I woke up to the sound of wood and metal creaking, and the moment I heard the sound, my eyes shot open to see the thick wooden but metal door leading to the prison cells being open. It took me a moment to remember where I was, and as I did, it all came back to me. I remember walking to my mate's pack with the blonde she-wolf as she profusely apologized for her mate's behavior. And continued to tell me how he is a sweet guy once you get to know him, even if he is an idiot most of the time. She walked me down to the cells before opening the door at the very end of the hallway as it was the biggest cell they had, and it was also the best cell to have any privacy. The cell also had a perfect view of the door that led into the cells, and it was also curved. So, it gave me a perfect view of the other cells and the door, but you can't see inside this cell from the door as you can only see inside of it once you are in front of it depending on where you stand.
The inside of the cell looked just as dark and cold as the outside of the cell. It also smelt of bleach and the metallic scent of metal as well as rust, and there was still a small hint of the coppery scent of blood that seemed to linger in the air. The only lights in the prison cells were from the one dinky light by the door to the prison cells. That light is all you need when, as an animal shifter, you can see in the dark just as well as a human can see during the day. Although no one can see in absolute darkness, you still need some kind of light to see to reflect through the darkness so one may have the ability to see in the dark. The walls were made of gray stoned concrete, but I know they probably have a titanium wall behind the concrete one to ensure that no animal shifter can escape the prison. Since animal shifters are stronger than humans, they need to ensure that once an animal shifter has been captured and locked up, they can't use their superhuman strength to break the wall away to be able to escape. They have large, strong titanium and silver chains attached to the walls inside each of the cells, and they have smaller shackles for the ones that they want in human forms and bigger versions of those shackles that they have for when they keep them in their animal forms. These chains have been endowed with magical properties that once these chains have been placed on the animal shifter it then makes them unable to use their powers including shifting back and forth people their animal form and their human form.
After the she-wolf showed me to the cell I would be staying in, my mate then tried to convince me to reconsider, explaining that he didn't like the thought of his mate staying here in these cells. And told me how he would find me a nice room inside the main estate with him where I would be more comfortable. I couldn't help but feel warmed by his kindness and his compassion, and I couldn't resist kissing his cheek before stepping back into the cell and telling the she-wolf to shut the door. The moment she shut the door, I heard the door click as it automatically locked, and the moment we heard the click signaling that the door was locked, I could see sadness well up in his eyes as well as a look of betrayal on his face. I smiled at him to show him I was fine as he took a step forward to stand directly in front of the cell doors, still looking worried at my being there. As he got up to the doors, he stuck his hand through the bars, and as he did, I reached out and grabbed his hand in mine and gave a reassuring squeeze before letting go and stepping backward out of his reach. He looked so conflicted and hurt at the same time, but I knew this was the only way to give him and his people to feel safe, so I knew this was the best thing I could do for him.
He continued to stare at me until she-wolf forced him to leave, and I continued to watch them until they were gone and out of my sight. I looked around the cell, and it looked filthy even though I knew it wasn't. I could still smell a hint of bleach all around the cell like it had just been cleaned earlier in the day. And despite the cell's dirty appearance, there wasn't a speck of dirt on the floor, proving to me this cell wasn't that dirty in the first place. Along the walls of the cell, there were four sets of those chains attached to the walls, and there were two of each of those type of chains. Besides the chains, there was nothing else inside the cell, which was fine with me because even if there was a bed in there, I still wouldn't have used it. I haven't slept on a bed in a long time, so I wouldn't know how to feel about sleeping on one now. Not only that, but it is much easier to stay alert when sleeping on the ground than on a bed, so you don't have to worry about hurting yourself if you roll off of it to avoid getting attacked by someone.
I undressed out of the clothes that my mate gave me to make sure nothing happened to them and folded them neatly before hiding them in the cell just to be on the safe side. Then I turned back into my tiger form before curling up on the floor with my back up against the wall to ensure no one could sneak up behind me as I lay facing the door so I could see if anyone came into the prison. As I lay there, I noticed that there was a small rectangular window that had no bars through it or glass as it let in so light from the moonlight streaming through it as well as some fresh air. It is the only window in the prison, and it is also on the back wall of the outside of the cells so the people in the cells could see it but could never touch it. Not that it mattered since the people in these cells were normally chained up, so they had no hope of escaping anyway. After lying on the ground and looking out the window, I eventually fell asleep, which brings me back to the present.
