Unwanted Mate

Chapter 17

Cass lay awake next to her long after she had drifted asleep. He'd felt a sense of pride spotting the small smile that played on her lips as sleep claimed her exhausted body. She'd let him touch her and it took every ounce of strength he had to savor her the way she deserved. Still, she refused to mark him or let him mark her, he'd felt her body tense whenever his canines grazed her skin. Reluctantly he let it go. His wolf's pride was hurt, by having his mate in his arms and unable to claim her. Intellectually Cass knew there was something more, something she wasn't telling him. Women didn't recoil the way she had without a reason. He'd thought after losing everyone she'd jump at the chance for a new pack, a mate, a togetherness. She wouldn't have to be alone. Gently Cass let his fingers stroke her cheek, he'd give anything to fix whatever was bothering her. But he knew that well of pain ran deep and he couldn't force her to reveal what she wasn't ready to confront. 

He listened to the birds chirping loudly outside, he didn't know the species off hand, but the damned things were intent on making a nest in the gutters every year. The sun rose slowly casting long shadows across the room, Cass was content to stay in bed all day, Mia asleep in his arms. He knew, however, that this day especially brought question. He would be needed. Surly her former pack would convene and form a rebuttal to his refusal, at best. At worst, they would plan to invade his territory. 

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The emergency council meeting was called earlier than anyone ever remembered. Their Alpha wasn't one for early mornings. When Kyle walked into the board room, the tension was palpable. The Alpha's eyes were dark and foreboding. Kyle took his seat next to his mentor. He recalled the previous conversation that should the request be refused they would reconvene. 

"We received a formal reply."  Alrick, the male sitting to the Alpha's right began. Kyle felt his stomach drop, "Signed by their Alpha they are refusing her return."

"So they want to play hardball, is that it?" The Alpha demanded, leaning back in his chair. Kyle's mentor handed him a paper, quietly he scanned the heading the word refusal glared back at him.

It was like every other formal document, the premade boxes, and the brief answers were typed in. Date, pack name, time request received, and so forth. The largest box titles reason, took up most of the room on the page. Designed to give the refuser a place to give a brief explanation. There only two words were typed. 

She's mine.

Kyle's pulse quicked, he scanned the page again, at the bottom of the signature of the refuser he stared at the Blood Moon's Alpha signature. No! Kyle dropped the paper quickly as if it had burned him. Glancing around he was relieved no one noticed. She was no one's but his. What had that little slut told them to make them think she was worth keeping. Could they know? Kyle wondered briefly, no way only a handful of people knew, Mia didn't even know. 

"So the pack is claiming her?" Kyle asked schooling his features to appear genuinely confused. 

"Yeah it appears so, or they are going to try." The Alpha grunted.

"The next step calls for a face-to-face meeting between the two rivaling packs." Mr. Brown cleared his throat, "Each pack calls another Alpha of their choice to be a witness during the mediation." 

"Fuck that mediation. Go get her." The Alpha snarled leaning forward his dominance rolling off of him. 

"Do you know what you are saying!" Alrick yelled his face red, "You could start a war over this girl. Are you prepared to have your men die? Besides us showing up on their territory uninvited and unannounced is a declaration of war in and of itself. And for a reason, I'm not even sure your allies would back!"