Chapter three

Bryson POV, 

Her feminine scent wafted through my nose and her soft trained hands clawing my back was still reminiscent of my head. I have never thought of anyone like this before.

It was not necessary because I didn't expect to meet her at the resort today and by the way she looked, I could sense she was mortified. Yet her unfettered eyes as they collided with mine were strong and bold. Her scent was like a love potion, and I find it hard to extricate from as it makes my heart skip a beat. It was like this, the symptoms I'm feeling, for Douglas, when that douchebag met his mate, he'd rant about it.

That rude brat couldn't be my mate, could she?

For some reason, Ariadne is toxic to my health, yet I'm drawn to her.

I don't want to have a mate, it's a weakness.

A tap on the table snapped me to the moment. And I growled.

"Yes, it came to my notice and that is why I called for this meeting. Security across our borders should be strengthened to avoid the threat looming. And also with the Petroleum, every pack is getting a fair share. That shouldn't raise an issue like the previous time.``

My eyes followed the direction of Lucas's scoff. 

The two Alpha men are both marked by their chestnut hair, tall height, and excellent bone structure. Samuel had green eyes and the other, Lucas, brown like the evening, 

Samuel agreed. He wasn't troublesome and demanded less but Lucas I was only half a second from their presence before he spat at me and retorted.

It was not easy leasing them the security that their pack members seek and keeping alliance with them, their eyes scoring and debugging me, but I inherited this position as the lead Alpha from my father and protecting our pack members was the prerequisite.

After the long day, I retired to the pack house, with thoughts of my mate. I was drawn to her. The pain lingered as I tried to close out of the tab of her thought, my wolf telling me she was our mate. Driving me to claim her.

I trailed to my father's study room, which was mine now. Nothing to remind me much of him other than his achievements. He was always out of town chasing fish, big fishes that would want to swallow us, he loved to swim and hunt for them, keeping his pack and family safe. He missed so many important days and I grew to follow in his footsteps.

"Alpha Henry, the orders have arrived although we found some cracked." The Beta, William, word pulled me out of my trance as he popped his head through the door.

William had been an affectionate man but had become more sentimental as the grey hair on his head multiplied, he had served my father and watched me grow into the Alpha male wolf that I am.

I turned off my mac book and left it in place behind the desk, and rolled the sleeves of my white shirt up to my elbow. Smacking my lips I walked to the sitting room.

"Hello sweetheart, you must be waiting for me," I muttered to Liliana as she sat on the seat, leaning in to kiss her cheeks. "What's with the long face?" I questioned.

Liliana blushed like a schoolgirl, "I think I might have broken the crystal aquarium again." Guilt fell over her face.

"Don't worry, I will see to it you get a new one."

"Oh, thank you, Alpha Henry," Liliana said jovially.

William rolled his eyes. "I'm certain you can understand why your mother is convinced that you will be the first of her children to drive her to insanity."

I noted the rascally glint in the young girl's blue eyes and couldn't help but smile in return. Lilliana was born blind and I felt attached to her.

"I'm already doing that," Liliana replied.

"Certainly." I nodded. "Why don't you jog on and play," I muttered.

"Go straight to the point, Williams." 

I sighed. William let a smile creep at the corner of his lips, it wasn't for the information he was about to disseminate, but something with the flash.

"We were almost attacked early this morning while coming in."

"That sounds rough, any recognition whatsoever?" I asked flatly.

"No, dressed like a rogue, we couldn't recognise the scent too and— the immunisations and the documents were almost snatched."

"Not from any of the two Alphas, Lucas had his cut rationalized." I filled in helpfully. "This time they might have thought it was munitions."

"His challenges over the years hadn't gone unnoticed. But you know very well what he wants." William continued with a nod of thanks I chimed in.

"I won't let him lay his hand on it."  He grumbled.

 Lucas can be very threatening but his cut should be in his backyard not nuzzling at me, I have done that by placing him where he belongs over the years. 

"His father is a second tier to Samuels, if anyone should be in a position to threaten me it should be him but Samuel puddles in his own water as he should." Williams agreed but with contempt.

"Have you been able to find a mate at this year's festival?" Williams questioned dropping the topic as he had it already sorted out.

Williams had attempted all he could by inviting all the she-wolves far and wide, I just decided to let it slide.

But I couldn't let go of those eyes, those familiar crystal glints that had haunted me.

"That isn't necessary now, Williams."

"They would be submissive, it must not be your mate."

"I'm not determined to have a partner for now." 

"You were there yesterday, weren't you, your room was empty and your shoe went missing, you snuck out."

Checking up on me.

I hated that. And still do.

"I simply didn't want it to be a grand entrance, for five years and no mate, I could have used the common man gesture." I relaxed on the couch.

It was simply the best festival of my life, Ariadne just couldn't leave my thoughts.

