Page 22 of The Last Ultimatum: Part 1

Bugger. What the hell was going on?

It dawned on me that the men had gone quiet. As stealthy as possible, I tiptoed towards the closest house and flattened against the wall, hoping they would just walk on by.

When I heard their footsteps getting further away, I started to relax.

“You can try to hide, but do you really think we can’t smell you?” that deep male voice tinted in an Aussie accent said.

I yelped in surprise.

He took a deep breath, sniffing the surrounding air.

I froze as my whole body reacted, and I slowly looked up into his big blue eyes.

Mate.

“It's you,” he said almost reverently.

This could not be happening.

My eyes darted around, looking for an escape.

Finding what I hoped would be one, I took off running between the buildings.

Mine, my dingo growled in my head.

No, I thought.No, no, no.

I could not have a true mate now. I was supposed to mate Aiden, and even though I didn’t fully understand why, I knew it was important if my father ordered it.

So, I ran.

“Wait! Come back.”

I hated the way his voice alone felt like a jolt of lightning striking me each time. It only made me pick up my pace and get away as fast as possible.

This could not be happening.

Mine, my dingo growled again.

What were the odds that my true mate would be right here in this Tribe? It was a nightmare. I couldn’t look at him. I didn’t want to know who he was. To do so would only haunt me for the rest of my life.

Once I bonded with Aiden, it wouldn’t matter anymore anyway. I would no longer feel the call of a true mate, or at least I was pretty sure that’s how it worked.

And at least if I didn’t know who he was, then I wouldn’t long for him or wonder ‘what if’ whenever I saw him.

No, this was much better. As it was, I knew those eyes would haunt my dreams forever. I certainly didn’t need a face and body to go along with it. In my panic for an escape, I hadn’t taken in the rest of him. Thank God for that.

Lachlan

Chapter 7

She was here.

My one true mate was here.

I had barely gotten a glimpse of her before she took off. It certainly wasn’t how I’d envisioned it, but if she wanted to play hard to get, I would give chase to the ends of the world. Now that I knew she was real, she was here, and she was mine, I would do anything to claim her.

“Wait up,” I called out, but there was no response.

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