Chapter 12: Run Along to Your Mate
(Scarlett’s POV)
My phone buzzed yet again, rattling noisily on the wooden nightstand beside me. The screen Mashed Jason’s name, but I didn’t bother to pick it up. He wasn’t worth the energy. He’d already been calling for hours, trying to worm his way past all the barriers I’d put between myself and Alexander’s lot
The calls started simple: once every hour or so, his tone progressively more urgent with each voicemail. Then Jason began cycling through different numbers, desperate and sloppy in his attempts to reach me. I leaned over, swiped the phone up, and stared at the screen as it buzzed incessantly
Cora growled low in my head, her irritation mirroring my own. “They’re like fleas,” she muttered darkly. “Annoying. Persistent. And completely useless.”
back onto the
I smirked at the analogy but didn’t dignify the call with an answer. Without hesitation, I powered the phone off and tossed it back o nightstand. The room flooded with blessed silence.
“They can waste their time all they want, I muttered aloud, swinging my logs into bed and settling into the soft warmth of my blankets. T’m done playing their games.”
But peace was short–lived.
I hadn’t even closed my eyes for long when my instincts prickled, skin tightening with the unmistakable sensation of intruding energy. The air itself shifted slightly, carrying with it scents I recognized all too well.
Alexander. Jason
I sat up slowly, discarding any remaining drowsiness. My senses sharpened, confirming what I already suspected. They were outside, their presence radiating smug arrogance even from here.
Cora stirred, a growl rippling beneath my thoughts. “What is their problem now?” she snarled,
That question hung unanswered as the first knock came, hard and demanding, against my door. I knew better than to answer. They wouldn’t stop there
The next sound was an all–too–familiar one. Alexander’s alpha power pressed viciously against the barrier i’d set around my property. His attempts to force my boundaries were unmistakable. Heavy Overbearing.
But his efforts were useless.
I felt Cora’s energy within me flicker to life, melding with my own. The alpha command rolled off me like a faint breeze, unable to penetrate the defenses we’d built. I rose calmly, my head shaking as disdain simmered under my skin.
“Foolish,” I muttered. Picking up my silver combat staff from its stand near the door, I twirled it once in my grip. The weapon hummed with faint energy, its silver edge gleaming under the dim light. A gift from my true family–the Thorn Pack.
I opened the front door slowly, stepping out onto the porch to greet my uninvited guests with icy resolve.
Jason stood a little ways back, the calculating Beta already flinching at the sight of the staff in my hand. Recognition flashed across his face immediately, followed quickly by unease. He didn’t dare take another step forward.
But Alexander–Arrogant Alexander–stood firm, his massive frame iluminated by the moonlight. His blazing amber eyes locked onto me with barely concealed fury. He appeared every inch the imposing Alpha heir everyone saw him es,
I wasn’t impressed.
“Scarlett,” he growled, his voice low and commanding, though he didn’t move.
I responded silently by raising the silver combat staff, leveling its gleaming edge directly at his throat. My emerald eyes bored into his as the challenge spoke for itself.
“That’s close enough,” I said finally, my voice steady but sharp as a blade.
Jason shuffled nervously behind Alexander, his eyes darting back and forth between us. I could feel the wheels turning in his head, calculating how this would end. Poor, loyal Jason. It must take all his strength to follow a fool so blindly.
Chapter 12 Run Along to Your Mate
ravenous
Alexander tuted his head, his lips curling into a tight snarl as his wolf power writhed visibly beneath his skin. Mason, his wolf, was agitated–rav for submission. But no such thing would come
“Still want to come in Alexander?” I mocked, spinning the staff with ease between my fingers. My movements were deliberate, calculated to
provoke.
For someone who’s supposed to be my future mate,” he said coldly, stepping forward, “you’re remarkably difficult to deal with
As he reached for the staff, I pivoted sharply edging the silver just out of his grasp. “That’s close enough, I said.”
He growled low, Mason practically roaring inside him now. The sound reverberated through the air like distant thunder, but I felt nothing–no fear, no submission, not even the faint ripple of intimidation.
