Mated To The Cold Hearted Alpha
Chapter 100

Ever’s POV!

Four weeks had gone by since Hycinth had left and as expected, Leander had deteriorated quickly. His righteous anger and fury that Hycinth had chosen her dead parents over her soulmate, knowing their cruelty, had worn off, leaving only abysmal devastation behind. He couldn’t think or function past his pain. He didn’t want to.

I stood to my feet when Sydney and one of her apprentices, Heidi, entered the study. Crossing the room to them, I asked quietly, “What news do you have?”

Sydney’s eyes cut in Leander’s direction and then back at me. “Should we talk about this…here?”

I understood her hesitation. I looked over to Leander. He was slouched in an oversized chair, legs apart, head back with his eyes closed. For the moment, his breathing and heart rate was regular, none of the usual hitches and spasms I’d become accustomed to hearing. He was asleep. But even slumbering didn’t guarantee a break to his agony. Most nights he woke up roaring, fighting the nightmares in his head. I’d moved into the room next to him at the packhouse so I could be near him when he needed me. Usually, when the night terrors hit, he’d destroyed some part of his room, whether shredding the sheets with his claws or putting his fist through the nightstand before I even break through the door. Only to replace him curled in a ball on the floor, sweat covering his naked body, and tears streaming down his face with the realization that his waking existence was so much worse than the nightmares could ever be. Rocking his body, seeking comfort that never came, the same desperate chant muttered incoherently from his lips, “She’s gone… She’s gone… She’s gone…”

It f*****g broke my heart.

For so long, Leander had been my rock of support. He’d kept me sane when I was at my lowest with no hope left. He’d stood by my side without exception, holding me from falling apart when I couldn’t do it myself.

My, how the tables had turned…

Leander had willingly sacrificed his own mate by making a deal with her for her freedom so that I could have the one thing I’d always wanted most.

And now I had it.

Gwen’s small frame was just becoming rounded with our pup.

She hated that I slept here every night and refused to let her join me. But it was just too dangerous. Leander was unstable, a pent-up bomb getting ready to go off at any moment. I wasn’t about to let my mate and child suffer the fallout when it happened. Because in my gut, I knew it wasn’t a matter of if he snapped completely, but when.

His Wolf was too far gone.

Too lost in the torture of his existence. Leander knew it as well. He’d refused to shift since Hycinth had left. At first, I’d encouraged him to let his Wolf run, thinking it would help ease his heart and mind. A full-bodied shudder had gone through him at my suggestion. His eyes had darkened to his Wolf as he tried to break free and the haunted expression of the animal staring back at me had chilled me to the bone. I’d never mentioned it again.

“Ever? Are you listening to me?” Sydney’s voice broke me from my troublesome thoughts.

“What?” I shook my head, trying to clear my cluttered thoughts.” Yes, it’s okay to talk here.” No matter what, Leander was still our Alpha, and I wouldn’t take anything else away from him after he’d already suffered such a loss.

Heidi left our side and walked to Cyril who was seated across from Leander. Crouching down, she glanced at Leander and then whispered something in Cyril’s ear. Cyril nodded, the expression on his face unreadable. Standing again, Heidi inched closer to the slumbering Leander.

I shook my head. It hadn’t taken more than a day before available shewolves had started circling him like sharks after b***d. How they could think they even had a chance was simply ridiculous and beyond my understanding. Interestingly enough, if I’d had to wager a guess, I would have thought Sydney to be at the front of the line, but she wasn’t one of them. Over the weeks, she’d maintained only the highest professional, interacting as her job required but no more.

Sydney adjusted the clipboard in her hands, flipping two pages up. “Our patrols ran into two more wolves last night. They chased them past the border but lost scent after a few miles.. They couldn’t catch them for interrogation.”

“More reconnaissance,” I gritted through clenched teeth.

“It would seem like it,” Sydney agreed tightly. “There could be no other reason to get so close and then run.”

I nodded, my mind turning over the possibilities. We had borders to protect. There had been whispers of potential threats coming from Hycinth’s pack. News had traveled quickly. They knew Leander’s mate was gone. But no one knew the true devastation. We’d kept him isolated. Because if they knew, no doubt, they would strike without mercy. It was what they did.

We’d made a mistake in leaving Hycinth’s pack alive. They were evil through and through. I’d argued with Leander, but he’d been adamant. Maybe a part of him instinctually knew he couldn’t leave Hycinth with nothing if he ever hoped to win her favor. Her parents had to be put down. No exception could have been made, not after what they’ve done. But he’d chosen to leave her pack intact, outside of the ones that were lost during the battle that day. Both of our packs had suffered much.

But in the end, it hadn’t mattered. Hycinth had left him anyway.

And I hated her for it…

I hated that she’d ripped out his heart.

And for what…?

Leander had avenged his family. He’d defended our people. But in doing what was right to protect our pack, he’d paid the ultimate price.

And now, yet again, his good intentions were coming back to bite us in the a*s.

We were wolves. Our violence exceeded that of humans. Leaving any part of an opposing pack alive always presented a future risk if their remaining ruling hierarchy or orphaned juveniles sought retribution or if they just wanted to continue fighting over the land and wealth they lusted after.

It was the reason wolves suffered great losses whenever we went into battle. Our vengeful nature’s had to be taken into consideration. Leander had wanted peace, and he’d achieved it over the last three years…until now.

When Leander had taken out the Alpha and Luna, we’d placed enforcers within Hycinth’s pack to control any potential uprising and to be present if Hycinth had returned. For the most part, their warriors had been docile, not willing to take on the violence that was Leander. But that was over now. They were testing our borders, testing our strength, seeking a way in. It was only a matter of time.

They did not know the full extent of the damage Hycinth had done to Leander, but our enemies fully understood the potential that her actions had crippled him.