Page 20 of Rise of the Alpha

“Set me on the bed, please.” His large strides have us across the room in no time, and he sits down with me still in his arms. “Not quite what I meant. Please, let me down. I need to think, and I have some questions.”

Wylla takes a seat on her bed as Blaine places me on my bed beside him, but doesn’t move away.

“Magz, I am so…” Throwing my hand up, I cut her off.

“I know, Wylla. Can you do that scan thing again and tell me what you see now?” I ask, holding onto the bed and feeling as if I’ve been on an all-nighter drinking binge. Well, what I think one would feel like after doing it anyways.Bucket list: get drunk and find out what a hangover is like.

She stands, moves over to the bed, and begins to rapidly chant words so quickly that I can’t understand them. Her eyes go white as she speaks, which is something I really need to ask her about because it happened last time as well.

Her eyes come back to the beautiful shade of deep green that has quickly become my favorite, Wylla’s face is drawn, and her eyes are wide with worry.

“What is it, Wylla? What did you see?”

“Umm, the designation block is still there. That means we can do the spell to remove it and find out what you are. It’s strong, so I need to research to make sure we do it right. But umm…” She stutters the last part as if she is afraid to say it.

“Well, there’s a couple of other blocks as well. One I can’t tell what it’s trying to block out, it’s weird. I’m not getting a clear read on it. But the other thing I see is a mate bond block.”

“We already know who the mate bond goes to, and that's me. We are mates. So now you see it’s true. We should be able to easily remove it.” The pride in Blaine’s words makes it seem like it’s more important for him to be proven right than the fact that he is my mate.

“No, it’s not that simple. The mating block is powerful, really powerful.” There’s a hint of awe in her voice mixed with bewilderment. “The spell isn’t hiding one mate bond. It’s hiding five or six, at least.”Five or six mates?

“What the fuck did you just say?” Flies from my mouth as I stand quickly, causing my balance to falter and fall into Blaine. “You’re saying I have multiple mates, not just one?”Holy fucking guacamole!

“Yes, the power on the block is far greater than what would be needed for just one. I can’t see who the bonds lead to. It’s hazy and just out of my sight. So sorry, Blaine.” She directs her gaze to him as she speaks. “I can’t tell if she is indeed bonded to you.”

“I don’t need you to confirm shit for me. I feel the bond pull and so does my wolf. Magnolia is our mate,” he growls out.

“So if it’s multiple, then I could be mated to the Alpha’s son and his Beta’s, and everything is going as planned by my pack. I am supposed to be with them. So even if it's true and we’re bonded, it really doesn’t matter. My father won’t allow it, my pack will make me bond to who they want no matter if there is a bond or not, and it won’t be with anyone outside of our pack.”

“No!!!” Both Wylla and Blaine shout out in unison.

“Over my fucking dead body are you bonding with anyone else. I’ll kill them first. You belong to me and my wolf,” he snarls viciously.

“I am not a piece of meat. I’m no one's prize to covet. I may feel a pull to you, and my wolf may claim you’re her mate but I don’t know for a fact that you are my bond. I won’t know until this block is removed.” Stepping in front of him, I stick my finger out and poke him in his chest. Fucking men thinking because they have a penis, they can fucking control you. Blaine’s little outburst proves it isn’t exclusive to the Exodus pack.

Wylla must sense my rage as she steps in between the two of us, pushing Blaine away. Oddly, he doesn’t respond aggressively to her, instead, he allows her to back him up to the door.

“Blaine, I think it’s time for you to get out of here and cool off. Go run or lick your balls, whatever it is you wolves do. Let me and Magz talk, and we’ll see you tomorrow, so we can try to figure this shit out.” He looks between the two of us as she speaks, opening and closing his mouth over and over until finally, he relents.

“First thing in the morning, I’ll be back. But Magnolia, I am your mate. And I will fight to the death for you.” He turns quickly, opens the door, and steps out into the hallway, allowing it to slam shut behind him.

I drop down on the bed, picking my feet up and placing them on the comforter as I slide my body back to the headboard. Wylla moves over and crawls up beside me. Her body is flush with mine as she reaches her arm around me, placing it on my shoulder. God, why does my body tingle with just her touch?

“Wylla, you don’t understand. My life was planned for me. I have no control over it. I either do what my father and the Alpha want, or I risk being exiled. Hell, who knows, they may even kill me if I go against their plans. So maybe what you’re seeing with the bonds are them, and when I go home I’ll see them and feel it.” Tears slowly stream from my eyes, hoping like hell I’m not mated to them.

“It’s going to be okay.” Her words comfort me as she pulls me closer to her.

“How do you know?” I know I sound like a spoiled bitch at the moment, but I don’t want lies, I want the truth. Because if I’m forced to mate, it’s not going to be okay. I will live the same miserable life as my mother behind a false facade.

“We will do everything we can. I will do whatever it takes. First, we will find out what you are and who the bonds are to. If they are to the wolves from your pack, I’ll contact every elder in my coven to see what we need to do to break the bond. Fuck it, if they exile you, then you can come with me.” God, I love this woman, but she doesn’t understand. Without a pack, I’ll go rogue; I’ll be a wild, feral animal. If I was to even think of joining another pack, mine would declare full out war on them, and that’s not something I could ever live with.

“Wylla, do you know what happens to wolves who aren’t part of a pack?”

“Honestly, no,” is all she says, turning her head to gaze into my eyes. I could get lost in her deep, emerald eyes. I have no clue why I’m drawn to her. Prior to the spell, I had a pull, but now, it’s even more intense.

Could I be mated to her, too?

No, that’s fucking insane. Wolves only mate with wolves. In all the books I’ve read, there’s never been one story of a mate bond between different species. “We go mad if we aren’t in a pack. We lose our ability to think logically until we finally shift and our wolf takes over, becoming feral. Once that happens, we can never shift back.”

---