The Unwanted Wolf
The Hunted Wolf – Chapter 24

MARK

Adira fell asleep in my lap after crying for almost an hour. I hated seeing her that way. I hated that the parents she grew up with treated her so poorly. I was amazed at how she grew up to be such a strong and caring person when she was looked down on for something that was completely out of her control. I just wanted to hold her in my arms forever and never let anyone hurt her again.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t protect her from everything. All I could do was be there for her in any way possible, even if that meant holding her while she cried herself to sleep. I wanted to do something for her to make sure she knew how special she was to me and everyone else in the pack, but I wasn’t sure what to do or how to do it, especially with how many threats were looming over us right now.

I knew nothing about the Council of Magic or how strong they were. Werewolves once stood against sorcerers, so they couldn’t be that strong, right? But Cain made it seem like they had endless resources. That was something I was lacking. As much as I wanted to protect my pack from everything, we were still smaller. Without a proper alliance with Pack Sallow, I wasn’t sure how I would be able to manage that.

And then there was this Son of B***d and Magic we apparently had to worry about.

My grip automatically tightened on Adira. I didn’t fully understand what this prophecy meant or what exactly this person wanted with Adira, but I wouldn’t let him take her from me. I didn’t care how I would have to stop it. I just knew there was no other option.

Adira shifted in my arms, looking up at me with her sleepy eyes. Her eyes were still red and puffy from all of her crying, and her hair was a little tangled, but she was still as beautiful as ever. She looked around, groggy and a little confused.

“Did I fall asleep?” she asked. She started to sit up.

I touched her shoulder, encouraging her to relax. “It’s okay. We’re not in a rush. You can sleep more if you want.”

She continued sitting up and looked out the window. “It’s getting late, and the sun will be up for only a little longer. We should go back home.”

“Okay.” I leaned over and kissed her on the forehead before moving to the front.

She moved to the passenger seat, and then we started our drive back to Ashville. She was quiet for the rest of the drive, but she seemed a lot calmer. Her eyes flickered around, and I could tell she was having a conversation with Moon, Shadow, or the both of them. I wanted to know what they were talking about, but I didn’t want to disturb her. Adira wasn’t the type to keep secrets from me, so I knew she would tell me when she was ready to.

The car ride felt longer on the way back. I was worried about Adira, and I was going over a list of things I needed to do to make sure to keep everyone safe. Since my pack was still small, I knew I would need help if I wanted to fight off these threats. I knew I would need the help of other wolf packs, especially because I knew Jori was not going to lend us help after we went behind that back.

I wasn’t sure what other wolf packs would be willing to help us, though. Since we were a newer wolf pack, we didn’t have many connections yet. I wasn’t sure if other werewolves even took my pack seriously. I would have to talk to Darian and Percy to see if they had any connections we could utilize. Perhaps I could use connections my grandfather had if there were any packs out there that still recognized him as the man he actually was, instead of the one he was painted as after his death.

If we got more help, we could set up more patrols, and we would be able to prepare for anyone who tried to attack again. We could put the sorcerers in their place, so they would stop coming after my mate. I would make sure this guy from the prophecy knew that just because Adira could possibly be part of a prophecy, it didn’t mean it was guaranteed to come true. I believed that we could choose our own path, and no prophecy would ever change that for me.

–

When we finally pulled up to the pack house, Adira’s eyes were still glazed over, and I wondered what she was so wrapped up about in her head.

“We’re home,” I said, pulling her out of her thoughts.

She blinked a few times before smiling at me. “Sorry. I didn’t realize that much time had passed.”

“It’s okay,” I said. Adira was definitely not acting like herself, which only worried me more. “Why don’t we go inside, and I can cook you some dinner. You haven’t eaten much today.”

Adira forced a smile. “I’m not really hungry right now. I think I’m just going to go upstairs and shower and then lie down for a little while.”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded. “I’m not feeling the greatest right now, anyway.”

I decided not to push the subject. I was sure she was mentally exhausted from everything. I would make sure to bring her some food a little later and try to get her to eat.

“Do you want help to the room? I can have Zay take a look at you too.” I could feel my protective instincts kicking in, and they were hard to reign back, knowing my mate wasn’t okay.

She smiled again, and it broke my heart seeing her try so hard. I knew she was pretending she was okay because she didn’t want to worry me. I would rather have her show her full feelings instead of hiding them, though. I didn’t want her to hide any part of her.

Adira grabbed my hand and kissed my cheek. “I’m okay. Promise. I just need to relax and recharge, and then I’ll be fine.”

I let out a small sigh. “Okay. You go take your shower. I’ll unpack our things and make sure everything is in order with the pack. I will check up on you soon, but if you need anything, just link me.”

