Page 48 of Mated

He’s come for me, but I know this is not what he wanted from his mate. He expected better. He deserves better. As he leads me out of my aunt’s house, tears start to course down my cheeks. I don’t deserve him. I’m not good enough for him. I’ve disappointed him once, and I know I will do so again and again.

I follow him meekly, feeling deeply ashamed. I try to sniff the tears back, hide how I am feeling because I know nobody has time for my dramatics, but it is so hard. I get into the helicopter meekly, trying to keep my face turned away from Cain. The last time we were in one of these, he held me close, and this time sitting in a seat next to him feels like a rejection even though he is literally saving me from the mess I was in. If not for Cain, I would still be sitting in a cell, hoping the police didn’t process me and send me to jail for real.

I’ve narrowly avoided one of the very worst outcomes possible, and it’s all because of him. I owe him so much. I owe him even more than I owed my aunt all those years. My entire life is a debt to others.

As the helicopter takes off, I try to make some apologies.

“I’m sorry I took the money from your wallet. My aunt called and told me my cousin was in jail, and…”

He cocks his head to the side and looks at me with disbelief. “You think I spent weeks hunting you down, then flew a helicopter across several states to recover a few hundred dollars? The helicopter costs over a thousand dollars an hour to keep in the air. This is not about money.”

“What is it about?”

“You,” he says. “It will always be about you.”

His words sound almost sweet, but his demeanor is so displeased that I can’t interpret it in a comforting way.

“I’m sorry,” I whimper.

We don’t talk much on the ride back to Denholm. The helicopter is a very noisy means of transportation, and even with the headsets, it’s easier to stay silent. I’m still so absolutely suffused with guilt, I can’t bear to look at him, let alone speak to him.

The flight is a few hours. A lot quicker than my big bus journey took. There are snacks and water to indulge in on the way, which is nice. I am being looked after incredibly well, and I am grateful for it, though I still feel an ongoing sense of not deserving any ofit. It seems like an accident of birth that made me his mate. An act of luck and fate. Neither one of those things have ever been particularly kind to me. Maybe it’s all turning around.

The second time I see Denholm is even more impressive than the first. I appreciate it all the more now, knowing how large and lavish the place is. This is effectively a castle, and I am sitting beside the king.

We land on the roof, and for a second time, Cain escorts me into his ancestral home.

It’s much quieter this time. The conclave is over. I assume some people have remained behind to run the place and take advantage of the shelter it offers. Denholm isn’t just a big fancy house. It’s also a safety net for the pack, I think. On my first visit here, I noticed older people who would be struggling in the outside normal world who clearly live here and are taken care of.

Cain puts his hand on my lower back, guiding me to the room we shared before. I can tell he has some sort of agenda. His grimness indicates he is going to attend to everything that has happened between us now. No polite chit chat. No downtime.

“Right,” he says. “Now to deal with your misbehavior. Suffice it to say, I don’t expect to have to pick my mate up from jail.”

His words are delivered in close to a neutral tone, but my guilt is so intense that I immediately burst into tears.

“I’m so sorry. I knew I shouldn’t. But my aunt…”

“This is the first and last time I will ever accept your aunt as an excuse for your behavior. I know she has manipulated you over the years, but there is a point at which an adult has totake responsibility for what they do. Committing crime because someone tells you to is still committing crime.”

He lectures me grimly, making it clear that although he saved me, and will always save me, there are consequences.

He sits down on the bed and rolls his sleeves up, forearms flexing before patting his knee. “Come over here, Kira.”

I hesitate for a brief second.

Dark brows lower over light eyes. “If you are so sorry, then you know full well you deserve to be disciplined for this. You’ve been a very unruly, naughty mate.”

I don’t think of myself as unruly or naughty, but I guess that’s what an unruly, naughty person would say. I go to him, though every step feels like walking through molasses.

He puts his hands on my hips and tips me over one knee. The other leg clamps mine in place. I am not getting off his lap until he decides to free me, that much is obvious.

“You are mine,” he says. “And I mean that in every sense. You are my mate. The love of my life. I am devoted to you, and that means I will never abandon you, not even to your own bad choices. But I will also lead you, and you know very well that I will punish you too when you deserve punishment.”

He says all of this with my head pointed down toward the floor. I don’t say anything. What can I say? He’s being so sweet, and so loving, and yes, firm because he’s the alpha. My alpha. My mate. I don’t deserve any of his attention.

He pulls my pants down and my underwear. He bares me, and I know that soon enough, things will start to hurt. Before they do, he has one last thing to say.

“I was terrified at having thought I lost you. Don’t you ever make me fear for your safety again. It is a pain unlike any I have ever experienced, and I do not wish to undergo it again.”

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