Stronger- #Wattys2019

Part 6

His scent hit her before she could see him. It wasn't a surprise he'd come. She was sure, he had been called.

"I'm so sorry Nadine. This is all my fault." Alpha Markus said as he took a seat on the folding chair outside her prison cell.

Leaning back against the cold stone, she closed her eyes, trying not to look at him or pay attention to his overwhelming scent. "It's not your fault."

"Yes it is. I let my own guilt prevent me from pushing you for answers. I let my over protectiveness of you hold onto the secrets. I had hoped you would find your mate while at university, give you a chance to start a new life and be happy, without having to shatter my son's view of our family." He shifted uneasily. "Had I explained things to him before you started university, he would have known to keep his mouth shut."

Well, she couldn't argue with that. If Peter hadn't spoken out, she wouldn't have spent the night in the royal prisons.

"How are you holding up?" The concern oozed through his voice. "I can't imagine..."

"I'm fine." She cut him off. Nadine didn't want to hear the pity or concern.

"No you're not. I can see it in your face. You look like you haven't slept and you're barely holding it together. I, I- I'll do anything to fix this and get you out of here as fast as possible. I promise."

A long slow sigh left her lips. "Please don't. There's no point in opening old wounds."

The atmosphere shifted as the alpha stood. "You can't keep your past in the past any longer, Nadine. The Elders Council is talking of charging you with treason."

She opened her eyes and stared at the man who had stepped up to be an unwanted surrogate father to her. His black hair and blue eyes so striking and distinctive. A common family combination his son shared. It made her skin crawl. "If that is their wish, then so be it. The only person who deserves to know my past would be my mate if he ever wanted to be such."

Markus tilted his head. "Your mate?" He watched her searching for answers. "You found him?"

She shrugged, not allowing any emotion to show.

A large paw of a hand slid down his face. "What happened?"

"He obviously didn't accept me or you would have heard about it before now."

"Who? When?"

The petite girl huddled into herself even more. Her knees to her chest as she tried to look apathetic to the situation, casually wedged into the corner so she could lean against the wall to her side. The only sign of discomfort was the goose bumps along her skin, showing how cold she felt wearing nothing more than some random male's shirt.

The alpha knew it was all an act. Given her past, she had to be panicked inside. She was the queen of denial. A master of 'fake it till you make it'. She could pretend she wasn't affected all she wanted, but he knew, deep down she was still a scared little girl who wanted to feel safe and loved.

And it was the fact that he knew those hidden details which scared her most. She didn't want anyone to know her, to question or poke at the walls she had carefully built.

She had meant what she said. Only her mate deserved to know her past. And the mere reality of her situation proved his lack of acceptance. The damned king of the wolves could have defended her. He could have offered something of comfort. He could have stopped the speculation into her character. Hell, he could have done something less dramatic and simply made sure she healed properly from the challenge or even had something to eat.

Yet, she hadn't seen him since he threw her into the cell and ordered a guard to find her a shirt before she shifted into skin.

He didn't want her. He wouldn't accept her. So, he didn't deserve to know the horrors which haunted her nightmares.

Nadine didn't give a shit if he was a king. She just wanted him to reject her already so she could be free of that noose which hung around her neck. There were several already there, she didn't need more.