Chapter 19
DIMITRI POV
I was sitting oin my office looking over the new security plan with Ben and Luke. I was oddly on edge this evening, but I chalked it up to just being stressed. I hadn’t gone for a run since the night Lily shifted, so that was probably a big factor. The bigger problem was my mate. Well, not her so much, but her attitude towards me. Ever since our talk last week, she’d been conviently absent. I never saw her at meals- I’d learned from Ben that she was eating in her room again. I didn’t see her around the house, and I’d learned from Luke that she’d taken up various activties from training with that Clint boy to working with Thara at the hospital. When she wasn’t doing that, she with Hazel. And obviously I didn’t see her at night.
It bothered me more than it should that she was obviously ignoring me. The night she shifted, I was so f*****g worried when I couldn’t find her. How stupid could she be, trying to go through that alone? It took me way too long to find her, and when I did, all I wanted to was to scream at her for being so f*****g dumb. But the way she’d clung to me-the way she needed me- overwrit all my anger. Then she’d yelled at me nd basically told me to f**k off. Okay, yes, she had many good reasons to be angry with me, but really? She could have died.
Speaking of, I still don’t know how she found out why I brought her here. Nobody knew, not even Ben or Luke. They were under the assumption that with time, I’d warm up to the idea of a mate. I grilled Ajax, but he swore he said nothing to her wolf. Maybe Lily was right and she wasn’t as stupid as I orginally thought she was. Why else would someone accept there mate only to ignore them and treat them the way I treated her?
“Sounds like someone is feeling guilty.” Ajax commented smugly.
“Shut it. I don’t feel guilty.”
“Uh huh. That’s why you can’t stop thinking about her. Can’t stop wanting to see her?”
“I said shut it.”
He chuckled but receeded to the back of my mind.
“So, I was thinking we put cameras here, here and here.” Ben pointed to various spots on the map of our land. “Night vision and heat detection.”
“That’s dumb. So we’ll know when someone is already in our borders?” Luke scoffed. Ben flipped him off.
“I wasn’t done. So we put cameras on these spots and we put the rest outside the borders at our weak spots. We’ll know when someone is coming, and if anybody manages to slip past, we’ll know that too.”
I rubbed my chin. “I think we should have them here and here too.” I pointed.
“I’ll have to order more.”
“Whatever. I just want us to be secured.” I said.
Ben circled the marked spots with a marker and nodded. “Okay, that’s done.”
“Thank Goddess.” Luke mumbled.
I grabbed three glasses from the shelf behind me and a bottle of whiskey. Pouring each of us a drink, I sat down in my chair with a heavy sigh.
“I wish the rogues would get it through their heads- they can’t win against us. Why bother even trying?” I grumbled.
“Rogues are generally known for being stupid shits. Who knows what goes on in their heads?” Ben said.
Luke simply stared into his glass, his lips pursed. I knew that look like the back of my hand- he was hiding something. I picked up a paperclip and flicked it at him.
“Something you’d like to share with the group?” I asked, He rolled his eyes and I smirked. I knew him well, and he hated it.
“Something you’d like to share with the group?” I asked, He rolled his eyes and I smirked. I knew him well, and he hated it.
Upending his drink, he swallowed it in one go and blew out a breath. “So… there’s something I want to tell you guys.”
Ben set his glass down and sat down on the sofa. I propped my feet on my desk and gestured for him to continue.
“Uhm…so…. I uh… I met my mate.” Luke mumbled quickly.
“What?!” Ben shouted, jumping to his feet.
“When?” I asked.
“Two weeks ago.”
“And you didn’t tell us?! What the f**k man!” Ben punched Luke in the arm and scowled at him.
“Well… it… wasn’t who I thought it was going to be.”
“Who is she?” I asked eagerly. Luke had been waiting so long to meet his mate. Unlike me, he constantly raved about finding the perfect girl and giving her the world. It got on my nerves a lot, but I was genuinely happy that he finally met her.
But Luke didn’t look happy at all. In fact, he looked scared shitless. His eyes met mine, and he didn’t seem to be able to find the words he wanted. Ben and I waited patiently as he got himself to together enough to tell us.
“It’s…uh… well, it’s a he, not a she actually.”
I blinked, stunned. His mate was a guy?
