Twisting Her Fate
Chapter 18

It wasn't until he left the half moon pack and really sat down and thought about it, Maggie is fated to him. Maybe she would be a benefit, maybe she could help with his sleep, maybe she could help him to forget the amazing girl that filled his mind way more than she ever should. Shouldn't his mate be able to do all those things? Does he just give her up without saying a single word? Is he meant to stomach the blatant disrespect and insult just because his actual mate couldn't compare to what he had fashioned in his mind, the checklist that he never had before that was made around a certain girl that he only spent six hours with.

There is another knock on the door and Connor tries to compose himself, spinning the chair around to look out the window once more, his head somewhere it shouldn't be once again.

"Come in"

Leilani stands outside the door when the gruff and magnetic voice rolls through the solid timber, her slightly shaking hands trying to smooth out her clothes. This rash idea is about the silliest thing that she has ever thought of.

It has been a long time since she has lacked confidence, but right now she feels less than nothing and that is against everything she is trying to achieve here.

Leilani nods her head, at least his voice is nice. Maybe she can close her eyes and this plan will be fine.

Taking a deep breath, her hand reaches out and touches the cold metal of the door handle, she glimpses back at the border patrol warrior who is standing in only a pair of shorts he pulled on when they entered the house. He just keeps looking at her like she is strange, he has every reason to, she is acting strange.

But how can she act normally when they are going to seduce an unknown alpha that is fated for Maggie and convince him to go against the two? To convince a stranger to blatantly disregard the bonds of fate and work with her to make two bullies suffer, the whole idea is insane.

Leilani's breath catches in her throat. What was she thinking? This is a terrible idea. The click of the lock sounds as the door starts to push forward. She is too far into the plan now. What can she do now?

With the border patrols urging, she walks forward, shutting the door behind herself.

Leilani turns and looks at the back of a rather large leather chair. It is somewhat easier to do this without looking at him.

Connor stares out at the trees, trying to convince himself to go through with this, that Maggie is worth the trouble. "You are very early"

Connor never tells anyone about his insomnia, which could be construed as a weakness. An alpha can never show any weakness. She doesn't need to know that he has been up for most of the night. Wouldn't seven a.m for a meeting be early for most normal people? Connor has to pretend he is the same.

Leilani has never purposely seduced anyone before. She just usually walks in with a certain confidence towards the person that she is attracted to. She has never used it as a tool to get what she wants or even knows how to go about something like that. So the whole situation is rather nerve wrecking and suddenly her usual confidence has shrunk to the size of a pea.

Her hands twist together and she breathes deeply, taking in a somewhat familiar scent of cinnamon that calms her somewhat.

"Ummm Alpha Storm. I have a proposition for you if you are........

The chair slowly turns interrupting her not-so-well-thought out speech. Every second since she entered the stormy pack she has thought that her idea is more and more ridiculous. Connor listens to the voice. It sounds so similar yet so different to what is burned in his memories. It sounds exactly the same, but it lacks the confidence that it had.

It can't be the same, yet he has to turn, he has to look because the voice holds the same appeal that he felt that night.

He takes in the sight of the girl that looks so similar yet so different to what is filling his memories.

Back then she was done up, made up, dressed in stunning clothing, clean, neat, tidy, brimming with confidence.

Now she stands before him. Her fingers twisting nervously, her shoulders slightly slouched, the signs of a bad night's sleep under her eyes, without a speck of makeup, twigs and leaves caught up in her white blonde hair, smudges of dirt on her flawless skin. Some basic black active wear right down to her small little feet, which, instead of being covered in beautiful and expensive heels, are covered in a layer of dirt and mud.

Somehow, she looks even more beautiful in this state than she did before. Somehow, the plain black leggings and cut-off black hooded vest look more magnificent than the expensive outfit of before.

Leilani opens her closed eyes, looking straight into the steel gray eyes that she has thought about day after day for months on end. They stare at each other for a moment, both as stunned as the other.

"You!" "You!"

Both say at the exact same time. All Leilani's plans go flying out the window and all Connor's plans of pursuing something that he didn't want are forgotten. Why would he chase a nothing when he has an everything that has walked straight into his office? Connor grips his thigh to pinch his skin. He isn't so sleep deprived that he is actually seeing things, is he? "You left without saying goodbye"

Leilani snaps out of her stupor as she stares at the man that was so perfect in her eyes. The disconnect and the hurt she felt reaches epic proportions as she stares at the man.

The man fated to Maggie.

The man that is willing to fight for Maggie.

She feels nauseous, how stupid she has been, just like back then. Maggie is everything and she is nothing. She came in with the hope of seducing a mate that wants Maggie. Wasn't she just setting herself up for failure?

Beads of sweat start to form on her forehead and it becomes hard to breathe. The man that she thought was perfect, that she thought was someone that she could settle down with one day, the man that she had all sorts of illusions about a happy family, a loving life. He wants Maggie, he is destined for a girl that hurt her so much.

If he is destined to such a terrible person, does that not mean he is also terrible?

Leilani chuckles darkly as she looks at the man.

How could that be? She is destined for Gabriel. Does that mean she is terrible?

Leilani feels like her crumbling world has turned to dust. She left her brothers behind, the only people that can hold her together. She is shaking like a leaf.

Connor watches all the expressions on her face. At first he thought that she had sought him out, that she wanted him as much as he wants her, but as he watches all her expressions, from shock to sadness to anger, to something, he doesn't even know what she is feeling at all.

His mind starts putting pieces together. She is not here for him, she did not even know who he was at all. She really is Leilani from the elite squad? His mind wanders to her brothers, the odd bunch, that would make sense.

He has his dream girl here ready to work on a reconciliation between him and his fated mate? What type of tangled mess is this?

Leilani, that is her name. She signed L on the note and he never would have guessed.

Connor watches her, he is still too shocked to move as she looks like she is about to pass out.

"Leilani"

Leilani's stormy blue eyes focus on the steel gray once more and her whole world feels like it is spiraling out of control. She does the only thing that makes sense. She needs to get back to her support before she disappears forever. Leilani turns on her mud-covered heel and moves toward the door. Connor's body finally reacts and he launches into action, springing across his desk and slamming his heavy body against her back, pressing her front against the door. "Do you think I am just going to let you walk out of my life without a single word again?"

Leilani's body fights. She has gone into survival mode. Her many times broken heart needs to be protected from further hurt. She throws her head back, connecting with his shoulder. As he stumbles back, she turns and stares at him.

No one is any different, her five brothers are the only ones she can trust in this world, the man in front of her just fed her fakeness, everything that night was an illusion. Connor watches as a fist comes flying toward him. This woman pushes every limit, no one has ever dared to fight him in his office at all.

He dodges as he gets hit in the chest by a small foot, his thighs clip the large timber desk and he pushes it back into the wall with a crash and starts to fight her.

'Is everything alright alpha?'

'No one is to enter'

Outside the study, Harvey was awoken by the border patrol when he started hearing strange noises. Harvey presses his ears to the door as he hears the sound of aggressive fighting.

'You said a girl went in there?'

Harvey's eyes move to the warrior.

"It was, she said that she was from the elite squad"

"The meeting wasn't till ten"

"Alpha said to let her in. She looked slightly strange"

"Strange how?"

"Just messy, she didn't look like she was ready for a meeting, but she was fast, maybe even faster than the alpha himself"

Harvey glances back at the door.

'Connor, are you sure?'

'I said I am fine Harvey, stand down'