Beth cringed. “I’m sorry, Beth, I didn’t mean that…”
“Yes,” she replied softly. “You did. But I understand. Go on…”
“Why she ever mated with him, I’m not sure. Maybe she felt threatened, or maybe she just loved him that damn much. All I knew in my child's’ mind is that she took my father away. And I hated her for it. Silly, really. It was only as I grew older that I realized the only one who took him away was him. It was his choice.”
Beth couldn’t take it anymore; she could practically taste his hurt in the air. Quickly rising, she knelt in front of him and took his hands in her own, feeling their soft, un-calloused palms, dry and gentle. “You’re right, Donovan. He decided to miss out on your childhood. But you must have worked things out?”
He snorted. “You mean because here I am, living in the Great House, heir to the Alpha?”
She nodded slowly, feeling less sure.
“Not really, Beth. When it was discovered that Lissa had been meeting someone else in secret - much the same as my father was, actually - he went wild with rage. He damn near tore the entire village apart in his wrath, until he found them both. Declaring them rogue, he attacked them and forced them to flee from the territory, but he wasn’t content with that. He had to run them both down in the many months following, only returning to the pack once his grisly business was finished.” Donovan slipped his hands free from Beth’s death grip and rose, strolling slowly to the window, gazing at nothing but the past.
“By the time he’d returned, I had lost my mother to a fever, and was being shuffled from family to family. He really didn’t have a choice, knowing someone, at some stage would find out I was his son, so he took me in and raised me, which was a mixed blessing, to say the least.”
Tears had started trickling down Beth’s cheeks at some point, and she brushed them aside quickly. “I’m so sorry, Donovan. She didn’t deserve any of that, and neither did you.” She tried to comfort him, but he once again shook her off and strode to the door, all anger drained from him, leaving him a disheveled and pain-filled wreck.
“So you see, Beth,” he whispered with his back to her. “This is the way it has to be.”
Hours later, eyes bloodshot and swollen, Beth lay on the wide bed, wondering how everything had gone so wrong. But at least Gareth is safe, she told herself. The Bond would not break, and he would not be at risk. But what sort of life would she have, now? Much worse than any she could have imagined mere weeks ago. It seemed childish now to worry about which of the two handsome suitors she would pick, when she ended up with neither, and worse, was destined to be a breeding machine for a lunatic Alpha Werewolf in a foreign pack, in a different territory. Quite how things could get any worse, she couldn’t imagine.
“I see you’ve heard the news.” Bradley casually leaned on the jam of the door, watching her with an intensity that was unsettling. He seemed smug and gloating. “I was so hoping to inform you of your new status, myself.”
“New status?” Her mind was numb. How could he just stand there smirking as if he hadn’t just torn her entire world away from her.
“In a couple of days, you will officially become the Alpha Female of the Tall Grass pack,” he told her, smiling. “And you’ll be obedient, and wonderful, and perfect.”
It seemed more a threat than a compliment, and Beth took it as one, meaning if she wasn’t obedient, and wonderful and perfect, she would be dead, just like poor, tragic Lissa and Jake. “I will,” she replied carefully.
“And then,” he growled, his lust scent permeating the air. “You’ll be well and truly mated.”
“What will you tell the pack?” she asked, raising her head slowly. “How will you explain to them that I am now your mate, instead of your son’s?”
“We’ll tell them the truth,” he snapped, his eyes narrowing before he broke out in a great guffaw. “We’ll tell them you just can’t decide which man you want for your mate, as evidenced already, and have finally agreed to be mine. Obviously,” he went on smiling. “We’ll have to be careful not to cast any blame or scorn upon my dear son, but I’m sure once things settle down and you produce a cub or two, they’ll all realize how perfect for each other we are.”
“Perfect, yeah,” she replied, stupefied. This man was deranged. She had to find a way to escape from here before the mating ceremony.