When the door opened fully, I saw two guys enter the prison ground the first one walked down the three steps leading into the prison, and after he got off the stairs, and turned to look at the other guy. The first guy to enter the prison cells was maybe about five foot ten with broad shoulders. He also gave the impression that he was all muscle and no brains, and he had tattoos running all down his arms and neck. He also had a thick neck with a square jaw and a buzz-cut hairstyle. He also had a permanent scowl on his face as he looked up at the other, displeased that he was taking so long. He wore a black T-shirt that was pulled so tightly over his chest that you could see every muscle indentation on his body, which just made me want to roll my eyes and tell him to find an actual shirt that fits and not one that is two sizes too small. He also wore black shorts with steel-toe boots, which just looked even more ridiculous in my opinion, or maybe it's just the way he looks in them that makes it so ridiculous to me.
The second guy was standing at the top of the stairs talking to someone, and from the sound of their conversation, I think the other person was one of the guards guarding the prison. The second guy was maybe the same height or slightly taller than the first guy. This guy had long, shoulder-length black hair that was tied into a ponytail without a hair out of place. Unlike the first guy, he was taller and leaner than all muscle, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't work out or that he doesn't have any muscles. Werewolves are known for their strict workout to ensure that they stay in shape to protect their pack even if they aren't warriors. Plus, all animal shifters are stronger than a normal person, so it's rare to find a weak animal shifter. He also had high cheekbones and a large forehead. He also wore a gray suit with a black silk shirt underneath and a gray striped tie around his neck.
I could barely hear what the two of them were saying, but thanks to being an animal shifter, I possess a certain ability that gives us heightened sense for all our five senses. It is thanks to my heightened senses that I was able to hear some of the things they said but not all of what they saying as they were trying to whisper to make sure that they wouldn't be overheard. I heard the guard's deep but gruff voice say, "You only have fifteen minutes." I heard the other guy scoff "Come now, fifteen minutes is hardly enough time; can't you at least do half an hour?" This time, the other guy scoffed, "My shift ends in half an hour, and I'm not risking getting caught because of you." The guy sighed dramatically "Fine then, at twenty to twenty-five minutes."
"Don't try to bargain with me, boy! You get fifteen minutes I'm not risking getting caught because you want to risk your life."
"How about if I double the price?" The guard paused for a moment, thinking before he said, "Fine, but you only get an extra five minutes. But that time starts now, and you better be gone before I come back. Like I said, I'm not risking my job or life for you and that brother of yours." I heard a growl from the guy standing at the top of the stairs, and the guard just laughed, and I could tell he was walking away as the sound was sounding further away.
The guy walked down the stairs, and by the look on his face, I could tell he was angry. The moment he came down the stairs, you could tell he was an inch taller than the other guy. "So, what's the deal?" The taller guy looked at his brother with an annoyed look on his face "I know you heard all that, so why are you asking?" The muscular guy shrugged "I wasn't paying attention." The other guy sighed "Then don't worry about it in the first and let's just get started." He nodded "Works for me, but are you seriously going to wear that?" He looked down at himself before saying, "Now, but I don't see any coat rack around here to hang it up." The other guy rolled his eyes before pointing at an empty cell door "Just hang it up there; at least then you don't have to worry about it." The tall guy gasped, "Do you know how much this suit cost?" The taller guy just rolled his eyes "Then why did you wear it when you knew we were coming here? You can just clean it later." He looked at him with wide, degusted eyes as he opened his mouth to gape at him "You want me to put my jacket on that dirty cell door?" The other guy folded his arm against his chest "Well, would you rather that or to have blood stain your precious suit?" He groaned "I guess you're right."
The taller, skinnier guy then proceeded to take off his suit jacket and the tie to hang on the open cell door before rolling up his sleeves until they reached his elbows. They then proceeded to move towards my cell, all the while looking into each of the cells before continuing forward until they made it to my cell. The moment they stopped in front of my cell and saw me, they smiled creepily. They tried to smile sinisterly but failed miserably, as they only proceeded to look even more ridiculous. I didn't even bother to lift my head from where it rested on my paws, even when they pulled out a set of keys to open my cell door, as they were so ridiculous that they weren't worth my time. They continued to bicker with each other while they tried to figure out how to open the door to the cell, I was currently in. I didn't even bother to conceal my eye roll when they did finally open the door as it was like one of those old but crappy cartoons, it is just unfortunate that I can't change the channel to something better.
