Chapter 75: The Fated Mate And A New Plan!
Neve was moved to the bedroom after he fell asleep.
Cael carried him carefully and laid him on the soft white bed, arranging the blankets around him so he would stay warm through the sleep that the system had forced upon him. Neve looked peaceful, sleeping like that. His face was relaxed. His breathing was steady.
Cael left him there and returned to the main cave.
Ryker was ready.
He looked at his wrist one more time, at the mark that was glowing softly with fresh bond energy. Then he stood up and headed out of the cave.
He had an assignment to complete.
He had to go to the dungeon and show Bella his mark. He had to make sure she saw it. He had to make sure she understood that he was no longer available. That Neve had claimed him, and he had claimed Neve in return.
On his way to the dungeon, Ryker passed several of his tribe members.
A few tigers saw him and looked at his wrist immediately. They started whispering to each other, their eyes bright with curiosity. Ryker knew what they were thinking. Their chief had gotten a mate. Their chief had bonded with someone. They should be happy about it. They should be excited about meeting their future queen.
But Ryker could see the annoyance in their expressions, too.
He had not told them beforehand. He had not introduced them to Neve. He had not warned them that things were changing. They had just found out from seeing the mark, and they were processing it.
If only they knew the truth. If only he could tell them that their new queen was a man. That would cause even more chaos.
He kept walking.
.
.
The dungeon cave was cooler than the rest of the village.
The guards at the entrance greeted him immediately when they saw him approaching. They bowed because he was their prince’s guest. He waved a hand and entered without ceremony.
Isabella was sitting in the corner of the dungeon cave.
She looked up when she heard his footsteps. Her expression shifted from bored to alert to something else entirely when she saw his wrist.
When she saw the mark.
Ryker did not waste time with a greeting.
"You need to let go of me," he said flatly. "I’ve gotten a mate. I’ve bonded with Neve. You need to stop this obsession and move on with your life."
Isabella’s face twisted.
"You bonded with him?" she asked, her voice going sharp. "You bonded with that fake male? How could you do this to me?"
"I don’t owe you anything, Bella," Ryker said coldly. "I never promised you anything. I never said I would wait for you or that I wanted you. I’m telling you now. Let it go."
"Let it go?" Isabella stood up, her hands clenching into fists. "I’ve been waiting for you since we were children. I’ve been planning for us to be together. And you’re telling me to let it go because of some red panda that appeared out of nowhere?"
"Yes," Ryker said. "That’s exactly what I’m telling you. Give up. Move on. And stop this madness."
Isabella’s face went red with anger.
She looked like she wanted to scream. She looked like she wanted to attack him. But the dungeon guards were watching, and she knew better than to try anything violent.
Instead, she turned away and sat back down, her shoulders shaking with rage.
Ryker thought the conversation was over.
He turned to leave.
That was when someone stepped out from behind one of the large stone pillars at the back of the dungeon.
A girl.
She had white ears on top of her head. Black and white fur. A tail that moved gracefully behind her. Her skin was pale, and her eyes were bright and intelligent and very, very angry.
She looked beautiful and graceful and dangerous all at once.
Ryker felt his breath catch as he recognised her. He knew instantly who she was.
His assigned mate.
He almost didn’t remember her at all because he’s been too busy with his chief duties. He has abandoned her at the small palace and never thought of her, but it seems like she had followed him with some other set of people to be able to survive winter. Which he understood, but taking sides with Isabella was a no.
"Do you see?" Isabella said, her voice dripping with malice. "That red thing has stolen your Ryker from you. He’s already bonded with someone else. He’s already taken a mate."
The girl stared at Ryker.
Her expression was complicated. It was hurt, angry, and betrayed all at once.
"Is this true?" she asked.
Ryker nodded slowly.
"Yes," he said. "I’ve bonded with someone." He didn’t even bother to lie.
The girl’s hands clenched.
"You must eliminate him," Isabella said to the girl. "You must get rid of that red panda. Then Ryker will be free. Then you can have him like you’re supposed to."
The girl looked at Isabella.
"Eliminate... him?" she asked slowly. "If I do that, will I get Ryker back?"
"Yes, you will," Isabella said, her grin spreading wide and cruel across her face. "Just do as I say, and you’ll get him back. You’ll have him exactly the way you’re supposed to have him."
The girl fumbled with her fingers.
Ryker could see her processing this. He could see her weighing the option and also see her deciding.
"Yes," she said finally. "Okay. I’ll do it."
She looked at Isabella.
"First," the girl said, "get me out of these ropes."
Ryker’s eyes widened.
The girl had been tied up the whole time. He had remembered her to be the mad daughter. Someone who goes around using her claws to rip people’s faces. That’s why they had her hands tied.
But somehow, Isabella had convinced her that eliminating Neve was the solution to all her problems.
Isabella’s claws extended, and she used them to cut through the ropes binding the girl’s wrists and ankles. The girl stood up slowly, stretching out like she had been confined for a long time. Well, no, she hadn’t.
She was not going to run away. She just wanted to be free.
Ryker stepped forward.
"I don’t remember much about you when your father brought you. So, who are you?" he asked.
The girl looked at him with eyes that held so much hurt it was almost unbearable to look at.
"I’m Popi," she said. "I’m your fated mate."
Ryker’s stomach dropped.
"Your father made a promise to my father," Popi continued. "He promised me to you for marriage when you became chief. It was a contract. It was supposed to happen."
She looked at the mark on his wrist.
"But you bonded with someone else instead," she said quietly.
"Popi," Isabella said from behind her, her voice smooth and manipulative, "just listen to me, and you’ll have your Ryker back. And I’ll probably have Cael to myself. We both get what we want. We both get our mates. All you have to do is eliminate that red panda."
Popi looked at Isabella.
Then she looked at Ryker.
"Understood," Popi said finally. "I’ll do anything to have him back and maybe... My father would look at me again..."
Her voice was resolved. She had made her decision.