Unloved Mate (Wolves Of Night Shade Pack)

2

Valor

Months ago

It’s not news that I died. I mean, I basically did a long time ago when two of my fated mates rejected me for another man, and I'm uncertain if third chance mates truly existed. Anyway, I won't find that out. Cheers to that!

I was standing on the Bridge of Souls, my heart sullen from the act of betrayal that sent me here. I trusted Aiden. He was like a friend, maybe more than that, but he killed me without a second thought. I understood he wanted revenge for what Logan did to his father, but killing Logan wouldn't change his pain.

I was going to the other side. There was hope for me, right? At least I didn't have to deal with rejection or backstabbing friends anymore. I truly enjoyed the time I spent with Logan and my service to the pack. They would always remain my family forever.

Now I had to hope that Diana had the best for me, even in my untimely demise. Especially with the lore of the moon goddess pairing wolf bloods with their mates in the other world. In this case, the moon goddess only pairs mates that truly loved each other so they could continue their journey in the afterlife. Wolf bloods that didn't have mates or were treated badly by their fated were assigned new partners on the other side or werewolf heaven as some like to call it. Perhaps I'd have a chance to change my life story regarding the part where I was unloved. I had to hope that someone was on the other side, waiting for me.

I sighed and smiled at the veil of light that was at the end of the bridge. A trembling sigh escaped my lungs, and I pushed my hands through the veil and stepped over to the other side. There was a blinding flash of light, and I shielded my gaze with my palms before it faded. I lost consciousness.

When I woke up, my eyes met the kaleidoscope of colored skies that spread over the horizon. I slowly rose to a sitting position, holding my temple to ease my headaches. Sighing, I glanced around the area, which was a clump of forest trees with the sunlight filtering into the dense cluster of nature. I regained my footing with a smile. Everything here felt magnificent… peaceful. It was perfect. A smile tugged at the corner of my lips as I scrutinized the field of evergreen woodlands and chuckled under my breath. A feeling of extreme happiness washed over me. I had never seen a place so heavenly. Its ethereal beauty transcended me and just when I was reveling in the excitement, a beam of light came from the skies shining down before me. I stepped back and shielded my face with my palms. The light disappeared, revealing a flawless woman standing in my presence. If I was correct, it was the moon goddess, Diana. She was in a white silky floor-length gown and her black long curly hair flowed down her back, accentuating her doe eyes. Her dark skin was a perfect feature of her. I tilted my head in submission before her and rose when she had asked me to. “Goddess.”

I beheld her gaze.

“My sweet child. So much pain, so much has happened to you, Valor,”

she cleared the distance between us and took my hands and held me. “I never wished for any of it to happen.”

She comforted me with her words.

“I led a great life, although I'm feeling very accomplished but unloved.”

I murmured, my tone laced with forlornness.

“But you haven't even touched the tip of the iceberg of the great things you'd become.”

She said to me. I didn't know what direction she was heading, but I would do whatever the moon goddess asked of me without hesitation. I was her child and would do any good thing my beloved mother asked of me.

“Your place is not just in the Night Shade pack. There is a world that awaits your greatness,”

she said. “You’ll go back.”

“Thank you, goddess, for giving me a second chance. I truly appreciate you and would never waste this opportunity,”

I murmured, flushed with exhilaration and a new sense of life appearing in my eyes. I couldn't describe the level of excitement I was feeling at the moment. “What about my body? The pack must have buried me.”

“I asked the witches to preserve your body. Now it's time to go back home and find the path to your new destiny.”

She explained, her lips stretching into a smile that warmed my heart.

“I won't disappoint you, goddess.”

“I know you won't.”

She smiled and thrusted her hands into my chest, sending me into oblivion.

Present Day

“... I promise to make you feel alive...”

Were the words I heard just when I felt the restorative power of life awaken through me. I didn't recognize the voice, but I felt the presence in the room. The feeling of our skin in contact. I didn't know the man who was next to my deathbed, but I felt questionable purity and sincerity exuding from him. I wanted to open my eyes and see who was confessing their feelings to me. But I couldn't.

As time passed, I didn't feel the heavenly touch again. It was like it was gone just the same way it came. But I heard footsteps departing from my room... hurried footsteps. I felt the power of life moving through my entire body, bringing back the essence of the living to every single bone and organ in me. I could move my fingers now and my eyes finally found the strength to open, beholding the dimly lit room. It took me some time to adjust to being back in my world, in my room, alive and well. I slowly rose to a sitting position, still readjusting to the rebirth.

Thanks to Diana, the goddess.

I rustled out of the bed, barely having the strength to stand on my own. But there was no one in the room. It was just me. My feet broke into steps, slow steps that led me to the exit. My body was still aching, but the pain subsided as seconds passed. I didn't expect pain to be the gift of life's restoration. I shut the door to the room after I had made it into the hallway, hoping to meet any of the pack workers or even the stranger who had infiltrated my room, but there was no one. Staggering down the hallway, I leaned on the wall to regain my strength when my legs grew weak. I managed to make it down the stairs, losing my step twice and holding onto the railing until I appeared in the common room.

“Is anybody here?”

I called out. I heard incoming footsteps and turned in its direction, seeing the entire family hurry out of the dining hall, their eyes filled with astonishment to see me here. “Valor.”

Gamma Alex murmured; he hurried toward me and pulled me into an embrace.

“Careful, my body still hurts.”

“He's alive.”

Frey announced, still awestricken.

“You shouldn't be out of bed. You should be resting.”

Logan added with concern.

“You must be hungry.”

“He’s back. He's here with us.”

“Was there someone here today?”

I asked through the ensuing chaos, and Logan reached out to my shoulder and gave me an affectionate squeeze.