Not knowing where Donovan had disappeared to since his mind-shattering announcement, Beth was literally on her own. It was hard not to be angry with him for abandoning her to her fate, but she couldn’t say she blamed him. She really had been nothing but trouble and heartache for him since the night of her ceremony, and this latest development must have pushed him over the edge, but she was the one who had reverted to a commodity here, and damned if she’d go down without a fight.
Her morning was taken up by Herb Lore as she had promised to attend, and not wanting to appear unpredictable, she had to wait until after lunch to seek out the weaver ladies. Finding a quiet spot in the forest around the village, Beth nibbled on fruit and cheese, trying to work out where she went from here. If she bolted, no doubt they’d track her to the ends of the earth. She shivered, remembering the story of Lissa. And if she stayed, she’d be reduced to a child-bearing trophy-mate. If she went back to the Loam Floor pack, they’d just send her right back, and then there’d be hell to pay.
How long could she make it, on her own? Could she run far enough and fast enough to find a different pack, far away from here, willing to take her in? She did have her pure-breed status to bargain with, an enticing prize for any pack, but she would bring a universe load of trouble on her heels. And could she get away, in any case? She wasn’t stupid enough to think she didn’t have her shadows here in the village, and if she were to venture too far, they’d probably show themselves very clearly. While searching for a particular herb that morning, she’d gone a little too far into the surrounding woods and caught the scent of two distinctly different males that she’d never met, and she was pretty sure they’d been following her.
If Bradley had put guards on her, he would know every move she made, probably before she even made it. Taking a thoughtful bite from her apple, she weighed her options. Her only real options. She could run, and be hunted. Or stay and be bred. Both options were unthinkable, but one at least afforded her a measure of freedom. The apple felt like chewed up glass as she swallowed.
“Beth!” Marybell exclaimed in delighted surprise. “I am glad to see you, dear.”
“Not as glad as I,” intoned Margo in a decidedly chilling voice. “I hear all sorts of gossip these days, you see. There have been strange snippets of gossip for the past twenty four hours. When exactly did you decide to take Bradley to mate?”
“I didn’t!” she protested savagely.
“I rather thought not,” the old woman replied, reaching for a cup of tea, her hands shaking. “It’s time for my tea, then?”
“No, Margo,” Marybell protested loudly, putting two hands on her ample hips. “It’s far too dangerous–”
“Nonsense!” she cut in shrilly. “If Bradley Tall Grass even remembers my existence, and puts two and two together, what can he do?” she cackled. “Put me on trial?”
“No, she’s right,” Beth interjected. “It is far too dangerous. If he should ever learn of it, well, you wouldn’t have to worry about a trial, let’s put it that way.”
Marybell flinched and sat down abruptly, but Margo - tough old goat that she was - merely shrugged a bony shoulder. “And so what? If it will help, I am glad to do it. And if Bradley, or any of his bullies come calling late at night,” she shrugged again, taking a slurp of her tea. “I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”
“I can’t let you take that risk,” Beth said, shaking her head so hard that her blond locks fell about her face in disarray.
“I will make the tea, in any case,” Margo told her sternly. “And I will not take no for an answer.” Her bony hand slashing the air put a stop to anything Beth had planned
to say. “In an emergency, it could be helpful. And who’s to say you didn’t make it yourself, hmm?”
“You all know I had no Herb Lore before coming to this pack,” she replied, thin eyebrows drawn together in frustration.
“Ah yes, but perhaps you weren’t totally honest, eh? You ever think of that?”
“I suppose…”
“Well then, that’s settled. Marybell, I will need certain ingredients which you must fetch for me. Beth can’t be seen to be preparing anything, or doing anything at all out of the ordinary.” All three agreed on that. “I suggest that you find Donovan. If you explain the entire situation, I’m sure he’ll help however he can.”
“I can’t!” Beth paced the tiny room in a panic. “Don’t you think I’ve tried to find him? I’ve asked each person that I’ve come across today, and nobody has seen him since last night. Apparently he took off into the woods and hasn’t returned.”
“Poor boy,” Marybell whispered. “He can’t shove his head in the sand any longer.”