“But… you’re not gay?” Ben was equally as confused as I was.
Luke blushed a deep red. “I’m not. I’m actually bisexual.”
I stared at him, shocked. How did I not know this? I grew up with Luke; spent almost everyday with him. I’d never seen him with any guys, never even seen him look at one that way.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. About me, or meeting my mate. I thought… I mean, I didn’t know if you’d still want me as your Gamma.” He said.
“Why the f**k would you think that?” I asked. Before he could answer I followed up with, “You think I’m some homophobe?”
“No, no! You know, a lot of these other Alphas are real old school, and I don’t want you catching flack because you have a Gamma who’s mated to a guy.”
I scoffed loudly. “f**k them! I’m proud to have you as my Gamma, no matter who your mate is. and if anyone has anything to say about it, I’ll punch them in the jaw. You’re one of my best friends Luke. I don’t care who you love.”
He looked like he was about to cry. “Really?”
“Really. Come here man!” I stood and we hugged. “I’m happy for you. When do we meet him?”
Luke chuckled nervously. “Well, that’s the other thing. See, I would have told you guys right away but…”
“But?” Ben asked.
“But… he’s a rogue.” Luke finished.
“What?!” This time Ben and I yelled together. Luke threw his hands up in front of him quickly.
“I swear, he’s not like others! And he’s never been apart of the rogues that attacked us! He’s different.”
“Only because he’s your mate.” Ben said.
“No! He didn’t choose to be a rogue. His pack was destroyed a few years back, and only a few survived. Instead of sticking together, they went their seperate ways, and he hasn’t found another pack. He wants to meet you Dimitri, wants to join us officially.” Lukes eyes were pleading with me, big and wide. He looked like a puppy.
Finally, I gave in. “Fine! Tell him we’ll meet him tomorrow. I don’t want a hik skulking around our borders, he could get attacked. Bring him here tonight, but keep him out of sight for now. Okay?”
“No problem!”
Luke ran out of the office so fast, I almost laughed. I looked at Ben who was shaking his head, a small smile playing on his lips.
“Did you know?” I asked him.
“Nope. When I get the chance, I’m going to grill him about all the guys he’s secretly been screwing behind our backs.”
“How did we not notice all these years?”
“Right? Though, if you really think about it… he did spend a lot of time with Derek.”
My eyes widened. Derek was my cousin, and also super gay. He owned it though, and when his my aunt and uncle kicked him out after he came out, my parents took him in. He met his mate a year later and moved to California. Before that though, we all used to spend two weeks every summer at a cabin on the lake. Luke and Derek were always together, practically attached at the h*p. I brushed it off as being really good friends and having a lot in common.
“You don’t think?”
“Maybe?” Ben said.
“No…”
Together, we burst out laughing at overlooking the obvious all these years. Suddenly, Ajax forced himself to the front of my mind.
“Somethings wrong.” He said.
“What are you talking about?”
“Aya… Aya and Lily, they’re in trouble!”
My laughter died on my lips and I was on my feet heading to the door within seconds, Ben right on my tail.
“Whoa, hey! What’s the matter?” He asked as he tried to keep up with me.
“Ajax says Lily in trouble.”
“s**t, okay. Where is she?”
I braked so fast that Ben almost ran into me. “I don’t know.”
“Okay… She didn’t go to the club did she?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, who is she with tongiht?”
“I don’t f*****g know!” I yelled. Ben looked at me with worry and a hint of disappointment. I knew what he was thinking- I was a shitty mate.
“Can Ajax find her?” He asked.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, letting my wolf come forward and better reach out to his mate.
“Gym.”
I took off so fast that Ben was left behind. I pushed myself to go faster as I flew down the halls and down stairs. My excelled speed didn’t seem fast enough. All I could think about was getting to Lily before anything happened. Before she was hurt.
When I reached the gym doors, I wasted no time in ripping them open and running inside. What I saw had me seeing red. James lay atop my mate, hand on her breast and fisted in her hair.
“Oh yeah, I’m going to enjoy you baby.” He hummed down to her.
A ground shaking roar ripped out of me as I raced to them, throwing his disgusting body into the far wall and away from Lily.
“HOW DARE YOU TOUCH MY MATE?!”