“We need to get you to bed first, then I'll holler at him.”

Logan reassured me, signaling the others to take me back to my room and provide for me. I followed them up the stairs, listening to the praise they offered to the moon goddess for my well being and sharing endearing embraces from each one of them.

I was lying on the bed, fed, bathed and changed into the new clothes awaiting Logan, who was yet to return with the wolf blood that came to see me earlier. Now I was back, I had so much to do, not just lie on this freaking king sized bed. I had to check up on my father, considering if he was still alive and didn't die from the heartbreak of the death of his son, my duties to the pack, the training schedule, and perhaps Aiden. I rose from the bed, my entire body feeling better than the last time I took a stroll, and I paced the floor in anticipation of this stranger. The roughness of his voice as he said affectionate words to me replaying through my memories. If only I had seen him, even if it was just the color of his eyes, then maybe this wouldn't be as hard as it was. Still pacing the floor, I heard approaching footsteps. My heartbeat quickened, and I narrowed my gaze at the entrance, clutching the side of my shirt.

The door burst open, and he walked in with a relieved expression on his face. Before I could say a word, he had already wrapped his enormous arms around me.

“Ezekiel.”

I mustered, reciprocating the embrace.

“Valor, you're… you're alive. I thought I'd never see you again.”

He murmured as he held my face with a big sad smile. Zeke pulled me back into a tight clutch, squeezing like he never wanted to let me go. He was bigger, more muscular, even more handsome, and perhaps stronger than I last recalled.

“I am.”

Was all I could say, still taken aback that my best friend, who had left the pack a long time ago, was here with me.

“I thought you were gone,”

his voice was breaking, but he struggled to be strong. His eyes reflected the same yearning that raged within me. It had been so long. “You shouldn't be out of bed just yet. You need to get some rest.”

He said and took me back to the bed, helping me in and tucking me into the sheets. Between the two of us, I didn't know who was more surprised to see each other. That I returned to life, such things don't happen every day, or the fact I just heard my best friend in the whole wide world say things that no one has ever said to me. It was him. There couldn't be any other person who came to visit me except him. Was there? Was he still my best friend, though? Because I haven't seen him for more than a decade. These thoughts sifted through my head as he sat next to me while I glued my gaze to the ceiling and panted. The silence between us was short-lived when I asked, “How long have you been back?”

“A few hours ago. I came back to uh,... but I heard you were dead. I. I'm not sure you'd understand.”

He shook his head.

I didn't know why he wasn't open with his words, especially considering I had heard some parts of what he said to me. But I wouldn’t force him to open up to me. I was kind of ok with a man confessing his feelings to me. The past encounter I've had with men, with Aiden in particular, left me asking me if I wanted more than just friendship with him. I guess I'd use my second chance at life to figure out who I truly am and what I want. “Yeah. But I'm glad you're here. It's been so long, and I don't want to stay locked up in my room. This is my room, and I should go and come as I please. They have the guts to lock me up here. I'm alive, and I should do lively things.”

I complained and grumbled, my tone laced with equal parts of exasperation and annoyance. He let out a chuckle and rolled his eyes.

“If there's one thing that hasn't changed. It's your bickering. You really are still Valor O'Donnell,”

he chuckled with an excitement in his eyes. “Come on, let's get out of here.”

He rose to his feet and walked to my wardrobe. He threw me a leather jacket, and I wore it, following him straight to the door.

“Where are we going?”

I asked with intrigue as we both exited the room, creeping through the manor until we had arrived downstairs.

We were almost at the foyer when we heard the incoming footsteps of Logan and his mate. Zeke took my hands and led me into the kitchen. He shut the door and placed me against it, caging me in his embrace. He closed his eyes and breathed an exhale. My eyes didn't leave his face or his lips, even when he had reopened his eyes. I had never been this close to a man and all I could think of was... I shook my head to get rid of the thoughts. Lucky for us, Logan and Frey hadn't caught us yet and had moved upstairs.

When he was sure the coast was clear, he took me out of the kitchen and we sauntered out of the manor. We walked down the flight of stairs and my eyes widened in astonishment when I saw the motorbike parked across the fountain. “This baby still alive?”

“Yes, she is. I mean, it still works perfectly. I had the time to look over at it,”

he said; he mounted his bike and turned on the engine. “Are you going to stand there and just watch me or join me?”

He flirted with his eyes, and I chortled with a wide smile.

“Are you having thoughts about joining a bike gang?”

I murmured the inquisition, my voice thick with a lifetime’s worth of happiness.

“Probably.”

No wonder where all the dripping hotness came from, I thought. I joined him on the back, and I wore the black helmet and wrapped my hands around his waist to support myself. He started the engine, clenched his hand around the clutch and drove off the pack’s premises, following the path lined with trees that led out of the territory.

Being on this bike let me feel some sort of peace in my chest. One of the rarest times I had felt such a feeling, and it was all thanks to Zeke. For a very long time I wasn't happy, and my best friend swept in to save the day the least time I expected.

Zeke brought the motorbike to a stop in the middle of the tarred road, and we both alighted together. He pulled off his helmet and held it as he looked at the skies. “You see that.”

He murmured.

“Yeah. You're the star sign genius.”

“It’s Leo.”

“As in my wolf’s name. You helped me name my wolf, remember?”

I recalled. “Why have you been my whole life, Zeke?”

“Clearly, it was a stupid decision. Leaving,”

he gazed at me for some second, then returned his glance to the skies. “But now I'm back here with you, and I, uh, I'm glad.”

He said, our fingers slowly finding their way to each other and touching.

“You are back now.”

I smiled and sighed.