Their faces contorted in anger when they saw my eye roll "Don't you dare look down on my brother and me, you insolent tiger. Your kind isn't even worth breathing the same air as us," he said with a sneer. I rolled my eyes as they sounded even more ridiculous as he truly sounded like a cartoon villain as they attempted to sound intimidating. If he is trying to hurt my feelings without his words, he is truly mistaken as I don't care what he or anyone else in this pack thinks about me. When he saw that his words didn't seem to affect me, his sneer deepened "Just wait until we get this door open, and we will make sure you learn the true meaning of fear, you insolent beast."
As he spoke, his supposed brother and partner in crime just stood to his right, just slightly behind him, with his arms crossed over his chest as he attempted to look down his nose at me. He had a smug look on his face as he clenched his jaw while his entire body was rigid, and every muscle was tense as he seemed to prepare himself for a fight. They both were acting and looked ridiculous I couldn't help but scoff at their antics as I turned my head to rest my head on my paws so I wouldn't have to look at them anymore. I could hear the vocal one dramatically scoff as the rattling sound of the keys stopped, and then I'm sure he turned to his brother before saying, "Do you see this? This accursed creature dares to ignore us, brother. You vile creature, I will make you regret that along with every decision you have ever made in your life until you truly regret ever stepping foot on our land. We shall beat you in complete submission until you can't even think of looking a wolf in the eye ever again, and there is nothing you can do about it since those chains will keep you from being able to fight back."
If I was in my human form right now, I probably wouldn't have been able to resist the strong urge to facepalm at the idiocy he is spouting from his mouth. I mean honestly, how can someone be that dumb I mean honestly. I understand that probably no one for my mate, that she-wolf and his beta even know the truth about the true situation, but that doesn't excuse their beyond stupid behavior as they just assume I am chained up. I mean, honestly, I am not laying anywhere near any of the chained areas on the walls as they don't normally allow their prisoners to see who is coming through the doors as another form of intimidation. I might have given them some leeway if I was lying near a set of the chains, but they are like a good two feet away from me on either side. I don't know which of these two idiots had the bright idea to come down here to mess with the big bad tiger, but I can tell that they obviously didn't do any research on how they take care or treat their prisoners, nor have they ever been down in the prison cells before.
I turned my head slightly and raised my eyebrow slightly at their stupidity, and when I did, I saw the one guy stick another key in the lock as he practically appeared to be fuming at the mouth. The muscular one still stood slightly behind him with his arms over his chest as he looked even more annoyed. As he turned the key in the lock, a loud click echoed through the prison cells as the door finally unlocked. The moment they heard the clicking sound of the door unlocking, the skinny one smiled triumphantly while the other guy uncrossed his arms, and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly in a somewhat evil grin. "Oh yeah, that's what I am talking about. We are so going to make you regret your insolence, you insufferable beast," the skinny guy said. I couldn't help rolling my eyes and shaking my head in disgust at their pathetic attempt to intimidate me, as they had only succeeded in annoying me.
The moment he pushed open the metal cell door, you could hear the screeching of the metal door as it protested at being forced open. And the moment the door was open, the skinnier one stepped through it, and the moment he was through the doorway, he stepped towards the right and leaned against the wall. The moment he was leaning against the wall and out of the way, the other one charged forward without a moment of hesitation. I sighed and shook my head in disappointment, all the while thinking that they truly are the biggest idiots I have ever seen. The moment he was just a couple inches in front of me, I put as much force into my legs and launched myself a good eight inches into the air. The moment I became airborne, I saw the surprised expressions on their faces right before the muscular one fell face-first onto the concrete floor. Once I reached the full height of my jump, I extended my back legs and kicked off against the wall behind me, allowing me to glide over the top of the fallen body of the macular one and get out of his reach.
I landed gracefully on my feet and angled myself so I could see the two of them, and then I bared my teeth as I growled deeply and threateningly. I saw the look of confusion and concern from the skinny one as he looked at the muscular one as if to ask him what they should do now. Unfortunately for him, his brother wasn't looking at him as he was too busy glaring at me as he positioned himself for a fight, and he curled his lip to bare his teeth in anger. And he wasn't thinking because, without a second thought, he charged towards me again. I rolled my eyes at his ridiculous behavior, only this time, when he took a few steps towards me, he quickly changed into a large brown wolf with large dark brown eyes. Although his wolf was larger than a normal wolf, but he still had nothing on my mate, nor was he even somewhat impressive he was fairly predictable.
