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“I’d be happy to sit down with you and tell you what I’ve learned on my own before coming here. Things that I had to learn from experience rather than being taught, but would have come in handy had I been taught it first.” I said to Roberto.
“Great! Do you mind meeting me in the library later today? I have some research to do on old world laws. Comparing pack laws to coven laws to help bridge the gap between our two kinds even more. Similarities and differences that could help the growing packs with witches as members now.”
“OK, no problem,” I said. I began to stand and gather my dishes.
“Leave them, Madie,” Alma said. “I’ll clean them up after my smoke break. Keeps me active despite my poor health choices.” She chuckled as she held up the pack in her hand.
I smirked at the older woman. While I left my plate at the table, I at least stacked the silverware and my used napkin in a way that would make it easier to gather and clean up.
“Okay, Alma, but only because Edwardo ordered me to go and run some laps this morning. Even if he is busy, I’m sure he will check to make sure that I’m not late.”
Laughing in unison, the mother and son indicated their agreement with Edwardo’s plans for me. There was a reason that Edwardo was the beta aside from his bloodline. He was strict and punctual, and he had eyes everywhere in the pack. When an order was given, he expected it to be done and he would know if it wasn’t.
Since he was my teacher while I was here, I felt compelled to follow his orders exactly as he wanted and expected.
I left the room and made my way up the stairs to my bedroom to change into my running clothes. As I approached my door, I paused and tilted my head.
The door was opened, and a soft familiar scent drifted from the doorway towards me.
“Don’t worry, Madie,” Diana called from inside my room. “I just wanted to discuss a few things with you. I’ve informed Edwardo you would be a little late for whatever he had planned for you to do this morning.”
I eased into my room and found the pack Luna sitting on the couch near the door. She looked back at me and gave a smile before patting the seat next to her.
“Don’t be shy, I won’t bite. I just want to have a little chat.”
“Am I in some kind of trouble?” I asked as I closed the door behind me and joined the older woman.
She smiled warmly as I sat beside her, her emerald eyes sparkling as the contrasting red hair tumbled around her shoulders. I gave the crimson locks an extra glance, the shade so close to Brady’s. Her hair almost seemed to have a softer shade to it, however, whereas his could easily blend in with the very fires he could wield with his magic. Almost as if the color gave fair warning to the burning power his enemies would face up against him.
“You aren’t in any trouble, Madie. I just want you to know that you aren’t alone.” Diana said. She took my hand in hers and gave it a quick squeeze. “Has anyone ever told you the true story behind Orion and my mateship?”
I shook my head. “No. I’ve only heard bits and pieces of your story. The taking back of the pack. The way you had to hide how powerful you were up until the night of the battle. I remember my parents and grandma discussing that there was more to it, but I never was told exactly what.”
Diana smiled and nodded. “Well, for the first few months, Orion didn’t know I was his mate.” She looked at me and smiled as my widened eyes reflected in hers. “He marked me under the impression that we were pretending to be fated mates, because the laws of nature state that you cannot keep fated mates apart, and he needed a way into the pack. Since I was little more than a prisoner that the alphas of the time would never allow to leave, I was the best choice to get himself into the city.”
“How could he mark you and not know that you were his mate?” I asked, confused.
“The potion I used to hide my true power hid my scent. And without the scent, he had no way of knowing. Now, it didn’t stop his body’s reaction. The pull of a mate is strong, even if you don’t know that it’s there. However, it was dampened with the mark in place. Not nearly as hard as it would have been had he not marked me.”
I thought about the way my chest often felt like it was being yanked out when I was near Brady. The sleepless nights and the pain that had nearly driven me mad more than once since coming here.
“It must have been painful.”
“It was hard. But I refused to give into the bond. I saw Orion in the same light as my captors. An alpha who craved power and would only use me for his best interests, but I wanted to be free. Even as I found out that I was pregnant, after giving partly into the mate bond, I still didn’t tell him the truth. I had plans to escape the city and raise my daughter on my own as a witch in the woods.”
“Wait,” I gasped. “You knew he was your mate?”
Diana smiled and nodded. “I knew the moment I laid my eyes on him. I felt it deep in my soul and I fell right into the steps of The Fates’ plans as I allowed him to mark me despite knowing it could never be removed. But I still fought against it after that initial spell broke. If not for the moment I thought for sure that Orion was going to be killed, I would have left, and he never would have known the truth about me. About us. In the end, The Fates knew exactly what they were doing when they paired us together. And I thank them every day for giving me the mate that I have.”
I sighed and looked away, realizing exactly what she was telling me. It was the same as at breakfast with Alma and Roberto. I could almost laugh.
Diana smiled again and patted my leg before standing up and making her way to the door.
“At the end of the day, Madie. You do have a choice. But trust me when I say I don’t regret mine for a minute. I only regret not giving in sooner.”
With that, she was gone, and I was left with more thoughts of Brady and the decision I had to finally make once and for all.
Chapter Ten
