2. His fated mate

Kathleen's POV

Once on the stage, I stood in front of him, and we said our vows to each other before the priest marked us as husband and wife.

"Since you are chosen mates and not mates by fate, you can seal the bond by marking each other. It will be a representation of your unending love," the priest said, and I don't know if I was being paranoid, but I saw some hesitancy in Drake's eyes when the priest mentioned marking.

"Hey, if you are not comfortable doing it in front of everyone, we can skip it for now," I suggested, not wanting to push it, and he shook his head.

Taking my hand in his, he tilted my head, making me hold his neck to a perfect angle as we sank our teeth into each other's flesh, making everyone around us howl in joy.

"You have a beautiful mark," Drake complimented after he cleaned my wound, and I smiled.

"It's given to me by my love. Of course, it will be beautiful," I said before taking the mirror from Sylvia's hand to look at my mark.

"It's beautiful, no?" Sylvia asked, but I looked at the mark on my neck, feeling ‌weird.

The rare white wolf is mine, but why does it look like the black wolf isn't looking toward my wolf? What does this mean? I thought as I felt the same weirdness in my heart rising again.

Stop being paranoid, Kathleen. I told myself before smiling again.

"Hey, Kathleen? What are you thinking?" Drake asked me as he circled his hand around my waist, and I shook my head.

"Nothing, I just can't wait to share a room with you," I winked at him, and he chuckled awkwardly, making me squint my brows even more.

"Why? You are not excited?" I asked, and he shook his head.

"Don't think like that. Let's attend to the guests," Drake said, not giving me a direct answer, and before I could ask anything else, he left my side, making me look at his back.

"Kathleen? What are you thinking about? Let's get you in an evening gown. We need to attend the after-party. This gown is too heavy, and you need to save your energy for later, no?" Sylvia winked at me, and I slapped her shoulder, feeling shy.

"You are such a naughty girl, Sylvia," I said.

"I am naughty? Well, the marks on Drake's body tomorrow morning will tell me who is more naughty," she said, and I blushed even more.

Kathleen's POV

"Are you nervous?" Sylvia asked me again, and I glared at her.

"What? Don't give me that look. Even a nun can tell what naughty thoughts are going inside your head," Sylvia said, and I sighed.

"Sylvia Turner, if you didn't get out of your friend's room this second, then I am going to make sure you are not able to walk for a week," I heard Cody, Sylvia's mate's voice, and I looked at Sylvia, who was blushing profusely.

"You! I am sure you called him," Sylvia accused me, and I shrugged.

"Well, you didn't leave me any choice either," I said.

I sighed loudly as soon as Sophia left, and I couldn't help but notice something weird now that I was alone.

Drake didn't come with me. The whole evening, he had acted the most distant to me than our whole life.

'Hey, caris. What happened to you? You have been awfully quiet today,' I asked, but rather than her reply, I just heard her small whimper.

'At least talk to me, Caris. How am I supposed to know what is wrong when you won't speak?' I asked again, and she sighed.

'I felt something weird during the wedding, Kathleen. I can't feel his wolf anymore. I tried to look for Drake's wolf, but it felt like he wasn't there. They had blocked us,' Caris said, and I looked out of the balcony thoughtfully.

Is something really wrong with Drake and his wolf?

"Come in," I said when I heard a knock, not moving from the balcony.

I was hoping for Drake to come and hug me from behind like he always does. However, when I didn't feel his arms around me, I squinted my brows before turning around.

Seeing a girl standing in front of me, along with Drake, I sighed.

So that's the reason. He didn't want to look inappropriate in front of the stranger.

Wait. A stranger?

"Who are you? I am sure you don't work in the mansion. Even if you are new, why did you enter our room in the middle of the night? Who hired you?" I asked, confused.

"Why are you looking at him? Let me call the head maid. How can she hire someone and allow her to roam without proper instructions? It's not good for her. What if someone bullies her -"

"She is not a maid," Drake cut me off.

He didn’t look too pleasant at the moment.

What was going on here?

"If she isn't a maid, then what is she doing here? You have brought her to meet me? Is she a friend? Or distant sister?" I asked, looking between the girl and Drake.

As I took a step forward, I noticed how the girl in front of me winced slightly, and Drake held her hand, making me squint my brows.

"Why is she acting afraid of me?" I asked, looking at Drake now.

"She is not a friend, and neither a distant sister," Drake said, and I looked at the hesitancy in his eyes.

It was the same hesitancy he had shown when the priest asked to mark me and seal the bond. Why is he acting like this today, after our wedding? I thought before I tried to put two and two together. Drake was hesitant to mark me. He was hesitant when I talked about our wedding night. Then he brought a girl to our room. The girl doesn't belong to our pack and is neither a friend nor a sister.

I don't want to think of things like that. I don’t want to think negatively and ruin my mood, but why do I feel like this girl was -

"She is my mate," Drake completed my thoughts, and I looked at them in shock and horror, feeling the ground under my feet shaking as my legs trembled.