Chapter 25
-Dorothy-
The drive was a long one. A good way to determine whether or not you and your partner will last in the long run is to partake on a long-as-hell road trip together, in my humble opinion. Luckily for us, it turned out to be a rather pleasant experience.
Ignatius was determined to make a stop at every wacky little diner we came across and I used up an entire roll of film in a little disposable camera he bought me as a gift. Ignatius didn’t see the point in photographing every sunset as the days rolled by but I was insistent.
Finally, on the third day of driving, I felt a change in the air. It was cooler and crisp with the faintest smell of the sea. We had made it to Bielke territory and Ignatius was hailed by a few drivers as we passed.
I didn’t know what to expect when arriving at Ignatius’s home but the sprawling dark mansion nestled in the woods by the cliffs was more grandiose than I could ever have guessed. I stared out of the window with my jaw hanging slack as we drove up the winding path towards the towering building.
The entire house was comprised of dark wood and bay windows, two stories high and equipped with four chimneys. It looked like the coziest of cottages but blown up to magnificent proportions. Ignatius laughed at my incredulous expression and put a hand on my head.
“Well, it’s not Anita’s pad but I hope it will do.”
I nodded as I gawked at the estate, still in a stupor.
The interior of the house was even more impressive than the outside if that was even possible.
The ceiling stretched high above our heads and a rustic chandelier made of gnarled black iron hung in the front hall. I marveled at the twisting staircase that sn*ked in circles up towards the second floor. Ignatius’s home was the closest thing to a fairytale I felt I had ever experienced.
Chapter 25
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We had barely finished dumping my boxes and bags at the front door when someone came calling. It was a young shifter, gawky and awkward in his adolescence. He stood on the porch scratching at his arms and looking all over the place like he was afraid to be standing there.
“Um, Ignatius? Your father wants to see you.”
Ignatius put down the final box and stood up, frowning at the young boy who lowered his gaze and shifted nervously on his feet.
“He’s back already?”
The fledgling bobbed his head up and down.
“Flew back yesterday.”
“Brilliant.”
Ignatius rolled his eyes and cast a glance over at me. I raised my eyes at him, silently questioning the implications of his father wanting to speak.
The young shifter was also gawking at me, fidgeting on the spot. He had the slightest hint of a stubble forming on his top l*p but it did nothing to prevent him from looking like a child.
“Is this the new Luna?” His curiosity overcame his fear and the intrigue in
his tone was clear.
“Yes, now go away Samuel,” Ignatius muttered before closing the heavy wooden doors in the young boy’s freckled face.
The boy’s tentative voice was m uffled from behind the doors. “Should I tell him you’ll be down to see him in a moment then?”
Ignatius gave a low growl, closing his eyes and slumping his forehead against the door.
Samuel’s voice from outside was wary. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he stuttered before adding, “Sorry to bother you, Sir.”
We heard his galloping footsteps leaping away from the front entrance as I smirked at Ignatius.
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Chapter 25
“Sir?”
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‘Shut up.” There was no malice in his voice though and he gave me a wry smile. But he seemed a little on edge at the thought of facing his father.
“Why does Elliot want to see you?”
Ignatius ignored my question and rubbed the stubble on his jaw. “I need to
s have.”
“Ignatius.”
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair before looking at me. He looked less sure of himself here, in a way I had never seen before. I was beginning to understand that Elliot and his son were not on the best of
terms.
“He wants to talk about you, probably. Word travels fast it would seem.”
I sat down on the wood-paneled floors in between my dismal collection of boxes and bags. I felt tiny in comparison to the gargantuan house. I felt smaller still, in the eyes of what was supposed to be my new pack.
“He’s not going to be stoked, I’m assuming? Because I’ve been rejected?”
Ignatius sat down beside me and played with a piece of my hair.
–
“No, he’s not going to be stoked. But that’s on him and his prejudice not you. Besides, he can’t stop me, stop us. It’s an unforgivable thing, to tear someone from their mate.”
My thoughts drifted to Johan and I felt a small, sharp stab at my heart.
“I guess we should go see him then?”
