Page 59 of Aine

“What do you want?” I snap.

She gestures to my marked arm. I hold back a smile as I glance down at it. Aine’s got a bit of a fiery streak within her.

I quite like it.

I wish I could’ve waited until she felt comfortable enough to tell me about her husband herself. All humans saved from execution are expected to confess to the crimes that led them there. Beasts may be strong, but there are humans and children here that need to be protected. I can’t make exceptions just because she’s my mate.

Freya clears her throat when she realizes I’m not listening.

“We agreed I’d stay silent as long as you kept her from marking you,” she hisses.

I tilt my head to the side, my body struggling to juggle the feelings of excitement from my beast and panic from my brain. Alex will never talk to me again if he knows what I let Freya do to me.

“What do you want?” I relent, desperate to know what else I can offer to keep her silent.

Freya’s sudden return couldn’t have come at a worse time, although I’m sure it wasn’t a coincidence. She would’ve felt when my beast recognized his mate.

She hums as she mulls over my question. I drop my arms as I wait for her response, twitching as my mark brushes against my abdomen. Pleasure shoots down my spine at the contact, and I internally curse Aine for her positioning of it.

I’m going to have to wear really long gloves in battle.

“I want you to find me an Alpha,” Freya finally answers. “I need somebody who can force my beast to take their mark.”

I shut my eyes, more than a little annoyed. “Alex is your mate. Your beast will accept his.”

Freya shakes her head, denying my statement. “No. I want an Alpha.”

“It will be hard to find one who wants you,” I admit.

Given her track record, it’ll be hard to find even a common beast to accept her, let alone anybody of high status. She’s of low quality.

Freya shrugs. “That’s fine. I’m more than happy to tell Alex that the mark he cried and begged me to give him was given to his brother instead.” She glances at her nails in mock disinterest. “I wonder what Aine would say if she discovered her mate was already taken by another?”

Chapter Fifteen

AINE

A quiet grunterupts from my throat as Damien takes another jab to the abdomen. I don’t know if it’s a result of me biting him, but I can feel it every time he’s hit. It’s not ideal, and even though the pain is muted, I’m very quickly growing sick of it.

Damien’s movements are quick and smooth, yet he visibly holds back and allows his men to strike him. That’s not unusual, but he doesn’t typically take as many hits as he is today.

I bet he’s doing it to punish me.

My fingers tighten around a clump of weeds before I rip them out with a quick tug. I went to the hospital and had Jenna give me some of his blood as ordered, and it’s got me feeling on top of the world.

Or at least it did until Damien decided to ruin my day.

The man he spars with falls with a dramatic shout, drawing my attention. I watch them roll around before the man accepts defeat. Damien stands with a triumphant smirk, his eyes briefly flashing to me before he squares up with another beast.

My eyes roll, and I force myself not to stare as Damien spins and provides me a clear view of his muscular back. Glancing to my right, I spot Alex standing near the garden shed chatting with Olivia. They seem to be having a pretty heated conversation, his body rigid as he listens to whatever she’s saying.

She moves to place a hand on his arm, but he jerks away before any contact is made. Her shoulders curl in at his rejection, making me wonder if something’s going on between them that I don’t know about.

They continue to argue before Olivia shakes her head and storms off. She doesn’t look in my direction as she passes, but her downturned lips and teary eyes are obvious from the side.

I watch her walk out of sight before sliding my gaze back to Damien.

He’s still fighting, but he’s moving too fast for me to get a good view of what he’s doing. When he first started I was scared I’d feel the effects of his mark every time somebody brushed up against it, but it hasn’t been an issue so far.

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