14 CHAPTER 14. CONFUSION.

DAMIEN.

My paws slam against the ground, going full speed like there is no tomorrow. I'm gasping for air and my heart is racing like it is in a sprint of its own.

Everything is a crazy mix of green and brown as the trees fly by, a wild blur that doesn't make any sense. I'm just hauling it, not really taking in anything, caught up in this whirlwind of pure gut feeling, not seeing anything.

Only her.

"...why do you even care?... It's not like you are happy with me being here…"

How could she ask that?

I am her mate.

Why wouldn't I care?

"Maybe you could start by showing it," my wolf scoffs.

"What do you even mean by that? I care," I snarl at him.

"I am an animal and even I would not be receptive to you if you treated me the way you have been treating her."

"And how am I treating her?!" I snarl at him again as we take a sharp curve around a bend.

"She is our mate. The one we have been searching for for years. And not once have you told her you are happy to see her. That you would protect her. That you want her. Instead, all you have done is insult her by calling her a rogue -even when I told you she is our mate, who cares if she is a rogue, she is our mate-, you have avoided and ignored her, talked about Maya, continuously to her face. No one has even given her a shred of welcome, and you wonder why she would ask you that question."

"What about me?! How am I supposed to feel? I never said I didn't want her, I just… what am I supposed to do in this situation?"

"She is our mate. First things first, you can try to get to know her."

Right.

Easier said than done.

All she has done is snap at me and frown and then threaten to leave.

"That is not how she behaved at first," my wolf echoes.

"Do me a favor, shut up."

I finish two more laps around the woods before calling it a day. I find a secluded spot and change back to my form before getting dressed.

With an exhausted sigh, I begin trudging back to the mansion.

The murmurs die out as soon as I cross the foyer.

Why there is a crowd in my living room, I do not know.

"What is going on here?" I ask.

There are a few mutters before Lisa, one of the respected pack warriors, walks forward.

"Alpha," she starts her head bowed in submission before looking back up. "We were all wondering, when the mating ceremony between you and Maya would be held now?"

Ah, shit.

Right.

There was supposed to be a big bash, that is until my mate showed up.

"Right, about that-"

"It is not going to hold is it?" Pan, one of the few irritating members of the pack speaks up as he shoes his way forward. "It is because of that rude she-wolf that showed up, right?"

"You will speak to me, with respect," I growl at him.

"My apologies, Alpha," he says as he shuffles back, head bowed in embarrassment.

"And what do you mean by rude?" I demand. "Have you met her?"

"We all saw her this afternoon at the dining hall," Lisa says. "There was an incident-"

"What incident?" I ask, the growl getting more pronounced.

"Um, she… she tripped and-"

"Tripped," I say, my voice cool. "And how did she trip? Who tripped her?"

The whole place is as quiet as an abandoned graveyard, devoid of all sound.

Everyone is holding their breath, instinctively knowing that they should tread carefully right now.

I run my gaze through them, landing them on Pan, who had gone incredibly pale and sweaty, eyes averted from me.

"Was it you?" I demand, eyes blazing in him."

He starts at the question before turning to look at me and immediately carrying his gaze.

"Al… Alp-"

"ANSWER ME!" I roar. I can feel the very ground tremble at the sheer force of it.

Pan drops to the ground.

"I am sorry, Alpha. It was a mistake. I swear-"

"Was it?" I ask as I prowl to where he is cowering like a sniveling coward, my eyes seeing red. How dare he? "Was it really an accident?"

"Al… Alpha… I-"

"Alpha."

The voice cuts through the haze, making me realize that I have my hand wrapped around the wretch's neck and he is gasping for breath.

I stare at him for a few seconds, contemplating just snapping it. He really has been very irritating.

"Alpha."

That voice again.

I turn to my side and see Lucas standing at my very edge, his eyes trained on my hands wrapped around the neck.

I look down again to see that my claws had come out and were very close to perforating his neck.

With a disgusted sniff, I shove him away.

I straighten up and immediately catch the shocked and surprised looks of the others surrounding us and without another word, I turn on my heel and walk away, heading straight up to my study, Lucas fast behind me.

"That was… interesting," he says as he closes the door.

"Not now Lucas," I snap as I pace to the window and pull it down, embracing the cool air. "I am still trying to control myself."

"I can see that. In all the years I have known you, I have never seen you lose control like that. Natalie must have really gotten under your skin."

"You could say that."

"That is a pity."

"What? Why do you say that?" I ask as I turn to look at me.

"Because she has no desire to stay here. She said so herself."

"She told you that?"

"Hmm. Apparently, she has had it with the hostility from us all, Pan's stupid move was the final straw."

"I really should do something about that asshole," I mutter.

"You should do something about your mate," he retorts. "Look, I can't begin to understand how conflicted you are right now. Torn between your mate and your dear friend, I don't envy you. But you are the Alpha, not just some random wolf.

"You need to always be at your strongest. Now before, we thought the best thing for you would be to mate with Maya, but your mate is here now. She completes you, makes you stronger, makes the lack stronger. You cannot lose her, Damien. That would be immensely foolish."

"Bu-"

"And besides, we can't begin to imagine what she must have gone through to find you, she must be so hurt and disappointed. In all of us," he finishes.

I stare at him for a few seconds before flooding back on the chair.

"I know," I say with a tired sigh. "I know."

"So, what are you going to do about it?"

"What can I do? Everything I say sets her on edge. Nothing I do is right or accepted. In the span of two days, I have managed to piss off everyone, the lack included. How did my life get so complicated?"

"Man, I really don't envy you."

"Shut up."

"So, does that mean you don't want to hear my solution?" he asks with a cheeky smile.

My head snaps up to him in response to that.

"What do you have in mind?"