The Unmarked Mate

Chapter 18

Matthew

When I finally finished reading the letter, nobody said a word. It was hard enough to read these words; it must have been as hard to hear them. Ori started crying and hugged me tight. At that moment, so many emotions went through me. How could someone live through all of that? What man could do that? What mate could do that? Orithya was taking it very hard. I hugged her tighter. We were calming each other and acknowledging the privilege we had to have found each other. I saw Olivia hugging Oliver, Lucia hugging Andrew, Mrs Jenkins was holding George, even Sarah and Otta were not okay. My parents were looking at each other. Margaret seemed outraged. Gamma Arthur was looking right in front of him, I could not read his emotions: anger, sadness, rage, despair. Suddenly Damian punched the wall in rage. I knew what he was thinking. He had shaken hands with that monster. We had him and we let him go. We all stayed silent for a few minutes for the information to sink in.

Then each of the people Dahlia had mentioned talked. Orithya gave accounts to how she was saved by Dahlia, who turned into a giant black wolf with red eyes. An account very close to what Lucia and Andrew told us about the attack. Now we knew how she was able to shift with wolfsbane around. Arthur and the Jenkins filled us in about last night. No wonder she was not there. They said how troubling it was, Mrs Jenkins' eyes were ready to tear up as she was telling us the words Dahlia had used: "I can't go back. He can't take me. I need to leave again. He will hurt all of you, he will kill all of you if he knows you've been helping me. I should never have stayed this long, I was selfish. I can't let any more people get hurt because of me. This will be my fault, again." Then a realization hit her when she recalled these words "they're monsters. If I stay, you will all end up above the bed."

Arthur told us about how they could mindlink and how she had made him swear to protect at all costs the Jenkins' life, and Orithya's, and anyone of this pack. She told him she swore to protect Orithya then, she made him swear to protect all of us even if that meant she should die. He reluctantly accepted and he swore he would protect all of us even at the cost of her life. I saw how he never wanted to take that vow, but he would live by it.

That was too much for Damian. He stormed out of the room. I proposed a break for everybody and quickly followed him. When he arrived downstairs, he saw Dahlia helping Mrs. Lambert, he stopped to look at her and then almost ran to the door. I followed him outside.

"I'm going to kill that guy! I'm going to rip his throat and left his body to the crows." He screamed in rage.

"Damian, calm down. You're not thinking straight. We all want him dead, we all want revenge for what he has done. What do you think? Dahlia is my friend too, I might not have had sex with her, but I've known her for eight years, she is the only reason I have not lost Ori, and all of you on patrol. I owe her many things. I want that guy dead too..." I was angry too.

"You don't get it." he interrupted me. He was angry, but maybe angrier at himself than anyone else. "Don't you see? This bastard was mad at me the second he saw me, the second he touched my hand. Minutes before I met him, I was with her. I was having sex with her, what do you think my right hand smelled like? That's why he squeezed it, that's why he wouldn't let it go, that's why he was so weird around me. He smelled her on me. He smelled that she had sex with me. So he knows. He knows she's here. And all of that because of me." he screamed that last part. "She's my friend, I care about her, not only because I sleep with her. We're not mates, I'm not in love with her, but she's important for me and the man who tortured her, the man who stole her life, the man who killed her father, the man who fucking raped her, the man she has been escaping from for years, knows where she is because of me!"

"Don't be ridiculous. This is not your fault, this is not the council's fault either for inviting him, this is not Dahlia's fault as she believes. This is his fault, he is the monster, he is the one we have to take care about. I'm pretty sure King Malcolm is coming to talk about him as much as he is coming to talk about the rogue attacks. You and I, my strong Gamma, we will give her revenge, we will help her get justice for what he has done to her, she's a member of my pack, and I, Alpha Matthew Blackwood, will never let anyone hurt someone from my pack in this manner. But if he we attack now and he kills some of Dahlia's pack, after all she gave up to protect some of them do you think she will be grateful? And you heard her, she's afraid killing him might kill her. The mate bond can be a powerful thing, not everyone can survive the death of their mate, even someone as strong as Dahlia! We need to think! We need to ask her what she wants to do! This is her choice now!" some of my Alpha tone slipped through during this speech. He calmed down. He knew I was right. I looked back at the packhouse and saw Dahlia smoking next to the entrance door.

"Did you hear any of that?" I mindlinked her, during the meeting Andrew told us about her having Lycan hearing.

"All of it. The meeting too. Sorry I did not tell you sooner. And, don't sweat it Alpha, I'll be fine. Go take care of Damian, I'm not leaving just yet." She answered.

"You're not leaving at all. But brace yourself there's a Luna and her Beta who are going to hug you very tight."

"Oh lord! Goddess protect me from their arms!" she answered joking. As she said that, she turned her head and saw Ori running toward her, embracing her. And she stayed still, cigarette in hand, awkwardly trying not to burn her Luna. I let them some privacy and turned my attention back to Damian. Otto and Oliver joined us.

We all decided not to talk about it any further for the day. We all had to process it and I was sure Dahlia, or Elestren, she was still Dahlia for me, wasn't too keen on lingering on that story. Plus, we had to prepare for the king. Arthur left with a few warriors, Oliver and Otto to meet King Malcolm at the norther border of the territory. We stayed put to finalize preparations.