“Of course.” This time she kissed me softly on the lips, lingering for a moment longer than I expected. I could almost feel the sadness through her trembling lips, and I didn’t want her to stop. I wanted to k**s every part of her body until she was smiling again. I wanted to hold her until all of her pain went away.

Finally, Adira pulled back and made her way to the pack house. I watched her leave, unable to pull my eyes away until she was inside. I let my shoulders fall and my head lean back as I closed my eyes for a moment. A sigh escaped my lips as I tried to center myself while she wasn’t watching me. It was hard watching the woman I loved struggle so much without doing anything, but I wanted to look strong in front of her, even if I didn’t feel that way.

After taking my moment, I changed my expression, ready to face everything that was to come. I knew I was resilient, and I could get through this. I had been through too much in my life already, so I knew I could handle whatever else would come my way.

I quickly unpacked the car, so I could touch base with Darian and Scythe about everything that happened while we were gone. It hadn’t even been a full day since I was gone, but I wanted to know about anything out of the ordinary, even if it was the smallest thing. I also wanted to start reaching out to other packs for help as soon as possible. It could take time for them to respond to our request for help, and I didn’t want to waste any time. People could come after Adira at any moment, and I didn’t want Cain to have any ammunition for convincing Adira to leave with him.

As I finished bringing in all of the stuff we packed, I was surprised to hear a knock on the door. As far as I knew, we weren’t expecting any visitors. I set down the bag in my hand and opened the door. I froze, my entire body tensing up as I stared at the person in my doorway.

“What are you doing here?” My words came out more defensive than I intended, but I knew I wasn’t completely unjustified for being on guard.

“I think you and I should have a conversation,” Alpha Lyna said. He was standing tall with his hands behind his back.

“I don’t have any interest in talking right now,” I said. I knew I should be more pleasant with this alpha, but it was hard knowing his history with my mate. The way he just pretended like everything was okay when we were at his pack house rubbed me the wrong way as well.

“I know you don’t have any reason to like me. I’m sure Adira has told you about what happened between her and I by now, but I would appreciate it if you could at least give me a chance to talk to you.” His demeanor was calm, despite my defensive nature.

“Give me a good reason why I should bother talking to you,” I said. There was very little this man could say to me to make me change my mind about him. There was never an excuse to abandon a sixteen-year-old girl who was raised as a daughter.

“I have made mistakes, mostly out of anger. I took it out on the wrong person. I’ve known that for years, but I didn’t know what to do. Seeing Adira today made me realize I had to do something,” Alpha Lyna explained.

I scoffed at his words. “You kicked a teenager out and threatened to kill her because your wife lied to you. Adira didn’t do anything wrong, yet she is the one who suffered all of these years. Even if she wasn’t yours by b***d she was still your daughter. She loved you like a father, and you didn’t even have the courtesy to tell her why you kicked her out. I’m sorry if you suddenly feel sorry, but that’s your burden to bear. Adira has been through enough. If you realized your mistake, you should have reached out to her sooner. It’s too late now.”

I tried to shut the front door, but Alpha Lyna stopped the door with one hand. I could feel his power radiating through his stance.

“Please just hear me out. Adira doesn’t have to ever see me again if she doesn’t want to. I don’t deserve redemption for what I did to her, and I would understand if she spent the rest of her life hating me. I deserve that. But I can help her and you if you let me.” Alpha Lyna was still completely composed. I expected more emotion from the words coming from his mouth. I expected a form of desperation or pleading, but he had practice being a leader who had a strong image to maintain. He didn’t show simple emotions, since that could make an alpha seem weak.

I disagreed with that philosophy as a leader. I had to be strong for those who followed me, but I always wanted to be upfront and honest with them. I wanted them to see that I wasn’t perfect, but I still would do everything I could for them. It felt more genuine than bottling everything up to try to make a perfect picture.

“I will agree to hear you out on two conditions,” I finally said. I didn’t like this man being around Adira in any way, but maybe he could help us out. “If Adira doesn’t want you around, then that’s the end of it, no matter what kind of help you have to offer.”

Alpha Lyna was silent for a moment. “Okay. What’s your second condition?”

I took a step forward, straightening my posture. “If I replace out this is some sort of ruse to hurt Adira or my pack, you will regret crossing me.”

The corner of Alpha Lyna’s l*p turned up ever so slightly. “That sounds more like a threat, not a condition.”

“Think of it as you please,” I returned. “As long as you understand that I will protect the people I care about at any cost. Don’t cross me. Don’t hurt my mate. Don’t hurt my pack. It’s as simple as that.”