Unloved Mate (Wolves Of Night Shade Pack)

4

Valor

It was a few hours past midnight, and there was no one outside. I sighed and spread out my arms, feeling the wind that whistled past the manor. I walked down the stairs, a smile stretching on my lips as I strutted past the fountain, knowing the feeling of what it was like to sense these things again. Alive and well. But the thought of what had happened with me and Zeke couldn't get out of my head. I kissed him. It wasn't deep or passionate but I still did. Goddess, what was I doing? Sneaking around with him, going out with him, holding his hands. I sighed. I had to think of something else.

I took the path down to the forest, a new sensation of nostalgia hitting me as I recalled running through these woods with Logan in wolf form during pack patrol. I couldn't find the words to thank the goddess for giving me a second chance to live. Being reconnected with nature was one of the best feelings in the world. And my wolf was excited as I was especially about the return of my best friend or whatever he was to me these days.

I came to a halt when I sniffed a scent in the air, the smell getting my wolf excited. I turned on my heels, glowing my eyes and scanning through the woods. As I wheeled back on my feet to continue the path, I stumbled into a man’s chest, pulling back immediately and taking three steps back. “Who are you?”

I clenched my fist and narrowed my gaze at the man standing in front of me, his face hidden in the shadows of the darkness.

“Part of the patrol team. Just came out to let my wolf out for a run. Why are you out here?”

He asked and stepped into the light. He had shaved hair and a stubble on his jaw and his irises were very dark brown, matching the color of his black skin. I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry as I tried to find my voice. Damn, he was so gorgeous.

“Just walking in the midst of nature, eh? I have never seen you before. Are you new?”

I managed to croak and his lips curled into a hint of a smile.

“Yeah. I'm Kane,”

he introduced himself, extending his hand for a handshake, and I shook him. “Still available for a short walk? I'm not really feeling sleepy tonight. We could talk about anything?”

He proposed, and I shrugged. There was this feeling that this stranger who bore the name Kane brought with his presence, and his smile was just one of the most beautiful I'd ever seen. I gave him a nod, and we both headed down the path in silence.

“So I heard you're the one who came back to life?”

“How did you know about that?”

“Word gets around,”

he shrugged and glanced at me with a smirk. “So, how's the new life and rebirth?”

“It's a bit overwhelming. I'm not sure if you'd understand.”

“Please, try me. I could.”

“A lot happened in my past and now my best friend is back, and I think he wants to be more, and I don't know what to…”

“How do you feel about it?”

“I don't know. I mean, I had a friend who was close to me and maybe it was more and I can't… I don't know.”

I was saying, starting to even wonder why I was talking to the stranger in the woods, in the middle of nowhere. I turned to him, looking at my feet and raising my gaze back to his eyes which had this glint of unexplainable expression in them. Probably fascination if I had to guess, and it made me blush.

“It takes time to figure out what you're feeling. You don't have to hurry through it. If your best friend really cares about you, then he'll give you the chance to get to understand what you want for yourself.”

He proclaimed and smiled, stepping closer.

“Hmm. Thanks for the information. So, tell me about you?”

“Nothing much. Grew up in an orphanage. Moved around until I found my way back home. There's nothing really interesting about my life.”

“Please don't say that. I'm sure you'd have something that would interest me.”

“Well, I'm a good fighter,”

he chuckled. His lips twitch with the ghost of a smirk, and I rolled my eyes at him. I wanted to know if he was lying, but it looked like my lie detection power was on detour. If I had to guess it was due to coming back to life. “And I know when I run into the most beautiful man I'd ever seen.”

He flirted and I chortled, a sudden wave of panic clutching at my chest.

“Thank you, but I have to go now.”

I murmured out of the blue.

“Sure.”

He nodded and backed away, and we headed back to the path that led to our various destination, the rest of the walk leaving me to battle if I wanted to see him again. I finally gave in. I turned and asked him and offered a small hesitant smile, “Am I going to see you again?”

“If you want to.”

He smirked and stepped closer until he could reach out to my cheeks. He caressed them with my knuckles and smiled at me. “I need you to know that what you feel is ok, and that you're the most beautiful man I've ever seen.”

He showered me with praises, bringing a warm feeling to my chest. All my life only three people had seen me as special, this stranger included. But how could I believe him? I wanted to, but the people in my life hadn't exactly made it easy to believe. There was something about him that made me want to come back and take one of our midnight strolls again.

“This time tomorrow?”

I proposed with a tensed breath.

“Yes.”

He nodded.

The next morning came, and I got up, smiled over at Zeke, who was still in bed, and headed downstairs for a coffee, only to meet some of the pack workers performing their duties. While I was sipping from a cup of coffee, Logan entered, already prepared for the morning pack patrol. We both exchanged greetings, and I helped him pour a cup of coffee, passing it to him. “Shouldn’t you be in bed?”

