Chapter 5

The past few days were a complete pain. Daniel, had been true to his word and our beta, James, or another one of our wolves had been watching over me since that night. I hadn’t been going out other than to work or school and I have been slowly going crazy. I felt like it had been much longer than a week.

At this rate I was sure to lose it if he didn’t let me breathe.

He still hadn’t given me his answer about Jasmine yet which only proved to make me angrier at him. Every day that he put it off the more resentful I became.

Even though he had come over to visit me often, it still didn’t make up for his behavior. I only spoke to him when I had to. Most of the time he would just sit and stare at me, not even bothering to make conversation. It was awkward but it gave me time to think.

I often wondered if she knew about me. Had he told her anything? Surely she would have suspected something different in him by now. He left her every morning and evening to come see me. Wouldn’t that become suspicious? No doubt it passed it off as pack duty.

I felt…hurt and angry… among other things. This was not good for me or my wolf. We were about at our limit when it came to the Alpha. If he didn’t accept or reject me soon then we were going to do it for him. This was getting ridiculous.

“Excuse me miss. More coffee please.”

My eyes wondered to the impatient man at table three that was being entirely rude. As if banging the empty mug on the table would make it come any quicker. If anything it made me intentionally move slower. I had no respect for people like him.  I still tried to remain polite to everyone though just to keep from having a complaint filed on me. It was the right thing to do.  I hadn’t had one yet and I planned to keep it that way. I really needed that raise next month.

Grabbing the coffee pot I slowly moved towards the dark brown table that sat on the opposite side of the diner and smile politely once I reached it.

“Here you go sir.”

He held up a hand to stop me before the hot liquid could even escape its container.

“Is that decaf? I can only drink decaf. If it’s not you can take it back and bring me what I ordered,” he grumbled.

I had to bite my tongue to keep the not so kind words from escaping my mouth.

 “It is.” I replied as nicely as I could.

“Fine.”

After he removed his hand I poured the coffee and walked away not sparing him another word as he did the same for me. Not even a simple thank you on his part, but it’s not like I expected one.  

Oh well I’m sure that attitude has gotten him several loogie beverages in the past and will continue in the future. I’d be lying if I said that didn’t make me a little happy. I smiled to myself.

“Care to share what has you so amused?”

I jumped at the sound of the person’s voice from the bar stool behind me. Thankfully I had already placed the pot back in its rightful place before doing so.

As I turned to face the man I was a bit shocked at who sat before me.

No. It couldn’t be. What was he doing here? Was he on a suicide mission? Wolves from my pack were spaced all around the place with their eyes on him in curiosity. Though Kieran was technically on no man’s land-that being town- James still wasn’t pleased with another wolf being so close to me.  Daniels orders I suppose. He looked tense while he gazed at us.

“What are you doing here?” I whispered.

I tried to remain calm so no one from my pack would notice my panic. He deserved the benefit of a doubt, didn’t he? I wanted to believe he had a real reason for being here before I turned him over.

I took a quick sniff of the air around him and frowned. I most certainly knew that he was no human, so why did he smell like one?  His scent had almost completely changed since last time.

He smirked and looked towards James’s scrutinizing eyes before answering.

“Looks like someone has you under their watch,” he stated. “What did you do?”

He looked back at me with clear amusement.

I almost huffed until I stopped myself. “I didn’t do anything. What did you do?”

I wanted to say more, like asking him why he was here, but I knew that if I did that then the other wolves would hear me and would know something was up. I couldn’t afford that right now. I was already in enough trouble as is.

“What do you mean?” He was playing dumb to my questions.

“What I mean is did you find the friend you were looking for?”

I was trying to convey a message with my eyes and either he didn’t notice or he didn’t care. I wanted him to get out of here before he got in trouble. I honestly didn’t feel like he was a bad person, just a little mischievous. He could possibly pose any real threat to anyone, could he? He hadn’t harmed me.

“Do you two know each other?” James’s voice caught me by surprise. He was standing right next to me at the end of the counter. He stared at Kieran while he awaited a reply.

“We’re just talking pup, relax?” Kieran said.

 That was enough to make James express his anger with a low throaty growl; one that only we wolves could hear. The humans seemed oblivious as to what was happening…or rather about to happen.

James looked back at me gravely. “Daniel isn’t going to like this.”

“You don’t have to tell him,” I suggested to him before glancing at Kieran. “Our visitor was just leaving, weren’t you?”

“No, actually,” he grinned. “I haven’t even ordered yet.”

“It’s too late, I’ve already contacted him anyway,” the beta stated. “He’s on his way.”