The moment he got close to the fighting range, he immediately tried to go for my throat, but I easily dodged, and instead, I bit down on his shoulder, and I immediately got a mouthful of his thick, coppery blood. I heard him yelp in pain, and I let go he immediately stepped back away from me, and I opened my mouth as I bared my teeth and growled. His blood oozed out of my mouth, and I had no desire to swallow his disgusting blood. The moment I did that; I saw fear and regret fill the skinny one's eyes as he couldn't believe his eyes. The other one looked at the wound I inflicted upon him and then looked back at me as anger filled his eyes before he curled his lip and snarled at me in anger. He immediately charged towards me again, only this time with a limp, and this time he tried to slow my movements as he swiped his paws to injure me. I easily dodged his attacks, even though it didn't discourage him in the slightest as he kept trying to hit me all the same.
I suddenly felt the back of my foot touch the cold concrete wall, and I growled at just how small this cell truly is. I noticed the skinny one looking a bit unsure what to do as he looked towards his brother and me and then back at the entrance of the prison as he hesitantly walked towards us as if he was planning to help his brother even though he looked unsure of what he could even do to help. All the while, his brother smirked in his wolf form as he was excited to think he had me trapped finally. But unfortunately for him, the moment he charged towards me, I noticed an opening and quickly jumped towards the left. Although the moment, it apparently wasn't quick enough because he managed to get closer to me than I thought he would. I wasn't quick enough to avoid his actual attack, but I still ended up colliding with his shoulder, and the force of his body colliding with mine caused me to get thrown against the bars of the cell.
I felt cold cell bars collide and bite into the skin of my back, causing pain to permeate along my back as I fell to the ground. I immediately felt the pain in my back, and I clenched my jaw as I tried to ignore the pain as I attempted to get up. Unfortunately, the moment I attempted to get up, the wolf managed to surprise me by kicking me in the stomach with his back feet like a kicking bronco. He managed to put enough force into the kick, causing me to get slammed back into the bars again. I managed to bite my tongue to keep from groaning or making any sound in pain. I fell to the floor again, and the moment I looked up, I noticed him rearing up for another attack while his brother charged forward as well, preparing to attack as well. So, I did the only thing I could at the moment, and right as he went to attack me again, I quickly transformed back into my human form and rolled underneath the wolf's body, so I was laying on my back.
I watched as his expression changed from that of his fierce battle façade to that of surprise, but before he could do anything about it. I changed back into my tiger form, and before his feet even had a chance to touch the ground, I quickly kicked him in the stomach hard enough to send him flying toward the ceiling but not hard enough to do any permanent damage that could lead to his death. The moment his body made contact with the ceiling; I saw his eyes roll into the back of his head. His brother stopped dead in his tracks, and the look of surprise and fear was evident on his face as he watched his brother's body get thrown into the ceiling.
I rolled out of the way the moment his body came crashing back toward the ground and stood upright before his body landed on the ground with a loud thump. He groaned in pain, and without even thinking twice, I quickly kicked him in the head, knocking him out completely. The moment he was out of the way, I looked up at the skinnier one, and the moment our eyes met, he whimpered in fear. I took a step towards him, and the moment I did so, he quickly turned around and attempted to run towards the cell door, but he was quick enough. I easily outran him and made it to the cell door before him, and the moment I was in front of the door, I turned around and faced him. The moment I turned to face him, I bared my teeth at him and growled, causing him to jump in surprise.
I watched as his nostrils began to flare and his eyes began to dart around nervously as he attempted to look for a way out, but it was too late now. I won't let him escape after everything they tried to do. I took a menacing step towards him, and the moment I did, he immediately took a step back, but the scent of his fear began to permeate through the air as his fear began to intensify. For every step I took toward him, he took another one backward, and with every step we took, the scent of his fear only intensified. As the scent of his fear intensified, it was feeling even more intoxicating, and it was making my tiger desire to pounce and destroy this pathetic person who was stupid enough to mess with a tiger. I felt something moist against my lips, and it took me a second to realize that I was liking my lips. His fear was so intoxicating that my tiger wanted a better taste as it was truly hypnotic. The only reason I noticed was because I tasted the coppery taste of blood that clung to my mouth and my fur from where I bit into that guy's shoulder. The moment the taste of blood flooded my senses; it was like lightning struck me as I immediately snapped out of whatever trance I was in for a moment.
