The Mating Rules

My world stops spinning as I gulp desperately trying to get air into my lungs that are suddenly refusing to work. I don’t remember how to breathe, Goddess help me, I’m suffocating, the words that this maniac has thrown out so casually swirling around my head, taunting me.

I must look like a fish out of water, I’m gasping but no oxygen is getting into my body.

‘Breathe Jamie-Lee’ the Warlock murmurs, leaving my mates and moving back toward me instead, placing a hand on either side of my neck and bending down so his lips are beside my ear.

‘Get away from her’ Caden roars furiously, b***d now dripping from his wrists where he’s been pulling with everything he has in him to get his hands out of the restraints.

I suck in air, I don’t know why but despite his touch on me making my skin crawl, his soft words loosened the lump blocking my airways allowing the much needed oxygen to enter my lungs.

‘I’m not picking anyone’ I manage to croak out, finally getting my mind to work again. ‘I refuse, I won’t choose.’

Avrilak sighs as though he was expecting that answer all along. ‘Such a shame’ he replies straightening up and moving around me to stand between me and my mates again, the light illuminating his features as he slowly reaches into a pocket and pulls out a gun, aiming it at Caden.

‘Seems I’ll have to kill them both’ he adds casually, turning his head toward me as the gun remains pointed between the Alpha’s eyes.

‘No! You can’t do that! No!’ I scream, my hands curled into fists as I fight to get free. ‘Leave them alone! You wanted me, just leave them alone! You can let them go now, you got what you wanted, me, here!’

The Warlock shakes his head, his lips turned down as if he truly is sad about what he is about to do.

‘These are the rules of the game Jamie-Lee’ he murmurs remorsefully as if there is not choice in what he is doing. ‘You either choose one of your mates to die slowly from a non lethal bullet wound that will allow him to bleed out over time, or refuse to choose and I kill them both quickly with a bullet through their heads.’

The gun swings back and forth between both bound men slowly like the ticking hand of a clock silently counting down the seconds of time I have left to make a choice. The warlock wavers between each man, picking different parts of their bodies to aim the barrel of the gun at, shutting one eye as if he’s lining himself up ready to take his shot.

‘I . . I can’t’ I whimper, my eyes wide as I stare at both my mates in horror, ‘you can’t ask me to do that, I can’t make that choice.’

‘Both it is then!’ Avrilak smirks at me, taking aim at Hadley’s head his finger on the trigger, poised and ready.

‘NO!!!’ I scream loudly, panic ripping through me.

‘Then decide’ the Warlock replies simply, ‘which one of your loves will you choose to send to the Goddess? Hurry up Spirit Wolf, tick tock.’

‘Just shoot me and have done with it A*****e’ Caden growls out, glaring at the man between us with loathing. ‘I volunteer to die, so just do it, stop showboating, there isn’t an audience to impress here.’

‘Caden no!’ I wail, tears starting to slide down my face against my will, as I plead with him, he can’t do this, he can’t sacrifice himself.

My mate and the Warlock ignore me, holding each other’s gaze as Avrilak shakes his head, ‘sorry Alpha pup’ he responds with a shrug, ‘you don’t get to volunteer, the Spirit Wolf has to decide.’

‘Why?’ Caden demands, ‘what difference does it make? One of us dies, Jamie-Lee no longer has two mates, you get what you want.’

‘If anyone is going to be giving their life, it’s going to be me’ Hadley interjects roughly.

‘If anyone is going to be giving their life, it’s going to be me’ Hadley interjects roughly.

‘Umm, no, it will be me dude’ my Alpha replies firmly.

‘You are needed at the pack Caden, don’t be a d**k’ the warrior growls.

‘Stop always trying to be a martyr’ Caden snaps back.

‘As much as your acts of chivalry are tugging at my heartstrings, and believe me, they are, you don’t get to pick’ Avrilak cuts across their arguing gruffly. ‘Your lovely mate has to choose one of you to take one of these carefully constructed silver bullets that have been doused in wolfsbane to make absolutely sure your pesky little wolves can’t heal you.’

‘Just let us pick and leave her out of it’ Caden scowls.

‘Yeah, do you get some sadistic pleasure from causing her pain?’ Hadley jumps in, equally annoyed.

‘You got an impotence problem there Warlock?’ Caden continues, ‘With your need to control and feel powerful, it sure makes me think that you are compensating for something. Come on mate, show yourself as a real man, take your shot dickhead, you know you want to.’

Avrilak shakes his head, an amused smile tilting up the corners of his lips as he waggles his forefinger at my mates. ‘I applaud your attempts to save your mate from this, I really do, but unfortunately she still has to choose.’

Hadley must see something in the man’s eyes as he turns his gaze from the Warlock toward me, determination etched into his face. ‘Sweetheart’ he rumbles as I start to shake my head.

‘No, I won’t do it’ I cut him off vehemently, ‘don’t you dare Hadley, don’t you bloody dare!’

‘Sweetheart’ the warrior says again, a choke in his voice at the end, ‘you need to pick or we both die. You won’t survive us both being killed, it will destroy Skarla, the pain . . she’ll never cope.’

