Page 17 of Confusing Hearts

I gulped, not liking his tone and nodded, wondering what I had missed. “Tessa Lockhardt,” I confessed.

“King Lockhardt will never allow it, Chase. He believes in absolute purity. I’m shocked the girl would even give you a second look, true mate or not. I’m sorry. He’s even more ruthless than my own father,” Patrick said.

Patrick’s dad was Alpha of the Irish Clan. He had sent Patrick to Westin Pack during the mating challenges to battle my brother Kyle for his mate Kelsey and take over as Alpha of Westin. The plan had gone awry when Patrick had smelled my sister, Elise, his true mate. He had reneged on the challenge and been disowned by his own father. I had thought it was an exaggeration, until Patrick and Elise’s mating challenges began and his father had sent Patrick’s own brother to challenge him for my sister. It was all kinds of screwed up.

In the end, things hadn’t gone that far. Since we were at war with the Bulgarian Pack and the Irish Clan had sided with them, my brother Kyle, as Alpha of Westin, had stepped in and rejected the challenge, citing some code of war. I couldn’t even comprehend the thought of battling one of my own brothers for my mate. Disgusting!

I didn’t like what Patrick was saying, but it wasn’t the first time I had heard as much. Maybe not quite as candidly, but I was aware of her father and his stance on pure bloods.

“I can’t help who my mate is,” I said defensively. “And I won’t give up on us just because of her father. If she won’t accept me, that’s one thing, but that’s going to have to be her decision alone to make.”

They both nodded. They were mated, so they had to understand I’d do anything for this girl. Anything.

“What’s going on around this place this weekend?” Liam asked, changing the subject.

I shrugged. “Matt is rallying for a Theta party tomorrow night. Panthers are also having one. Not sure what’s going on tonight.”

In truth, I had no desire to go to a Theta party. The girls there represented all sorts of shifters. They had no exclusivity whatsoever. I had slept with nearly all of them over the course of my two and a half years at the ARC. In hindsight, knowing my mate, the mere thought of going near that place made me want to puke.

Matt peeked his head into my room without knocking.

“Liam? What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were all mated with a family now.”

Liam beamed proudly. “I am.”

He proceeded to pull out his phone and show off pictures of his mate, Maddie, and her son, Oscar, whom Liam had officially adopted. He went on to tell Matt that they were expecting a second child. I was happy for them, but I could tell Matt was as far removed from that as possible, and it made me laugh.

Wolves were pack animals and much more family-oriented than many other species. Being a jag, Matt just couldn’t comprehend it all. Plus, we were in college and he wasn’t thinking about settling down anytime soon.

I had a momentary panic when they began to discuss plans for the night, and Patrick asked about the panthers. I hadn’t warned them that no one knew about me and Tessa yet. Thankfully, he must have seen my fear and didn’t press.

“Yeah, I think the panther house is having a party. Aren’t they always? It’s like they got out from under Lockhardt and they just want to go wild. Not wild enough to actually sleep with anyone. Unfortunately for them, there aren’t any male panthers here, so I’m just biding my time till one of them caves.”

I bit back the growl threatening to erupt from me at the thought of Matt and Tessa.

“How about we go grab a beer at Jacks and head on over there? Those girls do know how to throw one hell of a party,” Matt suggested and my brothers agreed.

I took a moment to clean up and prepare for a night out. I knew I should take a shower, but I wore my mate’s scent from our time in the woods. It was faint, but I wasn’t ready to wash it off.

I had three beers at Jacks, nervous at seeing Tessa after the way things had ended. It took the edge off a little, but not enough. My body was hyperaware that she was near when we finally walked into her sorority house. Ayanna had rolled her eyes as we entered, but she didn’t stop us. It was no surprise she hated the D.O.G.s.

Once inside, Matt headed for the dance floor. Liam went off in search of more beer, and Patrick hung back with me. He asked which one she was, and I knew she was close. I could feel her. My eyes scanned the room and my heart sank at the site I found.

In the middle of the dance floor was Tessa, surrounded by four guys dancing intimately close to her. I gritted my teeth waiting for the possessive need to arise within me, but I felt nothing. I was entirely numb. Disappointed, but not freaking out over the image before me.

Perhaps that shocked me more than anything. Just that afternoon I had gone alpha-level protective over her, and now nothing?

“I swear I’m losing my mind here, Patrick,” I yelled above the music. I pointed her out on the dance floor and Patrick’s eyes widened in surprise. “My wolf attacked a freaking grasshopper this afternoon for getting too close to her, and now he’s perfectly calm atthat? What is going on? It’s like that’s Tessa, but it’s not. I don’t know how to explain it.”

“I’m sorry, man, but there is no way your wolf would tolerate its mate dancing like that.” He waved towards them in demonstration. “You should be losing your shit right now, but not in confusion. She can’t be your mate. Trust me.”

I stared at the girl before me. Nothing. I felt nothing. The emptiness it created was crippling. Yet I still smelled her.

“Patrick? How can I look at her and feel nothing, but her scent is still here and affecting me? I’m so confused. One minute my heart tells me she’s my mate, the next she’s not? I can’t stay here. I’m sorry. I’m out.”

As I turned to leave, Patrick grabbed my arm.

“Holy shit!”

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