He questioned.

“Wanted to let my wolf out for a run with you. We haven't gotten back on speaking terms since you know.”

“Yeah. Sure. Come on, let's head out.”

Logan downed his coffee, and we both strolled out of the pack house, heading over to the forest entrance. During this time, he briefed me on everything that had happened with the werewolves and how his mate, our Luna, had broken a curse that drove the hunger for the blood of the hounds. Like Logan said, it was progress, and I was glad that in the middle of all the chaos, he found a way to bring peace to us all. Not just him, but him and his mate. We shifted into our wolves and circled the pack territory with ease, letting our wolves feel the air and the sensation of losing ourselves in the center of nature. By the time we returned to the field, the sun was already peeking out from the horizon. We shifted back and changed into our shorts and singlet, returning to the pack house. Somehow, my run with the Alpha had reminded me of the man I met yesterday in the woods.

He said his name is Kane. There's something strange about him. My wolf chirped into my thoughts as we both strode back to the pack manor, and I hummed in response. There was truly something, but I had to focus on figuring out my feelings and the nature of my relationship with Zeke first. I knew there was a little awkwardness between us, considering the closeness we had last night and how I just bolted into nowhere without informing him I was back or that I was heading out with Logan.

I returned to my room to freshen up and change into a new set of clothes, but I couldn't find Ezekiel. I gathered that he must have gone for a run himself or maybe went to reignite the bond of old acquaintances. I headed downstairs for breakfast, but to my surprise, he was already there, dining with the family. As I walked into the dining hall, the wolves met my gaze and they cheered, inviting me to join them. I noticed the new face in the group and if I had to guess; he was my replacement. The young, tall man, who shared the same color of my eyes and a darker shade of my hair, was no other than my cousin, Anthony O'Donnell. I gave him a small smile and settled next to Zeke. “Hey. I thought you were…”

I was saying, but he interjected.

“I figured you needed some space, and I had a bath in another bathroom. Is that ok?”

“Yeah, sure. I'm not complaining. I was just worried. Besides, I had to catch up with the Alpha. I missed it. You should join sometime.”

I nudged his shoulder playfully.

“I don't think that would be possible. I will be returning to the Eclipse soon.”

“Oh, ok.”

I shrugged and continued on with my food completely surprised that he had no intentions of staying home. That he would run off the same way that he did years ago.

We finished breakfast, and everyone headed to their various duties for the day. The Alpha and Beta were taking care of the pack businesses and housing construction while Frey and Alex concerned themselves with the pack training, which included the witches and wolves. Zeke and I didn't get to talk after breakfast, as he went to join the construction workers while I prepared to visit my father at the hospital. Though I was absent for sometime, knowing my father's condition, Logan told him I was taking on a very important mission for the pack and would return as soon as possible. This idea came when the witches had the intuition that there was hope for me. I was really grateful for Logan because I didn't know what my old man would have done if I didn't come to visit him ever again.

I recalled the day the wolf bloods carried my almost dead father into the hospital. They had left the country for some important meeting that involved another pack in a different country, and the pack asked my father to represent the Alpha. Upon his return, wolf shifters, formerly known as hounds, attacked them, and when I heard his predicament, I didn't stop running until I got to the hospital, seeing the condition he was in. He had lost his sight and also sustained injuries that left him with broken bones that healed over time, but unfortunately, he didn't regain his sense of sight. I spent that night crying myself to sleep and waking up with a headache from the only person who stayed with me throughout the ordeal to be Zeke. Perhaps this was it, his little way of showing his affections for me without being upfront about it. Perhaps there was something about me that had fascinated him all this while. I smiled. My thoughts returning to my father. I've had to visit him every week at the hospital and keep in touch with his needs as well. I had opted for him to return home several times so I could look after him, but he said he was ok staying at the hospital because he thought it was best for me under the pressure of being the Delta of the pack.

As I leaned against the doorjamb, I pressed my knuckles on the door and gave him a smile. He was lying on the bed, facing the ceiling, and as if he knew who was standing at the door, he slowly rose to a sitting position. “Valor, is that you?”

“Yes, dad. It's me.”

“Oh, dear goddess. Thank you for returning my son to me.”

“There’s no need to worry.”

I said and hurried to the bed, joining him and taking his hands. Since he started staying here, the healers had made better accommodations for him.

“How was your journey?”

“It went fine, dad. How are you? I missed you so much.”

“I’m here, son. I'll always be here,”

he muttered and offered me a smile, clasping my hands. “So tell me, what did you find? Any mates?”