I felt my stomach drop. “Why would you do that?”

“Because there is another wolf here and he wants to talk to him. He may have some answers about the trespasser.” He replied still eyeing Kieran. 

Kieran smiled like all of this amusing to him and picked up the menu in front of him. His eyes scanned it slowly, taking his sweet time with ordering, ignoring the suspicious beta seated next to him.

“Having a problem with security?” he teased. “Can’t Knight Shadow protect its own land?”

James growled a little louder this time. “We believe someone within the pack helped him on and we’re determined to find out who it was.”

Wait, then that means it wasn’t me. I felt overjoyed as relief came over me. I never helped him on the land. I only told him where it was. He couldn’t have entered without help. My relief was short lived when realization swept over me.

Then if it wasn’t me…who was it? Someone in our pack is a traitor.

That thought was very unsettling. 

Kieran said nothing and only smirked. He made sure to lower his menu to show it off too. James didn’t notice. He was too busy concentrating on the salt shaker that sat in front of him on the counter. He must have undoubtedly been receiving or sending a message from a certain Alpha.

“He’s here,” James announced suddenly, standing from his seat. His eyes flashed the door on his left awaiting his arrival.

My heart began to thump loudly in my chest at the thought of seeing Daniel again. I hadn’t seen him since we had words a couple nights ago and my wolf was missing him. I however, was still angry at him.

I all his glory, he finally stepped through the door looking as brooding and sexy as ever. He was all business, and though that annoyed me sometimes, I had to admit that, right now, it was hot.

He nodded to James as soon as he saw him as if replying to something. His eyes ten fell directly on Kieran. They were cold and calculating. His approach seemed more of a threat than a common act. Kieran didn’t even flinch in his presence. He was gutsy for an ordinary wolf.

When he removed the menu completely and their eyes met, Daniel tensed. It was as if knew Kieran in some way. He seemed displease to see him either way.

“What are you doing here, Kieran?” His question demanded a reply.

“I thought this mutual territory. I can be here if I want,” he replied simply.

Daniel frowned. “That’s not what I meant. Why you here of all places?”

Kieran shrugged as if what he were about to say was nothing. “I came to visit my dear mate of course.”

I gasped. How could he possibly have a mate when he was here hitting on me only a few days ago? He wouldn’t do that if he had a mate.

“She’s not your mate anymore.” My mate objected.           

“Yes, because you took her from me.” Kieran was showing something besides amusement now. It was anger pure anger and resent me directed at my mate.

“She rejected you and severed the bond. I had nothing to do with that. She didn’t tell me until it was done.”

“But it was because of your relationship with her, was it not?” he accused.

It was only then I understood who I finally understood who they were talking about. It was Jasmine. She was the one this whole thing was about.

Kieran was her mate.

It was rare that a wolf was ever rejected. It had to be under dire circumstances, like already being mated to someone else for example. When a wolf mates with someone that isn’t their true mate it forges a bond between them and severs the intended bond completely. When and if you ever run across your true mate after that there will be nothing there besides a small recognition between the two wolves. The other mate is then free to move on to with someone as well.

What’s broken can never be joined again. Whatever you decide will become permanent. It is a choice that should not be taken lightly.

“Then give her back to me. You can end it at any time.” His voice held something in it that I couldn’t quiet place what it was, but it seemed that Daniel had no problem recognizing it.

“You know I can’t do that now,” he replied solemnly. “Everything has changed.” 

My heart sank at his words. So, he wasn’t letting her go after all. He didn’t choose me. She had persuaded his to stand by her no doubt. This is exactly what I was afraid would happen.

His eyes broke from Kieran and to me almost instantly. They held pity and regret. He looked like he wanted to say so much, but he didn’t. He just stood there silently.

He rejects us, my wolf whispered. He chose another mate.

She whimpered the new realization and I wished for anything that I could in some way console her, but I was just as broken as her. I felt weak and sick. I had to grab onto the counter just to keep my balance. Daniel became concerned, but didn’t move to help me.”

Tell me why that is, Alpha?” Kieran spat the word like he didn’t even deserve it and looked at him in disgust. This was a side of Kieran I was not used to seeing. He was always so calm and easy going. It was completely opposite of what it was now.

“You already know, given you were the wolf on our land the other night, weren’t you?”

“Irrelevant,” he shrugged. “I’m sure you’re mate would love to hear the answer as well,” he added.

Daniel looked defeated. He glanced around the room at the many faces in the diner. No of them being human. Someone must have ushered them out at the confrontation. We couldn’t risk being found out if a fight erupted. It was too important to keep our secret.

