Fated To the Alpha by Jessica Hall
Chapter 98
Katya POV:
Waking to fingers gently moving my hair aside. Opening my eyes I find Mateo leaning over me. I smile up at him and he leans down pressing his l!ps to mine softly before su_cking my bottom l!p.
“Morning” I tell him and he chuckles.
“It’s the middle of the day” He whispers before fiddling with something. I try to look down to see what he is doing but can only see his hands underneath my chin. He pulls them away and I feel a chain scr@pe against my neck as he turns it, making me look down to see my pumpkin necklace.
“You found it?” I whisper rubbing my thumb over the gold pumpkin, relief flooding me that they found the last thing my mother ever gave me. I become ch*oked on emotion, I thought it funny
when she gave it to me but now it was my most cherished possession representing both my parents.
“One of the men on patrol found it the other day and gave it to Ezra” He tells me before pulling on the thin chain and holding up a blue jewel that was added to it.
“And this, this is a piece of your mum” He says, making my eyes snap to his in confusion.
“I had some of your mothers ashes made into a stone so you could always have her with you” Mateo tells me.
“That’s my mum?” I whisper when he leans over to the bedside table and retrieves a box. He hands it to me and I pull the lid off to find a silver urn. It had a wolf engraving on the side. I swallow the lump that formed in my throat threatening to ch*oke me.
This was all that was left of my mother, my beautiful strong mother reduced to nothing but ash.
It was hard to picture someone like her now just sitting in the cold silver urn before me. I never imagined life without her and now I have to face a future without her in it.
She was a constant in my life and now she is gone and I can no longer picture a future without her in it despite holding what’s left of her in my hands.
“Thank you” I tell him softly, like what do you say when someone hands you your dead mother?
Words fail me as I touch the sapphire pendant hanging around my neck.
“She will always be with you, just remember the good things about her, forget her death. Her death doesn’t define her so don’t let it” Mateo tells me before k!ssing my forehead.
“Where is Ezra?” I ask before seeing movement behind Mateo, Ezra was leaning against the bedroom door, his eyes held a far away look and I knew he was mindlinking, his eyes glazed over before he refocuses on the room, his eyes turning back to their normal caramel colour.
He looked troubled as he walked over before leaning down and pecking my l!ps softly.
“Everything okay?” I ask and he nods.
“Yes I need to shower, I will be out in a second” He says, turning on his heel and walking into the bathroom.
I tried to feel for his emotions but I could feel he had put a wall up, blocking me out for some reason.
Mateo was staring at the bathroom door before realising I was watching him and he turns to face me.
“He is fine, he just heard back from patrol, nothing to worry about he will let you know if you need to know” I nod climbing out of bed and getting dressed.
I grab a grey tank top and some denim shorts, pulling them on. I felt great, felt this weird sensation of feeling whole, making me wonder if it was the bond being forged that made me feel whole within myself. Yet something was off.
‘Kora’ I think pulling on the barriers of my mind to find the barriers gone, the realisation was a little unsettling like she just disappeared making me wonder where she went. My mind felt like only my thoughts resided in it. I shake the feeling away knowing she will pop her head up sooner or later.
“The pack run is still going ahead tonight?” I ask as Ezra comes out of the shower.
“Yes, we need some excitement around here, maybe next week I will let everyone back in the packhouse on Thursdays if you are okay with it”
Ezra tells me and I nod. I just wanted things to go back to normal.
“I think it’s a good idea” I tell him when I hear the doorbell ring downstairs. I look to the bedroom door, before walking off down the stairs to the second level. Looking over the landing I can see a figure standing outside the frosted glassbeside the door. Walking down the second-floor stairs, I head for the door tossing it open and am shocked to see Angie standing there, her back was to me as she looked around before turning when she heard the door open.
“Kat!” She says letting out a breath of relief.
“Look I know I shouldn’t be here but please let me explain”
“No!” I tell her before I attempt to close the door.
“Kat please” She says and I could hear the desperation in her voice. I open the door and she lets out a breath when I hear Mateo and Ezra race down the stairs behind me.
“I told you to stay away from the packhouse Angie” Ezra growls at her as he walks down the steps, she bares her neck to him and he growls but I step aside letting her in.
“I just want to explain, I will tell you whatever you want to know, please just hear me out Kat” Angie says and I motion with my hand for her to come inside.
“Don’t leave her alone with her, I need to go take care of something” Ezra says walking over to the hallway stand and grabbing his car keys from the white glassbowl that sat on top of it.
He glares at Angie but doesn’t say anything more to her. I see Mateo give him a nod before Ezra walks out the door, closing it behind him. I walk off toward the kitchen when I hear Mateo speak.
“Go on, you want to talk to her” Mateo says and I look over my shoulder to see Angie dart after me. She follows me in to the kitchen and I see Marge
€ick the kettle on as she prepared whatever was she was making at the counter.
