Page 34 of Destined Mate

Though I didn’t truly believe I had a death wish, part of me had to. It was as if obeying and submitting were beyond me.

Theo straightened, his irises glowing as his wolf surged forward. He didn’t like that I had put restrictions on him, but he must have realized that was the only way he was getting in because he huffed and rasped, “Fine.”

Every cell within me lit on fire, wanting me to stay firmly in place and continue blocking the door, but my self-preservation instinct kicked in and allowed me to step aside. I suspected it was mainly because Theo had agreed to my boundaries.

Theo entered with Pearl on his heels. Around Theo, she was like a wolf in heat, desperate for attention he never gave her. He always sought out my company, which I’d never understood. He and I barely had anything in common.

Charles came in last, and as he passed me, he hit my shoulder with his hard enough to jar me backward. The movement jolted through to my ribs, which had been the point.

He sneered and watched me intently as if he wanted to see how badly he’d hurt me.

I smoothed my expression, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of me reacting to his cheap shot. I’d rather go back to the pack under the guise of being well.

When I didn’t react, he scowled and went into the living room, where Theo and Pearl stood in front of the couch, facing me.

Even though I wished I could leave it open, I shut the front door, not wanting the heat to escape. I would have to face them eventually, so it might as well be on neutral ground.

Charles moved so that he and Pearl flanked Theo. I stood in front of them by the recliner. I hadn’t looked around this room fully yet, and I noticed another tiled fireplace like the one in the den. There were wide double windows directly across from the couch, giving us a view of the outside. Instead of a TV, there was a massive picture of people paddling in a blue canoe with a majestic mountain in the background. I remembered the advisers having a canoe when they’d found me, and I wondered if Bodey was the reason. Maybe playing guitar wasn’t his only hobby.

My skin began to crawl, and I tore my attention from the gorgeous picture to Theo, whose eyes were locked on me.

“Why are you three here?” I didn’t have the energy to play games.

“I did what you asked.” Theo beamed as if that explained their presence.

His answer left me only more befuddled. “Meaning?”

“You asked me to think about us, and I have.” Theo leaned forward and snatched my hand once more. “I’m even more convinced that you and I make sense, so I’m here to see how you’re doing and prove it to you.”

I swallowed hard, and Pearl’s eyes bulged. Even though she was dating Charles, I knew she had her sights set on Theo. This would cause more problems between us, which was sad since I wanted to remain Theo’s friend, not become his mate.

“Her?” Charles gasped. “Out of everyone? Is that why you forced us to come here?”

Gritting my teeth, I wished I could go back in time and not answer the door. The more people he shared his intentions with, the harder it would be to resolve this amicably.

“You came here to apologize to your pack member, who you attacked while she was in human form and grossly outnumbered.” Theo turned his head and glared. “You were the ringleader, and Pearl is her sister.”

“Adoptedsister,” Pearl added, disdain dripping from every word.

Whether Theo realized it or not, he was making me more of a target. As soon as they caught me alone, they would gang up on me again.

“We’ll be making the official announcement tonight to the entire pack, but I wanted the three of you to hear it first.” Theo puffed out his chest. “In two weeks, I’ll be the pack’s alpha and step into the adviser role, taking over the Oregon territory.”

My breath caught.

I hadn’t expected that. Zeke loved power. None of this made sense, but if he’d agreed to notify the pack tonight, it must be true. He’d never given Theo a time line before. “Two weeks?” I tilted my head.

He nodded. “After the coronation. That’s why Dad hasn’t transitioned the royal adviser role to me yet—he wants to be involved in crowning the king since the queen was his best friend and Samuel is her son.”

That was hard to believe. From what I’d learned, the queen was an amazing person. For Zeke to be her best friend…that seemed unlikely to me.

“That’s great,” Pearl said as Charles patted Theo on the back. Even though Theo had forced them to come here, every pack member always kissed his ass, and with him officially taking over as pack leader, their groveling would only get worse.

I smiled, this time sincerely. “Congratulations.” Zeke relinquishing control was comforting, and even though he’d still serve in an advisory role to his son, Theo would be making the final decisions.

“Which brings me back to my reason for coming here.” Theo cupped my cheek. “It’s time for me to think about my future, and I want to ensure you’re part of it. To prove my intentions, Charles and Pearl are here to apologize to you.”

Thankfully, shock prevented anything snarky from spilling out of my mouth. My words had lodged in my throat. Finally, I managed to say, “They don’t have to.” What was the point if they didn’t mean it? It would only fuel their resentment.

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