“He can if he can’t be found,” Beth replied, feeling lost.
“Leave him then. We’ll make do.” The old woman once again reached for her cup, found it drained and motioned for Marybell to re pour. “For the next hour, you need to make yourself unavailable for private audiences, do you understand?” Her rheumy eyes seemed to stare straight into Beth’s mind.
“I understand. The Common House, then?”
“That would be wise,” she nodded, her white hair floating ever so slightly with the motion. “Call back here before you return to the Great House today. I shall need no less than an hour to procure and produce the tea.”
Nodding, Beth took her leave. She felt like a traitor, a sneak and the worst sort of liar, sitting in the middle of the Common House with the few members of the pack who were grouped around the tables, chatting animatedly, and occasionally gesturing in her direction. She knew they were all discussing the recent change in mate status, and knew too that they were equal parts excited and confused. A few approached her with congratulations on their lips and frowns on their faces. She just nodded and said “thank you” to each of them before returning to the book she had brought with her from the weaver’s cottage. It was an ordinary book, telling the tale of weaving from history - on the outside at least. Inside was a detailed map of the territory which Margo had pulled out of some dusty corner of the cottage. Beth was looking for a likely escape route.
Not knowing the territory wasn’t the only problem. It was not knowing where other Den Houses may be, or whether or not they had sentries patrolling the borders. Margo wasn’t sure, and Marybell was truly clueless, but they’d said it was a safe bet to assume there would be at least a couple of wolves she’d have to avoid on her journey.
“Can we talk?”
Beth snapped the book closed guiltily and looked up to meet the anguished face of her previous mate. “What is there to say, Donovan? It’s done.”
“Dammit,” he replied, taking her roughly by the arm. “I want to talk to you!”
“Donovan.” Keeping her voice low enough to avoid being overheard, she tried to remove her arm from his iron grip. “People are looking.”
“I don’t care,” he replied in a voice like ice. “I need to speak to you, now.”
“Okay,” she agreed. “But not here. Meet me back at the house in fifteen minutes. Your father is not there.”
“Fifteen minutes.” His eyes lingered on her for a moment, and with a twist of his lips he was gone.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Quickly burying the herbal tea in a plant pot in the hallway, Beth made her way upstairs, where her nose told her Donovan awaited her.
When she entered the room, she was surprised to see him pulling the blinds and running the shower. “Donovan, what the hell–”
“Shh!” he told her, taking her in his arms. “You must be quiet.”
For a moment neither of them spoke. Donovan stared into Beth’s eyes with such intensity that Beth began to feel afraid, truly afraid that he’d gone mad. “It’s not me you need to fear,” he told her softly. “Tell me, Beth. What do you think our Alpha would do if he got his hands on the wolf who Bound you so tightly? The wolf who took your virtue?”
“Gareth?”
“Yes, Gareth! Who else?”
“I don’t…I mean…what’s this about?”
“What do you think he’d do to him, Beth? Be careful how you answer.”
Beth said nothing. Her mind whirled with images generated by all she knew of Bradley. He was a cruel and jealous man by all accounts, not even really wanting his own son to have her. She remembered Lissa, chased and hounded for “many months”. Of both Lissa and Jake’s disappearance. She thought about the very careful way the members of the pact behaved. Of the rough treatment he’d given her, and of the dark promise in his eyes every time he perused her with his glittering eyes.
“He would kill him,” she replied, convinced.
“Yes,” Donovan confirmed. “He would. And he will, if you don’t do something.”
“What do you mean? Is that where Bradley is? Oh, God, Donovan, what has he done?”
Beth’s teeth chattered together as Donovan shook her. “Calm down,” he grated. “He hasn’t done anything yet. But your wolf has been slinking around near here. Can’t you smell him? His stench literally hangs in the air all over the village.”
She shook her head. No, she couldn’t smell him. Gareth, is here?
“Of course you wouldn’t. Forgive me, the scent of him is constantly with you, in any case.” He seemed to relax a bit. “So, you had no plans to run with him?”
