Seth

A lot of things happened in the span of five minutes.

Tyron informed me that Alpha Alex and his Beta had arrived for an unscheduled visit. I let them both in, being that our packs have a long history of alliance, my father and Alex's were close as well. We spent a few minutes catching up before Katrina's scent came wafting through the room, and just as I was about to tell Alex about her, my mate let out a sound that about sent me into a panic.

A heartbroken, pained whine that had automatically sent me and Damien into defense mode. I had turned to see if she was hurt, and caught her face frozen with pain as she stared at the blond haired Beta. The brunette hanging on his arm, and bearing his mark, is forgotten as he stared back at my mate with a lustful look that makes me and my wolf bristle with anger. It only takes one word from him to set everything off.

"Mate."

I let out a growl so fierce it shook the house, and if it wasn't for my father holding me back, I would've shifted right then and ripped that mutt to shreds. Alex grabbed hold of the runt and took him outside, while my father proceeded to drag me upstairs to my office despite me wanting to either rip open that Beta or follow my mate to where she disappeared to.

Now trapped inside my office with my father and Beta standing in front of the door, my mother sitting in one of the chairs trying to talk me down from my bloodlust, I now pace angrily. What little rational thought I have focused on how what happened could be remotely possible.

I am her mate, not that blond runt!

It only fuels my anger, and being trapped in this damned office isn't really helping. A knock sounds at the door, and I almost ignore it.

"Alpha Seth, its Adrienne. I think I can straighten out what happened out there."

I halt mid-step, staring at the door. She knows what happened?

"Come in."

My Alpha tone leaks heavily in my voice, and I fight to get Damien under control. Tyron opens the door, and Adrienne walks in, looking the last thing I'd expected her to be. Afraid.

She sits down next to my mother, pausing a moment before looking up at me.

"I suppose I should cut right to it." She starts, her voice hesitant. I reluctantly lean back against the front of the desk, reminding Damien that this is our mates sister, not the bad guy.

"The story I told you when we met, that we left because I was rejected...was true. Except for one detail....I wasn't the one rejected, Katrina was."

My rage drops for a moment, my eyes going wide at the truth. The rest of the room is quiet, and Adrienne sighs.

"Katrina wasn't ready to talk about it, even though it happened six years ago, so I took the role for her."

"Six years? I thought you two had been rogues for four?"

"I'm getting to that. The day she turned sixteen, she and I stuck together, in case she found her mate...and she did." She swallows hard, her hand reflexively going to her shoulder.

"It was our future Beta, Jamie. And she found him between the legs of another she wolf...the same one that was on his arm and bearing his mark."

I let out a growl, realizing that both the causes of my mates suffering were welcomed into my home unknowingly.

"He took one look at her, and rejected her. Like she meant nothing. And went back to mating with that...that...mutt. Right in front of her!" She seethes, and I feel my own anger bubbling again.

"It only got worse though. Samantha, as she's called, took every opportunity to rub it in Kat's face that Jamie rejected her. And there wasn't anything Katrina could do about it, they both outranked her." The sadness in Adrienne's voice cuts me deep, and I can feel what's left of my anger simmer.

"That's when she decided to leave the pack. The only problem was that I refused to let her go alone. We argued and fought for a long time until we made a compromise. She'd wait two years, when I turned sixteen, if I found my mate in the pack I'd stay...if I didn't, I would leave with her. I guess you can tell what happened." She pauses again, seeming to brace herself.

"Two years? How could she stand it?" Mom questions, and Adrienne shakes her head.

"I don't know. I could tell she was suffering though, despite her best attempts to hide it."

Mom rubs her hand gently, and I can only imagine the turmoil that Katrina must have gone through.

"The plan was that we'd leave the day after, and before we left she would except his rejection. But...things changed. That night, Jamie marked Samantha as his mate...and Katrina..." She can't finish, but she doesn't have to. Every wolf in here has heard the stories of what happens to the betrayed mate. The pain is said to feel like a white hot, silver dagger has been impaled through your shoulder...and twisted.

"After that...she didn't even want to be near his scent, so we left after she recovered, and never turned back."

This is why she's been restraining herself, and why she was so confused and conflicted when we first met. She's been living with this pain for over six years, and she's afraid what happened once will happen again. And the fact that the wolf who rejected her is now in my territory only makes the pain fresh in her mind, hurting her all over again.

"I'm sorry I lied to you Alpha, I should've been honest about this."

I hold up a hand, working to control my voice before speaking.

"No, it's alright. You were only looking out for your sister. This kind of thing is difficult for any wolf to talk about."

I drop my hand and sigh in exasperation. I have no idea how to deal with this situation now. It's not even mine to deal with, technically speaking.

The sudden sounds of crashing and growling catch me off guard. Andrea's worried voice pops in my head, frantic and pleading.

