Stronger- #Wattys2019

Part 15

Alexander had never known panic the way he felt it at that moment. The mate bond pulled at him with agitated, jerky movements. He hadn't realized he had even said she could leave. It was something said in anger, rash and unprocessed frustration at how little her opinion of him appeared to be. Still, he didn't want her to leave.

The king tried to lie to himself, reminding his conscious thought of the dangers she faced; refusing to think of the personal needs of his mate bond.

She left the palace to head straight back to the university. The question which remained... what would she do once she got there?

Would she try to finish her exams? Would she pack to leave? If so, which pack would she want to head to? Bosch had so many bad memories, she truly belonged with the Zima pack. However, she held so much fear in facing her old pack, it wasn't a much better option. Would she give up and chose to be a rogue? Would she disappear forever?

He stopped to shake his head loose. He couldn't think like that. He just needed to get her back behind safe walls. Nadine was an omega in a university full of unmated male wolves. Not only was she an omega in size, but an alpha at heart. Such a deliciously tempting combination. She might have managed to hide before, but showing everyone who she was in front of the entire school after the challenge, put a giant target on her back.

It was his fault. He ordered her to shift. He had been cocky and certain it wouldn't happen. Or if it did happen, he assumed she would be small like her skin form. Damn it, he wanted to kick his own ass for forcing that on her in front of everyone.

And of course, the gamma's daughter, who Nadine had beaten down during the challenge... she added even more problems. Turned out she wasn't just a gamma's daughter, but her older sister was the packs luna. Alpha Liam wasn't at all happy about the public humiliation to his mates family. Alexander had to order him to back off from retaliation. However, he doubted other students from the same pack would have received such calls from Liam.

With paws barely touching the snow covered forest floor enough to gain traction, the king ran. His wolf ducked under branches and leaped over rocks or logs. He followed her scent to the student dorms. There he found her room utterly trashed, but no sign of the girl.

Barging into some random male's room, he borrowed a pair of sweats and a shirt after he shifted. Then he continued to track the undeniable scent of his mate.

Lowering the outward expression of his power, Alexander crept along the halls as effectively as he could. Even without radiating his power, females noticed and males grew protective of their mates or jealous of the competition. Then, they noticed the scars on his face. Clear, recognizable markers. They all knew who he was after the challenge.

Still, he tried to ignore them all. As her scent grew stronger, more recent with a lingering heat in the air, he heard it... the chatter of students as they talked about Nadine.

Girls gossiping to themselves. Comments about how ugly she was, nothing more than a drown rat abandoned by her parents. Nadine wasn't ugly. She was breathtaking. The jealousy was so blatant he almost pitied the girls, until he remembered who they were talking about. Then his anger rolled through him like bubbling lava.

Worse were the males who made catcalls. One loudly spoke of how his friend was from Bosch pack and told him she was a prude, the alpha wouldn't let anyone one in the pack play with her. He went on to wonder if Alpha Markus had used her as his personal toy and then stated she wasn't in Bosch Pack anymore and he wasn't given any such orders.

Before Alexander could clear the corner to intervene, he heard the unmistakable sound of bones crunching and a scream of pain. Nadine's voice was cold and harsh. "And because we're not in Bosch Pack, I have no hesitation in making sure you keep your filthy hands to yourself."

The king turned the corner just in time to see her push the male against the wall and walk into a classroom, ignoring the shouts and cusses from the injured wolf who cradled his broken hand.

She really didn't need Alexander to protect her every minute. Nadine was a strong woman who used her anger and determination to learn how to protect herself. She was stronger than any female he'd ever seen.

Part of him still whispered in his head. He didn't want a mate. He couldn't risk his sanity like he did before. Losing Claudia and the baby... it damn near killed him. That whispering voice pointed at her strength, not as a reason to change his mind, but as a reason to not feel guilty for rejecting her. She was stronger than anyone had realized. She could survive the rejection.

But then a louder voice screamed out. He would be another powerful male to betray her. He would hurt her. And as much as she pretended nothing could hurt her, he wondered if it would be the final crack to shatter her completely?

Still standing in the hall, Alexander decided to wait, wait and see what more he could learn. So, he stepped into the room next to her's. There was no class in there. It was quiet. Yet, he could still hear Professor Venton lecturing the students on the format of their final.

"Things haven't changed since the last time you all sat here to start your exam. The only difference is Isobel and Nadine will not be analyzing each other's papers. I will. Instead, your second portion to the exam will be a short essay of what you learned from the challenge. About yourselves and about each other. Is that understood?"

Alexander assumed they both nodded as there was silence until the professor jumped back into making sure the exams started smoothly.