Hiraeth

Chapter 12: Whose Side?

It has been a while since I was in this office. It feels like even longs than it actually has been.

Just as I expected, nothing has changed.

My father is behind his desk with his hands folded and a look in his eyes that tells me he was not expecting me.

"So why did you come, Hiraeth?"

As usual, he speaks to me like I'm his inferior and not his own daughter.

"I just came to see how the business is going. Seeing as I am still running the business with you."

His lips curved downward. He stands up and sighs in a way an annoyed parent would their dumb child. "That's the thing. So long as you are with your fiancé you must focus on working with him and not the business. It is important that you focus on that. You still are on a mission."

"Doesn't mean I can't come see my father, right?"

My father looks behind me at Bryan and then at the row of maids behind me. There are only two maids behind him. We both made the same plan and that's to have people on our side of the room show their alliances with us by where they are.

"Hiraeth," he walks in front of his desk, "I was tipped off that you might be Kaius Hale's mate. I know you hate that potential fact and I want you to accept it."

"Like you accepted mom's fate so easily? And Prairie's?"

His face remains emotionless.

"Yes. If you don't comply and stay with your fiancé then I'm afraid you will be putting more than yourself in danger. You never know what can happen."

He leans onto his desk casually as if what he didn't just say means something big.

He is trying to get rid of me.

"Guess I'll just have to bring more bodyguards when I come to visit."

His smile falls even more.

After getting home, Kaius called me into his office. Now as I tell him my conversation with my father, I can see tension on the edge of his desk he is leaning on.

Once I finish, the room grows quiet and I can feel a bitting cold in the air.

"Kaius?"

He is quiet while staring at the rug beneath my feet.

"What is so special about the rug?"

"Not now, Hiraeth."

I frown in confusion. "Why?"

I hear a slight crack sound from the desk.

"Because if what Beta Alec says is true, your father is working with someone dangerous who now knows that we are mates."

He closes his eyes tightly as if trying to block something out. I feel the tension grow thicker in the room.

"Which means..."

"Which means that you are in a lot of danger since you are my mate. Plenty of people want to see me suffer."

"You know I can defend myself right?"

"Not against werewolves." His eyes flash to me as he says that and the breath catches in my throat when I see what he has been holding back. His eyes are an even brighter gold now. "I know you are strong and capable but a fully grown werewolf can take you down very easily."

I see his eyes intensify as he says that. The edge of the desk begins to crack and squeal as the wood gives way under his grip.

I feel the tension grow thicker if that's possible. I feel the need to comfort him, to tell him that nothing bad will happen and that I will be okay.

I feel my feet move forward before I stop myself.

He looks to the ground again and growls in frustration. It sends shivers down my spine.

He stands up and let's go of the desk.

"Fuck!"

He looks out the window in his office and runs his hands along his face.

"I'm going to have Ryder be with you whenever you go out. Please make sure to bring him and don't go against my wishes."

He catches my eyes in the reflection of the glass. His eyes are still glowing and my heart begins to beat heavily.

"Beta Stone doesn't like me. Isn't there anyone else?"

Although I hate the idea of having someone follow me everywhere, I understand the situation. I just don't want Ryder to be the one following me. He would be a dark cloud over every single one of my days.

"It has to be Ryder. He is my best friend and I trust him more than anyone else to protect my mate."

"Why does Ryder hate me if he knows I'm your mate?"

Kaius turns to me and I feel relieved that his eyes are on me and not looking at me through the glass. I want them to be on me and not my reflection.

"Well... he is almost 30. Most werewolves meet their mates by then and if they don't usually that means that they won't ever meet them. It kills a werewolf to not find their soulmate and I'm afraid that every day he is losing more of himself. He might be jealous of me even if he wishes he wasn't. I'm sorry if he is taking it out on you."

I nod. I know how important mates are to werewolves. I can't imagine the pain Ryder must be in if he hasn't found her yet.

Later that night, my mind won't let me sleep. It is buzzing with the concept of the mate bond.

For a werewolf, it is their whole existence. Or more like half of them. I can't help but feel sad for Ryder. Then my mind switches to what I am planning on doing.

Knowing how important a mate bond is, can I really break the bond Kaius and I have?

I may hate the idea of being under the control of an Alpha but I still have a heart. The more this mate bond forms, the more I begin to lose hope.

I roll over in bed and let my fists hit the bed hard. I'm so torn. Whenever I think about letting Kaius in, the images of that night flashes in my mind.

It was an Alpha who sliced their throats with his claws.

It was an animal, a wolf that did it.

When I found them that night with the wolf lingering over their bodies, I felt the power coming from it. That Alpha snapped for some unknown reason.

What if that happened to me?