Chapter 5 – Requests

When Polly woke up, it was already dark outside. She saw her mother’s unimpressed look and her heart sank. She didn’t like her nagging.

“How are you feeling?” Her mom’s tone wasn’t even comforting. It sounded reprimanding instead.  

Her hand automatically reached for her neck and she began to tear up.

The older woman sighed, “Alpha wants to speak with you. Should I inform him? Can you talk to him in your current condition?”

Polly sniffed, “I’m fine. I can talk to him.”

“Alright. I’ll get you food, then I’ll go find him. You must be hungry.”

She almost smiled. Her mom has an odd way of showing she cares. They’re not exactly close but she’s still their only child. She’s a bit of a rebel, doing what she wants and not listening to everything her parents want for her. Other than that, she’s quite obedient.

Sab was the first to show up while she’s finishing a bowl of meaty porridge.

“I’ve been meaning to visit you. It’s good that you’re awake now. How are you feeling?” Their Luna sat near her bed.

“I’m alright.” Polly replied before they exchanged a grimace.

“I’m so sorry.” Sab couldn’t help but think of her future.

“It’s not your fault.” The younger woman tried to assure her.

“He marked you. You won’t be able to have a different mate.” Sab spoke after a short silence and directly addressed the issue.

Polly took a deep breath before intertwining her fingers.

“What you think of him?” Sab wanted to know what she’s thinking.

“H-he’s . . . scary.” Polly scrunched up her face after saying that. Though the man’s face was handsome and attractive, his aura is just frightening. His gaze could kill a person.

“How’s the bond? What are you feeling towards him?” Sab was genuinely curious. Even when she already loves Clyde, when she felt the bond, she still had that urge to approach the man. Although it was minute, diminished by her own feelings, it was still there.

At the mention of the bond, her eyes constricted. Her heart began to beat faster. She took deep breaths to calm herself. She’s not sure what to say. It’s unfair that she’s still attracted to the man. She fell into contemplation and Sab waited patiently. Through the link, she already told Clyde not to rush. It’s best to give Polly enough time to think.

He’s her mate, though. That is a fact. Under different circumstances, she would probably be happy to find her mate. What she wanted was to properly fall in love . . .

What she wanted was a simple meeting. They would introduce themselves to each other. They would go on a walk and talk, ask personal questions and discuss their views about certain issues. They would slowly grow closer, developing actual feelings and becoming intimate. There’s a whole process, alright? That bastard skipped them all and went straight to marking her. What the freak? It was really frustrating. She wanted romance. She wanted to be swept off her feet. She wanted to be charmed silly.

Jared, huh? He must be used to getting what he wants, whenever he wanted it. Why must her mate be someone like him? Sure, an alpha is a high qualification and very few women get to be their fated mates.

She lightly shook her head. That’s not what’s important right now. He already marked him. She glanced at Sab. It felt a little weird realizing their Luna’s previous fated mate is now her fated mate.

Could she live with it? Can they actually make it work and become proper mates? She doesn’t know much about him. How are they going to proceed?

“Do you want him to be punished or are you going to give him a chance? Actually, we believe his father is going to punish him whatever you decide. He needs to acknowledge that what he did was wrong.” Sab probed again, worried because the younger woman hasn’t said a thing yet.

“What should I do?” Polly ended up asking her. Her head is a mess. She hates him because of what he did, but she’s still drawn to him because of the bond.  

Sab shook her head as a tiny smile appeared on her lips. “This is your decision to make. Do what you want. Just ask yourself if you could live with the consequences, that you won’t regret it.”

Polly quietly stared at her and sighed. “If . . . if I don’t want to have anything to do with him, will Snow Mountain ban him? He’s the next alpha of Blood Moon, right? He’ll surely demand that I go with him, but I don’t want to leave this place . . .”

This is one of the reasons why she wanted an ordinary werewolf to be her mate. She can demand that they live in Snow Mountain. It’s close to impossible for an incoming alpha to accommodate such a request.

“You don’t want him, then?” Sab wanted to confirm.

Polly couldn’t, though. It’s her one chance at having a mate. The mark on her neck would prevent her from having another.

It was then that Clyde showed up with Wade. Polly wondered who he was before being introduced and understanding his role in all this.

In her mind, she was curious . . . would the two packs’ relationship be strained because of this incident? Somehow, she knew the answer is no. They’re going to compromise. They’ll come up with a resolution that’s acceptable to both parties. Her parents soon entered the room as well.

Clyde introduced Wade to them and the older man apologized once again for his son’s actions.

The other alpha thought it would be best to properly explain his son’s actions and personality.

“Jared is . . . hard-headed and has a short temper. When he decides to do something, he just does it. Given last year’s incident, he has become very sensitive to the topic of mates. His temper has worsened.” Wade turned to Polly.

“I’ve heard you were there when it happened. Don’t think I’m trying to justify what he has done earlier. I’m merely trying to explain what might have prompted him to do so. What he did was wrong, no question about that. I’m guessing your reaction might have triggered him into thinking you’re going to reject him so he took extreme means to tie you together. I wouldn’t say his intention was good but at the very least, I know my son. He’d been looking forward to meeting his mate. He may be intimidating and have violent tendencies towards men, but I know he would treat his mate properly. He’d been very respectful of his mother and grandmother. He would treat you the same. You don’t need to fear him. If you have a strong personality, I’m sure you can bend him to your will. Make him listen to you.”

Her parents didn’t want to be disrespectful of the alpha, so they chose to remain silent. Their daughter is already of age. She can make her own decisions.

Through the man’s words, Polly can somewhat understand the direction they wanted to tackle. She pursed her lips. She’s going to give him a chance but she has conditions of her own.

“I . . . I’m not ready to leave this place. If I’m going to get to know him, I would like it to happen here, in our pack, where I’m comfortable and I know everyone would have my back.” She let her response hang, wondering if they would agree to what she’s about to request.