I watched as his eyes widened with obvious fear as he was backed up against the wall, and he immediately attempted to look for an escape route, but I refused to give him one. I could see the panic flash across his face as he started to tremble with fear. "P-p-please don't k-k-kill me. I-I p-promise we w-won't ever bother y-you again," he pleaded with fear lacing his every word as he stuttered in fear.
I slowly closed the distance between us, and with every step I took, I watched as he flattened his body even more against the wall as he was trying to pass right through the wall to escape. The moment I stood directly in front of him with just a couple of inches between us, I heard him whimper in fear, and his fear was so intense it took everything I had not to listen to my animal instinct to devour him. Instead of devouring him, I changed into my human form, and the moment I did, I saw his entire facial expression change to that of surprise, but before he could move or make a coherent thought, I quickly punched him in the face. The moment I punched, he fell back against the wall, and his body slowly slid down the wall as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. His head rolled to the side, so it was resting against his shoulder as he was now completely knocked out just like his brother. I walked over to his brother to see that he was now in his human form and was currently lying on his stomach, completely naked on the floor. The bite wound I inflicted on him has already stopped bleeding, and I can tell that it is already healing, so his life isn't in danger, which is good.
I smile to myself as I think about what I should do with these two imbeciles and after everything they attempted to do and with how much they annoyed me, I have no mercy for these two. I know someone will come in here eventually, but whether it is another guard or someone attempting to do the same thing as these two fools, I don't know which or when it will be. But I do know that someone will come, and as a form of punishment, I need to make sure it will be as embarrassing as possible when they do show up. With that thought in mind, I got to work positioning their bodies the way I wanted to and making sure that once they did wake up, they would feel the maximum amount of embarrassment possible.
Once I finished, I looked over at my handiwork, and I couldn't help but chuckle to myself before I grabbed my clothes from their hiding spot. The moment I got my clothes, I quickly put them on before exiting the cell and making sure that the cell door was closed behind me. I heard the click of the lock ensuring that they were securely locked inside the cell, and I knew the guard would be back any moment, so instead of risking getting seen or getting lost, I just decided to go through the window. I walked over to the window, and it was a bit higher than I expected, but that wasn't much of a problem for me, nor was it a problem that it was squarish instead of round. The window was also a bit on the smaller side to ensure that if someone does escape, a normal person wouldn't be able to escape through the window. Unfortunately for them, they didn't plan to hold any big cat shifters because just like normal animal shifters, we share quite the same traits as our animal counterparts. Cat shifters still have the attributes of cats as we are all still part of the cat species, which means we can squeeze through even the tightest of spaces.
I easily jumped and grabbed ahold of the top of the window, and I easily slid my body through the open window. The moment my lower body was through the window I could feel the grass on my feet and legs as I slid the rest of my body out the window. The moment my body was fully outside the window I sat on the ground for a moment and soaked up the sun. I know I went down there willingly but tigers truly don't do well in cages.
I closed my eyes as I lifted my head to feel the sun on my face, I sat there just enjoying the moment as I ran my hand over the soft grass and smiled to myself as I enjoyed the moment. When I opened my eyes, I noticed that there appeared to be a few houses in the background and nothing but grass surrounding the prison cells. I felt it was a little odd that I didn't see any guards around the building, but it's not my business. I stood up and brushed the grass and dirt off my butt and legs before deciding that since I'm out now I might as well go take a look around.
I just walked into my office, and I immediately took off my black suit jacket as I was feeling too suffocated. I tossed my suit jacket on one of the chairs in my office before clasping onto the couch with a sigh and covering my eyes with the crook of my arm. I heard heels click on the hardwood floor of my office, and I knew that Mia followed me into my office behind me. I heard her sigh as she walked over to the chair across from me. "What are we going to do with you, Kayden? I thought you were old enough to learn not to just leave your things lying around." I could hear the teasing tone in her voice as she spoke, but I couldn't help to uncover my face to glare at her.
Mia's blonde hair was pulled back from her face in a perfect pun that seemed to accentuate her heart-shaped face. She wore a white blazer over top of a white shirt with a tight, long red skirt that nearly reached her knees. She also wore open-toe red high-heeled shoes that matched her skirt and the red heart-shaped necklace she got from Luca last Christmas. She looked perfect and ready to get to business, just like she always does when she attends my meetings with me.