Ignatius stared arduously at the floor like he was summoning the courage.
to stand from somewhere deep inside of him. Even he exhaled and
got to his feet, pulling me up with him and pressing his l*ps to the mark he’d left on my n*eck.
“Indeed. Let’s go.”
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Ignatius said his father would be down the road at the Elder council’s head office. After dancing through the decadent shower in the main bedroom and throwing on a change of clothes, we sped down the winding forest road towards the elder council.
Ignatius drove in stony silence and I fiddled with the n*eckline of the only fancy dress that I owned.
Ignatius glanced over at me when he noticed my fidgeting.
“You look gorgeous, Dorothy.”
“I look like a scared pup who is way out of her depths,” I mumbled and then regretted it when I saw the genuine anxiety in Ignatius’s eyes,
“What happens if Elliot doesn’t agree to let me stay?”
Ignatius was trying his best to keep a composed impression, but his kitted.
brows said otherwise.
“I’m his son, the next Alpha. He doesn’t have a choice. That doesn’t mean. he’s going to let any of this be easy though.”
I clutched the seatbelt as we turned a corner and Ignatius was suddenly made aware of just how hard his foot was pressed down on the gas pedal. The car fishtailed on the corner but Ignatius managed to get it back under
control.
Stricken at the incident, Ignatius glanced over at me with genuine horror on his face.
“Are you okay?”
I put a hand on my leg to calm him. “I’m fine. It’s alright.”
–
Upon arriving at the council office a large building with vines of ivy climbing around the walls and a giant clock centered above the entrance- I was alarmed to see a number of other cars parked outside.
Ignatius too seemed suspicious at the numbers and his brow furrowed
intently as he pulled the breaks. He helped me out of the car and together we walked the large stone stairs to the door.
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Chapter 25.
Before Ignatius could reach for the handle, the door was swung wide open and a mousy-looking woman in spectacles greeted us with wide eyes and an even wider smile.
“Ignatius. Welcome back, your father is waiting for you in his office.””
Her overly forced smile made me uncomfortable and I cringed into Ignatius who put his arm around my waist in reassurance. We stepped inside and the woman shuffled back a few steps.
“Hello, Margaret. It’s good to be back.”
His thumb was massaging small circles on my back to ease the building tension he could clearly sense in me.
Margaret looked me up and down, her smile growing even wider than I thought was possible. It made her look like a puppet- a caricature of a human being.
“The outsider will have to wait here, I’m afraid,” Margaret said in an overly sweet tone. Her watery eyes focussed on me. She kept her distance from us, eyeing me warily like rejection was contagious. I tried for a feeble smile but my instant dislike of the woman turned it into something of a sneer.
Ignatius scowled at her. “Dorothy is my mate,” he spoke sternly, propelling. me forward with his arm at my back. “And I’m not going to leave her sitting around outside just because he can’t accept that fact.”
We walked past Margaret who gave me a wide girth – Ignatius taking long determined strides and me stumbling along next to him in an attempt to keep up. He led me down the long hall towards the large oak door at the
end.
Pushing it open without knocking, Ignatius burst into the room with me in tow. The man sitting at the desk looked up from a mess of paperwork. spread before him. He had his head propped up on his knuckles and looked broadly at Ignatius like his presence was underwhelming.
“Ignatius.”
I couldn’t tell if it was a greeting or a condemnation. The man had the
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Chapter 25
same slim build as Ignatius, but his muscles were bulkier and made the material of his shirt sit tightly around his forearms.
His stubble was well kept and his dark brown hair had the same ruffled look as his sons’ did. His gaze moved lazily from Ignatius to me. Green eyes looked me up and down as I stood hesitantly next to Ignatius and forced myself not to fidget.
“So this is the girl then?” he remarked nonchalantly and I felt Ignatius. bristle at my side. I sl*pped my hand into his clenched fist.
“This is Dorothy,” Ignatius said with a tight jaw, trying to maintain his composure. “My mate.”
“Your mate?” Elliot Armoundt’s tone was condescending, infantilizing. “Clair has been gone only two years and you’re already turning your attention to fresh meat?”
