Page 16 of The Alpha's Fated Bond

Two hours have passed. It’s getting dark outside.

“Hilda, I have to go and see to my guests.”

I gently pull my arm away from her, and she pouts. “But you just got here. You spent all those days with them. They can survive without you tonight.”

“They are still my guests,” I gently remind her. “And we don’t treat guests rudely.”

“What’s so special about those two girls anyway?” Hilda tears up. “Do you know how much I missed you? You didn’t even tell me the day you left. I would’ve come to say goodbye to you, at least.”

And throw a tantrum about wanting to come with us, I muse to myself. That is exactly why I didn’t tell her.

“We were on a mission for Queen Karina,” I tell her firmly. “We had to leave as soon as possible. There was no time for goodbyes.”

“So, who are they?” Hilda doesn’t look very pleased. “Those two girls. Why did you even bring them here? Where did you pick them up from?”

I know Hilda isn’t aware of Sophia’s true identity, but it still irritates me to hear her talk about my mate so dismissively.

“They are very special guests of mine. They’re going to help the pack. So, I want you to be very nice to them.”

She sticks out her bottom lip and crosses her arms over her chest. As a three-year-old, that was a cute look for her. Now, it might look provocative to other men, but not me. I get to my feet.

“I really do have to go. And make sure you don’t mention our guests to the soldiers or the nannies.”

Hilda’s expression turns serious, and she follows me to the door. “Alright.”

“Did they cause any trouble?”

She shakes her head. “No. We all avoided them. We did hear that Karina was planning to visit, but she never did.”

The talk of Queen Karina reminds me of Julia, the Queen’s right-hand woman and the bane of my existence. Julia has been my tormentor since childhood. She followed us all the way to Oakrest and caused a bunch of problems for us. Her obsession with me has been a thorn in my side for years.

When we took Sophia and ran, we left Julia there in the town. I’m hoping against hope that Noah discovered her identity and killed her. That way, I can blame her death on the South Alliance and wash my hands of the entire matter.

I head out, despite Hilda’s protests, and make my way to the guest house. Patrick is waiting for me outside, and when he sees me, his expression turns into a scowl. He straightens up and walks over to me. “Have you lost your mind, Alex?”

It’s rare to see Patrick this worked up.

“What?”

“Did you forget that you brought your mate here?” Patrick asks furiously. “You let another female climb all over you, and then you insulted Sophia in front of her before going off arm-in-arm with that female. Do you have any idea what is going on in Sophia’s head right now?”

My eyebrows knit together. “What the hell are you talking about? That was Hilda. Sophia has no reason to worry about—”

“You know that,” Patrick growls, “but Sophia doesn’t. The look on her face when she watched you walk away from her, after telling Hilda that she was ‘nobody,’ was the look of utter heartbreak. Only a fool would behave like that.”

I go still. “I didn’t—”

The sentence gets stuck in my throat because, when I think about it, obviously Sophia would have come to the wrong conclusion. I had been about to tell her before we were spotted that she cannot let the pack know that we are fated mates. Not yet.

Shit. I fucked up.

Patrick drills his finger into my chest. “As for Hilda, I’ve always told you to stay away from her. She’s not a child any longer. You are not raising her anymore. Stop treating your relationship as it was when you found her. You may see her one way, but that is not how she views you.”

Now I feel irritated. “Hilda is like a little sister to me, Patrick. You know that.”

“Do you think Sophia will be that understanding?” Patrick demands. “What do you think the woman who left everything behind to come here with you is going to do when she sees that there’s another female in your life more important to you than her?”

“Hilda is not more important to me than Sophia—”

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