Chapter 456: Mine
Chapter 456: Seraphina
I find the nearest mate, according to my bond, and it is Kai. He is speaking to some elders from his pack, but I drag him away after some generic excuse.
He follows me quietly.
Once we are in the forest, I push him to the ground and straddle him.
He looks up at me, surprised.
He looks up at me, surprised.
"Seraphina—"
I kiss him.
He is stiff at first, then he responds. His hands find my hips. His mouth moves against mine.
But it is not enough.
It is never enough.
I pull back. I look at him.
"Tell me you love me," I say.
He blinks.
"What?"
"Tell me you love me." I fumble with his zipper.
"I love you," he says.
I search his face.
I do not see the same fire I saw in Elara’s mate. I do not see the same devotion. I do not see the same want.
But that cannot be.
I must be mistaken.
"You love me, right?" I say. "You would never hurt me."
"Of course not, mate." He cups my face. "You are everything to me."
I continue. I ride him. I move against him.
But I cannot shake the nagging feeling that something is wrong.
***
Daphne
I use Elara as a shield as she sits on my lap, avoiding the main character’s gaze. Ever since what happened with Elliot, I do not want to be involved with any main character that shows the slightest amount of interest in me like this.
I wrap my arms tighter around her waist and speak up.
"It is not something bad," I say. "This is good. It could be the beginning of fostering a connection between the two peoples... no, that is not right..." I pause. "Between our wolves and their wolves."
"I just do not understand why it has to be my mate," the main character says from where she is seated with four men standing around her.
Does she never suffocate? Surrounded by these six-foot, muscular men twenty-four-seven?
"We have already had this conversation," Rylan says.
Miss Main Character pouts her lips.
My dear brother-in-law clears his throat and speaks up.
"Yes, I believe we have been too isolated. The average wolf does not know how to fit into the human world, apart from the few ten or so wolves in each pack that go out for supplies."
"And we do not need to," Rylan’s older twin says.
"And it is exactly that mentality that allowed me to buy the land beneath your feet," I chime in.
Elara pinches my hand.
I shrug.
"I mean, you guys are lucky the vampires you faced were stupid and dumb, opting to get into a physical fight with you. Had even one vampire decided to use the humans, you would have all been wiped out. You would have been discovered, subjected to scientific experiments, or wiped out."
The room is silent.The Alphas shift uncomfortably.
Well. I did not mean to have them react this way.
"There are literally no disadvantages," Eric says, breaking the tension.
He looks around the room.
"We have been hiding. We have been stagnant. And while we were hiding, the world moved on without us."
Theron crosses his arms.
"So we send Rylan to play diplomat?"
"We send Rylan to learn," Eric corrects. "To bring back what we have lost. To remind us that we are not just wolves—we are people."
***
Elara
The meeting is happening, but I am not paying attention. A woman’s intuition is never wrong. Why is the Luna looking at my mate?
I know Daphne feels it too. She is uncomfortable.
We felt a gaze a week ago, watching us, and then we heard the Luna was looking for us.
I know my Daphne is attractive. It is a problem I have had life after life. But there is a difference between admiring her and wanting her.
She is mine.
The meeting ends.
"Luna, may I speak to you?" I say.
She stops.
"In private," I say.
She nods and follows me up the stairs. I walk into the nearest room, and she follows me in.
It is a mistake.
This is Daphne’s painting room. The scent of pigment is overwhelming, but it is comforting to me—it is her scent. But it can be too much for sensitive wolf noses.
There are dozens of canvases with my face.
She scoffs.
"Of course," she says under her breath.
"My apologies." I move toward the door. "We can go to a different room."
"No." She holds up a hand. "Unless this conversation will take long?"
"No," I say.
I close the door. I turn to face her.
"I say this with all due respect," I say, "but Daphne is my mate."
She looks guilty, but she easily masks it. At least she has grown in that aspect. As children, she was never able to mask her greed or envy. It is why many wolves avoided her—no one wants to spend time with someone who stares at your clothes, your parents, your friends with that look of hers. It’s sad she was an orphan but it got to a point.
"And what should I do about it?" she asks.
"Oh, do not bullshit me." I step closer. "We grew up together. You cannot lie to me."
"I do not like what you are insinuating." She lifts her chin. "I have four mates."
"Then why are you looking at mine?"
She opens her mouth. Closes it.
I cross my arms.
"I need you to remember that you have four mates," I say, my voice low and steady. "Because I swear to the goddess, I will claw your face off."
She flinches.
"I do not take kindly to your accusations," she says.
I run my fingers through my hair. I walk toward her and poke her in the chest.
"The same way you cannot have my family," I say. "My dad. My brother. Mylife. That is my mate. Mine. Hmm? Mine."