My Eternal Mate

LYRA

"I will only ask you one more time," Alexander snarled, his voice filled with authority. "Where the fuck is the pup?"

Frowning, I placed a hand on my mate's shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. I hadn't expected for him to lash out like that despite his frustration.

We had arrived at the orphanage, only for Jenna to inform us that the pup we were here for was currently absent. Apparently, someone had taken him for the rest of the afternoon and she was unsure when the pup would return.

"Alexander," I whispered to my mate, low enough for him only to hear.

Alexander turned his head to glance down at me, his eyes charcoal. His brows twitched as he held my gaze, and slowly, but surely, the blue colour returned to his eyes.

"I'm so sorry," Jenna apologised, her head bowed. "I wasn't aware of your visit today, Alpha, or I would have ensured the pup remains present."

I frowned at her, unsure what role she played in all of this. Jenna was a nosy wolf and knew a lot of the ins and outs of the details in the pack, and I respected her, but for some reason, her vibes seemed slightly off.

She was a lovely wolf, older than Alexander and I, and had been the carer at the orphanage for almost two decades. The things she did for the wolves with no family was admiring.

"You will tell me every detail of what you know, right this instant," Alexander instructed, his voice hard.

Jenna swallowed loudly, her brown eyes briefly meeting mine before she nodded. "Of course," she assured. "Please, sit."

Alexander and I were currently stood in the living room of the house, with Jenna running back and forth between the open planned kitchen to retrieve us hot beverages.

Once she had successfully placed two mugs before Alexander and I, she sat seated on the sofa opposite to the one my mate and I hesitantly took a seat on.

"I never meant to hide anything from you," she started saying, her eyes hard on the wooden floor as she spoke. "Aspen returned a couple of months ago after we had found Kai and told us he was the father. Mind you, I thought he was your pup at first."

I gaped at her transparency, but that was how Jenna was. She was older than us and said whatever the hell that was on the tip of her tongue, hardly caring if she offended anyone.

Alexander had known her for years, considering he had made her the main person at this orphanage. She wasn't a bad person, she just didn't have a filter— most of the times.

My mate shifted uncomfortably by my side, and I leaned my arm forward to place my hand in his. I saw him visibly relax at the small touch, and he squeezed my hand to remain calm.

"The pup is not mine," he corrected, his voice cold. "Jen, why didn't you tell me the second you found out about Aspen?"

I glanced at Alexander at his words. We hadn't even discussed the Aspen situation since we had found out, but he spoke so naturally as if he had known Aspen for years.

"I couldn't," Jenna argued, sighing, making me turn my eyes on her. "Believe me, I wanted to, many times throughout the years. And even more so when the Luna started to come around. I felt like I was walking on thin ice."

"You said you found the pup after his mother died, but I have been here every week for the past year. He wasn't here," I stated, my brows knitted together.

I had been at the orphanage at least twice a week in the past year, playing with the pups and did various activities together. I almost knew all of them personally, with a couple of new additions that I was still getting to know. Not once had I seen Kai.

Alexander squeezed at my hand in an attempt to comfort me, his thumb stroked up and down the dorsum of my hand. He must have sensed my frustration.

"Erm, the first time you came around, I was surprised you didn't see him," Jenna explained, glancing at me apologetically. "He was here, and I was going to tell you about him but the pack doctor advised that he rests for a couple of weeks, so that's all he did. We had him placed in the house on the other side of our territory since it's smaller."

I narrowed my eyes at her, confused as to why she hadn't even told me there had been a new addition. But if he had been in the other house then I wouldn't have known because I only visited this main one.

"We didn't even know who he was, not until Aspen turned up and explained," she continued.

"Why didn't you tell my Luna about the pup?" Alexander asked her, his jaw clenched.

Jenna chuckled humourlessly. "I respect the Luna," she voiced, glancing at me. "I really do admire you. But Aspen, he's impossible to go against."

"You disrespected the Luna for an outsider," Alexander growled, anger clearly evident in his voice.

I squeezed my hand in his, to try and calm his wolf down. I wasn't sure what was happening, but I didn't want my mate to be worked up.

"He's not an outsider," Jenna argued, her voice calm. "He never has been."

