The Unmarked Mate

Chapter 29

Matthew

The return home was gloom and silent. Jackson was still driving, Arthur sat in the front with him. Otto and Sarah had joined the Jenkins car with Liam. Arthur and George needed time. In the back, I held Orithya in my arms. I was relieved she was safe; she and the baby were okay. I needed to remind myself of that. But I felt guilty beyond measures, I had sworn to protect Dahlia and I had failed. What kind of Alpha was I? Allowing the sacrifice of my pack member to protect my own mate when I had failed to protect her... Orithya felt my distress, she cupped my face with her delicate hand.

"It's okay" she softly whispered.

"I'm so sorry!" I buried myself in her. I had failed. We stayed like that for a while.

"Alpha?" said Arthur. I looked at him through the rear way mirror. "I need to tell you what happened, I think it's necessary now!" He explained everything since the meeting with Sibyl the morning after Dahlia had threatened her. Dahlia knew. She knew all along. It was her idea; she had planned this. She had kept her vow. After a couple hours of driving, Orithya wasn't feeling well so we stopped. I told the others what Arthur had told me.

"I'm so sorry George!" Arthur told his old friend, avoiding his eyes.

"Don't you start apologizing, you sound like Dahlia!" They hugged.

One month, we needed to remind ourselves, it was only for one month.

"There is another thing to do!" said Arthur very concerned.

"What is that?" I asked, holding Ori's arms, as she was feeling slightly better.

"We need to inform King Malcolm... and James." He said James' name with worry in his voice. Dahlia and King Malcolm's brother had spent a lot of time together for the past days. I didn't know what was happening but there was something going on.

"Damian will murder me! He would be right to! I swore to him we would help her get her revenge, I swore to him we would protect her from that man, I failed." I said to Ori while we were getting to the car.

"My love, we both know Dahlia, do you truly believe there was something we could have done if she had decided on her plan?" she asked me.

"No, not really." I admitted.

"Don't beat yourself up, it was her choice, in a month we'll be there to welcome her. Maybe we can't attack him, but he didn't say anything about helping a plan to move along. You heard Arthur, you heard the questions she asked the witch, I think she will be quite capable of taking care of him once she returns home." Orithya told me determined. She knew her well. She always was one step ahead of the others. My beautiful mate, my love. I hugged her tight, she was my life, my everything, if anything had happened to her, I would have died.

The Blue Stream Pack, where Oliver, Olivia, King Malcolm and the rest of the Lycans had go to investigate the rogue attacks was on the way, so we decided we should bring them the news ourselves. Damian had told them about the kidnapping, and that we couldn't bring any backups, but none of them heard the news yet. Arthur told King Malcolm he was on his way. When we arrived, they were all waiting. The Alpha and Beta to the Blue Stream Pack, Olivia's parents, Olivia and Oliver, Damian, King Malcolm, Queen Catherine, James, Beta Elliott and all the other warriors and Lycans who were brought in that trip. This wasn't going to be a nice talk.

We all got out of the cars, when they saw Orithya, everyone was relieved. But then Damian and James noticed the absence of Dahlia. Damian, ran to me, he had never been disrespectful before:

"What the fuck Matthew? Where is Dahlia?" he threatened me. While I was trying to calm him, I saw James losing it too. He grabbed Arthur and lifted him up above the ground

"WHERE IS SHE?" he yelled at his brother's Gamma who bore the same guilt on his face as I did. Everybody looked to the ground. No one was daring to look at any of them. Orithya intervened, and calmed Damian. She was looking at him, with her hand on his arm, she must have told him something through mindlink, and his face went from anger to defeat. But James was another story.

"Will somebody tell me where she is?" he shouted in desperation. Still holding Arthur above the ground.

"James, that's enough! Put my Gamma down!" ordered King Malcolm in a commanding tone; James let go. "Now, can someone tell us what happened?"

We told the stories. I couldn't say who said what. But Otto gave the major account. When he finished, he said in a grave voice:

"I will never forgive myself for leaving her with that man, but she left us no choice. She is a better fighter, a better person than I will ever be." The Lycans did not understand the significance of these words, except James perhaps who looks as shocked as Ori, but we werewolves all did. Otto recognizing her as the better one was unexpected. It was a testimony of the greatness of her actions. But then I remembered Otto's sister, how she was abused by the new teacher of her school years ago, and it all made sense. Both his previous behaviour towards her, weary of letting in a new stranger after his little sister and his later behaviour. He had witnessed what this kind of abuse meant, what it did to a person and therefore what Dahlia's surrender actually meant.

After that James left, he said he would see us at Yew Tree Pack, he shifted into that massive red wolf of his and he vanished.

So we waited. There was nothing else to do but wait.

Ten days later we were back at the border of Silent Valley Pack looking at the Dark Hedges path. We stayed a lot in Alpha Raymond and Luna Florence territory. We gave over the oath, signed by me and Malcolm, swearing Yew Tree Pack would never attack the Crimson Moon Pack.

Another ten days and they delivered Jessamine. Sibyl was there. She hugged her sister, and Jessamine was rushed to the pack clinic. She was very weak, and did not speak, was it that she didn't want to or wasn't able to we didn't know. She was alive. Lucius had kept his word. The days were getting shorter now, it was almost winter. The nights were colder with the moon rising. In five days, Maisie and Dahlia were to be released. James had come back. King Malcolm had called for backups. Fifty more Lycans had joined us after the sending of the oath.

On the day of the full Moon, we all gathered at the border. Everyone was there. I had asked Orithya not to come, I was afraid something would happen, but she refused, categorically. So, I stood there, alongside her, willing to protect her and the child she bore with my life if anything was to occur. It was getting dark, and we were all watching the long path of Dark Hedges. The beech trees had lost all their leaves, the night was silent under a bright moon. In the coldest night since Autumn had started, we waited. Werewolves arrived from behind the trees on each side of the path, surely making sure no one would cross the border. Where were they?