Everyone awaited Daniels reply, including me. I wanted to know, even though I didn’t know how much more I could take. It felt as if my soul would break at any minute.

“She’s pregnant.” He answered. “Jasmine is having our pups.”

No.

The pain inside me was more excruciating than I could convey. It felt as if something inside me had been ripped out. Like my soul. I felt empty now. My body was nothing, but a wasteland. Noting of importance lied within me anymore. Without Daniel I was nothing but empty and broken.

I fell to the ground on my hands and knees and cried out in pain.

Someone’s arms quickly wrapped around my shoulder and held me to them while I sobbed, letting my tears hit the floor.

“Then, I guess there is nothing left to do, but make it official, is there?” The voice was right next to me. It was him. Kieran was the one to comfort me. Not Daniel, not a member of my pack, but Kieran. He held me to him closely.

“Do it,” he ordered. “The faster you do this, the quicker she will heal. Put an end to her suffering.” He ordered. He was sounding more like an Alpha with every word.

I didn’t look up, but I took it by my mates silence he was taking Kieran’s’ words into consideration. He was thinking.

“I’m so sorry, Claire.” It was Daniel who spoke. And then he continued. “I Daniel Montgomery, Alpha of the Knight Shadow pack hereby reject you, Claire Warren as my mate and Luna of this pack. Your lies are no longer to this pack therefore you may leave upon your choosing. The decision is yours. ”

All the air left my lungs while I tried to gasp for air, but it didn’t work. I could no longer breathe. My head became dizzy.

He released me, from my pack and our bond. I truly had nothing now. I was alone completely and one hundred percent.

I was disoriented and could not focus on anything anymore. Not voices, not people, not touch or anything. My senses were useless. With a loud cry my wolf let out within me she disappeared into nothingness. I could not feel her anymore nor could I myself. I was gone. Just like her. And then I disappeared, into a dark abyss.

One week. That’s how long I had been cooped up inside my room. I was out the first twenty four hours of it and the rest I had laid here. I only got up to use the bathroom and shower. I had to force myself to do that.  

No one came to visit me, no one called to check up on me, it was just me, myself, and I inside this room. My parents were the only ones who even tried to console me. I couldn’t talk to them though. I couldn’t talk to anyone. I was too broken. I barely had the will to live. I didn’t want to, but I couldn’t do that to my parents. They were the reason I was going to keep going, even if I was a hollow shell. My death would destroy them completely. I had enough respect in me to not put them through that kind of pain. After all, I had experienced a loss of my own very recently.

There was a knock at my door, before my mom stuck her head inside my room. She watched me with pity. That was something I had been receiving a lot of lately. It seemed that was the only face they wore now.

“I brought you some food. Do you feel like eating?”

No. No I don’t.

I didn’t answer; instead I rolled over on my bed and faced the wall.

I heard the door open wider and her footsteps coming inside my room. She placed the tray of food on the night stand beside me and sighed.

“You might feel better if you got out of the house for a while. Maybe went for a run. I’m sure your wolf would enjoy that.”

She was wrong. I didn’t even know where was wolf was anymore. She most likely died along with me a week ago. She hadn’t spoken since then. Missing that very important part of me, I was nothing more than a human now.

I felt the bed dip down beside me and my mom’s frail arms around me in comfort.

“Please eat something. You’ve lost so much weight. It’s not healthy.”

I didn’t move.

She sighed. “Alright honey. I’ll leave you alone,” she rubbed my arm gently and stood up. “You know where to find me if you need me.”

I thought I heard her sniffled before she left my room, but I could have been imagining it. I’d hate to think this what tearing her up to. I was the only one who was supposed to suffer.

Half of the day had already passed, when my mom came in again. He replaced the tray she had left for me earlier and quickly disappeared from the room. She didn’t try to talk to me again. I think she was feeling discourage. My Dad even tried to make conversation with me after mom left, but I didn’t talk to him either.

He gave up after a few minutes.

Before I knew it, it was nightfall again. I could hear the owls in the woods, outside my house, better at dark. I often fell asleep to their sounds. It was the only thing that helped me sleep. It was almost like a melody just for me.

I slept soundly for most of the night. I only woke up to the sound of the wind howling through the trees or when the rain picked up heavily on the roof. I wasn’t sure when the rain started, but it was soothing nonetheless. I like more of a quiet pitter patter though. It was better when it eased up.

When daylight came again I was awake to greet it. It was six am when I heard my dad leave for work. The loud roar of his truck startled me awake and I hadn’t been able to sleep since. Mom usually slept until nine or so, so I knew she wouldn’t be awake for another.