He pried with a chuckle. I couldn't tell my father the truth about my predicament with the fated mates I had. I felt with what he was going through, there was no need to bother him with such sadness. But even as he asked those questions, my thoughts ran straight to Zeke and the man in the woods last night, and I smiled. I wanted to talk to him about what's happening between Zeke and I. But I wasn't sure he'd understand that my best friend had feelings for me and I might feel the same. Besides, it had been a while since he heard about him. Anyway, I wasn't worried about telling him if I eventually developed feelings for a man, this just wasn't the right time. I should focus on reuniting with him because it has been months since we've spoken to each other.

“No luck.”

“Maybe you should choose a mate for yourself. You’re almost thirty-one, and before you ask, I still remember the night you were born.”

He chuckled.

“Don’t worry, dad. I've got it all figured out.” I lied.

We spent the entire day reminiscing on old memories and laughing and chuckling at each other, and this time, I felt closer to my family again. Being with my father made me realize I could do this second chance at life thing, that I could find the path of a new purpose in my life.

“Dad, I have to get back to the pack house. I'll see you tomorrow. Is that ok or do you want me to stay over?”

“Nonsense. I don't want you sleeping over at the hospital. Go home and get some rest. You'll be needing it.”

“Thank you, dad. Goodnight. I love you.”

I giggled and laid a kiss on his scarred cheeks. Then I rose from the bed and headed back home.

But the stranger from last night's encounter interrupted my short stroll from the hospital to the pack house, shaking me from the thoughts of the suggestion of finding a mate and dealing with whatever that was going on between Zeke and I. He pulled me into the nearby woods and held me against a tree with a smile dancing on his lips. “Were you waiting here for me?”

“Not sure if I could make it tonight. Just wanted to see you beforehand.”

“Well, that’s very thoughtful of you. I thought I would run into you during the early morning patrol, but you were a no show.”

“My schedules are on Thursdays only,”

he pocketed his hands and looked at me with the ghost of a smile. “So did you get to talk with your best friend?”

“Not really. He’s, uh, a no show as well. It’s like he’s avoiding me.”

I shrugged.

“That’s his loss. I’d do anything to spend every second of my life with you,”

his knowing gaze slides to me and a soft smile played on my lips. “Would you like to talk about it?”

“I mean, I feel attraction with guys and it scares me a little.”

“You don’t have to be afraid, little wolf…”

The term of endearment rolled of his lips catching me off guard. I halted. My face flushed with color. The ghost of a smirk hovered on his lips as he walked up to me. I struggled to hide the rich excitement in my eyes and glare at him instead.

“Day two and you’re already giving me nicknames.”

“I mean, it suits you. You’re my little wolf.”

Yours? I thought and shook his head with a chuckle, my wolf clawing into the surface. Was he claiming us?

“I mean, I like it.”

I shrugged. He stepped closer to me with a savage smirk and reached out to my cheek, caressing me with the back of his palm. I shut my eyes as a spark of pleasure coursed through me, and reveled in the contact of his body on mine.

“Does that feel wrong?”

He asked, his voice holding a hint of a forced back growl. A possessive growl if I had to guess.

“No.”

I breathed out and shook my head meekly.

“You don’t have to be afraid of what your heart yearns.”

His voice was a low soothing rumble. I let out a staggering breath as he leaned close and drew a lungful of my scent, unable to fight the urge to resist my alluring fragrance. I backed away and turned on my heels, shutting my eyes and inhaling deeply to relax my tensed muscles. Him being close to me like that wasn’t helping my celibacy and he was driving my wolf, Leo, nuts.

“Who are you really, Kane?”

I whipped back on my feet and asked him.

“Come on, Valor. I'm part of the patrol team.”

I had that feeling and I knew he wasn't telling the truth. Not the mind-boggling one I had when I met him for the very first time. This was different. My power told me that he was withholding the truth from me.

“You are lying, Kane. I know when someone is lying.”

The intoxicating feeling of meeting him might have blinded me last night, but not now. My powers were back.

“Have I given you a reason not to trust me?”

He questioned and stepped back, putting his hands up.

“No. But I don't know who you are. Besides, I'm now in full control of my lie detection powers, and if you don't speak up, I'll have to inform the pack of your presence.”

“You really think you could take me down?”

He grimaced, seeing this as some sort of challenge.

“I know I can.”

I growled at him and stepped forward, a rumble coming from Leo, but it wasn't of aversion, but fascination. There was just something about this man, and I knew he was lying about being part of my pack, but I wanted to know what he was hiding.

“Do you want to know my secret, Valor?”

He purred, sending a shiver through me, and I caught a glint of the flash of crimson in his eyes. Now I knew.

“You’re an Alpha. What are you doing here?”

I growled at him.

“I came for you.”

“Me? Why do you want me?”

“I came to kill you, Valor.”

He smirked, and my eyes widened in utter disdain.