My Arrogant Mate
Chapter 42

I waited with total inner turmoil for Silvan to finally fall asleep next to me while I tried to keep myself awake.

Since I didn't know what this night would bring me, I looked at him again very carefully and dreamed of my life with him. He looked so peaceful and with a single tear slowly running down my cheek, I got up with a heavy heart and left the room as quietly as possible. It was my fight not his and if I had told him what I was up to he would never have let me go so I could only take the initiative and search for the truth at night.

In my room, I pulled on a dark brown jacket, slipped on light-colored jeans and padded down the stairs to put on my white sneakers.

One last look at my new home and I opened the front door and breathed in the cold air that came towards me and slowly filled my lungs while giving me a feeling of freedom.

I closed the door behind me, put the hood of the jacket over my brown hair and then made my way to the forest, which looked simply fantastically beautiful with all the snow.

The white powder crunched with every step I took, and strangely enough, despite the darkness, I felt no fear at all. I just wanted answers and I knew exactly who I would get them from.

Walking deeper and deeper into the forest, at some point I recognized almost nothing of my surroundings and could only orientate myself on the tracks I had left in the snow.

And then, deep in the forest, I closed my eyes and just breathed in and out very calmly, while fully concentrating on my hearing.

The cold air enveloped me, but thanks to my genes, it didn't bother me at all, and then when I heard a faint noise on my right side, I opened my eyes again and ran in the direction from which I had heard it. "You," I called a little louder and stopped in front of a big tree, which I knew was someone behind it. "Come out. I know you're there."

Well, I just had much better instincts than some simple hunter who probably hadn't even noticed that I was near him before.

I held my breath in anticipation and then, heart racing, waited for someone to finally show up.

"Miguel?" I spoke again, but more quietly and he immediately showed up to give me a questioning look.

He looked the same as last time, in his blue vest and red lumberjack shirt, and somehow seeing Bene's mate up close brought a fleeting smile to my face.

They somehow fit together and looking into his green eyes I also had the feeling that he would be one of the good guys.

"From where-"

"From Bene and no, that's not why I'm here. I want you to take me to your camp," I then explained calmly and immediately noticed his startled expression.

"You are... They will make you... What are you doing there?"

He stuttered almost every single word and took a few steps towards me. His dark winter boots sank into the snow and when I glanced at his hands, I immediately noticed the extreme shaking. Was it because of me or because of the cold? Should I offer him my jacket?

"I just want to chat and yes I know what I am and yes I realize what they might do to me but I am full of hope and confidence."

Surprised by my own words, I looked at him pleadingly and after he just stared thoughtfully through me for a while, he nodded in concern and then hesitantly turned to walk ahead of me into the darkness.

"Is there a way to stop you?" he asked into the silence and looked deep into my eyes for a moment before concentrating on running again.

"Why do you want to dissuade me? As a hunter, you should be happy that I voluntarily enter the lion's den."

He suddenly stopped and turned to give me a warm look.

"Your Jade, that was immediately clear to me and Bene said so many good things about you. Believe me, if something happens to you, it will break his heart," he explained and then avoided my eyes. "And he might break all my bones." Surprised by his concern for me, I put my hand on his shoulder and tried to calm him down a bit.

It's funny that you were never scared yourself during such actions, but others seemed to be dying of worry.

"I'm almost sure that everything will turn out fine," I whispered and then followed him further through the forest until I suddenly noticed many different smells in this white darkness and also saw a small fire in the distance. "I'll go on alone," I said to Miguel, but he grabbed my arm and looked at me pleadingly again.

"No matter what you do, you can always go back," he explained calmly, as if he were a wise old man, but there was no turning back for me.

"Take care, Miguel. Bene is lucky."

Those were my last words before I continued my way through the snow alone.

The fire got bigger and bigger, the crackling of the sticks louder and louder and the smells penetrated my mind more and more intensely until I stopped hiding behind a tree to take a closer look around.

My eyes recognized several men sitting on logs around the fire. Tents stood behind them and they all shivered despite the warmth of the fire.

Except for one...

One last deep breath and I carefully put one foot in front of the other until I was almost at the fire and all eyes were on me.

They jumped up like I was a monster and each of them drew a different weapon, which they all pointed in my direction, but I showed them no fear, no weakness. I was too proud for that.

I turned my gaze to the one man who was still sitting calmly on one of the logs and smiling looking into the fire.

"Jadelyn," he greeted me quietly and I took off my hood, after which he turned his gaze to me.

"Father".