"Do you think you've found her? Your face glints at the sound of it." He motioned, he was more of a psychic.

"No, of course not." I kept my answer clipped short. 

Everyone including my brother Douglas and nephew Christopher had found their mate and another of them is yet to announce. Seeing the way they felt and the longings embedded in their gaze, the thought of allowing myself to have such a blatant weakness stirred the irritation inside of me. 

It downed me.

The pack shouldn't worry, rest assured my heir would come into the world one day, maybe after careful consideration and seeing the logic in surrogacy or any possible method, science has nuanced. There's no need to fall in love and bond with a mate. Simply find a donor, pay them their price, get your babe out of them and that is all.

"They didn't want me there, they're scared. Always scared as they should be." He sat at the far end of the table as Rachel brought the drink and served us, knowing that the Alpha of the pack wanted me as far from the member as possible, Alpha Samuel wasn't necessarily fond of me but he doesn't show it. I had only one amazement that drew its way through my head, nothing except her. My most precious Ariadne.

"I see it as stupid, I can't see why anyone would spend their life stuck with a mate."

 Something about her, Ariadne radiated energy. My eyes still remember every ounce of her features; her porcelain face, her peachy lips, her light eyes as if carved out of crystal pellets—familiar. I felt my wolf growl at the back of my neck while we were together, the urge to mark her but I restrained myself, after a night with her, I have gotten oddly attached to Ariadne. I made a mental note of what she would look like, beside me, so many thoughts were churning in my head.

"You have barely taken a bite, are you okay?"

"Relentless," I said.

Meaning Ariadne.

"Yes exactly, and anxious." He smiled weakly, suspicious he had known my secret, but never so sure. "You sure she isn't the one, the brunette."

I gaze at him stunned.

"What the hell was she doing with you, Carlos told me about your plaything."

"Just a fling that is all."

"I hope so, that look can't deny this one is special."

 I felt myself needing to see her again more than ever, she is special.

 I have had women, in my pack and outside my pack, shifters and humans alike, but none has ever dared receive my attention as this, Ariadne can't possibly be my mate and what I feel right now will die down soon, I will just give it time. I find myself guilty that I couldn't see her again. If asked I would blame this on my wolf, but some small part of him wondered where she might be right now. Her liquid voice resounded like the prelude of a flute, as pure and sweet as if an angel from heaven, yet fierce and hard as the blade. That was my ideal woman, resilient.

"She is the one, you can't deny it." He chuckled.

"You have a death wish pestering incessantly." I walked up the stairs.

"It's true," Williams said with a helpless shrug. 

"Oh. Just the usual. . ."

"Just the usual huh." He jeers. "Fling."

"I'm dead serious, she ignored me earlier today. No one dared resist my charm." He chuckled.

I excused myself from him and went to my mother's room. Today was her anniversary. It was hard to find that after every festival was her anniversary.

Poking my head inside my mother's room. Lamps were lit up, and the indifference in my eyes widened, although I managed to give a warm smile to Williams for doing such a tremendous amount of work decorating her room.

"Thank you." I turned to him.

Williams patted my shoulder.

"Don't give me that stare." I glared at him.

William choked on laughter as his mind filled with a vision of me being led around by my wolf instinct.

"Far from that, I didn't roam around Williams."

"Now you see why I have decided to avoid such a function like plaque."

"Yet you didn't miss it." Williams improvised. "You're finally agreeing that she is your mate."

"She's my mate, I will have her found and brought under my wing."

"Woah, you've grown into a man." William pats my shoulder. 

I yanked the side of the curtain where I couldn't believe my eyes and what I was seeing.

My mate, her hands stuck into her bag as she glared through questioning around. 

Realization crashed through me like a tidal wave.

Her fearless gaze was the feature I couldn't ignore, 

"Let her in," I commanded.

I remember how unforgivably rude it would be if I laughed. So this little mate of mine couldn't do without me.

"Bryson, you're here and I thought—" Ariadne wanted to say but Aiden's voice cut through.

"Alpha Henry, Lucas had again. . ." Aiden's voice died off. "I'm I interrupting?"

"Yes, I needed a break and we would talk later." I rolled my eyes up at him, and he smirked, taking a few steps from me. His gaze lingered on Ariadne. I growled at him, angrily forcing him out of our presence.

"You couldn't stay without me, Ariadne," I told her, her gaze bore into mine, cold, unwavering and unyielding, they outran my own and I let out a smirk, she sure was fierce.

"Ariadne?" I repeated feeling each letter on the tip of my tongue as I looked into her. Judging from her glare, they were different from the previous times, they were more demeaning and frigid. "You are angry."

"Come with me." I sound frigid.

"Why would I do that?" 

"You won't want me to pull you along." I tucked her hand.

"No, I won't let you. Without telling me why." She resisted. And I chuckled, she knocked it out of me again.