The Unwanted Wolf

MARK

Adira was tense as we walked to get Freya, but she kept insisting she was okay. I didn’t understand why she wasn’t admitting the truth to me. I could feel her stress and anxiety through our mate bond, and I knew this was hard on her. She wanted to put on a brave face, though, so all I could do was hold her hand and give her my strength.

Luna Freya was sitting in the living room on her phone as she waited for us. She was less than pleased at the wait, and it was written all over her face. She should have been grateful that she was being allowed to visit Cain at all. If it was up to me, I would have kicked her out of the pack house instantly, so Adira never had to see her again. I didn’t care that a deal was made. Freya shouldn’t have made that deal in the first place.

Adira was her daughter, and she was in trouble. Freya should have done anything she could have to help save Adira without asking anything in return. That would have been a true mother’s instinct. Then I would have respected her more if she requested to talk to Cain if given the opportunity. As is, Freya was selfish and only doing things for her own reasons. Adira was too loving to be treated as such.

“We are ready,” Adira said.

Freya looked up at us, disgust already written all over her face. “Finally.”

I was about to say something, completely over this woman’s attitude, but Adira was the one to say something first.

“It’s not too late to stop this. This is your only reminder that this is a favor to you. I do not owe you this or anything else.” Adira stood tall, and even though her heart was racing, she was standing up to her. I felt nothing but proudness for the strength my mate was displaying. If she was able to stand up to her own family for what was right, she would be able to stand up to anyone who threatened her wolf pack. Adira was born to be a luna.

Freya dropped the attitude in her voice, but her face was still twisted with frustration. “Yes, of course.”

Hand in hand, Adira and I led Freya to the holding cell where Cain was waiting for her.

Is the prisoner ready? I linked Darian.

He is, and we have extra guards on standby.

We stepped up to the holding cell, and Adira paused before reaching the door. She looked at me, and her face was full of panic.

I can’t do this. I can’t face my parents together. Her heart beat sped up faster.

You don’t have to. I can monitor the two of them. You can go and rest, and I’ll see you after. Don’t push yourself. You’ve had a long day.

I gave her a reassuring smile, but she still stood there frozen with indecision. Even though she didn’t say it, she felt obligated to push herself through this. I didn’t understand why. She didn’t owe these two for anything at all, and she didn’t need to go through the pain of watching her parents reconnect.

She looked at me with her big eyes, which made me just want to cradle her in the privacy of our own bedroom until she felt better.

Are you sure it’s okay?

Of course, baby. I’ve got this. Do what you need to do.

Adira nodded and gave me a quick peck on the cheek. She turned and walked away, acting as if Freya didn’t exist.

Freya looked at her and then back at me. “Where is she going?”

“That’s none of your business. Are you ready to see Cain?”

Freya’s normally strong demeanor changed into something I hadn’t seen from her before. For the first time ever, she seemed small and scared. She bit her l*p and nodded, and for a brief moment, she reminded me of Adira. The two of them looked alike, but I never really associated them as family before. Freya’s ugly behavior made her seem nothing like Adira. No matter how similar they looked, she never reminded me of Adira before this moment.

I opened the door and gestured to her to move forward. After a brief hesitation, she walked into the room. She kept her eyes down, avoiding any eye contact. I shut the door behind me, and when I saw Cain’s face, I saw a completely different man.

His eyes were filled with love and pain the second he saw Freya. I could practically hear his heart pounding in his chest as he stared at his mate. Freya finally looked up, meeting his eyes for the first time, and it reminded me of a moment from a movie. It was the moment long lost lovers finally reconnected.

Freya seemed to grow younger as she filled with the love of the man across the table from her. Her walls broke down, and I even saw tears filling her eyes. She was clumsy as she went to sit down, bumping the chair in the process.

“You look different,” she whispered, her voice quivering.

“You look just as beautiful as ever.” Cain tried to reach out to touch her, but his restraints held him back.

Instead, she reached out to him, touching his cheek. He closed his eyes and pushed into her touch.

“I never thought I’d be able to touch you like this,” Freya said, a tear falling out of her eye. “I thought when we said goodbye, that was it. It nearly broke me, and I could barely keep it together.”

“I hated every moment we were apart,” Cain admitted.

“We should have never separated. It wasn’t worth the risk. We should have given Adira up to someone else, so we could still live our lives.”

