Mated To The Cold Hearted Alpha
Chapter 115

All of the animosity trained from her face, replaced by confusion. “I’m sorry for your loss, and I hope you get the answers you seek. But it is a very dangerous time right now. You are standing in the crosshairs of a volatile conflict. We have not been able to confirm where everyone’s loyalties stand. For your own sake and that of your sister, it would be better for you to return to her right now. Stay away because the b***d of many wolves is going to be shed.”

“I can’t leave, not yet. Tell me what happened. Have you tried negotiations? I didn’t come here for that, but maybe I can help.” Truthfully, the last thing I wanted to involve myself with was a war. Hycinth needed me now more than ever.

Sydney replied flatly, “We’re at war because Hycinth left him.”

And then I understood…

My heart sank.

Swallowing thickly, I tried to contain my dread. “What happened to Leander?” Somehow, I just knew I wasn’t going to like the answer.

For the first time, all of her defenses were gone. Her bottom l*p quivered. “He’s not…well.”

F**k. It was true.

And in hindsight, I was stupid not to see it coming. I leaned forward, hands clasped together with my elbows resting on my knees. “But he’s alive?”

She nodded but didn’t offer any more information.

“Sydney, I thought the feuding ended when Alpha Grant died. Who is leading the opposition and why?” It just didn’t make any sense to me, but clearly, I had been left out of critical political events in the past.

“We don’t exactly know. We’re pretty sure about several wolves but not others, and we think they may be getting help from another pack. As far as their reasoning, we just assumed it was the same as it’s been for decades-territory.”

I considered her words and wasn’t quite sure I could believe that land was the motivating factor after all I’d recently learned. But for the moment, it was secondary to the more important question. “What happened with Leander? Is he strong enough to fight them?”

“I don’t know,” she whispered hoarsely, her voice catching. “H-he’s lost without her. His Wolf wants to die. He’s already tried to take his own life. I’m afraid he’s going to use this conflict to try again. He’ll end it but at the cost of his own life.”

Her words slammed through me.

Leander’s Wolf had already tried to take his own life?!

The thought was inconceivable, and yet, it wasn’t. I understood the pain of losing a mate. So far, I hadn’t had time to dwell on it, but the devastation was pulling me apart bit by bit, and I’d never even met my mate. I couldn’t imagine how I would cope after living with someone and loving them only to lose them forever.

I sucked in a ragged breath.

Before I could speak, Sydney said the one thing I never expected her to say. “Luca, do you think you could convince Hycinth to return? H-he needs her.” Her plea was sincere and heartfelt. It didn’t seem to be motivated by war, but only by the Alpha, she worried about. Hands twisting together, she anxiously waited for my reply.

I just hadn’t expected it. If anything, I assumed she would try to capitalize on the fissure in their relationship, but I answered honestly, “She wants to return to him. She’s been working through her issues. She just doesn’t know how…and she doesn’t think he either Leander or the pack will welcome her back.” It really wasn’t my place to say, but enough was enough. Leander couldn’t give up. Not now.

Sydney’s eyes went wide, clearly not expecting my response either. I watched the calculation begin as she absorbed my information. The gears of her mind churned. After a long moment, she replied, “I can’t speak for him, but I have to hope that somehow…” her words drifted off. She recognized the uphill battle they had just as much as I did.

As much as she appeared sincere, Hycinth’s future and that of my precious niece was at stake. There was one thing I needed to confirm and cut right to the chase, “If she returns, do you plan on challenging her from Leander?”

Sydney’s expression fell. Sadness overwhelmed her irises. She stood up from the chair without answering me and walked into the kitchen.

Anxiety turned the pit in my stomach. I’d assumed she was sincere but maybe it was just to accomplish her own motives. Pushing to my feet, I followed her into the other room. She had another thing coming if she thought I was going to allow Hycinth to walk into that kind of a f****d up situation.