“Hey Marge”
“Luna,” She nods before her eyes dart to Angie. Angie ducks her head and Marge looks away from her. I grab some mugs down and Mateo walks over to the table pulling a chair out. “Sit” He tells Angie and she does before he pulls out the chair across from her.
“I just wanted to say I am sorry Kat, I took the first lot of photos but that was it. I told Jackson I wanted nothing more to do with it. The rest was Madeline, I swear”
“Why?” I ask her and she lets out a breath while I pour the hot water into the mugs before stirring them.
“I was jealous, I know that isn’t an excuse but once I saw you at school with Jasmine, I realised how wrong I was. I was clouded with envy.
I told Madeline I wanted nothing more to do with it but she said if I told you or the Alpha she would pin it on me. I knew you wouldn’t believe me after what I did, so I just hoped Madeline would have a change of heart and realise how wrong it was but she wanted Ezra, she didn’t care at what cost. I swear to you, I had nothing to do with your mothers death, if I had known I would have told you, that was all Madeline ‘ ‘ Yet I couldn’t help but feel betrayed. She pretended to be my friend, making me question if the relationship we built was based on a lie.
Ezra POV
They never caught Derrick before he stepped over the border. I should have known better than to send my warriors after him, I should have gone myself. Derrick has Beta blood making him stronger than m y warriors. I should have realised they wouldn’t
have been able to subdue him. I didn’t think he would attack them though when they tried to stop him.
I drove to the border of my territory Andrei wanted to meet on no man’s land, in our usual meeting place. Andrei had captured him and was waiting for me, wanting to negotiate and now I had to try to get the fool back. I don’t know what he was thinking, did he truly think he could just cross the border and Andrei would welcome him, let him on their territory.
I didn’t understand why he was going after Andrei’s pack, yes he was involved but Jackson was the real enemy. Pulling up at the rundown building. I could see their cars there in the small parking lot. Swinging the door open I get out of the car. Andrei getting out of his with a smug look on his face.
“Where is he?” I demand and Andrei laughs, his beta and another man getting out of the black SUV on the other side of the car.
“He is alive for now, I have him locked away nice and safe” Andrei says.
“I should K*ll you for what you have done”
“Now, now Alpha Ezra. Don’t do anything you may regret. I have Derrick as collateral, you give me what I want I will hand him over”
“ I am not giving you my mate ” I tell him, a growl tearing out of me and I feel Maddox press beneath my skin.
“ I just want to talk to her, nothing more ” Andrei says leaning back against his car.
“Why would I give you anything you ask for, I came to you, to warn you of an upcoming war and then you f*uc*king join it, the wrong bloody side. We had alliances and you just tossed them away. You should be careful Andrei you don’t want to make an enemy out me”
“I never joined Jackson’s side, we just had a common goal, nothing more. The alliances still stand Ezra”
“Common goal? you nearly K*lled my mate” I tell him, my rage reaching boiling point.
“Katya was never the target, Shirley was. An eye for an eye”
“What nonsense are you spewing now Andrei, Jackson’s intentions have always been to get kat, so you band together with him and K*ll her mother”
“I had my reasons, ones I will share if you bring me Kat, I just want to talk to her. I am a*s*suming by the markings on your neck, she broke the curse. How is she enjoying being a Gemini wolf, you can’t help her but I can, bring me your mate Ezra.
If you don’t, you can explain to her you let her father d*ie. I have no issues with you. I never have, my pack has always kept to themselves, I mean her no harm. But I may be able to offer her some help” He says before opening his car door and reaching into the glove compartment and pulling out some old parchment.
“ I couldn’t believe my eyes when you were stupid enough to bring your mate to the Alpha meeting, I recognised her instantly, knew exactly who’s daughter she was” Andrie tells me before handing me the scrolls. I opened them, to find them written in a foreign language, one I wasn’t familiar with.
But I did recognise the symbolic mark on the top of the page, it was the mark on Kat’s neck. He takes them back from me, snatching them from my hands.
“You want to know what they say, you bring me your mate, you and Mateo are welcome to come with her, but I will be seeing her one way or another Ezra. She will need answers and she will need my help. I am giving you the opportunity to come with her. I would hate for her to come looking for me,” He says and I growl at him, Maddox trying to f0rce the shift.
“What the f*uc*k could she possibly need you for?” I snapped at him. He smiles, his eyes sparkling back at me.
“Bring her to me and you find out, if not I may just burn these” He says holding up the scrolls.
“Where did you get those?”
“ Shirley gave them to Jackson after she K*lled her sister. I helped Jackson get onto your pack, in return for these. Like I said Katya was never my
target, Shirley was. My men were never going to allow Jackson to take her. I just want to protect her the same way you do” He tells me.
“Bring her to me tomorrow, I heard your men excitedly talking of the pack run happening tonight, go ahead with your celebrations, my men will keep track of the borders for tonight”
“And why would you do that?”
“Because after tonight, Kat will realise something is wrong, and when she does she will have questions. Questions I can answer” He tells me before getting in his car.