04 - Second Chance Mate?

Nikolai’s POV

I sat in the private jet thinking over last night over and over again, hitting every wall in my room till my knuckles bruised or sparing alone all night till my muscles ached, it didn’t help the dark thoughts. Anya really walked in like nothing happened, expecting me to jump into her arms and accept her as my mate.

I would never forget the smug look on Nexus’s face when they announced their engagement at dinner, or the way she pretended like I didn’t exist. I cornered her in the kitchen, asking for some answers, and she bluntly told me she belonged to my brother now, and I'd better steer clear of her path. Now that same woman is talking about fighting for us.

I let out an awry chuckle before gesturing for the hostess to bring me a whiskey. Williams looked up from the reports he was reading, a disapproving look on his face, but I wasn’t going to bulge.

“Are you really going to show up to your first Alpha event drunk out of your mind? You want to give your father something to hang you for?” He mindlinked me, and I just shrugged before pouring myself a glass of whiskey. I gulped down the entire glass in one gulp, and I welcomed the burning sensation as it spread through my chest. It wasn’t enough to completely numb out the ache, but it was enough to keep the pain at bay. It’s been over five years, and Anya still has the power to unrattle me, to put a crack in my emotionless life.

“Anya came to my room last night, put on a stupid show of trying to seduce me and wanting us to be together.” I mindlinked him back quietly before taking a sip of the whiskey, taking it slower this time. I could see the way he gripped the pages tightly; he took a deep breath so the rest of the wolves flying with us won’t suspect a thing.

“I didn’t even know she was in town. Is she crazy?” He screamed at me through the mindlink, and I only shrugged before taking another sip, closing the mindlink between us. At least he wasn’t going to bitch about me drinking anymore.

As we landed in the southern region, something about the air felt terribly wrong. I couldn’t make out whatever it was, but something was unsettling about the atmosphere. I turned to look at Williams to see if he had noticed, too, but he was busy speaking to the delegates from the pack we were visiting. I decided to shrug it off and talk about it when we get inside the car.

“Your highness, this way please.” One of my men guided me to the waiting entourage of cars in the private hangar, and I got in. Williams climbed in after me, and I noticed his visible anger.

“The Alpha couldn’t welcome you himself because apparently there’s a welcome party for you already.” He hissed through his teeth, and I just shrugged. Most small-town Alphas like these try to inflate their own ego and forget what pack politics even meant to begin with.

“Is there something unsettling in the air, or is it just me?” I asked finally, and he looked confused. I told him not to worry about it. I focused on just clearing my head and on not letting anything affect me. Noctis, my wolf, started pacing aggressively in my head as we got closer to the packhouse of the pack, and I tried everything to get him to stop, but he wouldn’t. I was right about something being terribly wrong in this place. Noctis has never been this agitated since we merged, and it only made me more on alert about this pack visit.

The cars pulled into the extravagant compound, and the first thing I noticed was how much in contrast in luxury it was compared to the pack member's house I noticed on the way here; their Alpha was definitely living above his means. The wealth of your people should reflect on your people, not yourself, was one of the lessons my father drilled into me growing up.

William got out first, and he held open the door for me, and I stepped out. The first thing that hit me was the stench of sadness that hung in the air. I knew that smell by heart because it had hung around me for my adolescent years.

Alpha Jeremy stood there dressed lavishly like he was going to a carnival, and not a fucking pack inspection. I tried to hide my disgust, and I walked towards the group, who were now making their way towards us to welcome us to the pack.

“Alpha King Nikolai, please allow me to welcome you to the North-west Pack,” Alpha Jeremy said as he stretched out his hands for a handshake. “It’s such an honour to have you here in our little town.” He was smiling too widely, and it didn’t reach his eyes. I shook his hands, and I noticed the way he twitched, like he was nervous or he had one hell of a secret to hide.

“Welcome, your highness. It’s such an honour to meet you in person, finally. I’ve heard great things about you.” Someone said beside him in a sugary tone that made my skin crawl, and that’s when I finally noticed the woman beside him. She was dressed just like him, and way too exposed for an official meeting. I only nodded curtly.

The rest of the introductions went on, and we were led inside the grand sitting room. Jeremy had a little throne, and that was pretty laughable. Williams and I exchanged a look. I couldn’t focus on the rest of the conversation because Noctis was pacing even more aggressively; whatever was unsettling him, or making him this agitated, had to be inside this building, and I’m not leaving until I get to the bottom of it.

“Why don’t you show us around the pack house? I think it’s way too early for dinner, and I’m not here for feasting.” I finally said curtly, and that seemed to unnerve Jeremy even more. He apologised with a stutter before leading us through the sitting room to the courtyard. We walked through the whole packhouse, and I noticed how lavishly it was decorated.

We got to the gate of what looked like small quarters, and that was when it hit me. A powerful scent that smelled nothing like I’ve ever smelled before. The smell was enticing, enchanting, and it pulled me towards whatever was behind those gates. The pull was too strong to ignore, and this time Noctis punced in my head more aggressively, more like excitedly.

“What’s behind these gates?” I asked coldly, and I noticed how Jeremy and his woman got tense and nervous. They both tried to speak, interrupting each other, and I just stared at them coldly, trying to ignore the pull which was getting stronger.

“I was speaking to the Alpha, or do you both share the title now? Last from your records, you haven’t found your mate yet.” I continued coldly, and that seemed to do the trick. Alpha Jeremy cleared his throat and stood almost defensively in front of the gate.

“It’s nothing of importance, your highness. Just a couple of maid servants' quarters and a horse shed,” he stuttered, and I nodded before pushing the gates open myself. Everybody else followed suit, and I just let myself get pulled by the scent. I walked till I got to the entrance of the shed, and the pull was definitely stronger now; my wolf growled in my head, and I pushed the shed open.

That was when I saw her; every other thing faded into the background, and I could only think of the woman curled up in the hay. She smelled like lavender, soft and captivating. I picked her up slowly, and she was so fragile. Dried blood all over her face and body, her clothes torn, and she looked like she had fought a bull and won. Hands trembling, I brushed the hair out of her face, and she was the prettiest woman I’ve ever seen. She stirred weakly, and her eyes fluttered open a moment later.

Her eyes met mine, and her lips muttered softly at the same time as me, “Mate.”

A single tear slid down her face, and she went limp again. In that moment, I have never been more scared to lose her.