Chapter Three

Arya

I try to steady my breath as I watch Logan sip the glass of wine in his hands. He then licks his lips and my throat goes dry immediately. These are going to be the longest hours of my life! I am fighting every urge in me to go and join him and the small round table. I could use some wine myself because my nerves can't seem to calm down after my wolf started screaming; mate! Mate!

Alpha Logan can't be my Mate. He is the most ruthless man I have ever known! My pack, my family, and my own conscious loath his being. I can't be his. I can't let myself get entwined into his dark life when I can stop all this. I can reject him!

My wolf twists painfully at the thought of rejecting her mate. I just met my wolf and then my mate. My life is racing on its axis, I am scared things are happening too fast I might lose my mind!

We hear some commotion outside. My heart skips. I close my eyes and try to focus. He is here! 

"It seems our dearest brother has come to take you back home," Logan says, placing the glass on the table. "He couldn't afford to waste any time. I think he doesn't trust me to keep you alive for long. He tilts his head and gives me a crooked smile. I get a glimpse of his perfectly white teeth. I ball my fists, begging myself to resolve on only seeing the imperfections because he is just too perfect. His height, his hair, his eyes, his lips, god! It's too much! How can someone be so perfect?

Look on the other side, I tell myself. He is a brute! He is a murderer. His family is the reason why you are an orphan. He works with Vampires; the wolves' mortal enemies. He is equally as evil as they are, or even worse! Who knows what he is capable of? He even threatened to kidnap me and keep me here! 

The door opens and a servant leads my brother, Jex, and Beta, Kurt into the huge library. I am more worried than relieved to see them here. Logan is going to make things so difficult for them that it will cost them a lot to get me out of here.

"Alpha Logan," Carl says nodding towards my mate who gets up from his seat.

"Welcome to my humble abode, Alpha. Your sister and I were having a good time. I wouldn't have minded you delaying a bit more. She is quite some company," says Logan, his eyes shifting from Carl's to mine. A devilish smile creeps onto his handsome face. My insides shiver when he looks at me, as if he means what he just said. I am sure I have just been a dead bore this entire time, doing nothing other than shivering with fear. He surely is sarcastic! 

"I am surprised that she managed to do so," Carl says and shoots me a reproachful glare. I know I have committed a big crime trespassing into the Blacktooth Guardians pack and forcing this meeting to happen. I am sure my brother is not comfortable dealing with this and neither am I. I know I should have listened to Jex. I know all that now, but it's a waste regretting because I can't turn things around now. What has happened has happened. And I am the one who has received the hardest blow. Alpha Logan of the Blacktooth Guardians pack is my god-damned mate!

"We solemnly apologize for Arya's naivete. I don't know what got into her. She has been raised well aware of the rules that govern this land. She just received her wolf, she must have been too excited she let it get into her head," Carl tries to convince Logan.

"Indeed, Carl, I trust how protective you are of your little sister. She must have rebellious broken loose. Well, as you are well aware, I never let things pass me as easily as they come. I have a deal for you. If you can negotiate my proposal, then you can safely take her back home and promise not to let any pack member, whose life still matters, to get loose again," he says. 

"Sure, what's your deal?" inquires Carl.

"I would prefer I took to you in private; Alpha to Alpha," he says and then pockets his hands in his neatly pressed slacks. 

"Okay," Carl nods to us in a sign of dismissal. I shot Logan a hateful scowl but it does not affect him at all. I walk out of the room followed by Jex.

"Arya, are you alright? I am sure he did his best to make you as uncomfortable as he could," Jex says, examining me with worried eyes.

"Don't worry about me. I am fine. He isn't as beastly as I pictured him to be. I guess he was at his best manners," I say. Then I wonder if he was actually trying to be nice to me because he knows I am his mate. Does he know? He didn't act like he did. I resolve to reject him before he even gets to know. Yes, that would be a lot better! 

"Arya?" Jex's voice awakes me from my reverie.

"Huh?" I murmur in confusion.

"Did you hear what I just said?" he inquires with a frown.

"Um, what were you saying?" I ask. He shakes his head in disbelief.

"Are you sure you are alright? I really doubt he didn't do anything," he says. 

"Trust me, Jex. I am fine. He wouldn't have dated to do anything to me. He would otherwise be wedging war against the Blue Blood pack, breaking the peace that has existed all these years," I try to reassure him.

