Chapter 2: Unexpected News

Arman

While Vivienne was waiting to congratulate her sister, I took the time to introduce myself to my sister’s mate.

“Congratulations, Alpha Zach, or should I call you Cipher?” I ask.

My sister is bouncing on her toes, over the moon excited about finding her mate and someone who is worthy of being invited to join the elite Alpha Squad.

“Thank you, Alpha. I want you to know, I’ll take very good care of your sister. I’ve been looking for my mate since I turned eighteen. I can’t believe I finally found her,” he says, smiling at my sister with eyes full of love.

The difference between my sister’s mate bond and mine couldn’t be more apparent. We may have found our mates at the same time, but mine tried to reject me immediately and Sadique’s mate is going to take her somewhere so they can complete their bond tonight.

When the elite squads are called back to the stage, I go to Vivienne. Even though I was meeting my sister’s mate, I was keeping an eye on her. I saw her holding her sister and watched as Piper tried to pull Vivienne aside to talk to her. I’m sure she thinks I’m going to reject her now that she’s told me about her previous life, but she’s wrong.

Instead of giving her a chance to say something that was going to piss me off, I took her mouth in a dominant kiss. I have no idea what her experience is with Alphas who buy women on the street, but I know that none of them ever kissed my mate the way I am. I poured all my love and desire to get to know her into the kiss, hoping that she’d feel what I’m trying to say without words.

When I heard her whimpering and she began clinging to me rather than pushing me away, I knew it was working.

I hate that she’s leaving already, but I have her number. Even if she doesn’t use it, I will.  

I watch as she gets into the car with her team member. I don’t have to hear them to know that her friend, Clarissa, is asking her what’s going on. Her eyes, which were already as wide as saucers, get even wider and her head whips around to look at me again.

However, I’m focused on my mate.

I’ll admit, when she told me she used to sell herself on the streets, it was like a punch to the gut. Never once in my life when I thought of meeting my mate did this scenario come to mind. The thought of my mate selling her body to other men makes me want to kill someone.

Vivienne is nothing like what I expected my mate to be. She’s nothing like the women I’ve met in my life, the women who are perfectly quaffed and styled so you’re not even sure what they would look like without all the makeup and pageantry.

Not Vivienne. My mate was wearing makeup that is much too heavy for daytime and, in most environments, nighttime. Her hair is cut in an edgy style that I’ve never seen among the women who attend our pack parties, hoping to find their way into my bed. Besides the piercings in her ears, she has one in her eyebrow, her nose, and her lip. It speaks of the hard life she’s lived. She hasn’t lived the glamorous, protected life of a ranked member. She’s had a very, very hard life.

I smile and raise my hand in farewell as the car pulls out of the lot. My smile widens when Vivienne raises her hand as she passes by. What I wouldn’t give to be in her mind, to hear what is really going on in that head of hers.

As soon as the car turns and is out of sight, I head back inside.

Once inside, I realize something has happened. The energy in the room has changed completely since I stepped outside. There’s a heightened sense of excitement with an underlying feeling of deadly intent.

I see Wendy Hill talking to the tech team that I met when I went to Cyra’s court dates.

"Excuse me, Wendy, what's going on?" I ask as I walk up.

"Oh, Alpha Arman. You probably want to talk to your cousin. Do you remember Stellan, the Alpha who tried to force her into an alliance bond?"

"Yes," I growl.

"He escaped from prison. He's threatened to kill Cyra."

"Not going to happen," I snarl, looking around and finding my cousin and her mate talking to both our families.

As I walk up, Alpha Quirin immediately makes eye contact with me, obviously checking on his pack member.

I walk right up to him. “I’d like to speak with you later.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Vivienne?”

“She left with Clarissa.”

“Your mate bond?”

“It’s not broken but it's not sealed either.”

He smiles. “Impressive.”

I frown. “What is?”

“Vivienne is a tough nut to crack. She’s not easily swayed from whatever decision she makes. She intended to reject you, and you somehow convinced her not to.”

I shrug. “She’s my mate.”

“Most Alphas would have rushed to reject someone with a history like Vivienne’s,” he says.

“I am not most Alphas,” I growl.

“I see that.”

“What’s going on here?” I ask.

“Did you hear that Stellan escaped?” he growls.

“Yeah, how the fuck did that happen?”

“We don’t know yet, Alpha Squad has been assigned to go after him. He apparently has a vendetta against Cyra, so we’re making plans to keep her and Lila safe.  I’ll be going to Yorick and Cyra’s pack this weekend,” he says.

“I’ll be joining you,” I growl. “I will kill anyone who tries to hurt my family.”

“Good to know, because I would as well and Cyra is family to me. Since Zach and Sadique have been given one night to seal their bond, perhaps I can ride with you, and we can discuss what I know on the way to Yorick and Cyra’s pack.”

“I didn’t think I was outside that long,” I say, looking around and realizing that all the elite squad members are gone.

“Time is of the essence.”

“Understood. I’d also like to get some information about my mate, whatever you’re wiling to share. I don’t want her to feel like I’m overriding her by coming to you, but we didn’t have very long to get to know each other. I’d also like to know more about this work she’s doing for the Council and how often she returns with bruises on her face.”

“Too often,” he says. “Give me a minute.”

He walks over to his mate and kisses her, before telling her that he’s going to ride with me. While he’s letting his family know his plans, I let my parents know that I’m going to meet them at Yorick and Cyra’s pack. We drove separately, which worked out well. I wasn’t expecting to stay very long, since I need to get back to my pack, but now that Sadique has found her mate and Cyra’s life is in danger, I’ll need to make arrangements to be away longer than expected.

While Quirin tells his family he’s riding with me, I let Cyra and Yorick know that I’m heading to their pack and I want to be included in any conversations about providing her protection. While talking to them, I find out that it’s not only Cyra who has been threatened. Stellan also threatened their Gamma, Lila. He apparently wants to force his mark on his previous mate. Lila is visibly shaking, even though her mate’s arms are wrapped tightly around her and their pup.

When Alpha Quirin joins us, I say goodbye and we head out. He and I have a lot to discuss on our short trip to Yorick and Cyra’s pack.