Chapter Two: She’s My Mate 

My hand stopped on the door handle. I looked back at Thiago, waiting for him to say something that would let me pretend I misunderstood.

He watched me without moving. “You tried to conceal your wolf,” he said. “When it failed, I recognised the scent beneath yours.”

I knew what he meant. The sharp mineral edge belonged to Nia, something the Veil usually hid along with her presence. My father’s guards never trained to search for it in his daughter. Thiago hunted wolves like me.

“I need to see my parents.” I turned the handle.

“Stop.”

His Alpha command pressed through the room. Nia snarled inside me, and I opened the door anyway.

A man with closely cut black hair straightened in the corridor. His steel-grey eyes moved towards Thiago, and he lowered his head before he seemed to realise the command was not for him. I felt no need to do either.

“You can’t command me,” I told Thiago.

He looked from the open door to my face. Whatever doubt remained was gone.

The other man stepped nearer, his broad frame filling a black shirt. I tightened my grip on the handle, but Thiago lifted a hand.

“Let her be, Dario.”

The man stopped.

“Find Idris and Sabine. Tell them their daughter needs them here. Keep everyone else out of this wing until we establish who entered last night.”

“Soren is on his way,” Dario replied.

Thiago nodded. Dario left, speaking into his phone as he walked.

I remained in the doorway. I could run towards the family rooms, but my legs still felt unsteady, and Thiago would reach my father eventually. Leaving them to face this without knowing what happened frightened me more than staying.

“Nia, could we hold everything still?” I asked her. A few heartbeats would at least get me away from him.

“We cannot even hold the Veil.”

She was right. The last time I stopped time for more than a few heartbeats, I could barely stand afterwards. This morning, I struggled to reach another person’s thoughts. Even if I got out, my parents would still be here when Thiago started asking questions.

I stepped back into the sitting room. “I’m waiting for them. That is the only reason I’m staying.”

“Then sit before you fall.”

I wanted to refuse. My knees decided otherwise, and I took the chair nearest the door.

Thiago moved the water closer. He did not try to touch me, although I could feel his attention every time I shifted. Nia wanted him near enough to help us. I wished she could remember who he was for more than a moment.

My mother entered without waiting to be announced. Her black hair was pinned loosely, silver strands escaping near her temples, and one shoulder of her plum dress was fastened crookedly. She saw my clothes and came straight to me.

“Amara, what happened?”

I stood, and she caught my hands.

“I don’t remember all of it.”

Her dark-brown eyes searched my face. Then her expression changed.

“Your wolf?”

I could not answer. She held my hands more tightly, and for the first time since waking, I nearly cried.

Father came in behind her, running a hand over his neatly trimmed beard. His brown eyes moved from my face to Thiago, and a growl sounded deep in his chest.

“Tell me what happened.”

“Someone interfered with my drink,” Thiago said. “Amara woke up here with similar gaps in her memory. Soren will examine us both.”

Father looked at me. “Did you come here willingly?”

“I don’t remember coming here at all.”

“Then we should find out who brought you here.” He said it without looking away from me. I did not realise how badly I needed to hear that until my throat tightened.

Thiago waited until Father faced him again.

“There is another matter. Her wolf is Unbound.”

Mother went still. Father’s hand closed against the door before he let go of it. His gaze dropped to the floor, then returned to my face.

“When did you start concealing her, Amara?”

“When she came.”

“And you found a way to hide her?”

I nodded. My mother drew in a breath.

“You told us you couldn’t feel a wolf.”

“I know.”

“All this time?”

I looked down at our joined hands. “I was frightened.”

Father crossed the room and crouched in front of me. He was a large man, and I could not remember the last time he made himself smaller to meet my eyes.

“We will talk about that,” he said. “Right now, you need the healer.”

“Father, I didn’t mean to put you—”

“You are my daughter.” His voice was firm. “We begin there.”

Mother pressed her lips together and drew me against her side. I leaned into her before I could worry about how childish it looked.

Thiago watched us. “Your household gave someone access to a guarded suite. Until I know how, the staff assigned to this wing remain available for questioning.”

“My daughter is not evidence you can carry away,” Father said.

Thiago’s expression hardened. “Someone got into my room with your daughter. I want that person found.”

“So do I. You will question my household with my officers present.”