“What do you want, Alexander?” I asked coolly, circling him slightly with the staff still raised, it’s late. You can’t possibly have anything important to
He stopped short, his jaw ticking in frustration. T’m hungry”
For a long moment, I simply stared at him. My lips twitched, threatening a laugh I barely managed to suppress. Of all things, that was his excuse for showing up on my territory? Hunger?
Tm sure Grace has plenty of food for you,” I said dryly, the venom in my tone unmistakable. “I imagine she caters to your every whim.”
Scarlett,” he snapped, his voice ripping through the night air like a whip. “That’s enough”
I raised an eyebrow, unimpressed by his tone, is it?”
My eyes glinted with amusement as I tilled my head. Imagine what your pack would think if they saw you like this–Alpha Alexander Amber, heir to the great Northern Pack, begging for scraps at his unwanted fiancée’s doorstep!
His power flared violently for a moment, the air thickening. Jason took a deliberate step back, clearly smart enough to know this wasn’t going to end
well regardless of the outcome.
“You’re being willful,” Alexander growled, stalking closer again despite the staff. “We both know the engagement will go forward. It’s necessary for our packs. Quit dragging this out.”
I couldn’t hold back any longer. I laughed outright, the sound sharp and cold, ringing out through the night. “Dragging this out?” I echoed mockingly
“Shall I remind you who’s been dragging things out, Alexander? You’ve got a pregnant mistress waiting in the sanatorium, remember?
That hit its mark. Mason surged harder beneath Alexander’s skin, his frustration nearly palpable. His amber eyes darkened further, and for a moment,
I thought he might snap entirely.
But he didn’t. He straightened himself, his power simmering just beneath the surface now.
“The ceremony will happen he announced, his alpha authority laden with finality. Too bad for him that his declarations meant nothing to me.
I c****d my head, staring at him as though he were a particularly stubborn child. “Still can’t decide, can you? Tom between your promises and your
true mate?”
A flicker of guilt crossed his features, though he masked it quickly. But before he could issue another command or justify himself further, the bond between him and Grace pulled taut.
I felt it, that sickening tether snapping taut as her fabricated pain reached him. It was like a lifeline she yanked whenever she needed his attention.
Alexander stiffened immediately, his head snapping slightly to the side as the bond whispered her plea
Jason hesitated near
nearby, clearly debating whether to speak. Meanwhile, I just watched the scene unfold with sharp amusement
The mighty Alpha–to–be, reduced to this. He couldn’t even manage the chaos between his obligations and his so–called destined mate
Grace had him wrapped around her little finger, no matter how high Alexander tried to hold his head.
He pulled his phone out hastily and stepped to the side, moving just beyond reach as he answered her call. I couldn’t hear the exchange, but it was evident in his every movement. His face twisted with frustration and obligation, every word weighing heavier on his shoulders.
Cora hummed in satisfaction “Pathetic, she muttered darkly
I leaned casually against the porch railing, twirling the combat staff lazily between my fingers as I waited for him to finish. Jason’s eyes darted
nervously between us, his discomfort written all over his face..
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Chapter 12 Rim Along to Your Mate
obvious. Whatever Grace wanted from him had only added to his
When Alexander finally turned back to face me, the tension in his features was obvio
burdens.
“She needs me,” he said stiffly, though the weariness in his tone was unmistakable.
“Of course, she does,” I replied smoothly. My voice carried unwavering calm, but the words stung with mockery. “She always needs you, doesn’t she? Right on cue.”
Jason winced at the jab but wisely remained silent.
“This isn’t over, Scarlett,” Alexander growled. His amber eyes locked onto mine, his wolf power fighting to regain control of the situation
“Oh, but it is.” I retorted, straightening as I leveled him with a glare. Raising the staff once more, I pointed it at him one last time. “Run along to your mate, Alexander. She’s waiting for you”
For a moment, he didn’t move, his pride visibly warring with his reality. But even he couldn’t deny the undeniable pull of Grace’s bond.
Alexander stepped out onto my balcony to answer Grace’s call, his face grimacing with every moment of their exchange.