"The peace you refer to might have as well cracked as we talk," he says and raises a brow at me. I try to shake off the pang of guilt. I might have ruined the peace. It sucks being the reason my brother has to face Alpha Logan to negotiate God knows what terms he wants. He said he didn't want to interfere with the gold. As of now, he added. This means that he is interested in the gold but he won't use it as a ransom. 

"Don't begin with me, Jex. I know this is all my fault and I am already feeling worse than anyone else here. You were right, I know but what can I do about it now," I tell him. I am starting to think that this is all fate's doing that I had to meet my mate in this kind of way. Meeting your mate is supposed to be the happiest moment of a wolf's life, but saying my meeting was hideous would be an understatement.

"I don't want to blame you because I think it was my fault that I let you convince me to cross the Misty river. Carl was so furious with me, you know. He trusted me to protect you and I failed," he says.

"I am so sorry, Jex. I promise I will make it up to you when we get back home," I tell him. I put on a huge smile, hoping to smooth off his gloom. He sighs heavily and folds his hands in front of his chest.

We are led downstairs to a room furnished with old fancy charm. I am captivated by the beauty of the room and the parts of the mansion I have been to. Well, except for the stone-walled room that I woke up in. 

"You will wait in here while Alpha proceeds with his meeting," the man that brought us in tells us and then exits, closing the door behind him. 

I walk around the room, looking around in wonder, amazed by what I am seeing. Alpha Logan is the richest alpha amongst the five packs in the land. I had heard of his fancy mansion but this is my first time in it. All this will also be mine if I become his. It's too much! 

Would be happy to know that I am his mate? Would he love me unconditionally? Would he even try to be romantic at all? I try to picture a romantic love strike Alpha Logan but I can't. It's a total loss! This is not the kind of mate I had hoped to have. I wanted someone sweet, and romantic, even though not that wealthy but at least kind, and understanding, which Logan is not! Manly? Woah, hell yeah he is manly but he is none of the other things. I wonder how Jex or Carl would react to the information. Wondering how they would react gives me goosebumps. 

"Do you want to talk about what happened when I was away? You look too thoughtful and I can guess it's too unpleasant to think about," Jex says. I don't want to talk to anyone about it. It's already egregious enough that I know it.

I take my time admiring the large window and the curtains. I reach for it and look through it. The moon is going down into the woods. It's almost morning. The view from here is wow! I can the surrounding mountains, mostly covered with wood.

"I woke up in one of the rooms downstairs. I was told the Alpha wanted to meet me so I was given this dress. I was in my wolf form so I shifted and put it on," I tell him, unnecessarily adding the details so that I don't leave him a gap to doubt.

"I was led into his library, which you have also been to. Then he told me you had gone back home to inform Carl to come and save me. I insisted that he didn't need to involve my brother and that I can negotiate my way through this but he said I wouldn't manage the terms he would want to set with me so he would prefer dragging my brother all the way from home," I add.

"Is it about the gold?" he inquires.

"That's what I thought, but he said it's not. I completely have no idea what he wants," I respond.

"I hope he makes a sensible proposal. He is making too big a deal out of such a small issue," Jex shakes his head.

After about an hour of impatient waiting, Carl comes into the room.

"We can go home now," he announces, but his face remains grim.

"What does he want?" I ask dashing towards him.

"Let's talk at home," he responds coldly. He must be really mad at me. I nod silently and we are led out of the room. As we descend the stairs, I keep looking back up unconsciously, hoping to look at Logan one last time before I go. Each step out of the house is like a piercing to my wolf. I fight the urge to break loose and run back up to his library and surrender myself into his arms and let him mark me, own me. 

As we head to the door, I resolve to look straight in front of me. I pray that I never come back here and hope never to see Logan ever again. My wolf wimps and curls in pain. I feel sick to the core having to hurt my wolf when I have just met her. It's not my fault that our mate is the worst person on earth! If he cared, he would have at least let me go without worsening the issue. If he cared he wouldn't have been greedy to ask for ransom. He is a heartless greedy monster and I don't want him to be my Mate! He would have at least come to say goodbye to me like a mate who gives a damn, but he obviously doesn't! One part of me says that maybe he doesn't know that I am his mate but another part of me tells me that he is proud enough to not give a damn even if he knew!