The rain still hadn’t let up yet. It would take spurts, becoming heavy and lightening up just as it had last night. The wind was calm though. I finally decided to get up and take a shower when I could no longer hold my bladder and had to go to the bathroom anyway.

It was when I stepped out of the shower and entered back into my bedroom that I got a real surprise. I stumbled back and almost fell to the ground when I saw him standing by my open window. I let out a startled cry before he rushed over to me and placed a hand over my lips.

He spoke gently when he told me to breathe. After a moment and I realized he wasn’t there to kill me, I did. He then dropped his hand.

“What are you doing here?” I asked him.

I surprised myself when I spoke.

That was the first words I had spoken since that day and they just happened to be to him. My voice came out a little strained since it had been nearly a week since I said anything, but he didn’t seem to pay that much attention.

“I came to check on you and I didn’t want to wake your family so I snuck in.”

“Does anyone know you’re here?”

“I told-,” he started but stopped abruptly. He seemed to be thinking over something carefully. “Yes, it’s known.”

That still didn’t clear up the confusion of why he was so concerned about me. I don’t know why I mattered to him in the slightest. He was the one that urged my mate to end things with me.

“I wanted to talk to you,” he said.

I was still standing at my door in nothing but a towel, only realizing it when Kieran’s eyes traveled down my still dripping wet form. I blushed.

It was the first bit of emotion I have felt in days. Although it was embarrassing it was nice. I took a step back from him.

“Excuse me.”

I grabbed some articles of clothing from my closet and disappeared into the bathroom to dress. Once I was sure I looked presentable enough I walked back to my room where Kieran stood in the same place I had left him.

“What do you want?” I asked.

“I told you,” he said. “I came to see you.”

“Well you’ve seen me, now you can go.” I motioned towards the window he snuck in with my hand.

He didn’t move. He just kept staring at me in a way I that was starting to raise questions.

“I also came to make you an offer,” he added.

“No.” I was quick to refuse him. I just wanted him out of my house. All he did way remind me of that day and I didn’t want to think about it anymore. That’s all I had done for the past week.

“You might change your mind when you hear what I have to say.”

“I doubt that.”

“Have you even thought about what you’re going to do now? Are you going to stay here reliving the pain of that day, every time you see them together?”

His question caught me off guard. I hadn’t expected him to come right out and ask that when it hardly concerned him. Though, still, he did ask a good question. It had been only recently that I was starting to think about. I knew I needed to make that decision soon. 

“I haven’t decided yet. What is it to you?”

His expression at my harsh tone didn’t change. He still kept the same neutral expression he had on his face from the moment I found him here.

“I want to offer you a place in my pack.”

“Why would you do that?”

His offer seemed too suspicious to me. I didn’t know if he could be trusted after everything.

“Because I know what it’s like to lose your mate. I was rejected not so long ago either. I felt the exact same thing you’re going through. And no matter how much I want to hate the person who put me through this, I can’t because still love her. I’ve not moved on with anyone else so all of those feeling I have for Jasmine are still there. And from experience, I know that you feel them for your Alpha as well.”

I was surprised by how dead on he was with my feelings. I was left speechless. I forgot that he also had his heart broken as well. We were on common ground. I shouldn’t have treated him so horribly.  I suppose, in the end, he was just trying to help me with Daniel, forcing him to get it over with.

Even his name caused me to flinch.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m sorry about Jasmine. No one deserves to be treated as we have.”

He nodded curtly, but I didn’t miss the flinch in him as well. “Thank you.”

“So what do you propose we do? How do we get over them? I don’t want to feel this way.” I was eager to hear his suggestions. Anything would be better than the suffering I had been through.

A faint smile appeared on his lips at my willingness to help him. He scratched the back of his neck a little looking a little apprehensive after a short moment.

“Well, that’s what I was getting at. Just keep an open mind when I tell you okay?”

I nodded instantly. “Okay.”

Then the words came spilling from his lips like he was talking about the weather. I was most certainly not prepared for what I heard.

“Be my mate,” he suggested.

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A/N

Major cliffhanger, right? I know you want to kill me, but please don’t or else I can’t produce more chapters for you. Hehe. So, what do you think, Claire should do? Accept his offer and be his mate or leave the pack and move on by herself without anyone’s help? I’d love to hear. Oh and don’t forget Kieran is played by the hottie Danny Schwarz. Who could resist, right? Maybe it’s just me. :)

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Special request: Could you guys help me me get, maybe, 70 votes and 35 comments on this chapter? Pretty please? I decided to go ahead and give you an extra chapter even though I said I wasn't. That deserves something right? It would make my day!