“Then put them to work.”

Dario returned with the healer. Soren Merrow had light olive skin, light-brown eyes and grey threaded through his dark hair. He set down his leather case and asked where I wanted the examination.

“My room.” I said, because I could not face going back into Thiago’s bedroom.

Mother took my hand. Thiago told Dario to keep the family passage clear, and we left with Soren following. I knew every painting along the corridor. I still kept looking over my shoulder.

Inside my bedroom, the birthday flowers still stood on the windowsill. My mother closed the door and asked Soren to give us a moment.

“Will you still want me here?” I asked before he finished stepping outside.

She turned towards me. “Amara.”

“You know what the law says.”

“I know what you are asking me.” She took my face between her hands. “You belong here. Nothing you told us this morning changes that.”

I tried to answer, but a sob escaped instead. She held me until I could breathe properly, then helped me sit on the bed.

Mother stayed while Soren examined me and took samples. He warned me against forcing Nia’s strength back before the drug wore off.

“Will I remember?” I asked.

“Some things may return. I can’t promise all of them will.”

I looked at the birthday flowers. There was a whole piece of my life missing, and the person who took it was somewhere in this house.

He left to examine Thiago. Mother helped me wash and was fastening my green dress when someone knocked. Rukaiya entered with my shoes and a folded cardigan.

“The housekeeper said you needed these.” Her straight dark-brown hair lay neatly over one shoulder. She looked at Mother before meeting my eyes. “Are you ill?”

“You were with me last night,” I said. “What happened after you gave me the water?”

“You said you wanted to rest.”

“Did you bring me upstairs?”

She set the clothes on the bed. “I walked with you to the staircase. I thought you were going to your room.”

“Which staircase?”

“The one near the ballroom.”

I searched my memory and found only her hand against my arm. For a moment, I tried to reach her thoughts instead. Pain returned behind my eyes, and Nia drew back sharply, so I stopped.

Rukaiya’s amber-brown eyes turned towards Mother again. “What is going on?”

“Your father will speak to you,” Mother replied. “For now, tell him everything you remember.”

My sister looked at me, and something in her expression made me want to ask another question. Then she nodded and left.

I stared at the shoes she brought. I wanted to believe she could help me put the night back together. Instead, I felt more confused.

By the time Mother took me to Father’s study, Dario was waiting outside with Varek Noll, the guest-wing steward. His brown hair was combed neatly above a light-brown face, and he carried the household duty book against his chest.

“These are the original entries?” Dario asked.

“Yes, Beta.”

“Give it to me. Alpha Idris will go through it with us.”

Varek handed over the book and stepped aside for us. Inside, Father stood behind his desk while Thiago spoke to him beside the window. Both men stopped when we entered.

“Sit here, darling.” Mother guided me to the sofa.

I was lowering myself onto it when another voice reached us from the doorway.

“Thiago?”

The woman who entered wore an ivory suit and a diamond ring I noticed before anything else. Straight chestnut-brown hair framed a face with light-brown skin and striking green eyes. She looked frightened until she saw him standing unharmed.

“Your message said someone put something in your drink.” She went to him and took his arm. “Are you all right?”

“Soren has examined me.”

Her gaze moved towards me. “What happened?”

Thiago waited until Dario shut the door.

“Amara was brought to my suite. Neither of us remembers how. Idris and I are investigating.”

She looked towards my parents, then back at me. I watched understanding change her expression.

“You were with him?”

“I woke up there,” I answered.

“After I left?”

“Celeste,” Thiago said.

She let go of his arm. “I leave for one night, and this happens?”

“I didn’t choose it,” I said.

“You expect me to believe you knew nothing about whose room it was?”

Father moved around his desk. “Amara is being examined for the same substance. You will hear the findings before making accusations.”

Celeste looked at Thiago. “You have to see what this looks like.”

“I do.”

“Then why is she still here?”

I stood. I could feel Mother’s hand near mine, ready to stop me if I lost my temper.

“Because this is my father’s house, and someone did this to me too.”

Celeste drew back, her eyes narrowing. Then she looked between us, and I realised how close Thiago was standing to the sofa. He moved when I stood. I did not even see him do it.

“Why are you looking at her like that?” she asked.

Thiago held her gaze. “Because she’s my mate.”