I watched as she picked up my suit jacket for the chair and tsked like a mother scolding her child, "When are you going to learn to pick up after yourself? Leaving things lying around like that is how you ruin things and how you get wrinkles in your clothes." I rolled my eyes "That's why we have dry cleaners or ironing boards for." She gave me a sideways glance before walking towards the closet doors "And we've got an even better invention you can use." She opened the closed door, pulled out a hanger from the closet, and held it up "It's called a hanger. If you hang up your clothes after taking them off, it ensures that they won't wrinkle. And just in case you don't know how to use it, I'll show you how to use it properly, so watch carefully."
She began exaggerating how to hang a coat on a hanger in a step-by-step process. I rolled my eyes at her childish behavior before I couldn't hold back my laughter and started chuckling "Alright, that's enough already, Mia." She shook her head with a faint smile of bright red lips "I swear, whatever are we going to do with you? However, will your mate feel when she finds out just how childlike you are? No one wants to have to parent their partner." I know this has always been a long-standing joke among my friends and family as we have all made jokes like this before and after we have found our mates. And I know it is meant to be light-hearted and funny, but the moment she mentioned my mate, I felt my blood run cold.
Mia must have realized what she said or noticed the change in my body language because her smile instantly vanished. "I'm sorry, Kayden. I wasn't thinking when I did that. Have you come up with any ideas of what you are going to do yet?" I sighed and smiled slightly "It's okay, Mia I know you didn't mean any harm by what you said. But no, I haven't even been able to get past the part of her being a tiger shifter. They are one of our mortal enemies how can I have been mated to someone like that? I feel like this is all some sick joke or a really bad dream. I mean, honestly, have you ever heard of something like this happening?"
She walked over to the chair in front of me and sighed before sitting down in front of me. Her green eyes met mine, and as she did, I could see the concern on her face as she smiled sadly "Unfortunately, we both know I have never heard of two different species being mated to one another, let alone two species who are considered enemies to one another. Heaven knows that our pack and many others have lost many of our kind to theirs. But unfortunately, you are and have been mated to her, and it's just a truth that you are just going to have to face. For better or worse, she is and was chosen to be your mate. Unfortunately, we don't always know the why, but we just know that they were made just for us and are our other half for all the good and the bad. The only thing you can do is to either decide to reject her or accept her, and no matter what that choice is, yours, not the packs."
I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed "I'm aware of that, but whatever I choose will affect the pack. I'm the alpha for Christ's sake." She sighed before grabbing my hand from my face, forcing me to look at her. She looked at me with understanding and concerned eyes with a sad smile on her face "You're right; your decision does affect the pack, but the pack doesn't get to decide your happiness. Don't put your happiness on the line just for the sake of the pack's happiness. Besides, she was made for you, which means she is meant to be the perfect Luna by your side to help run this pack. So, no matter what you choose, the pack will be fine."
I raised an eyebrow at her "And what if they aren't fine with it and they decide to challenge my leadership or conduct a mutiny and name someone else as their Alpha and new leader?" She smirked "Then I will leave with you." I rolled my eyes "I'm being serious." She squeezed my hand "So am I. If you leave, so will I." I shook my head "The pack would need you too much if I was forced to step down."
"I don't care if the pack needs me. You are my best friend and the only alpha I will serve under. You are the only alpha I respect or will ever serve. You only think about the pack and what's best for it, and you will put your life on the line for any one of us. If the pack can't see just how much you care about them or tell what a great alpha you are, then they aren't worth it. They aren't the ones whose happiness or their chance of true at finding true love is at stake; yours is. And you have every right to decide that for yourself."
I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair before looking into Mia's green eyes and smiling softly. "Thanks." She smiled back "You're welcome." I sat back, leaning my back against the couch as Mia let go of my hand "She really is beautiful. Almost other-worldly." Mia said, and I couldn't help smiling as I thought about my mate "Yes, she is. She's perfect." She chuckled "You are definitely smitten with her." I rolled my eyes "I don't even know her." She smiled "The mate bond works fast. It doesn't need reasoning or words to make you feel the way you do. If you wait too long, it will make sure there is no going back as you will find that you are madly in love with the person in a matter of days instead of years. And you can no longer imagine your life without them."
