The Mating Rules
Book 3 – Chapter 20

Raelyn’s POV

I stare up at the ceiling from where I’m laying on the tiny cot that has been in the storage room of our basement for as long as I can remember. The single bulb above my head flickers as it lights up the bare walls around me.

A scuffling sound outside the triple bolted door has me sitting bolt upright before a slow smile crawls across my face and I scramble to my feet. Moving toward the reinforced barrier, I sit down with my back against the wood.

‘You don’t need to guard me anymore Jasper, I’m not a little girl anymore and in all the full moons I’ve been in here, not one werewolf has tried to get down here let alone break through the door’ I call out through the heavy door.

I hear the future Alpha curse before he replies, ‘I’m not guarding you Rae, I just happened to be working out, getting a jog in and I needed a few minutes rest.’

I bark out a laugh, ‘you were jogging? In the basement?’ I snort at his ridiculousness.

‘Those stairs are a serious work out’ the Alpha huffs, ‘you should see my calves right now, they are like bricks.’

I lean my head back, closing my eyes as I smile, despite my protests, it’s nice to have a little company. There are no windows and only this one door to get into this room and other than my cot, there is only broken furniture and a few boxes to entertain me.

‘What book did you bring?’ Jasper asks quietly from behind me.

I grin, looking over at the book that was carefully marked with a scrap of paper about halfway through.

‘Inseparable’ I reply.

Jasper huffs out a laugh, ‘is that another one by that author you like? What was her name? Mavis Askali?’

I growl back at him. ‘Maureen Atsali’ I correct him stubbornly, he knows her name he just loves to annoy me by mispronouncing it.

‘Is it naughty Rae?’ Jasper calls out and I just know he’s smirking as he says it, ‘are you reading naughty books again?’

I’m glad I’m behind three heavy dead bolts right now as my face is no doubt as red as my hair. It might have a few adult chapters but they are important to the story! I am soooo not telling him that it involves more than one mate, he’ll never let me forget it.

‘Where is your mate?’ I diver him instead, ‘surely you should be guarding her as it’s the full moon?’

Jasper’s growl makes me giggle, ‘as if any wolf, even one that is crazed by the calling would dare hurt my Luna’ he scoffs, ‘but just to put your mind at ease, she’s currently locked inside the Alpha suite with my parents, Ford and six mated guards.’

I glance around my home for the night as Jasper shuffles around on the other side of the door, no doubt getting comfortable for the night.

‘Jas’ I call out with a sigh.

‘Yeah Rae?’ he replies softly.

‘Go back to your mate’ I order in resignation, ‘I appreciate you coming to check on me, but your mate needs you more than me. She’s pregnant, you should be with her for the claiming.’

‘Rae’ he starts and I know he’s going to argue with me.

‘Just go Jas’ I sigh heavily, ‘go be with your Luna, it’s where you should be, I’ll be fine.’

There is silence for a long moment before I hear the scraping of Jasper climbing to his feet.

‘You’ll stay quiet down here, right?’ he asks worriedly, ‘and if you hear any noises outside the door you will stay inside, you will not open the door?’

‘yes Jas, I know the drill’ I retort with a small bite to my tone, of course I know the drill, I’ve been doing this for most of my life.

I can almost sense his reluctance through the door before he breaths out a heavy breath, ‘OK, I’m going’ he mutters, ‘I’ll be back in the morning, you do not open this door until I call out to you.’

I shake my head slightly at his overprotectiveness, but I know he won’t leave until I agree out loud. ‘I promise, now go be romantic to your mate or something and leave the single wolves to their peace.’

I listen to the future Alpha slowly walk away, picking up his footsteps on the stone steps before the creak of the thick door at the top is opened and closed, leaving me alone.

********************************

Isaac’s POV

Sitting on the bed, I stare at the closed curtains, as I listen to the sounds coming from outside. All the she wolves taking part in the claiming tonight are gathered outside as Alpha Scott goes through the ceremony to open their connection to their mates.

Normally by now I’m a nervous wreck, climbing the walls as I beg the Goddess to finally let me hear the sweet sound of my mate calling to me, this time however, I feel nothing. Not even despair or hopelessness that delves in to resignation as the sun comes up with no sound reaching me, I just feel . . . empty.

In my head, Indigo is laying down peacefully, his usual agitated pacing that ramps up my own, missing as we sit there together.

‘Do you think we will hear her tonight?’ I ask quietly to my wolf as he opens one eye a c***k and yawns.

‘I don’t know’ he replies simply, ‘maybe the Goddess will bless us this time’ but he doesn’t sound any more enthusiastic than I do.

My mind wanders to the red head that invades my thoughts more often than is acceptable, I wonder where she is tonight, is she lining up with everyone else ready to enter the woods? I wonder if she’s excited, bouncing on her heels at the thought of finally being answered. A knot of jealousy curls in my stomach as the idea of one of my own newly matured warriors hearing her call and claiming her.

‘She’s not your mate’ I mutter angrily to myself, my hands clenching into tight fists as I swallow down the clawing anger as images of some faceless a*****e running to her, pressing his lips to hers before sinking his teeth into her neck.

Just the thought of another wolf touching her makes me want to rip out of the room and storm down the stairs, outside and throw her over my shoulder like a caveman.

‘Not your mate, not your mate, not your mate!’ I hiss desperately.

I check my watch, eleven pm, depending on how many females are taking part this month they could well be being led into the woods and preparing to step out into the moonlight.

My nails are digging into my hands as I stand up and start pacing the floor, Indigo growling softly at me, letting me know that he doesn’t appreciate my emotions disturbing him.

I stop by the window, my hand reaching out as my fingers curl around the thick fabric that is blocking the moonlight. I haven’t felt the need to sneak a peek since I was in my late twenties, back when I still thought that I had a chance of hearing the call.

I know it’s not the desire to see my possible future mate that is clawing at me though, I want to see who is running for the woods, watch them come out again, see who if anyone has Raelyn clasped to their side.

‘Not your mate, not your mate!’ If I repeat it enough, I’ll stop thinking about her!

I snatch my hand away with a snarl and storm to the far side of the room, away from temptation. I snatch up a book from the bedside table and thumb through the pages aggressively as my eyes flick back to the curtains again.

Tossing the book onto the mattress, I g***n loudly, dragging my hand down my face, what the hell is wrong with me.

I roll my shoulders, I’m a damn Beta, what do I care about some Omega replaceing her mate anyway? Good for her if he hears her, she absolutely deserves to replace her fated other. She’s a nice girl, kind, funny with a bit of a sassy side, whoever claims her will be a lucky son of a b***h.

Growling loudly, I launch across the bed and grab the curtains, pulling them open slightly and peeking through the tiny gap at the grounds underneath my window.

There is about a dozen girls being led into the woods at different points, each one flanked by two large warriors who I know will already be mated. No pack is crazy enough to put unmated males around a group of claiming females, well not unless they want a bloodbath on their hands.

I peer through the darkness, staring at the silhouette of each female under the moonlight trying to work out which is Raelyn from their body shape. It’s hard though, as some of them is wearing a coat or cloak with a hood over their heads that covers their curves. There are a few in form fitting dresses with a head covering but none is Raelyn, I know it.

As they disappear into the treeline, I let the curtain fall back into place and step back, waiting with dread for the claiming to begin.