I was taken aback at his bluntness and flushed hotly at the disrespect he had for his own son.
“I don’t think ‘fresh meat’ was what he set out looking for,” I spoke before Ignatius could, “your son has been nothing but good to me.”
“I’m sure he has,” Elliot said sarcastically, his voice trailing off before locking eyes with Ignatius.
“I can’t allow this. She’s been rejected by her mate. It’s a bad image to welcome into the family name.”
“And besides, Ignatius,” Elliot continued when Ignatius opened his mouth to speak. “I expect better from you than to salvage someone else’s scraps.”
I was speechless at that. I had heard stories about this man. I knew Elliot Armoundt was a vicious warrior and a terrifying rival. I didn’t know he was an as shole too. I was about to state as much but Ignatius spoke before
me,
“You’d do well to be respectful. I’m the future Alpha of this pack and Dorothy is to be my Luna. Your word isn’t law around here.”
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Elliot pressed his fingers to his temple. “You are endlessly infuriating Ignatius. First, you fall apart and turn soft after one mishap, and now this? You’re letting down the Armoundt name more and more every day.”
The guttural growl that had been growing in Ignatius’s throat became a road and he crossed the room to his father’s desk before I had time to
blink.
Elliot seemed a little too calm about his son grabbing his hair and ramming his face into the desk. He wiped at the blood that burst from his. nose and frowned. “That was uncalled for.”
Ignatius yanked his head back like he was about to do it again and Elliot relented. “Alright, alright. At least you’ve still got some sp nk left in you.”
He leaned back in his chair and scrutinized Ignatius with one eye. “Tell you what, why don’t you take this up with the rest of the elders? They’re all currently in the room over, discussing this very matter.”
He was mocking us. We were sure to get more of the same from the other members. I wondered how he had even known about my rejection from Johan in the first place. Someone had to have told him. Word did indeed
travel fast.
Ignatius turned without another word and stormed out of the room. He gripped my arm to drag me along with him and then chose instead to take my hand in his and lead me rather than drag me.
It was t
the considerate part of his nature that made me love him as much as I did the gentle kindness that lay underneath the sheer strength. It was
the trait of a true leader.
Elliot did not seem to see it that way and scoffed at his son’s actions before. Ignatius slammed the door behind us.
Kicking open the next door, Ignatius faced the elder council and I sidled. in behind him. I wanted to be strong for him. I wanted to prove to them that I was fit for the role.
But my courage was slowly failing me and I was gripped with a growing sense of grim familiarity with the situation. This was nothing new. This
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was what I had expected all along. Ignatius may accept me as I am but this pack would be no different from my previous.
The ten members at the table in the center of the room all turned to look. at us simultaneously. Ignatius regarded them coldly.
“It’s rather unprofessional to hold a council meeting regarding a certain. person, without having that person present to defend themselves, don’t you think?”
A short, balding man closest to us stood up. “Now, Ignatius. This is a potential new member, of course, we had to discuss-”
“This is Dorothy,” Ignatius interrupted him, placing both hands on my shoulders and standing me in front of him. “She is my mate and your future Luna. Anyone who takes issue with that will have to answer to me personally.””
This statement was met with silence. Looking around the room at the ten members of the council and their widened eyes I came to realize something. They were afraid of him. It would seem that only I got to witness the kinder, younger Ignatius.
To these people, with the way they were looking at him, Ignatius was a terrifying force with a powerful hereditary name. I wondered at just how much Ignatius had changed before I met him, to have garnered himself such a reputation.
With nob*dy daring to question his statement, Ignatius took one last look around the room and propelled me out of the room once more. We headed to the exit, leaving the elder members stunned in their cu shioned.
sc ats.
We passed Margaret on the way, who shrank back against the wall as we passed. I looked over my shoulder at her and shot her the most sickly sweet smile I could muster before clinging to Ignatius’s hand and ski pping along next to him and out of the front door.
My mate was the future Alpha, there was no denying his true power. At
that moment, it didn’t matter that his pack didn’t want me. Ignatius did. And that would always be enough.
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