Ch. 5 Chaos

Finley

Pain and pleasure blur together as Dane's teeth break the skin at the junction of my neck and shoulder. The mate bond roars to life between us, bright and new and overwhelming. Nova howls in triumph, surging forward with such force that I lose control of my limbs, my knees buckling.

Strong arms catch me – not Dane's, but my father's. His furious growl vibrates through the air as he yanks me away from my newly proclaimed mate.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Dad's Alpha voice booms over the crowd, silencing the shocked gasps and whispers that had erupted. His eyes burn gold with rage as he positions himself between me and Dane. "You dare mark my daughter without permission? In my territory?"

Dane doesn't look intimidated. If anything, his posture becomes more dominant, more Alpha. "She's my mate." His voice is rough with primal possession. "I didn't plan it, but I won't apologize for recognizing what's mine."

Nova writhes desperately, trying to get back to him. I'm still too disoriented to speak, the new bond flooding my system with hormones and instincts I can't process. It's nothing like what happened with Liam – this is wilder, more consuming.

Liam. The thought of him cuts through the haze, and my eyes search the crowd until I find him. He stands rigid, his face a mask of shock and something darker. Our gazes lock, and even across the distance, I feel the original mate bond pulse in response.

"Get her out of here," Mom says urgently to Dad, watching the crowd of visiting pack members whose expressions range from fascination to calculation. It’s like a train wreck they can’t look away from – a female potential Alpha candidate being forcibly marked by the son of a neighboring pack. The implications are explosive.

Dad doesn't need to be told twice. He wraps an arm around my waist, practically dragging me toward the exit. But before we can make it three steps, a blur of motion cuts us off – Liam, moving faster than I've ever seen him.

"Don't touch her," he snarls at Dane, his eyes electric blue with Storm's influence.

The room goes completely silent. Everyone knows what this means – Liam is challenging Dane's claim. But why? He rejected me. He chose someone else. He has no right...

And yet, he stands there vibrating with barely contained fury. Nova responds to him, whining in confusion. Two mates. Two bonds. But only one mark, and that from a stranger. 

"This doesn't concern you, Beta Stone," Dane says, his voice dangerously soft. "Unless..." His nostrils flare, and understanding dawns in his eyes. "Interesting. She already has a mate bond with you, even if it's incomplete."

My parents' heads snap toward Liam, shock and confusion evident on their faces. I'd never told them about the rejection—couldn't bear to add their pity to my pain.

"You and Finley...?" Dad's voice holds disbelief and a dawning anger.

"Dual mate bonds," Mom whispers, her eyes widening. Not unheard of, but certainly significant—especially for a potential Alpha candidate.

Oh Goddess! What does this mean for my bid for Alpha? Will I be forced to give it up, to let it fall from our family line, so I can be dragged away to be Luna of some mountain pack with who knows what kind of archaic rules about a “woman’s place?” 

Could I live with that if it meant one of my mates actually wants me? How pathetic would that make me?

"Finley is coming with me," Dad interrupts, his Alpha authority filling the room. "And you two—" he glares at both Liam and Dane, "—will stay here until I decide what to do with you."

Neither man looks pleased by this command, but challenging the Alpha of Forest Trails on his own territory would be foolish, even for them.

"My office. Now." Dad's grip on me tightens as he forcibly moves me toward the door. "I can't believe this," He mutters as he ushers me into his office, Mom following close behind. "The audacity. The disrespect."

The door slams behind us, shutting out the chaos, but I can still feel both bonds pulling at me – Liam's familiar yet distant connection and Dane's new overwhelming presence. Nova is still too close to the surface, fighting for control. 

"When did you and Liam...? Why didn't you tell us?" Mom asks gently, kneeling beside me and rubbing my back in soothing circles.  

I look away, unable to face the hurt in her eyes. How could I explain that the first mate the Moon Goddess chose for me had rejected me so thoroughly that I'd hidden the pain for two years?

Before I can find the words, the bond pulls painfully, making me double over. This is worse than the rejection – the new bond is demanding completion, demanding I acknowledge my mate.

"I need to see him," I manage to say, my voice stronger than I expected. "Dane. I need... Nova needs..."

Dad's face darkens with helpless fury. No father wants to see his daughter suffering, but there are no good choices here. "Fine," he growls. "But we do this privately. No audience."

Minutes later, Dane enters the office, his powerful presence making the room feel suddenly smaller. Nova immediately settles, the painful pulling sensation easing as he moves closer.

"Finley." Just my name, but the way he says it makes me shiver. His hand reaches for my face, but Dad intercepts it with a warning growl.

"You've done enough damage. State your intentions and then get out."

Dane doesn't look away from me as he answers. "My intention was to court her properly. The marking... my wolf took over. I couldn't control it."

"Convenient," Dad snarls.

But I know it's true. I can feel it in the tenuous bond we share, his shame and guilt at behaving so rashly, lacking control. But also his smug satisfaction at claiming me so publicly, showing everyone who I belong to.

"What about Liam?" I ask, not sure why his name is the first thing to leave my lips.

Something flickers in Dane's eyes. "The Glass Lake Beta? What about him?" He studies my face, but his perusal is interrupted when the man himself bursts through the door. 

“What the fuck is going on here? Why would you let him anywhere near her after what he did to her?” Liam snarls the accusation at my father, never meeting my eyes.

“Why do you care?” I whisper the question but everyone hears it, hears the devastation I can’t quite manage to hide, too on edge, too raw to make the effort. 

He looks at me then. “Fin, I…” His hand hangs in the air between us like he might reach for me, before he lets it drop and takes a step back. “Nevermind. I’ll go.”

Shame burns through me, hot and unwelcome. Just another rejection, right there in his voice.

"And will you reject me too?" I flick my gaze to Dane, hating how vulnerable I sound. "Now that you know I'm damaged goods?"

His expression hardens. "No. But this... complicates matters."

"What matters?" Dad demands.

Dane doesn't answer immediately, his jaw working as if he's fighting some internal battle. Finally, he says, "My father has certain expectations. Alliances he wants to secure through my mating."

The room goes completely still. Even Nova stops her restless pacing.

"You're promised to someone else," I say flatly. It's not a question.

Dane doesn't deny it. "It's not what I want."

"What you want?" Dad's voice is deadly quiet. "You mark my daughter, activate a mate bond, and now tell us you're promised to another? Get out. Now. Before I tear your throat out."

"I need to speak with my father," Dane says, eyes still fixed on me. "Make him understand. This changes everything."

But I hear what he's not saying, see it in the way he's already pulling back. He's going to choose loyalty to his father over the mate bond. Just like Liam chose Ryleigh. Why wouldn’t he?

"Go," I say, my voice hollow.

He hesitates, stepping closer, lowering his voice so only I can hear. "I'll come back for you. This isn't over."

Empty words. I can see it in his eyes – that resignation, that acceptance that what we have isn't enough to fight for. Not really. I’m just a mistake he made when his instincts took over. 

When he leaves, he takes whatever strength I had left with him. Nova retreats, curling into a ball of misery deep inside me.

"Twice," I whisper, more to myself than anyone in the room. "Twice the Moon Goddess has chosen for me. And twice I've been found wanting."

No one contradicts me. What could they possibly say?

Outside, a storm gathers, dark clouds rolling over Forest Trails like an omen. Like the Moon Goddess herself is weeping for what might have been.

Well fuck her! And fuck both of them! If only my stupid heart agreed.