THE CHOSEN WHITE WOLF

30. True Bond

I took a deep breath, feeling Alexander's reassuring grip on my hand as we faced our closest family and friends gathered in the study. Their eyes were full of curiosity and concern, reflecting the gravity of what we were about to reveal. Alexander squeezed my hand again, a silent promise of support.

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," Alexander began, his voice steady and strong. "Catherine and I have something important to share."

I felt a wave of nervousness, but I took strength from Alexander's presence. "Alexander and I are mates," I announced, my voice clear. "We've marked and mated."

For a moment, there was silence. Then, Alexander's parents, Alpha Michael and Luna Elizabeth, exchanged looks of surprise before breaking into elated smiles.

"Oh, this is wonderful news!" Mom exclaimed, stepping forward to embrace us both. "We're so happy for you!"

But the joyful atmosphere was short-lived. Dad's eyes narrowed as he caught sight of the mark on Alexander's neck, a look of confusion crossing his face. His gaze then shifted to me, noticing the glowing mark on my neck as well.

"Wait a moment," Dad said, his voice suddenly serious. "That mark... it's unique to the white wolf and signifies a true soulmate bond. If Catherine has marked you, Alexander, it means you are her true mate."

Alexander frowned, touching his neck. "My mark? I didn't even notice."

I felt a rush of surprise. "I didn't realize I marked you. I just thought I was just giving you hickeys" I blushed as I said that.

Ethan, Jane, Chase, and John all turned to look more closely at the marks, their expressions shifting from joy to confusion.

"But that can't be," Chase said, shaking his head. "We all thought they were each other's second chance mates. This mark means something different."

"Exactly," Jane added, her brow furrowed. "It means they're not second chance mates. They're first and only true mates. How is that possible?"

"Could it be that there was a mistake?" John suggested, his voice tinged with disbelief. "That someone tampered with the mating bonds?"

Alexander tightened his grip on my hand, his expression shifting from confusion to raw anger. "We don't know how it happened, but the mark doesn't lie. Now that you mentioned it, I truly believe that Catherine and I are true mates. We need to find out what went wrong. I have felt regret that I couldn't save my mate—I mean, the one I thought was my mate but never felt the heartbreak. I heard that when a mate dies, it feels like a part of you is dying, unfortunately, I didn't feel such thing."

Mom looked at me, her eyes filled with both sympathy and determination. "Catherine, you mentioned your first mate, Brandon. Could there have been something unusual about your bond with him?"

I nodded slowly. "I always felt something was off. It never felt right, like there was a block. And now, with Alexander, everything feels natural and true."

Alexander's grip on my hand tightened further, almost to the point of pain. His eyes blazed with fury. "All those years," he growled, his voice low and dangerous. "I shut myself off for some random woman who wasn't even my true mate. I was forced to endure a bond that wasn't real while my true mate was right here, suffering."

His rage was palpable, and I could feel his possessiveness growing stronger. He pulled me closer, as if he needed to keep me safe from the past and the pain it caused. "If someone did this to us, they will pay," he snarled. "No one messes with my mate and gets away with it."

Chase stepped forward, his expression serious. "We need to talk to the elders. They might have knowledge about such occurrences. But we need to keep this within our trusted circle until we know more."