“What? No!” She’d had plans, but they didn’t include Gareth. She would never endanger anyone in that way. “What’s with all this?” Gesturing to the blinds and the shower, she met his gaze in confusion.
“So our conversation remains private. I’m more concerned about your tails hearing about our visitor than about them thinking we’re up here doing something illicit.”
She’d never thought of that. How much had they heard from the weaver’s cottage earlier? Her mind whirled as she mentally went over the lay out of the village. No, there was nowhere they could safely hide themselves in the village outskirts without giving themselves away to her, so she was pretty certain she was safe, even here. Nonetheless, she’d be taking precautions in the future.
“And while they think we’re doing something illicit, you need to be elsewhere.” He turned her around and sent her back towards the door. “Go to the hallway, there’s a door. Behind it is a tunnel that leads directly into the surrounding woods. Use it, and tell your wolf to disappear. I can only convince so many people that the scent wafting around is from your Bond, rather than your wolf.”
“Donovan, I…thank you.” She fled towards the stairs.
“And Beth?”
She turned to see him framed in the doorway, sadness radiating from him. “You better be quick, because my father is the best tracker in the world, and if he comes home and you’re not here, he will find you.”
Nodding, Beth took the stairs as quickly as she could, rounding them at the bottom and rushing through the hall where the door to the basement was. Sure enough, there was a rickety, wooden stairs, shrouded with cobwebs, that led to a dirt tunnel. With the soft earth cushioning her steps, she flew towards the woods, and Gareth. She had to warn him. She had to get rid of him.
Stumbling in her haste, she ended up sprawled in a heap on the far side of a log when he found her. “Beth!”
She looked at him and was totally lost. There he stood, tired and wretched, and beautiful. Her heart beat a million times a minute and she gasped for something to say. Anything. But all she could do was mouth his name. He loomed over her and hauled her to her feet, only to be crushed in an embrace so tight she could hardly breathe. She was hardly breathing anyway. “Gareth!” she pulled away abruptly, staring at him in disbelief. Even though Donovan had told her he was here, she still couldn’t quite
believe it. “What are you doing here? Don’t you know they’ll kill you?”
“I know,” he replied slowly, his face hardening. “And I don’t care. They’ll have to catch us first.”
“Us?”
“Beth.” He sat her down on the log, taking her hands in his and she was immediately aware of the contrast between his rough, calloused hands, and the soft, gentle hands of Donovan. “You know why I’m here. Come with me now and we’ll run. They won’t catch us.”
“I…can’t.”
“Come on, Donovan won’t chase us forever, anyway.” He grinned at her, his mouth stretching into the cheekiest, most perfect smile she’d ever seen.
“It’s not that. It’s not him.” Her heart almost stopped dead as she realized she’d have to tell him what had happened.
He took her in his arms once again, breathing deeply the scent of her hair, her neck. He trailed kisses around her jawline, and she sighed, melting. “What is it, then? I know you want me. Damn you, I can smell it.”
“Gareth,” she whispered. “I’m no longer Donovan’s mate.”
He froze in the act of kissing the corner of her mouth, and laughed heartily. “Well that’s great news!” he exclaimed, palming the back of her neck. “Now there’s nobody in our way.” The kiss was so scorching, so full of pent up emotion and arousal that it near set her afire.
“I’m not Donovan’s mate,” she whispered brokenly, pushing him away, ignoring the soft, confused smile on his face. “I’m Bradley’s. The ceremony is set for tomorrow. And I assure you, he would run us to ground. He would find us. And he would kill us both.”
For a few moments he sat in a haze of puzzlement. She could see it when the impact of her statement made itself clear. “Donovan just gave you up?”
“No, it’s not like that. You don’t understand–”
“The hell I don’t!” he interrupted ferociously. “I understand that I fought tooth and nail to get to you. I understand that I may not be, may never be, the better man, but I also understand that I love you, and I will never let you go again.”
Bound by Fate (Moon Bound Series Book 1) Page 19