Something about what she said made my blood run cold as the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and a sense of dread suddenly filled the air. I don't know why, but even though I was sitting in front of her and watching her lips move, it suddenly felt like those words were coming from someone else's mouth. Even though it was said in more of a matter-of-fact tone, it felt like it was more of a warning than anything else. Everything felt off, and I couldn't help trying to change the mood, so in a teasing tone, I said, "And you know this from personal experience? I didn't know your relationship with Luca was that deep." The corner of her lips lifted in a slight smile "We both know I was in love with Luca long before we found out we were mates. Although the mate bond probably played a part in that as well, for all we know." I raised my eyebrow "Then where did that come from?"
She shrugged "It's just a mixture of my own experiences mixed with other things I've seen or heard about from other people." Despite her saying that, it still didn't make me feel better as something still felt off, and part of me didn't believe her, but I had no reason to question her as she had never lied to me, and I had known her all my life. I sighed "Alright, what do you think I should do then?" She smiled softly "Personally, no matter what anyone else says, I think you should get to know her. She is meant to be by your side for a reason, and I think you owe it to yourself to find out what that is. If it is more trouble than it's worth, then you can reject her. At least that way you know you at least gave it a chance for better or worse that way you won't have any regrets later."
"I think you are forgetting that this isn't all about me. She has just as much right to reject me just as I do. What if she doesn't want this and just outright rejects me?" She raised and smirked all knowingly "From the way she was acting last night I highly doubt she is even thinking about rejecting you." I groaned and ran my fingers through my hair "But what if it is all an act?"
"What would she get out of acting like that?"
"I don't know. Maybe she is trying to get us all to let our guard down to destroy all of us in one go."
She sighed "And what could she possibly gain by that? She is a single tiger against hundreds of wolves even if she managed to take hostages, she would still be way outnumbered and wouldn't have a chance at survival if she did something like that."
"What if she isn't alone?"
"Will you stop with all the what ifs'! They will only psych you out that way. We didn't find any tracks but hers when she arrived, and if she ever showed any signs of doing so, we would take care of her and her friends if that was ever the case. And most of your doubts could be proven or be erased if you would stop psyching yourself out with all these questions."
I sighed "How can you be so sure?" She shrugged "I don't know, I just have a good feeling about her. Besides I just want you to be happy and who better to do that than your mate? And honestly, why are you being such a downer when it's your mate we are talking about, your mate? And in all seriousness, she willingly let us lock her up in a prison cell to make your life easier so your pack members could feel safer."
"You mean against my wishes." She chuckled "That may be, but she did it for your sake as it wouldn't have been a lot harder if you tried to let her go or you gave her a room or place of her own. Then you might have had an actual mutiny on your hands." I rolled my eyes and sarcastically said, "Thanks you always know just what to say to lift my spirits and make me feel better." She smirked "We both know the real reason you and I are such good friends is due to our honest personalities, or else we wouldn't trust each other as much as we do." I sighed as I ran my fingers through my hair, feeling stressed and slightly helpless over everything as I was still very unsure what the right thing to do about everything. Mia suddenly stood up and held her hand out to me "Come on."
I raised my eyebrow at her questionably "And pray do tell where we are going." She rolled her eyes at my childish antics "To go see your beautiful mate." I felt my eyebrows rise in surprise "What do you mean?" She rolled her eyes "There is only one way to get over your doubt, and that is to get to know her. Sitting here like a scared little child isn't going to accomplish anything." When I continued to sit there, not moving for a minute, I could see a look of annoyance begin to form across her facial features, and she rolled her eyes before saying, "Really, are you just going to sit there all day?" I was about to retaliate by saying something smart, but she cut me off before I even had a chance by saying, "Are you seriously going to keep your beautiful mate waiting for you?" I could immediately feel the guilt as it began to weigh heavily in my chest, and I sighed before reluctantly placing my hand in hers.
I allowed Mia to help pull me to my feet as she smiled triumphantly before leading the way out of my office. Before we left my office completely, I sighed, "I hope you are right for both of our sakes." She turned her head to look at me and smiled softly "Everyone deserves a chance at happiness." I shook my head slightly "Yes, but at what cost?" She raised her eyebrow as she held open the office door for me "A chance at true love is worth everything and anything, no matter the cost." I could hear a strange note in her tone in her voice I couldn't pinpoint what immediately put my body on edge, causing my muscles to tense. There was also a strange, almost warning tone in her words, but something told me not to question it right now, so I just kept walking. She walked beside me as we started walking towards the prison cells, and I couldn't help the sudden feeling of dread as it filled the pit of my stomach, but I just attempted to ignore it as we walked in silence to the cells.