The Alpha King's Chosen

7

The Questions

Well... I'm waiting!" Mateo asked.

"Son, this attack was unplanned. Nobody was aware that Serena or even you would go outside.' Leo spoke up.

"It happened!!! Somebody clearly got pass our security, wasn't everyone checked for weapons?" Mateo looked at Neo and Rocco.

"Yes, we know we have a traitor. So, filtering down, who it could be, is taking time." Neo responded.

Frustrated, Mateo stood up, turning towards his window, looking out at the darkness. Silence, as everyone pondered on that thought.

A ringing of the phone, broke the silence. Turning his saw his father answer his phone, watching him intently, trying to interpret his facial expressions, listening to his short responses.

"That was your Mom. She was updating me about Serena's condition." Leo explained, after switching off.

Mateo tensed, expecting a negative answer, looking at his Dad's grim features, steeling himself, he asked, "And?"

"She is in a induced coma. The bullet had lodged inside her body, luckily missing major arteries and organs. But, because it was silver, her body and wolf are healing slowly. Therefore it was decided to keep her in a coma. They won't know until she has woken up, how much damage there was to her system. Currently she is stable." Leo responded, knowing his son is suffering, hearing the details of Serena's condition.

Mateo slumped down into his chair, his body drained of energy.

Leo watched as his son sat down, he looked at Rocco and Neo, ordering them to leave. He walked over to his son, bending down to his level, "Son...talk to me. Tell me... what can I do to help."

Mateo looked up to his father, "How can I feel so strongly about someone I barely spoke to...I promised myself that I wouldn't get close, unless I was a hundred percent certain. Yet..." Shrugging his shoulders, "One look at her and I was in a trance and seeing her lying on the ground, it felt like a part of my soul had been ripped apart. How... Pappa? How is that possible?"

"My filho...only the moon goddess knows. Your mother and I, it only took a week for us to connect. Your grandparents longer. Perhaps in your case and this is only a theory on my part...it probably has to do with your age. Mother nature speeding up the process.' Leo spoke calmly to his son, knowing that Mateo was confused and unsure of his feelings towards Serena, "Look at it this way, remember that story your Mamma mentioned to you when you were young? The one about how your wolf would only come forward once your choice had been made, confirming your claim, sealing the bond. Tell me how you felt when you first saw her?"

Embarrassed, Mateo looked past his Dad. He remembered seeing Serena for the first time, "I saw an angel walking towards me and her eyes...I could not tear mine away from hers. It was like I was bewitched, I just couldn't look away..."

"And afterwards...?" Leo pushed.

"I couldn't stop thinking about her, wondering how she would feel in my arms...I got the courage to look for her, I was excited...but then everything else happened and I was lost." Mateo muttered, looking back at his Dad.

Straightening up, Leo looked down at his son, satisfied that Mateo's reactions were the forming of a strong bond.

"Filho...she is your mate."

"No! It can't be...!" Mateo stood up abruptly, pacing his office, his hands in his hair, tugging hard.

"Yes...I think because your wolf knew you were giving up, he pushed forward forcibly, imprinting on Serena and bonding with her wolf. He knew she was your mate. He wasn't ready to give up."

"But how did he know it was her, we have nine other candidates here, anyone of them could have been chosen by him." Mateo remarked, not convinced that what his father was saying is true.

"That my son, only the Goddess herself and your wolf will know, they are more in sync with one another, than our human part."

Defeated, Mateo sat down by the nearby couch. Hunched forward, his arms on his knees, his hands clasped in a tight grip, head bowed down, "Can I see her...?" He asked, his voice barely audible, looking up at his Dad.

"Sure, give me a few moments to remove unnecessary personnel from here to there. The less people who see you with her, the safer she is."

Excitement surged through his body, giving him a boost of energy at his Dad's confirmation. Was this part of the bond working? Was his father correct and his wolf has already claimed Serena.

He waited impatiently as his father left him to sort out a way for him to see Serena, no longer able to sit down, he stood back up, pacing his office. A nervous energy flowing through him. Anticipation gnawing away inside him. Impatient, he wanted to storm out of his office and seek out Serena...but his Dad's words of keeping her safe, held him back. He didn't want to cause her anymore harm, than she already is suffering and if she was truly his mate, she was at this moment vulnerable to a another attack.

Stopping his pacing abruptly, when he heard the door opening, he steeled himself for a attack, ready for a fight.

"Steady boy! Your path has been cleared." His father commented, holding his hands up, happy to see his son alert.

Relief flooded through him, following his Dad, noticing the quiet hallways, "Where is everyone?"

"They have been allocated to different sections, only a select few are around, Rocco is at the control room, making sure, nobody is around to see your movements."

Grateful for his father's quick thinking, they made their way to the hospital ward.

His father took him to a door marked private, "You've got a few moments with her, make it count, I cannot promise you another opportunity like this, without raising suspicion." His father informed him, opening the door in the process.

Mateo looked into the dimly lit room, his mother sat nearby, close to a lone figure on the bed, equipment beeping constantly in the silent room.

His mother stood up, coming towards him, clasping his hands, tugging him forward, "Come, don't be afraid, she will be fine." His Mom spoke softly, pushing him towards the bed.

Mateo looked down at Serena, it looked like she was in a deep sleep, sitting on the edge of the bed, he grabbed the hand closest to him, gently stroking it. Feeling her warmth and softness. Bringing her hand up to his lips, placing a kiss on the palm of her hand. Moving forward, placing her hand flat against his chest, holding it firmly there near his heart. He gazed upon her face, memorizing her every features, noticing only now the bruise forming on her jaw, gently he kissed it, at the same time inhaling her sweet scent, instantly calming him and his wolf.

So this was the mate bond? He thought in wonder and awe. Now he finally understood the mated couples around him.