Tᴇᴛʜᴇʀᴇᴅ

❄︎𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 41❄︎

•Isadora•

Just when I thought things couldn't get messier, I was proved wrong, again.

During my run, I came face to face with one of the elders of the pack. Geoff. He said he felt a distressed wolf and came to aid their restless heart. Shifting back, we sat near the clearing and that's when I learnt about Irvin and Kiara's bond.

Elders have spiritual powers that level up through meditation. The higher the rank the more they could realize a lot of things.

He said that during Kiara's banishment, he had known she was Irvin's mate but due to Irvin not being around for years, she never got the chance to know that.

Now she was banned from her wolf, mate and bond, she'd never know the mate bond she was severed from.

Since Irvin wasn't at any fault for her crimes, he was granted another mate, Janice.

That was Geoff's conclusion, and it all made a lot of sense, but the burden on me had only increased.

This is a decision I couldn't just leave on the Alpha and get rid off, it's something I need to make up my mind for.

For the better of everyone involved.

❄︎☽︎❄︎☽︎❄︎

Zephyr's warm embrace took off the weight that had been on my shoulders,
—hanging heavily like hundred tons of sacks—and filled my heart with his love and tenderness, his pheromones also helped keep Brielle calm.

Now with more clarity of mind, I have decided on something. I don't know what others would think about it, but I need to do what's right as a ruler, not a sister or friend.

❄︎☽︎❄︎☽︎❄︎

After nightfall, I march toward the cells, finally ready to have a talk with my brother and know his actual intention behind kidnapping my mate.

With my posture upright and tough, I enter his cell. He was sitting on the bed, one hand tied to the rail of the bed with a chain, coated in wolfsbane, so he can't just yank it off.

"Sister." He looks up, lips cut and blood trailing down his chin.

"I hope you know you were granted a second chance mate." I don't beat around the bush and get to the point.

His expression shifts, from the cocky, careless one to more stoic and firm one, the smirk vanishing off his face.

"Have you met her yet?"

A low growl bubbles in his chest but he doesn't respond.

"I don't know what misunderstanding has brought you here and dared you to kidnap my mate and hurt him, but let me tell you, Kiara, your first mate, wasn't a saint."

His growl loudens now as he yanks at the restraints only to grunt in pain as the bane seeps into his skin from the pressure. My gaze doesn't falter.

"You fucking killed her!" He seethes.

"She's not dead." I correct, a flicker of emotion passes his eyes as he glares at me.

"She tried to force-mark my mate, molested him and faced the consequences. She was stripped off her life as a werewolf and banished. That's why you felt the pain and believed she died.

She never even knew you, or waited for you, she was shamelessly after Zephyr, wanting him and she was ready to sacrifice you in order to mark Zephyr as her chosen mate.

Yet here you are, without knowing anything, avenging a bitch." I spit out the last part, my eyes now glowing as Brielle surfaces.

"It's true, brother. She never wanted you, or loved you. She was always desperate for Zephyr and got what she deserved."

Irvin's face falls, his breathing hard and eyes glassy as he casts his head down.

"Is that why you hurt Zephyr? To take revenge on me? How could you take such drastic step without investigating further?"

He stays silent for a long while, both of us just lingering in that small, stinky place till he raises his head and to my surprise, his eyes are welled up with tears.

"I heard from someone that my sister became the Beta and killed my mate. I was enraged, not only because I lost my mate, but also due to losing my position to you, my little sister.

I-I began thinking about all the mistakes I've done, how I lost everything to my foolishness and-and now, my mate too.

I wanted everything back, I wanted to defeat you and become the rightful Beta of the pack. I was so engrossed in my plan for revenge that I surpassed any rational thought. I didn't even justify if the news bearer was telling the truth or not."

I clench my jaw hard, disbelief washing over my face as I realize that was all, he came after me and my mate, based on a news that had no base or foundation.

I wonder how he would've been a Beta of the pack with such thick brain.

"I have nothing to talk to you about, not anymore. You've proved you'd never be a capable Beta, let alone a brother. I'll see you when your punishment's sealed."

I turn around to leave, grabbing the cell door, "Wait." He stops me.

I stay still, not looking at him or leaving.

"Wh-who's my second chance mate? I-I felt her, she was here. Bu-but she never showed me her face."

For some reason, my heart stings a little at the crack of his voice.

Only if he didn't act on misunderstanding, things could have been diffferent. But it's too late to be emotional now.

I don't reply and hurry out of the cell, picking up my pace as my eyes threaten to fill up. I will not cry for someone who hurt my mate.

I can hear his screams of agony and frustration as my steps carry me far away from cells, back to the Beta mansion, where my mate's waiting for me.

❄︎☽︎❄︎☽︎❄︎

•Janice•

I was awake on my bed, staring at the ceiling, deep in thoughts about the punishment I was receiving without doing anything.

During the fight, my gaze kept drifting to Irvin and how everything could have been if he had never left. But not only did he ignore my presence like he couldn't even feel me, he also fought against me. Yet, didn't realize who am I.

Maybe this mate bond was onesided in my case. But why did the Goddess do this to me?! What have I done?!

While struggling to keep my heart from crumbling, I hear Isa's voice flowing through the pack link.

"Go and meet Irvin before we have the meeting in the morning."

I was desperately awaiting her okay to meet him. No matter how much a mate may matter to me, I am the Gamma of this pack first, and I'd never betray my Beta for the sake of my selfish priorities.

So getting the signal from her was everything to me and in a flash, I find myself bolting to the cells. The guards there usher me to follow them to the back of the dungeon, where a small storage space for weaponry is located, and gesture me inside.

My heart pounds in my chest as Sia, my wolf, whines in need to meet her mate for the first time. With a shaky hand, I grab the knob and turn it around.

Through the darkness of the room, I spot a figure and my breath hitches as the face becomes clearer and Irvin's icy, blue eyes stare at me with all the intensity harbored within them.

"Hey, mate."

❄︎☽︎❄︎☽︎❄︎

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