*****

Once upon a time there were two men who could not have been more different, for while one was destined to become a powerful Alpha, the other was bestowed a simple life.

The moon goddess, however, seemed to take a special delight in giving something to unite wolves who seemed so dissimilar...

A mate made for two wolves.

Something special could have come out of it.

Something that was supposed to be simple, but it wasn't, and the moon goddess was sorely mistaken...

-

"How did you know I'm here?"

My father and I ran into the darkness away from the fire and looked for a suitable place to finally answer so many unanswered questions.

"I don't know," I admitted, shrugging as I gazed thoughtfully down at the snow. "It was like an epiphany. You would never harm us below and I knew your opinion of the upper ones only too well. That's how it became clear to me somehow."

I looked over at him as he stood there in his gray wool sweater and heavy black trousers, and although I wasn't cold from the surroundings, I shivered slightly at the sight of him.

Who knew what had happened in two years? I had changed completely within a few weeks... maybe he too...

"You've always represented my opinion of the superiors," he then said quietly and walked around me like a predator. I remembered Silvan circling me as a wolf, but I didn't feel afraid then... I do now...

"Opinions can change," I then raised my voice, causing him to jerk to a halt in front of me and eye me up and down.

His gaze fell on my chain, which you could see hanging around my neck despite my jacket, and when he looked deep into my eyes, I felt this abysmal hatred, as if it were my own. He smelled him ... Smelled Silvan and that's what drove him into this desperate rage. "Of course they can if you're naive enough to let yourself be influenced."

He avoided my gaze and kept pacing around me, over and over, making me more nervous than ever. The crunching of the snow was the only thing that calmed me down in this fiery situation.

"Or when you finally recognize the truth," I replied decisively and walked over to a tree trunk to lean against it. "Please tell me that you are not responsible for the fact that so many wolves died!"

I already knew it was him, but I still believed in a miracle... Maybe I was just a little bit naive.

"Wolves? You mean scum!" he snarled furiously, glaring at me with an icy stare that made my heart skip a beat. The first tears formed in my eyes when I realized, bitterly, that this man was no longer my father.

"One of your hunters would have killed me if it hadn't been for Silvan," I breathed through tears and immediately I felt his hand tighten painfully around my wrist.

"Silvan?!", he yelled almost insanely angry and immediately I snatched my hand from him to raise my chin proudly.

"Yes," I hissed softly, not letting his gaze go. "Silvan. My mate!"

His eyes widened and as if he didn't want to believe my words, he slowly shook his head...

"Jadelyn," he whispered, coming very close to my face. "You're not safe there!"

"But with you? With a murderer?!", I screamed back, stunned by everything and next I felt this pain on my cheek, which I then held in tears. It wasn't the physical pain of his blow that made me doubt everything, but the pain inside me that threatened to destroy everything.

"How dare you take their side! After what they did to your sister!"

As if regretting what he had said, he covered his face with his hands and then looked away from me, but there was no way he was avoiding me now.

I knew it! The picture had given away part of his secret, but I wanted to know everything.

"I know that Lisana was your daughter. I just don't know how that's possible! I also don't know who is responsible for her death and I don't know anymore who is the good guy and who the bad guy." I explained in a desperate voice, wiping away the tears that were constantly streaming down my cheeks...

"Of course he!" he yelled, tearing at his dark hair. "Your mate's father raped her, killed her and threw her in the woods! Everything should point to me, but he just couldn't face the fact that his mate was mine too."

"Oh God," I breathed, crying bitterly, and although I'd never met my half-sister, the truth hurt me more than I could have ever known...

"Jadelyn," my father tried to calm me down, but when I felt his hands on mine, I shook them off immediately and wanted to get past him and back to Silvan...

The only one who could banish this darkness.

"You have to listen to me," my father said in a despairing voice and took hold of my wrist again. "I never wanted anyone else to get hurt. I just wanted him...you know me."

For a while I looked deep into his eyes, but then I turned my gaze back to the darkness that lay before me.

"Where's Mama?"

"She lives in safety."

I took my hand back, took a deep breath and then calmly turned back to him to look into his eyes that were sparkling with tears.

"These attacks stop on the spot! I followed my destiny and now Luna of this pack! You will withdraw and everything else is now up to Silvan and me."

I was about to leave, but then I stopped again and paused for a moment.

"And you are banished forever. You took life from my pack and no matter how tragic the reasons, that is unforgivable."

It broke my heart, but this was no longer about me, I saw the big picture and now it was my job to put the pieces of the past together again.

"I'm sorry," I heard him calling after me in the stillness of the night, but I didn't turn around... Never again..