"What?" Alexander ridiculed. "Are you hearing yourself, Jen?"

"Aspen is not a bad person, Alpha," she informed. "It makes me sad that things turned out the way they did."

Alexander snarled. "Do not act as if you know the wolf."

"But that's the thing, I do," she stated, scoffing. "Before the late Alpha passed away, Aspen was present in our lives. Not the way we liked, but he was here."

I frowned at her words and turned my head to look at my mate, who had a pokerface on. His features morphed in to a frown, and his eyes narrowed.

"What are you saying?" he questioned, his voice uncertain.

Jenna sighed. "I raised Aspen for the most part, because your father asked me to," she elaborated, a smile spreading across her face. "Aspen would be present in the crowd at all the main events and cheered you on as the Alpha, but he was never able to introduce himself. It was quite sad to see."

By this point, I could feel the confusion and frustration from my mate through our connection. I wanted to ease his worries but I was just as lost myself.

"Aspen was here?"

"He was, indeed," Jenna responded. "Things could have been different, and boy, how we wish they had been. But with a mother like yours—"

Jenna's sentence cut off short when a loud commotion engulfed the house, as a wolf barged through the double doors.

Alexander immediately rose to his feet, his features dark and hard as he glared at the wolf ahead.

The unfamiliar wolf, humongous and black with grey streaks running down the fur, glanced at us with its big sea blue eyes. Before any of us could react any further, the wolf shifted.

I didn't get a glimpse of him when Alexander tugged at my hand and pushed me behind him, leaving me to gape at his tensed back instead.

'What are you doing?' I complained and tried to peak from behind him to see the wolf.

But my mate held me firmly. 'He is naked. Wait until he puts something on.'

I scoffed lowly, and crossed my arms as I glared at the back of my mate's head. In this situation, he couldn't be serious. Wolves saw each other naked all the damn time. But knowing the timing was terrible, I didn't argue with him instead rolled my eyes.

"Brother," a strangely familiar voice spoke, making my mate tense his muscles again. "We finally meet."

"Aspen," Alexander responded. "Not sure about the brother part, but it seems like there is a lot that needs to be discussed."

The room was engulfed by a loud laughter, which I assumed was from Aspen, before he replied with a simple, "Of course, Alexander. I can see that your Luna is bothered by my lack of clothing. Please, this way."

I couldn't see either of their reactions, and it was making me more frustrated by the second. Aspen was frickin' real. The wolf existed. He was Alexander's brother. I wanted to see him.

Alexander squeezed at my hand and told me he would be right back before he disappeared, leaving me to glance at the doorway, absentminded before Jenna approached me and wrapped her arms around me.

She apologised for seeming as though she had disrespected me, but I didn't mind her and was about to mind-link Alexander to be filled in on the details, when the little pup strutted through the doors.

Smiling, he walked up to where Jenna and I were on the sofa. Bowing his head slightly in respect, he quickly turned to Jenna.

"Jenny, I'm hungry," he told the woman beside me, his sea blue eyes glistening.

Despite the situation and how confusing everything was at the moment, the pup was absolutely adorable. Jaxon had said he couldn't be any older than seven, but I already knew that the pup was five.

Jenna rose to her feet and murmured something to the pup before she disappeared towards the kitchen to retrieve food.

I smiled at him, and patted the seat next to me where Jenna had been sat. "Come here," I told him. "I have never met you before. What's your name?"

And just like that, the pup grinned before he jumped up on the sofa and started telling me his name and his age. I suddenly felt bad for all the ill thoughts that I had about him.

Approximately thirty minutes later, I was sat playing with Kai, when Alexander strutted through the double doors.

His features were soft until he took note of the scene ahead of him. He frowned as he glanced down at me and then at the pup that was by my side. His eyes widened at the sight of Kai, probably freaked at the resemblance.

Before I could question anything, the man that came up behind him made me gasp lowly. He was Aspen.

The same man that had approached me at our wedding, the one with the same sea blue eyes as my mate's. I should have known then that they shared a slight resemblance.

A smirk covered his lips, and he raised his hand to wave at me, leaving me completely gobsmacked.