~Seth, please come downstairs! The Blue Mountain Beta is out of control!~

I waste no time in pushing both my father and Beta out of my way, nearly knocking the door down in my haste. I sprint down the stairs two at a time before bee-lining it to the kitchen. Me, my parents, Tyron, and Adrienne all clearing the kitchen entrance in time to see my mate knock Beta Jamie down to the floor. Her eyes gold and angry, on the verge of shifting.

The mutt quickly gets up, and I don't have to ask before Tyron and Alex grab him by the arms and shoulders, knowing if it was me who did it, the runt wouldn't have any arms left.

"Don't you ever touch me again!!" Katrina roars, I can almost hear Ziva's voice with hers. The fact that he touched her sends me and Damien back into our fury, but before I can take a step, my father puts a hand out in front of me.

"Son, this is something your mate needs to do, so let her do it."

Begrudgingly, he's right. This is something only Katrina can do, whether I like it or not.

"Get your hands off of me! She's my mate!!" Jamie growls, fighting the hold he's in.

"No I'm not! You made that very clear when you marked another wolf!" Katrina growls back. "You rejected me six years ago!!!"

"It was a mistake! I never should've chosen that mutt! All I want is you!!"

"But you did choose her! And you don't get to waltz back into my life after six years and pretend that you never treated me like I meant nothing! You don't get to decide that you want me all of a sudden, now that I just started to heal! You have no right!" Katrina screams at him, all of us sobering up at hearing her pent up emotions being voiced for the first time. Dads right...she needs this, it's the only way she'll ever recover.

"You treated me like I was worthless, like you didn't give a damn about me or my feelings. You acted as if nothing had happened that night, and that the she wolf that now bears your mark was your real mate when we both knew the truth."

Jamie halts his struggling, a wave of regret and pain altering his expression.

"Please...just give me a chance..."

Katrina's eyes turn black with anger.

"I gave you a chance! Two years worth of them! Two years between the day you rejected me and the day I left! It's too late now, you made your bed, and you didn't want me in it! Changing your mind doesn't change what you did to me!" Her angry voice pants and shakes, exhaustion and hurt mixing with her anger.

"You severed your bond with me Jamie, and it's time I did the same."

Her shoulders drop, and her gaze goes to the floor. She takes a few deep breaths, before lifting her gaze back to him. His expression tightens with fear, his eyes filling with dread.

"What are you doing, Katrina?" He asks through clenched teeth.

"Something I should've done a long time ago."

"Hold him." My father whispers fervently, and the hold on the Beta tightens immediately.

"I, Katrina Barsotti of Red Fang, accept your rejection."

"NOOO!!!" Jamie roars angrily, his body sent into a frenzy at her words.

"Get him out!!" I yell at the duo, and they start forcefully dragging the deranged wolf out the door, him fighting and clawing at their grasp the entire way. Screaming Katrina's name and growling as he goes.

I turn my attention back to my mate, seeing her exhausted form being held in both Andrea and Adrienne's arms. Shoulders slumped in relief and exhaustion, rather than hurt. As much as I want to comfort her right now, she needs a moment, and I have something to say to that mutt before he's sedated.

Ignoring my parents calls to stay away, I follow the path of the mutts scent, slamming out the door as I do. It doesn't take me long before I reach the half-pint, who's still throwing a tantrum.

"She's mine!! Let me go!!"

"No. She's. Not!" I growl in his face, meeting his less than threatening black eyes.

"Like Hell she isn't!"

"She is my mate now! You gave her up the second you rejected her!"

He strains in vain, spitting profanities at me.

"She was mine first!"

I throw my fist square into his nose, knocking him out of the hold he's in and to the ground. Stunned and bloody nosed, he makes no move to get up.

"You don't deserve her." I growl down at him, Damien's voice ringing with mine. I turn to Alex, locking eyes with him.

"Our alliance still holds, and you are welcome to visit my territory."

He nods, and I look down at the pathetic Beta at my feet.

"However, I better not see you on my land or anywhere near my mate ever again, do I make myself clear?"

He remains quiet, but Alex speaks up before I can lose my temper again.

"I'll make sure of it, Seth, he'll never show his face around here again."

"He'd better not, if he values his life." I reply, and Alex nods. Just as I begin to turn away, the runt launches up from the ground, growling. Alex grabs him just before I can step in, and quickly injects a syringe into his neck. Thank goodness that the Alpha comes prepared, especially in cases where high ranking members cross paths. Blood would spill a lot more often.

Turning around, I am met with the fearful eyes of Samantha. I give her a hostile look that makes her tremble.

"That threat also applies to you, understand?"

She nods rapidly, scurrying around me and after her 'mate'. I take deep breaths in an effort to calm down, listening to the retreating steps of the former visitors as they leave for their vehicle.

"Seth? Are you good, man?" Tyron asks, and I open my eyes slowly, looking towards the moon.

"I will be." I answer before heading back to the pack house, hoping that being surrounded by my mates scent would bring me some calm.