‘I said no Hadley’ I snap angrily because anger is easier than all the other emotions I am feeling right now.

‘Damn right it’s a no’ Caden growls loudly, ‘Jamie-Lee you choose me, that’s an order from your Alpha.’

I snarl right back at the man agressively, ‘and as your Luna’ I spit back, ‘I can say with absolute conviction, go f*ck yourself with that order, Alpha.’

Between us Avrilak laughs loudly, grabbing the chair he pushed aside earlier and turning it around so he can straddle it, taking a seat, with one leg on either side of the back. ‘Oh this is entertaining’ he says, applauding us all, ‘I take it back, you should definitely discuss this between you.’

‘There is nothing to discuss, Jamie-Lee picks me’ Caden huffs.

‘No she doesn’t’ I snap furiously, ‘stop trying to make everything OK, you can’t fix this, there is no way to fix this!’

The Alpha’s gaze bores into mine, ‘I can fix this Leeway’ he growls back. ‘I can take the weight of the decision from your shoulders by ordering you to sacrifice me. This way it’s not your decision, you didn’t have to pick either of us.’

He’s staring at me, gaze pleading silently with me to do what he says.

‘So, is it the suicidal Alpha?’ the Warlock asks curiously, gun moving over Caden’s stomach as he chooses a spot.

‘No!’ I yell, my throat tightening, ‘I didn’t agree.’

‘Well, you need to decide Jamie-Lee, time is ticking, and as much as I am enjoying the little argument between you and the muscle over there, I really do not have all night’ Avrilak sighs.

‘Sweetheart, you need to choose me’ Hadley murmurs, ‘you know you do. You need Caden and he needs you, I’ll . . ‘ he swallows thickly, ‘I’ll be OK, I will get to . . uhh, get to see my mum again.’

‘Hadley . .’ I whisper, as my heart breaks for the man.

‘Finally! A decision’ Avrilak announces, jumping to his feet, the gun moving toward Hadley, ‘the warrior it is.’

‘What? NO! I didn’t pick him, I didn’t!’ I yell, eyes widening as the gun swings toward Hadley and aims at his chest unwaveringly.

‘Yes you did’ the Warlock replies uncaringly, ‘you said Hadley after I told you I needed an answer.’ He c***s an eyebrow at my Alpha, speaking to him in mild surprise, ‘I really thought it would be you, I can’t lie’ he admits. ‘Always the runner up, second best, it must be nice to finally come in first place, enjoy your moment.’

Turning back toward the warrior, Avrilak shrugs, ‘sorry man, I was really rooting for you through the whole thing, I honestly thought you were a shoe in as her favourite.’

Without further hesitation, the Warlock presses his finger to the trigger, squeezing it softly as everything slows down around me. My body stiffens as the bullet leaves the barrel and cuts through the air. I can see the gold colouring as it spins through the air, my eyes following it’s trajectory as it reaches the warrior, hitting my mate squarely in the abdomen. Hadley’s eyes widen in shock as he curls forward from the impact, his hands clenching as if he’s trying to move them toward the entry point.

‘Hadley!’ Caden roars, his face ghostly white as he strains in his chair, leaning toward the warrior as far as he can.

‘Oh Goddess,’ I whisper in horror, ‘Hadley? Hadley! Don’t you dare die! You will not leave me, not again!’

The warrior’s eyes find mine and he grimaces a smile at me even with the b***d dripping out of the wound, making a crimson puddle on the ground around his feet.

‘It’s OK sweetheart’ he slurs, his face already greying from b***d loss, ‘I chose this, it wasn’t you, don’t blame yourself, you didn’t pick.’

I shake my head, uncontrollable sobs wracking my body, he can’t die, he just can’t, I only just got him back.

‘Hadley, please’ I beg, ‘please.’

The warrior presses his lips together for a second as he fights against the b***d loss. ‘I love you sweetheart’ he murmurs, ‘more than anything in this world. Thank you for letting me be your mate, for marking me and making me the happiest man alive.’

‘I love you’ I blubber, ‘I love you so much, I can’t live without you.’

Hadley shakes his head slowly, his head starting to sink toward his chest as his eyes close for a moment before he forces them open again. ‘Yes you can’ he replies weakly, ‘and you will. You are going to get out of here and you are going to live a great life. You promise me Jamie-Lee, promise me that you will be happy and that you and Caden will have a big family, and . . and that you’ll tell them about me.’

I’m openly crying, tears blurring my vision as I find myself nodding in agreement, unable to do anything for him other than agree to his wishes.

The warrior grins, a sigh of relief leaving his lips before his head drops forward as his eyes close, the man passing out from the b***d loss.

‘NOOOOO!’ I scream, staring at my mate as Caden howls with grief, ‘no Hadley, no! Come back!’

He can’t be gone, he just can’t be, how can I continue without him? My howls mingle with Caden’s as we let out the pain that is suffocating us both, barely aware of the Warlock who has moved behind me, his hands reaching for my own as he fumbles with my restraints.