Chapter 107

Now sitting in Maxwell's office as the door opens and a middle-aged woman pushes in a trolly. It's carrying some plates covered with metal domes and cups and glasses. She stops the trolly just off to the side of the room, picks up one of the plates and cups full of coffee, then sets it down on the alpha's desk.

"Thank you, Sally," he says, picking up the coffee and taking a sip as she bows her head and excuses herself from the room. Maxwell then waves at the trolly and tells us to help ourselves, "You must be hungry." He comments.

I am, we are, and I know Chilli hates situations like this, so I get up and head for the trolly to investigate its contents. Under the domes are some sandwiches, a choice of bacon or sausage. Knowing Chilli's love for bacon, I take one of each, along with a cup of tea and fruit juice. Returning to my seat, I hand the bacon sandwich to her as I thank Maxwell for the food. He nods as he digs into his own breakfast of eggs and toast. With a mouth full of bread and sausage, Maxwell asks me the first of many questions.

"First, let's start with what's been happening at and with the winter pack?"

To answer his question, I think back to the car journey here with Leroy and Erin.

Whilst sitting in the back of the car, I opened up a mind-link between the four of us,

'I need to know what's happened, what's been happening back at the pack house? Fill me in on everything you know because as soon as we get to Maxwell's packhouse, he is going to ask and demand to know everything." I state, glancing at the driver and the other man in the front of the car, who are unaware and unknowing to the conversation we are about to engage in.

'Your father and mother have been kept apart, separated and locked away in the old cells in the cellar under the house, since the submitting ceremony,' Leroy says, giving Chilli a quick look before continuing, 'we woke up in cells next to them after we were taken down and knocked out by...' Leroy gives Erin a side glance as Chilli asks,

'How did you get away without them?' Leroy looks down as if ashamed at himself.

'Alpha, he convinced me.. well, more like ordered me to pretend to submit and join their side so I could be a sort of spy and find out what was going on to help keep us safe. He showed and tort me how to play along as if I had turned, you know, switched sides.' Leroy continues to fill us in on the goings on since that event, until Chilli asks something I too want to know the answer to.

'I have to ask, when and why did you mark each other?' They look at each other and then back at us.

'Because... because, I found my ... true mate." Erin answers,

'What?' Chilli gasps, and Erin nods, 'then why...' But she trails off, not sure whether to ask the question or not.

Erin takes a deep breath as her voice fills our minds once again, but this time I can feel the emotions she is fighting to keep control of.

'Leroy offered to mark me and be my mate to save me.'

I can't help but look at Leroy, I know this is something his has wanted for a very long time, he has always loved and wanted Erin, I remember how much of a moody shit he was on his birthday when he got his wolf and felt nothing with her. Heart broken doesn't even begin to cover it.

'So who was your fated mate?' Chilli asks curiously.

'A bully of a man called Corbyn.' Erin tells us.

'And where is he now? He mustn't be happy about this?' I say, glancing at their marks.

'Dead in the woods,' she looks at me, 'you killed him.'

'What?' My stomach sinks and a cold sweat clings to my skin as it feels like all the air has been sucked from the car. 'Oh ... Erin, I'm...' But she stops me mid apology and continues to explain.

'No, don't, there is no need to be sorry. He was an evil man, he tormented me and .... anyway, there is no love loss there. I didn't feel a thing when he died, just relief. He was going to force me into being his mate and .. well,...' She cuts off again, unable to say the words and we all fall silent for moment, but I can imagine exactly what that man wanted and was planning to do. I'm glad I could help and save her from it, at least I've done something close to resembling the role of an alpha and protecting a pack member. Chilli reaches out and squeezes Erin's hand with reassure and support. Then Erin smiles and adds, breaking the quiet in our minds, ' it was done all official like, with Luna's blessing and everything.'

She and Leroy exchange a joyful look as a shock filled expression appears on my face and Chilli's.

'My mother?'

'Yes,' Erin nods, 'the night before we ... escaped.' She pauses, then adds as emotions fill her words once more, 'we tried, really tried to take her with us, but... but she wouldn't leave without your father. Even if the key we had would have opened her cell too, she said she couldn't leave without her mate.' We all stay quiet for a minute, all understanding her choice. It's Leroy who spoke next,

'With her blessing and the blue moon, it was epic.'

'Blue moon?' Chilli whispers, then looks at me and smiles, 'Elias..' I nod and squeeze her hand, knowing what she is thinking, remembering that night under the stars after we had escaped ourselves.

'Theres no one who deserves that more, we are truly happy for you both. To be given a second chance at true mates, that is amazing.' I say,

'Yes, wow, I'm so happy for you both, for your match to be blessed like that, your bond will be so incredibly strong.' Chilli smiles.

The car turns a final corner and I can see a massive structure in the distance.

'Quick, we are almost there, what else do I need to know?' But before either of them can answer, Chilli interrupts,

'Wait, I've just realised, you never said who is alpha of the pack. You never said a name, you only referred to him as alpha.' She says as a line of sweat glides down her paling face, I can feel the fear storming up inside of her as she dreads that what she worries could be true. 'I mean, I was just assuming it's ... him, or am I wrong?' The new mated couple stay silent, and as I clutch at her hand, I ask the question,

'So, who is alpha?'