Mated To The Cold Hearted Alpha
Chapter 23

I wasn’t going to wait around or call her back to answer any more questions, but I needed to get answers somehow. And I certainly wasn’t going to ask Leander. Abruptly, Ever was standing behind me. I turned to face him.

“So, are you done laughing at them?” His lips twitched.

I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face. “How did you know?”

“You made quite an impression…by doing nothing at all. Well, you did giggle at the six most formidable shewolves in the Pack, so maybe that’s something.” He rubbed his chin. “After this morning, Leander was worried a fight was unavoidable. Once again, he was wrong about you.”

Ever’s words surprise me. He almost sounded impressed.

“I know what I can do. I didn’t feel the need to prove anything.”

He nodded and mused, “You’re good for him,” and then he added, “Never thought I’d say that.”

I didn’t bother to analyze his words. “Where next?”

“First, the collar…and then my house.”

That damn collar. I narrowed my eyes.

He tensed as he watched me decide whether or not he was going to have to fight me. Ten other wolves were circling somewhere. It wasn’t the right time for me to try to break free. And maybe I could build some brownie towards this illusion of trust Leander wanted to see from me.

I turned around and held my hair up. Ever exhaled heavily, wrapped the collar around my neck and engaged the locking mechanism.

It only took a few minutes for us to walk to his home. It was a quaint cottage, set back into the trees, not too big, but not too small with flowers adorning the front and a garden on the side. It was apparent loving hands had built this home. When we walked inside, the interior was as pretty and appealing as the outside.

It almost had a French country feel with comfortable seating, whitewashed and distressed wood and heritage quilts. A beautiful shewolf popped out of the kitchen, eyes lighting with excitement when she saw me. She crossed the room and immediately engulfed me in a hug so tight I struggled to breathe through it. After a long moment of not letting go and me holding my breath, Ever interrupted, teasing, “Gwen, stop manhandling the guest. You’ll have plenty of time to hug and hold on to her in the future, no need to try to work it all in today.”

Gwen stepped away and smiled sheepishly. Her smile was breathtaking, gleaming white teeth set against creamy caramel skin. High cheekbones, a straight nose and expressive brown eyes, the color of rich mahogany.

She was so pretty, it took me a minute to gather my thoughts together.

Ever walked over to her, a deep growl escaping his chest as he grabbed her in his arms, held her tight, and planted a wild k**s right on her lips.

“Oh!” she squeaked before her airway was cut off by his lips. And then she melted into him, clutching him tightly, reveling in the strength of her mate. When they pulled away, her eyes were bright and glowing. Ever looked down at her with such love and adoration that it gave my heart a pang. What must it feel like to be so cherished by a mate?

I would never know.

I felt tears well in my eyes and blinked quickly before they noticed, but something in Gwen’s expression made me think I hadn’t been quite as quick to cover my emotion as I’d hoped. Thankfully, she moved right along in the conversation, patting Ever’s chest. “Go on. Let us girls talk.”

Tension rolled through his broad shoulders. “I’m not leaving,” he insisted coldly.

I was startled at his abrupt change in demeanor.

Gwen’s voice lowered soothingly, “I’ll be perfectly safe. She’s not going to hurt me.”

Hurt her? I had just assumed he was worried about me running away. I had no idea he thought I’d attack his mate. I gasped, “I would never…hurt…”

She looked at me. “I know you wouldn’t. He knows it too.” She tapped his chest. “He’s just a bit overprotective.”

Well, that made sense. I’d already seen Ever’s protective side and his anguish at his mate’s pain. I said quickly, “If it makes him feel better, I don’t mind if he stays.”

Ever’s eyes bore into mine, searching for an answer. I stared back at him openly, without pretense, hoping he could replace the truth in my expression. He must have because he nodded slowly and leaned down, giving Gwen a quick k**s on the cheek. “I’ve got to have her back in an hour. Will that give you enough time to talk?”

“For today,” she replied grinning at me.

I couldn’t help but smile in return. I could already tell I was going to like her very much.

After Ever left, she ushered me into the kitchen while she made a pot of tea. When it was ready, we went back to the living room, chatting the entire time. She told me about her family. I purposefully left out any details about my family but shared my love of art and color. Not once, did she mention the Claiming Ceremony. I was thankful. I’d worried I was in for a hard sales pitch. Instead, the conversation was relaxed and progressed comfortably.

After a moment of silence, I decided she might be the perfect person to answer my question from earlier. I bit my l*p. “Can I ask you something?”

She raised an eyebrow. “Of course, anything.”

“Um, it’s about mating.” I flushed pink, embarrassed once again at my lack of knowledge.

She squeezed my arm. “That’s perfectly okay. You can ask me any question, no matter what.”

I drew in a slow breath, working up the courage. “If Leander…mated with me…could that bond be broken…and he mate with another she-wolf?”

Her expression turned to one of concern.

“Technically yes, but Leander would never do that.”

I disregarded her last statement. Apparently, she didn’t know the Alpha like the unmated males he surrounded himself with- him first and then sharing his leftovers. Hell, even he’d told me he could never see me as his Luna, and the only reason I was here was for the Claiming Ceremony and to bear him a pup. He wasn’t even trying to disguise his reasons for wanting me.

Not that it mattered. I would never love him. I would never accept him, not after what he’d done. Still, I was curious how everything worked and asked carefully, “Is there a way it could happen without it being his choice?”

Her expression darkened.

“Why are you asking? Has something happened?”

“No,” I assured her quickly. “It was just something Sydney said.”

“That bitch!” Gwen hissed. “What did she say?”

I bit my l*p again and spoke honestly, “I’m not sure I should tell you. If I tell you, you’ll tell Ever, and he’ll tell Leander. And I don’t want that.” The last thing I wanted was for Leander to get word that I was making inquiries about his previous females.

Gwen gave me a knowing smile. She took one of my hands in hers and spoke sincerely, “I understand the necessity of keeping some things hidden whilst in the middle of courtship. It isn’t helpful for the male to know too much. Let Leander work for you. I can assure you, if it’s your desire this conversation go no farther than the two of us, so be it.”

I was surprised at her frankness, but also relieved. I exhaled slowly. “Sydney said she was going to challenge me…after I mated with Leander and bore his pup. I didn’t realize that a challenge could break the mate bond.”

Her expression turned to fury now. She ground her teeth together. “Any Wolf can be challenged for another. It is quite rare for it to happen to one already mated and usually never ends well if the challenger wins. In your case, the situation is slightly different because another shewolf may want to challenge you simply for your title of Luna.”

I was shocked at her words. I had no idea. Not that Leander would give a shit once he got what he wanted from me, he’d probably be all for another shewolf stepping up to the plate, one that didn’t have Diamonte as her last name. But I had to ask, “And Leander would allow that? He’d walk away from his mate and pup to take another?”

“He’d never let the pup go, but if mother remained alive, in consideration of the pup, the mother would have the choice of leaving as a Rogue, disgraced, or she could stay as an Omega, still disgraced.”

Oh, this was just getting better and better, I thought bitterly.