AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER 46
RAIDEN
Lily’s strange relationship with Alpha Mathew had caught me off guard. The familiarity with which she spoke of him, had my wolf seething. She was mine, and I would make damn sure this Blade Rock Alpha knew it before he left.
Mind-linking Gunnar while blocking Lily out of my thoughts, I walked towards my meeting with Tanya. Gunnar, keep our guests occupied until I’m done. Also, don’t leave Lily alone with the Alpha. Not for a single second.
Swiftly, and in a foul mood, I made my way out of the castle and into the garden. Tanya was already there, waiting for me under the large outdoor gazebo, lounging lazily in one of the garden chairs. The gazebo overlooked Shadow Creek's luscious garden, now pale in comparison to mid-summer where it would be in full bloom, decorated in various shapes and colours of flowers.
“I thought you’d chickened out,” she said with a cocky smile as soon as I stepped under the cover.
“Do I look like a chicken to you?” I teased back, puffing my chest out comically.
She chuckled, but stood to greet me. “Definitely not, my Big Bad Wolf,” she replied in a purr. She's been trying to get me to warm up to her ever since I’d agreed to the mating, but nothing had happened. It didn’t stop her from trying.
Stepping closer, she leaned in for a kiss, but I managed to turn my face away just in time, denying her access to my lips. She paused for a moment but planted the kiss on my cheek instead.
Disgust started to bubble up in my stomach, knowing that Lily would be able to detect Tanya’s touch on me. I needed to get this done as soon as possible.
“Thank you for meeting with me,” I said, sounding slightly too formal and gestured for her to sit down.
For a moment, she eyed me suspiciously, but took a seat. She looked uncomfortable, trying to hide it by sitting up straighter than usual and keeping her head held high. I sighed and took a seat next to her, making sure to leave enough space between us so I wouldn’t be sending any mixed signals.
“Tanya,” I began, carefully searching for the right words. “I’m afraid there’s no easy way to say this.”
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. I could hear her heartbeat picking up in anticipation. Do it. Do it quickly. Rip the Band-Aid off.
“I-I’ve found my mate. My true mate.”
Tanya pressed a hand to her forehead, slumping forward, resting her elbows on her knees.
“I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt you,” I said, placing my hand on her back in an attempt to comfort her. It didn’t seem to work, as her shoulders started shaking. Come on, push through. “I-uh, won’t be able to follow through with the mating ceremony we’d planned. I’m sorry.”
She shook her head, still slumped over, looking down.
“Listen, Tanya, I wish there was some way in which I could make it better, but I don’t know how to fix it without someone getting hurt.”
No reply. Crap.I’d never been in a situation like this before where I had to deal with the touchy-feely stuff myself. To say that I was out of my comfort zone, would be the understatement of the year. I mulled the words over in my head, trying to figure out if I’d said everything I needed to. Tanya was not making an effort to respond in any way. I was lost. Flustered and unsure what to do next.
Finally, I settled on giving her time and space to process all I had said and formulate a response in her own time. We sat there for a few more minutes before she eventually turned to look at me. Her eyes were full of unshed tears, mixed with hurt and betrayal.
“Tanya...?” I managed to say softly, putting my hand over hers. I didn’t know how else to comfort her. She’d been innocent in all of this. I was the one who’d screwed up. I was the one who deserved the pain, not her.
“Raiden?” she asked almost in a whisper. A single tear ran down her cheek.
Fuck.I shifted uncomfortably and dug around in my pocket for a tissue. When I held it out to her, she took my hand instead of the tissue, closing both of her hands around mine.
“Raiden, please,” she said, looking deep into my eyes, “Can’t we just work something out?”
Work something out? Unease ripped through me, that little voice inside my head screaming for me to get up and leave. But how could I if I’d been the one to cause this in the first place? This clearly wasn’t going the way I expected it to.
Tanya began rubbing her thumb over the top of my hand in tender circles. “Don’t you care about me anymore?”
“It’s not that I don’t care about you, Tanya, but you know how the mate bond works.”
A hint of determination flashed in her eyes, “so, you do care? About me, I mean?” She leaned in closer, her breath almost fanning my face.
I cleared my throat awkwardly, trying to buy some time to think of a better response than the one I had in my mind. “Of course, I care.” Well, fuck. I shouldn’t have said that. Her eyes light up. “But I love Lily,” I quickly added, leaving no room for doubt. Slowly, I pulled my hand out of hers, leaning back to put more space between us. The voice in my head begged me to get up and leave.
Tanya stared at me, her face unreadable and slightly confusing. I didn’t know what she was thinking, nor what her next move might be. I pitied her deeply. Her eyes proceeded to roam over my face, studying every inch of it. Was she trying to read my emotions as well? A second later, her lips crashed onto mine, as she lunged forward, hooking her hands behind my head. Before I could even blink, her tongue had forced its way into my mouth. Cursing filthily, I jerked myself out of her hold, the taste of her bitter and vile compared to my Lily Flower’s.
Blinding rage flared through me as I jumped to my feet, taking a few steps back. My hands trembled as I fisted them by my sides. No, fuck, how could this have happened? She opened her mouth to speak again, but I shook my head, gesturing for her to keep quiet. My wolf was close to losing it, stirring just beneath the surface, furious and ready to pounce. He didn’t want anyone other than Lily and he would go down defending her honour, even if it meant taking on a woman.
With fury burning in my chest, I turned, heading back towards the castle.
Raiden, I think you should get over here. Right now, Gunnar linked.
I quickened my pace. This would be the last time she had an audience with me alone.
