things to something more tolerable.

“Come on, why don’t we all gather in the dining room and have breakfast. Maxi, I am sure you are hungry as well, so it would be a wonderful opportunity for us to eat as a family, especially since Esther was there as well.

All of them gathered in the dining room to eat breakfast. Maxi was seated beside Esther and as they were eating, he asked to speak alone with her later in his working room. She did not know why her brother wished to be alone with her but she did not really question him.

Once breakfast was over, Maxi invited her over to his room. Esther closed the door and casually took a seat right across him. The woman crossed her legs and steep her hands together. Their blue eyes clashed against each other.

“What is it that you wish to discuss with me?” She questioned. Before answering, he had to make sure that the door before him was locked. After he was sure, he could speak openly with her about something that had been bothering him since his return.

“After the fight I had in the forest, I was injured and went unconscious. When I woke up, I saw a woman sitting beside me, mending my wounds. That woman was a mere mortal, but somehow she had managed to save me. If it was not for her treating my wounds, I might starve for a day since I was unable to walk.” It was such a rare occasion for him to speak about a woman.

Especially not after an incident which almost made him go crazy a few years back, so Esther found it quite interesting how he was speaking so highly about this mortal woman.

“If that is the case, then would you like to repay the woman’s kindness. A mere human is easy to please and impress, you can just bring something useful to her and I am sure she would be happy.” She suggested. However, it was not what he initially wanted to tell her. Maxi was having second thoughts about whether or not he was supposed to tell her, but she was the only person he could talk to, besides her, he did not trust anyone for this matter.

“That is not the problem.” He was getting frustrated with himself, since he could not just spill it out and got it over with. Esther had begun to become impatient. She leaned in and stared into his eyes to read him. Their mind l**k was connected and he spoke using his mind.

“The woman is my mate.” Upon hearing this, Esther took a step back from him in shock. Her eyes widened and she covered her lips with her fingers since she could not believe what she had just heard.

“Your mate is a human!?”