Filed to story: Claimed by My Ex’s Alpha Brother
Ella’s well-being was my top priority, but my brain couldn’t help but agonize over the two gigantic issues that had been eating away at me this past month-my political marriage to the Alpha King’s daughter and the fear of Ella being exiled. If I couldn’t find a way out of my arranged marriage with Olivia-a deal that would help protect us from the Rogues-because we’d made love, Ella could be exiled from the pack for obstructing this marriage. Even if it was just that once, some of our Elders might consider it breaking wolf law.
Ever since Ella and I spent the night together, I’d been racking my brain, trying to find a way that I could protect my pack without the help of the king to ensure that I could be with my Mate-also to ensure Ella wouldn’t be exiled. I’d spent many nights at my desk, contacting Alphas of tribes WaterLock was aligned with, but none of them could spare any warriors.
Next, I thought about bringing in warriors from the Pyregate Kingdom-their soldiers were known for being strong and formidable-but I didn’t have the money or the resources to do so.
How was I going to make sure WaterLock was protected and have Ella in my life at the same time? If I didn’t marry Olivia, my pack wouldn’t be protected from the threat that seemed like it was breathing down our necks, ready to pounce at any moment.
Two days ago, another Rogue wolf attack occurred. When I heard the news, it made me dizzy with fear. The victim had been a seventeen-year-old girl with long black hair. The Rogue had killed her slowly, dragging out her pain.
Even if Ella wasn’t sick, she was still in danger of being harmed by one of those monsters-for a second time.
And what if Ella was exiled because we spent the night together?
One week ago-during one of our family’s nightly dinners that Noah had made a rare appearance for-I’d asked my father if a member of our pack were to interfere with my marriage with Olivia, even if it were in a small way, what would happen to them.
My father gave me a suspicious look, then explained that the pack member would be exiled without trial since they had knowingly put our pack in danger. Our entire pack knew about the Rogue wolf threat, and if they were to hinder our deal with the Alpha King-in any way-then they would be breaking wolf law.
Then, Noah had said something that made my stomach drop and caused cold dread to wash over me.
My brother said, “Don’t worry, Liam, if someone were to stand in the way of your marriage with Olivia, I’d kill them myself. Isn’t that my job as your Beta?”
He had said it like a joke, but there had been a flash of violence in his eyes that made me choke on my dinner.
His words had been another reason I hadn’t told him about me and Ella sleeping together.
No one could find out that Ella and I had had sex.
What if I wasn’t able to stop the Elders from exiling her? I would follow her into the woods, of course. And so would her parents. But could four of us really survive hungry packs of Rogue wolves? They would sense we weren’t like them and single us out.
The memory of Ella being bitten by that Rogue wolf haunted me. Her piercing screams of pain plagued my nightmares. And the image of her lying on the rock, not knowing if she was going to survive, exploded into my mind.
What if I couldn’t save her a second time? Ella couldn’t be exiled. It would be more damning than a death sentence.
The weight of my worries crushed me until I was suffocating under their pressure.
A knock on my bedroom window interrupted my racing mind.
Could it be…
I whirled around before I finished that thought. The sight of Ella standing outside made my body numb with relief. Rushing to the window, I threw it open, the pane of glass vibrating dangerously.
“Ella, I’m so happy to see you,” I said and helped her inside.
When Healer Elijah told Noah and me to leave the hospital earlier today, the Mating bond urged me to push past the healer and see if my Mate was all right with my own eyes. Ultimately, I fought the bond and left the hospital, assuring myself that Healer Elijah and her parents would take good care of her.
Now, my Mate stood in the middle of my room and looked down at her white sneakers instead of meeting my eyes. Her long hair was dripping water down her back, still damp from a shower. When she looked up, her eyes were wide with apprehension. She bit her lip and absently rubbed the scar on her arm, something she only did when she was nervous.
“Ella, what’s wrong? Did…did Healer Elijah give you bad news at the hospital? Are you…all right?”
My mind didn’t even want to consider the possibility of my Mate being sick. She didn’t appear to be ill. Sure, her face was a little paler than normal, and her eyes had dark circles under them, but that could just be from lack of sleep. I was pretty sure I had the same purple bruises under my eyes from staying up worrying about her being exiled and trying to find a way to protect my pack that didn’t entail marrying Olivia.
“I have something, um, really important to tell you,” she said and nervously cracked her knuckles. “It’s going to be…shocking to hear.”
She really is sick.
My fear spiked, and I had to grasp onto the side of my bed frame to fight my dizziness. I took a deep breath in and let it out slowly.
I had to stay strong for Ella. She needed me more than ever right now.
“Would you…do you want to sit down?” I asked, gesturing to my bed.
“Um, yeah, okay. Thanks.”
She sank down onto the white comforter and clasped her hands together. Her left leg bounced with nerves.
I put a reassuring hand on her leg, gently stroking her thigh, trying to give her a small amount of comfort.
She let out a long deep sigh and laid her head on my shoulder.
I wrapped my arm around her and kissed the top of her head. The Mating bond hummed with happiness that I was finally close to her again. It had been driving me crazy with the need to see my Mate over this past month.
“Before you say anything, I just want to tell you that I’m sorry for not stopping things a month ago,” I said, needing to get this off my chest. “You were in a vulnerable state after what happened, and even though the Mating bond was powerful, I should have fought it harder. It was the best night of my life, but that’s not worth you being confused and upset this past month.”
“Liam…” she trailed off and squeezed my hand. “Thank you, that was sweet of you to say. But I don’t blame you. I felt the effects of the Mating bond, too. I don’t think we could have stopped ourselves if we tried.”
She swallowed nervously, and her leg began to bounce again.
“Whatever you need to tell me, we will figure it out. Together,” I said and squeezed the side of her body against mine.
She pulled away slightly to study my eyes.
“Promise?” she asked.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?