My jaw tightened as I listened to Freya speak. I was grateful Adira wasn’t here to hear such awful words. Adira deserved someone who loved her truly, but it was clear that Freya had always blamed Adira for not being with her mate, and I couldn’t understand that. Even if Adira chose to leave to protect our child, I would never hate her or the baby. I know Adira would never resent her own child for a decision she made. She was too loving for that.

Cain looked down at the table, contemplating what to say. “We should have found another way. We should have fought.”

“We should have fought for us and our love. I don’t want to be without you again,” Freya said. Her tears were wetting both of her cheeks now.

“I know. Seeing you now, it feels like a hole in my heart has finally been fixed. I can’t stand the idea of not being with you again, but it’s not that easy. I’ve made mistakes.” Cain legitimately looked sad, like he regretted his actions. I hoped for Adira’s sake that was true.

“I want to know what you taste like again. I have been dreaming about it ever since I left you.” Freya pressed her lips against Cain’s.

I felt the bile build up in my throat, and I had to look away. I didn’t mind mates showing each other affection, but these two didn’t deserve a happy ending. They weren’t good parents to Adira, and they kept finding a way to hurt her over and over again. I was confident this conversation would have been the exact same, even in her presence, which would have broken her heart.

As their k**s grew in passion, I stepped out of the room, needing a moment to breathe. I stayed in front of the door and leaned against it, closing my eyes. I felt sick from their behavior. I wanted them as far away from here as possible, so Adira would never have to know what happened in there.

“Are you okay, Alpha?” Darian was standing directly in front of me with questioning eyes.

I stood up straight, putting on the proper alpha air. “I’ve been better.”

“Is the prisoner still there with the visitor?” he asked.

I nodded. “Things got a little… awkward, and I needed to step away from it.”

Darian raised his eyebrows. “Ah. is it smart to leave those two in there alone?”

I looked at the door, knowing the correct answer, but I also knew my anger would only grow if I had to watch them show each other such love, knowing they never gave Adira the love she deserved. “I’m not sure. You’re welcome to go in there and check, though.”

Darian pulled his lips tight. “Not sure I want to see that either.”

I chuckled at the thought. The restraints Cain had on were too strong to break. The only way to release him was with a key. His magic was also still being subdued by the belladonna. There wasn’t much they could do in there that would compromise Cain’s captivity, and the last thing I wanted was to see them trying to compromise each other.

–

CAIN

Freya’s lips were hot on mine, and it had been much too long since I had felt the familiar spark that came with a passionate k**s from my mate. As the k**s continued on, Adira’s mate shifted and then excused himself, clearly uncomfortable with the situation.

The moment the door shut, Freya pulled away and looked at the door. It left me longing for more of a k**s.

“It didn’t take much to scare off that alpha. He’s not very strong,” Freya noted.

I watched Freya, trying to understand what she was saying. Was she trying to scare off Adira’s mate?

She looked back at me. “They are going to ask me to leave this pack house now that I’ve seen you, but I can’t leave, not without you.”

“I don’t want you to leave either, but there’s nothing we can do if they ask you to leave. You should try to make peace with them, convince you to stay, so we can see each other.” I loved the idea of seeing my mate everyday, even if I was still in shackles. It would make everything that much more bearable.

“No.” Freya’s voice was firm. “I’m not going to stay here a second later. I’m going to leave this pack house tonight, and I’m going to take you with me.”

“What do you mean?”

Freya rolled her eyes. “I’ve been planning this for days. I know the patrol’s schedule, and I can find the key to free you. I’ll do it when everyone is asleep tonight. I’ll break you free, and then we can finally run away together. We can live the life we wanted to live so long ago. We can hide in our secret place where no one knows who we are. Now that we have found each other again, I don’t want to live without you.”

“I don’t want to live without you either, but what about our daughter? She is in danger, and she needs our help. We can’t just abandon her.” I had missed so much time with Adira as she grew up thinking another man was her father. I was finally back in her life, and I didn’t want to leave her again, but my heart also ached at the idea of leaving Freya’s side again.

Freya pressed her lips against mine again. This time she slipped her tongue in my mouth, and I felt my entire body react to her touch. Just when we were reaching the depths of the k**s, she pulled away, leaving me completely breathless.

“What do you say, Cain? Run away with me?”