Sydney was silent as she pulled two beers from the refrigerator and handed one to me. Flicking her wrist, she twisted off the cap and turned up the drink, swallowing deeply. Wiping her lips with the back of her hand, she refused to look at me and stared off at a point on the wall to the side. I studied her profile. Her bottom l*p quivered, but she was trying to hold it together. The rush of emotions playing along the surface surprised me. She looked in pain.

Rather than speak, I opened the beer I was holding and took a swig, waiting for her to answer my question. After a long moment, she swallowed and whispered, “I hate this pack so much.”

It wasn’t what I expected her to say, and I’d never seen her so transparent, so raw. I wasn’t even sure if her words were meant for me or just bubbled out of her obvious hurt. Placing a hand on her forearm, I murmured, “Why?” I had some guesses, but her behavior led me to believe they could all be wrong.

She looked at my hand and then up at me almost surprised to see me. Her troubled eyes glistened. “They killed my mate.”

For the second time, I felt I’d been punched in the gut. No, this conversation wasn’t going to go anyway I had expected. Pulling her into my embrace, she rested her head against my chest but no tears fell. We just stood that way for a moment before I finally stepped back. With an arm still wrapped around her side, I tugged her forward, back toward the living room. “Come on.”

She let me lead her back to the chair and sank down before taking another swallow of her drink.

“Tell me what happened to him.”

“H-he was actually from your pack. His name was Jason.”

I remembered him. He’d been one of the wolves that went with Alpha Grant when Leander’s mother was killed. Fresh new anxiety worked its way down my spine. The coincidence seemed too. unlikely. Resisting the urge to ask more questions, I waited to let her speak.

“I only saw him that one time. Just once…” her features softened, her gaze no longer focused as she looked at memories in her mind, “before he was stolen from me forever.”

She took another swallow from her drink. “He and I knew it instantly, of course, and the timing couldn’t have been worse. There we were, standing on opposite sides of the war, meeting for the first time. And then everything went horribly wrong.”

F**k. I could not even imagine that. “I’m so f*****g sorry.”

She went on as if I hadn’t spoken, still staring far away. “I could never figure out why your Alpha suddenly wanted to kill her.”

“Kill her?” I questioned. “Do you mean Leander’s mother?”

Her gaze focused on me. “No. My sister. I never understood why he went after her in the first place. We were in the middle of discussions…and then suddenly, everything changed. Alpha Grant charged toward her. By this point, Jason knew who she was to me. He reacted instinctually. He tried to save her, but the Alpha’s claws took out his throat with one mighty sweep. First Jason, and then Maddie, and I never understood why. Obviously, our talks end-“

“Wait!” My heart thundered in my chest. No, there was no coincidence here.

Sydney seemed surprised by my abrupt interruption. Her eyes widened at, what I was sure was, a murderous expression on my face. She whispered, “What’s wrong?”

“Your sister, Maddie, “I could barely get the words out, “was her name Madison?”

Brow furrowing, she replied, “Yes. How did you know that? Did you know her?”

“I think so,” My hands shook, the beer in the air wobbling as I tried not to drop it. “Do you have a picture of her?”

“Yes.” Sydney stood to her feet and headed toward the hallway.

I had no intention of just waiting for her to return and quickly scrambled after her. If she was bothered by my presence right on her heels, she didn’t say anything. We entered one of the two bedrooms, and she made her way to a small jewelry box. Lifting a gold locket, she held it out to me.

It took me a moment to get the clasp undone, but when I did, just one glance dropped me to my knees. I wasn’t sure if I would have been able to recognize her on sight without the benefit of her smell, but my Wolf new immediately. There was no doubt in his mind. Clutching the tiny piece of jewelry like my life depended on it, my body curled in on itself. I held it to my lips. “It’s her!” my voice hitched as a sob broke from my throat in both devastation and unimaginable gratitude that I had this little gift…

…I finally knew who she was and what she looked like.